Bshs 407 - Child Protection Interview Summary

Child Protection Interview Summary

Diana Bennett, Barbara LeMoine, La Priel Reed, Melva Wilson

BSHS/407

February 1, 2016

Amanda Brown

Child Protection Interview Summary

         Child abuse and neglect are an ongoing problem that continues to be issued by the United States. This issue does not show any signs of going away. However, there are places to assist those that are neglected and abused get the much-needed care that they need. The professionals that assist the victims commit to long and hard hours ensuring that the child, whether abused or neglected, receive the appropriate service and as for the perpetrator/s, they will face various consequences depending on the severity of the crime towards the adolescent. Child Protective Services workers, also known as (CPS), conduct thorough investigations of reports of crimes against a child. The CPS worker will determine if the child was harmed or neglected. If any signs show there have been actions, the child will then be removed from the families care. In Team B, each member conducted interviews with different professionals that have experience in dealing with cases of child abuse and neglect. Each professional may possess different roles depending on the state, but the common goal that they share is ensuring the well-being and safety of the child is their top priority.

Team’s Questions

In creating the questions for our, team member, Barbara LeMoine discussed our ideas with Mae Grimm, a Social Worker with the San Luis Obispo County Department of Social Services. As a team, we went through the questions, discussed whether or not the items best suited what we were trying to achieve. This included clarifying information and providing feedback. As per the rubric, the questions were formulated in a way so the interviewee would be open and comfortable with the open-ended questions, giving our team plenty of information, which would allow us a peek into the lives of a neglected and or abused a child without crossing any unnecessary lines. A question I might have considered adding: "After experiencing the outcome of child abuse and or neglect, and the trauma which comes after, would you reconsider the decision to pursue a career as a Social Worker?”

Interviews

Barb LeMoine’s interview was with Mae Grimm, a Social Worker employed by the San Luis Obispo County Department of Social Services.  According to Mae, the most repeated allegations are related to child abuse, neglect, and endangerment. One of the most challenging and sensitive cases, and also frequently happens, for Mae was with a 12-year-old boy whose parents were divorced, and was traveling between his mothers' home to his father. Essentially, the child was being abused in the father's home by the father's girlfriend. The young boy had tried much time to explain to his father what was happening but to no avail. The child decided to take matters into his own hand and reported the incident to his personal therapist. Now, both Mae and the child's mother felt as though this was a huge accomplishment for the child. However, the father did not agree and made every attempt to protect the girlfriend's rights over his child. After multiple investigations, it was determined there was abuse, and the child was removed from the home. Mae said, repeatedly, during these types of allegations she wished the accused parent would try to understand the child's perspective and trust the system, but unfortunately, when the parent does not try she is left with no other alternative except to ask for intervention on the child's behalf.