Child Abuse Investigations
What happens during a child abuse investigation?
First, someone must suspect child abuse. The person then reports their concerns. Professionals are mandated by law that they must report it if they suspect child abuse. Others are concerned about the welfare of a child, so they report their concerns to child protection. This could be a neighbor, a family member, a friend, or a concerned citizen. Social workers know some false reports of child abuse are reported for various reasons.
In general, once a person has a child abuse concern, they call the child protection hotline in their county. Be prepared to wait on hold. This may not be a fast process. I waited 4 hours one time to report concerns of child abuse. The intake worker will ask you many demographic questions. So come prepared with as much information as you have at the time. What the child protection hotline determines at this stage is if there is sufficient information that meets the state law to open an investigation. I have found that this differs depending on your county. Some counties will provide consultation, some counties will take the information down as a notice, and some countries will open an investigation of abuse. Once the information is provided to the child abuse hotline and warrants opening an investigation, the process and time frames begin. This is the referral stage. There are two outcomes to the referral stage. One is a referral that closes, and the other is a referral that turns into a case. During the referral, the federal mandates offer broad timeframes for investigations. Usually, a response within ten days, and urgent matters will occur within 1-3 days. Once again, this differs depending on the state and county the investigation is initiated.
What happens next?
The investigation will include demographic information and reports the concerns of abuse and neglect. The child abuse investigation will get assigned to an Emergency Response social worker. The ER worker receives a certain amount of training in areas of child abuse and neglect. Each county will have policies in place to direct how an investigation is initiated and completed. Here are a few points to remember. In my opinion, social workers should explore all forms of abuse, neglect, and exploitation even if this is not noted as the initial concern on the initial investigation. There are many perspectives about inquiring about all forms of abuse/neglect and lots of debate. However, this is where I stand. Typically, social workers will talk with everyone living in the house and those who have access to the children. They may want to contact the children’s school, their doctors, and other professionals who are in contact with the child and their family. A thorough investigation will be an exploration, information gathering, and finding documentation to support or discredit the child abuse allegations. This is done in a matter of minutes or within days, usually 30 days. I have seen investigations go on for months. Once some preliminary information is conducted, the social worker leaves her/his office to respond to the child’s location.
What can parents do when and if they receive that knock on
their door?
I used to think, well, don’t open the door. However, the investigation does not stop, and social workers can show up at other places; a child’s school, a child’s doctor’s appointment, a family party, stores, and pretty much any location. I have done investigations even on holidays.
I used to think, well, open the door and ask to see if they have a warrant. In certain situations, social workers will knock on the door with the police, and sometimes it is best practice to bring the police for a collaborative assessment of abuse/neglect. So if the social worker has a warrant, and this is highly possible, then by law, you can let them begin their investigation or fight the process. As social workers, we can’t get caught up in someone’s anger; as I say, it was a form of “trauma reenactments.” When someone feels their life or the ones are in danger, they go into fear-flight-freeze mode.
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Let’s say you decided to allow the social worker to investigate the allegations of abuse/neglect. I, as a parent myself, would speak with the social worker first. Most importantly, I would remain calm because if I get agitated, I will not think clearly. So I may have to ask for a few minutes to gather myself. Now the social worker may not like to wait, but I would ask for her/his patience, collect myself, and address their concerns. I would ask about the details of what was reported. I would inquire what is needed to disprove the allegations.
Here are just a few ideas and things I would do
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I would always take the child to their pediatrician for any physical, sexual abuse, or severe neglect concern. I will obtain documents from the local law enforcement agency if they have responded to my home for domestic violence concerns. I would document all my efforts and request paperwork from schools and mental health professionals if there were concerns of emotional abuse. If there are concerns about substance abuse, I’m not sure I would submit to a random drug/alcohol test. I have heard way too many things about this process. Now I’m not concerned if I would test positive for drugs or alcohol or get a false positive. My concern is civil rights and if the request is culturally biased and racially motivated. However, I would consult with an attorney who is an expert in this field. I suggest consulting with a lawyer who works in the field of child abuse.
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I feel it is essential to keep in mind anyone can call the child protection hotline and report child abuse and neglect. I have seen investigations on judges, lawyers, doctors, high-profile business leaders, actors, and other professionals. It is the social worker’s job to investigate to see if there is anything that supports or discredits these claims. However, the reporting party is protected by state law and should not be released to anyone. I find that most people know who the reporting party was based on what their current life circumstances are.
Special note: To all my parents, please note any and everything you put on social media, sent to friends and family, and distribute electronically in any way can be used as evidence to substantiate these allegations. All emergency social workers use these platforms as they are a resource to you and the public.
I hope this gives you a small piece of the child abuse investigative process. The goal was to educate about the early process of emergency response investigations.