Comprehensive Case Study

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University of Arkansas *

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Apr 3, 2024

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1 Analyzing and Questioning a Child Abuse Case Taylor M Edwards University of Arkansas SCWK 4013 – Child Advocacy Studies II Carly Franklin 10/24/2023
2 Analyzing and Questioning a Child Abuse Case The average person takes several things for granted during their lifetime, like running water, opposable thumbs, or even a normal and safe childhood. Unfortunately, child abuse is not a rare occurrence and happens across the globe in different ways and severities. Children that fall victim to abuse are robbed of their safety and forces them to grow up filled with different insecurities and anxiety. Even exposure to abuse can and usually does have lifetime effects on the victim, causing issues in their career, social, and familial life. Three children, their exhibition of post-abuse behaviors, and their following interviews will be examined within this reflective case analysis to demonstrate the processes in which child protective services (CPS) and Crimes Against Children Division (CACD) work together to infiltrate abuse to mitigate it and help the child(ren) involved. Eli, Aria, and Prism are all siblings living in a two-bedroom mobile home with their mother Melanie and her boyfriend Jerry. Aria and Prism both share a bed(room) while Melanie and Jerry take the second. This arrangement leaves Eli sleeping on a couch with no privacy to himself. During preschool, Prisms teacher noticed that she was rubbing her genital area during class and would resume even after being directed away from the behavior. She would also make illicit comments and physical advancements towards another little boy in class. Finding this behavior unacceptable and worrying, the teacher tried to reach out to Melanie to no avail as well as a child abuse hotline (Franklin, 2023) Factors There are some factors within this case that need to be considered before conducting interviews with the children, family, and teachers. The first and most telling factor would be Prisms sexual deviance in the classroom with herself and towards another child despite efforts to
3 redirect. This is a common indicator that some kind of abuse is happening at the child’s home or outside of school. Another factor would be the initial response from Prism regarding her behavior, which was neither embarrassment nor shame (Franklin, 2023). It is especially worrisome that Prism is not ashamed of her behavior because that could mean two things: she is unaware that her behavior is bad because she is not being taught that it is bad. Despite having already been interviewed, Eli needed a second chat with CPS and CACD. Prism’s initial comment about “what Eli does sometimes” (Franklin, 2023), alludes to the idea that Eli is also exhibiting signs of sexual deviance. Eli is either teaching or demonstrating things to Prism that she is then passing on to others. It can somewhat explain where Prism is learning her behavior, but where is Eli? Another factor would be the lack of privacy and space Eli had. He was forced to sleep on the couch and would often crawl into bed with his little sisters. This could be an innocent act, but an extra interview would help delve deeper into whether it is. There are possible pitfalls that could be encountered while interviewing the children. An interviewer might be biased towards what kind of abuse or who the perpetrator is based on the initial information given. Because Prism was acting out sexually, this could cause interviewers to be suggestive or coercive towards the children to make a situation seem more intense or even create new situations that did not happen. Another pitfall could be the objectivity of the interviewer. At least for Prism, who we know has not acted ashamed of her behavior, may be more difficult to interview unless the interviewer is able to talk to her using proper emotions and allow Prism to understand what she is doing. Safety Assessment The initial decision to remove the children from their home came before a home visit was even executed. According to the “Use of Safety and Risk Assessments in Child Protection
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4 Cases” article, there are several factors to keep an eye out for when determining the validity of a child abuse claim. Prism was usually withdrawn from other children, she had begun to exhibit physical signs and behaviors that were sexually deviant, and she fully disclosed engaging in sexual acts with her brother during a forensic interview. Aria disclosed during her interview that she likes playing outside after dark so that she does not hear the adults having sex. Melanie herself rang a couple alarms due to allowing her live-in-boyfriend Jerry to watch the kids while she works and presumably being under financial stress due to relying on government assistance. Other questions could have been asked during the initial interview with Prism, Aria, and Melanie to help determine other potential safety issues. Because these questions were not initially asked, I would ask the children if they ever saw or heard their mother and Jerry fight/argue. I would ask the children’s teachers about their academic development and engagement, as well as other deviant behaviors they might have. When talking with Melanie, the direction of the questions would turn to their living arrangement and day to day lifestyle. This could include what they eat, how they act at home, how often the children are left either alone or with Jerry, and what kind of activities they do as a family. Disclosures A disclosure does not necessarily need to be verbal. While most disclosures are from interviews and discussions, some can come from indirect nonverbal cues (Newlin et al., 2015). Prism displayed her disclosure in different ways. Not only did she verbally disclose things she had watched or performed, but she was displaying sexually deviant behaviors as well. Age is also a factor to consider currently. The children’s age ranges from 5 years-old to 11 years-old, meaning that some of the things happening in the home may not get disclosed until later in life.
