Identifying and Reporting Child Abuse: A Guide for Teachers

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Child Abuse and Neglect
According to Washington Statue ??Abuse or neglect? means sexual abuse, sexual exploitation, or injury of a child by any person under circumstances which cause harm to the child?s health, welfare, or safety? or the negligent treatment or maltreatment of a child by a person responsible for or providing care to the child.? (N/A,2016). The signs of possible child abuse include, but are not limited to, sudden behavior change, untreated medical issues, difficulties in school, lack of adult attention, the child making excuses to stay away from home. Parents can also show signs, in the form of, showing little interest in the child, blaming the child for the child?s problems. The parent could ask the teacher to use severe punishment on a child and find harsh treatment acceptable and teacher must be aware of all the signs and must act. As a teacher, you are required by law to report child abuse. According to the Department of Social and Health Services (2016), here are some steps to follow when reporting child abuse.
The first and most important action is being able to recognize the abuse. The second is to gather information. The information needing to be collected is the child?s name and age, along with the name of a guardian and an address and the degree of the abuse or neglect. Is there any prior knowledge of other occurrences? Is there any other information that needs to be known that may affect the child or affect their safety, health or otherwise? If the parents have been reported before how did, they respond to the incident? Is the child of Native American descent? The most important piece of information is YOUR NAME. The submission of the document cannot happen without your name....

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...belief that life is meaningless, giving away possessions and/or dropping out of school.? (Recognizing and Responding to the Warning Signs of Suicide: A Guide for Teachers and School Staff, 2016) Teacher must be willing to ask the difficult questions to reach out to these students and be prepared to take action.
Being prepared means knowing school policy for suicide prevention, being persistent and never leaving the student alone, talk to parents, call 911 if needed, find someone that can help you and the student. Call national hotlines ?Call SAMHSA?s National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-TALK (8255) and follow their guidance.? (Suicide Pervention, 2016). Being prepared in any emergency situation is essential to all lifesaving efforts and by knowing what to look for in a suicidal person could mean the difference between life and death.

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