Amara Zee's blog: "raising [awareness] for child abuse."

Neglect Neglect is a failure to provide for the child's basic needs. The types of neglect are: physical educational emotional Physical neglect Physical neglect is not providing for a child's physical needs, including: inadequate provision of food, housing, or clothing appropriate for season or weather lack of supervision expulsion from the home or refusal to allow a runaway to return home abandonment denial or delay of medical care inadequate hygiene Educational neglect Educational neglect is the failure to enroll a child of mandatory school age in school or to provide necessary special education. This includes allowing excessive truancies from school. Emotional (psychological) neglect Emotional neglect is a lack of emotional support and love, such as: not attending to the child's needs, including need for affection failure to provide necessary psychological care domestic violence in the child's presence, such as spousal or partner abuse drug and alcohol abuse in the presence of the child, or allowing the child to participate in drug and alcohol use When authorities examine emotional neglect, they take into consideration cultural values and standards of care, as well as the level of family income, which may interfere with proper care. Some overlap exists between the definitions of emotional abuse and emotional neglect; regardless, they are both child abuse.

Phone Numbers To Call For Help Help That You Need Phone Numbers: Helpline for victims and perpetrators of child abuse; information, literature, and referrals Get Help Now: Childhelp National Child Abuse Hotline: 1-800-4-A-CHILD Agencies to call to report suspected child abuse. Organized by state within the U.S. Child Abuse Reporting Numbers Helpline and suggestions for coping with a crying baby Shaken Baby Syndrome or 1-877-6-END-SBS Helpline for teens who are having problems at home Youth and Teens or 1-800-RUNAWAY

What To Do If You Suspect Child Abuse Suggestions from the Child Welfare League of America: If it is an emergency, call your local police department. They can ensure the immediate safety of a child and get medical attention if needed. Call your state or local child abuse hotline. If you are unsure how to report, contact Childhelp USA® National Child Abuse Hotline by telephone at 1-800-4-A-CHILD® or through their website at www.childhelpusa.org for information about how to report in your community. Remember.... Suspicion of abuse is all that is necessary to file a report Your information can be given anonymously You will be asked to describe your concerns about the child and it will be helpful if you can provide: the child's name, age, address, gender, school attended (if possible), and names of parents.

Identifying Child Physical Abuse Identifying Child Physical Abuse By far, bruises are the most common injuries that children receive from child abuse. So, what are the most common sites that we see child abuse bruises? • Buttocks, lower back and back of legs – due to spanking. • Genitals and inner thighs. • Cheeks – due to slapping. • Upper lip and frenulum – due to force feeding • Ear lobes – due to pinching • Neck –due to choking • However, abuse injuries can be found anywhere on a child's body. Obviously, there are also areas that are commonly bruised in children. Protruding body parts are easily bruised and are used to protect the more vulnerable body parts. It is quite common for children to have bruises on their shins, knees, elbows and forehead. However, it is much less common (and deserves further questioning) for a child to have bruises on their buttocks, lower back, thighs, stomach or other soft tissue areas, ears and neck. Bruises in these areas are suggestive of abuse and warrant an inquiry of how the bruise was acquired. When observing bruises, there are several characteristics that should raise your level of suspicion. These include: • Clusters or groups of bruises This indicates several injuries occurred at the same time. • Bruises of different colors, injuries of different ages This indicates several injuries occurred over a period of time. • Over lapping injuries Injuries on top of other injuries. Sometimes looks very difuse and may hide patterns. • Pattern injuries Typically show an outline of the object that caused the injury (belt, cord, shoe, coat hanger, hair brush, spoon, etc). • Defense wounds Typically on the back of the arms or hands caused by deflecting blows. • Linear bruises Indicative of being struck with a straight object • Double track marks Indicative of being hit with a belt (center typically bows out and the edges leave marks). • Loop type marks Indicative of belts, straps or extension cords that have been bent in half or of a coat hanger. • Bruises not common for the child's age or activity level Look at the child's developmental level (a 1 month old does not roll off of a sofa)

Never Leave a Child Unattended In or Around a Motor Vehicle Approximately 265 children a year die from being left unattended in a vehicle during warm or hot days. Not only do children die from heat related complication but other dangers can occur from being left unattended in vehicle including: Strangulation from a power window Setting the car in motion and suffering an injury Abduction A car's temperature rises an average of 19 degrees in the first 10 minutes after a car is closed up. It then rises an average of another 10 degrees every 10 minutes culminating in an average rise of 43 degrees within an hour

Possible Signs Of Child Abuse 1. Overly compliant, passive, undemanding behaviors. These behaviors are frequently seen in severely abused children and are often adaptive in helping the child maintain a "low profile". Specific behaviors may include: • Inhibited crying or verbal responses • Overall sad demeanor • Excessive self-control • Overt fear of parents 2. Extremely aggressive, demanding and rageful behaviors These behaviors are more often seen in mildly or inconsistently abused children whose behavior is net with inconsistent responses form the parent(s). Specific behaviors may include: • Hyperactivity • Temper tantrums • Aggressive behaviors • Indiscriminate seeking of affection 3. Overly adaptive behaviors These behaviors may be in the form of role reversal in the parent-child relationship. These patterns are frequently found in children whose parents demonstrate unmet emotional needs and look inappropriately to their child to fulfill these needs. Specific behaviors may include: • Inappropriate maturity • Excessive concern for the parent's needs • Overly dependent behavior • Poor peer relationships 4. Lags in development Many abused children will demonstrate developmental delays that can not be explained by organic or congenital causes. These may include: • Delays in toilet training • Speech and language delays • Learning disabilities • Delays in motor skill development *Disclaimer – These red flags are not absolute indicators that a child has been abused. They should be seen as markers that abuse might be present when these indicators are seen in sufficient degree and number to be readily observable.

Never Shake a Baby or Young Child Never Shake a Baby or Young Child • Shaking a baby can cause serious damage, such as: permanent handicaps, brain damage, blindness, paralysis, stroke, seizures, mental retardation, and even death. • 1/3 of all children who have Shaken Baby Syndrome die. • An infant's head accounts for one third to one quarter of his/her body weight. Unlike adults, a baby's head is large in proportion to his/her body and the neck muscles are relatively weak. • When a baby is shaken, the brain and skull rotate at different rates of speed. The veins that connect the surface of the brain and the undersurface of the skull break as a result of these forces, causing severe brain damage.) • Shaken Baby Syndrome occurs most often when the caregiver is feeling frustration, anger, and an overwhelming sense of responsibility. • Make sure anyone who handles your baby knows the dangers of shaking a baby. Educate all family members and caregivers about the fragility of a baby's brain, head, and neck and the serious damage caused by Shaken Baby Syndrome.