What Is My Responsibility in Preventing Child Abuse?, by Kathy Lauer-Williams, Morning Call, November 21, 2011

"You have a moral and ethical responsibility to be a reporter," she says.

Unfortunately people want to ignore things that are unpleasant or ugly, says Vogler.

"People also tend to not believe children when they talk about it," he says. "You need to pay attention if a child talks about something like this. It's not normal for an 8-, 9- or 10-year-old to ask questions about sexual predators."

"Sexual abuse prevention 101 is believe, believe, believe," agrees Daniels.

People also don't want to believe that someone who seems like a nice person or who is respected can be a sexual predator, Scarf says.

"They think a predator is a dirty old man in a trench coat but the majority of sexual abuse is by someone the child knows," she says.

Also examine your own attitude about getting involved, Continenza says.

Anyone who suspects a child is being abused or groomed for abuse can report allegations directly to ChildLine, the state abuse hotline, at 800-932-0313. Anyone can report abuse, and you are not required to give your name.

If you are unsure, just call ChildLine and ask them what they think about it, Scarf says.

"We tend to think of calling ChildLine as starting a whole progression of bad things but they can make sure that a lot of positive support programs can be put into place," Vogler says.

Scarf also is involved with the Front Porch Project, which is trying to make people more aware of abuse and more comfortable intervening. Information on the program is online at http://bit.ly/fYMIg7.

For a child that may already have experience abuse, it is never too late to reach out for help, Vogler says.

"We need to take care of our children," Mulhern says. "We need to refocus on children and their recovery."

Contact: kathy.lauer@mcall.com

BishopAccountability.org

	What Is My Responsibility in Preventing Child Abuse? By Kathy Lauer-Williams Morning Call November 21, 2011 http://articles.mcall.com/2011-11-20/features/mc-families-help-1121-20111120_1_child-abuse-panelist-mary-lou-scarf Q: I frequently volunteer for my children's activities. Sometimes I chaperone my older daughter's youth group on out-of-town retreats. In light of all the recent events on child sexual abuse and the role of adults in preventing and pre-empting it, I am concerned about what are my responsibilities from both a legal and a moral standpoint. A: The events at Penn State have focused the country's attention on child sexual abuse, the Help for Families panel says. "This has raised everybody's level of awareness," says panelist Mary Lou Scarf. "We are going through a moral crisis. This has been our wake-up call. There are going to be changes in the law, and people will be more aware and hopefully more comfortable with coming forward." If you are involved in activities, find out the protocol for reporting abuse or if there even is a protocol, says panelist Denise Continenza. Find out what kind of training the staff in the organization has had and if the organization provides background checks and clearances, says panelist Michael Daniels. Church groups are required to have child-abuse training, but you as a parent can ask an administrator to provide training, Continenza says. "Training just doesn't protect the children, it also protects the organization," adds panelist Bill Vogler. Training helps you to be aware of your own behavior, Continenza says. "You don't want to be accused of anything," she says. "Keep your eyes open to how others express affection with children." Anyone who works in a care-giver capacity supervising children such as a coach or group leader is mandated to report any suspected child abuse, Daniels says. As a volunteer you would be a "permissive reporter," which means you aren't mandated, but you can report suspected child abuse, Scarf says. "Err on the side of caution," Vogler says. "Report any suspected abuse and follow through to see if it's being acted upon." If you witness child abuse, you have seen an illegal act being committed and should treat it like any other crime and report it to the police, Daniels says. "It is never OK to ignore it," he says. "Odds are there is more than one victim." If reporting child abuse, try to be objective and use details, says panelist Susan Mulhern. Ask yourself, "What exactly is it that I saw?" "You have a moral and ethical responsibility to be a reporter," she says. Unfortunately people want to ignore things that are unpleasant or ugly, says Vogler. "People also tend to not believe children when they talk about it," he says. "You need to pay attention if a child talks about something like this. It's not normal for an 8-, 9- or 10-year-old to ask questions about sexual predators." "Sexual abuse prevention 101 is believe, believe, believe," agrees Daniels. People also don't want to believe that someone who seems like a nice person or who is respected can be a sexual predator, Scarf says. "They think a predator is a dirty old man in a trench coat but the majority of sexual abuse is by someone the child knows," she says. Also examine your own attitude about getting involved, Continenza says. Anyone who suspects a child is being abused or groomed for abuse can report allegations directly to ChildLine, the state abuse hotline, at 800-932-0313. Anyone can report abuse, and you are not required to give your name. If you are unsure, just call ChildLine and ask them what they think about it, Scarf says. "We tend to think of calling ChildLine as starting a whole progression of bad things but they can make sure that a lot of positive support programs can be put into place," Vogler says. Scarf also is involved with the Front Porch Project, which is trying to make people more aware of abuse and more comfortable intervening. Information on the program is online at http://bit.ly/fYMIg7. For a child that may already have experience abuse, it is never too late to reach out for help, Vogler says. "We need to take care of our children," Mulhern says. "We need to refocus on children and their recovery." Contact: kathy.lauer@mcall.com

Any original material on these pages is copyright © BishopAccountability.org 2004. Reproduce freely with attribution.