INTRODUCTION

Child abuse and neglect result in five deaths every day in the United States. Against the feudal backdrop of children as quasi-property, there is always a tension between the rights of a child and the rights of parents.  All states have laws guiding child protection and child welfare interventions.  These laws override confidentiality.  In cases of abuse, therapists, as mandated reporters, must notify child welfare, which often triggers removal of the child from the family.

The sheer numbers of children in foster care show that there are situations where the biological parent can never become an available or safe parent.  But children need permanence.  They need stability and a sense of belonging to a family, so it happens that there are times when family ties are severed.

This program covers the topics of mandated reporting, confidentiality with children, and severing family ties.

CURRICULUM

HELENE SNYDER, JD                    "Mandated Reporting"   

Specific legal duties are imposed on mental health professionals regarding the reporting of suspected abuse and neglect of children. Helene Snyder discusses these requirements and explains how it is that these laws override confidentiality, so that one must report incidents of suspected child abuse to designated authorities.  Record keeping is also discussed.                          

KENDALL MARLOWE, MA              "Implementation of Mandated Reporting"   

What actually happens to a child when a mandated reporter submits a report?  How safe is that child?  Kendall Marlowe, Director of Communications for the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services, a foster parent himself, discusses how mandated reporting gets implemented.                  

ANITA WEINBERG, JD, MSW         "Severing Family Ties"

Forever severing a parent's legal ties to his or her own child is a drastic move, never undertaken lightly.  Anita Weinberg discusses the ethical responsibility and allegiance of the therapist in freeing children for adoption.

FREDERIC REAMER, Ph.D.            "Children's Confidentiality Rights"

Ethical codes are not typically written with minor clients in mind, especially when these children are ain foster care.  Do our ethical standards of confidentiality change when we are working with children?  Dr. Frederic Reamer answers this question.

LEARNING OBJECTIVES

1.  Learn how to comply with your legal duties as a mental health professional and mandated reporter.

2.  Review confidentiality laws and reporting of suspected abuse and neglect to designated legal authorities.

3.  Learn about record keeping in situations of reporting abuse.

4.  Understand how reports of abuse are handled by authorities.

5.  Learn how family ties are severed, what the implications are, and what the reponsibility of the mental health practitioner is in these situations.

6.  Recognize the complexities of confidentiality with minors.