The helping hand strikes again unintended consequences of child abuse reporting

Abstract

Concomitant with the evolution of a humane philosophy of intervention in the first decade after the medical discovery of child abuse in the 1960's came a broadening of the definition of the problem. The assumptions of low frequency, the benevolent role for government, and the competency of child welfare programs must be challenged in light of present data, values, and experience. The promise implicit in the child abuse reporting laws is an empty promise for many children. Hospital recognition of child abuse is defined as much by class and race as by severity. A new propensity to criminalize family problems and the possible advent of government intrusions into the newborn nursery suggest a risk of more harm in the guise of help, which will affect the most vulnerable children and families. A retreat from reporting as the method of getting services to families is suggested as one means to ameliorate this crisis.