5 Aria and Eli, unless given the ideal situation to disclose more information, might not say anything until they adults either out of shame, sadness, or fear. Eli’s disclosure is a bit vaguer and contradictory in comparison to his sisters. He states that he does not engage in inappropriate behaviors with Prism. Regarding this, I would want to know his definition of an inappropriate behavior is. Eli did not disclose whether he sometimes slept in the same bed as his sisters, so I would ask him if he ever had. I would like to know why he does not see his biological father often or if he wanted to. At the end of his discloser, Eli mentions that Jerry helps his mom out and gives them stuff. Melanie did not disclose that he had a job, so my main concern would be where this money was coming from and on what he was spending it on. Response A multidisciplinary team (MDT) is compromised of individuals from different disciplines to make sure that child claims such as these are taken seriously and investigated through its full extent. They also offer a variety of support, tools, and resources to facilitate safety and protection to those involved in the investigation. For potential cases of child abuse, members from CPS, the Department of Family Services (DFS), law enforcement (LE), the Department of Justice (DOJ), victim advocates, psychological practices, and hospitals. Each one of these professionals would be able to aid the mental, physical, and judicial needs of the victims and their families so that justice is executed correctly and fairly. From the perspective of the CPS/CACD worker, next steps would include interviewing other adults in the children’s lives including relatives, teachers, or neighbors. The CPS/CACD worker would then begin coordinating the MDT by collecting various types of information on the home and background of the alleged offender(s), while attending to the physical and mental
6 needs of the children and mother. More members would be pulled into this team depending on the validity of the claim and substantiation of evidence like LE and the DOJ. Their involvement with the children and mother would provide safety and assistance through the court system if the case goes to trial. If I were to take on the role of the CPS worker, I would follow this kind of method because it allows for all victims to receive the help and advocacy they need to understand and move towards undoing the trauma they have encountered. This method would provide support and a reestablished sense of safety to the family, while allowing other members to collect and organize evidence to support the conviction of the abuser. Eli, Aria, and Prism may have a long journey of rebuilding themselves after their trauma. Continuing therapy after the claim is closed is imperative to the children’s mental health. It takes time to unlearn abuse and even more effort to relearn safety and trust. I do not believe it would be beneficial to completely remove the children from Melanies care. Both the children and their mother should be separated from Jerry and placed in a women’s and children’s shelter. There, the family should meet regularly with a member of DFS to learn proper ways to care for a child. It could be that Melanie is unaware that her “hands-off” kind of exposure and parenting style are affecting the children and harming them. By teaching better life skills and techniques to the non- offending caregiver, the children can benefit from an increase of stability within the home as well as from their therapy visits. Thankfully, the family has a seemingly defined strength that can be drawn on to encourage growth and healing. The children do not mention having a poor relationship with their mother. It could be strained, but because there is no direct negativity in relation to Melanie and the children’s relationship, their family bond can provide comfort and support to each other if they can band together.
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7 The actions towards Jerry could be different based on the direction of the case. I will start with the immediate steps that should be taken based on the evidence provided. Jerry should initially be removed from the home. His substance abuse, household exposure of pornographic material, and relationship with his daughter would all lead to the idea that Jerry is either actively abusing the children or grooming them. Once separated from the family, a background report based on the collaboration of LE and DOJ should be executed. Jerry should also have to undergo psychological evaluation and have his own forensic interview. Depending on what is discovered or what evidence is substantiated, LE could play a larger role in Jerry’s prosecution. Conclusion It is clear that whatever is happening behind closed doors in this case, should not be. The fact that Prism is so young and already displaying signs of sexual deviance is deeply concerning and a direct sign that she is learning this behavior from somewhere in her immediate environment. Aria and Eli are also exhibiting the other direct and indirect signs of abuse that call for a more thorough investigation. In order to guarantee that the needs of these children are met and that their disclosures are being taken seriously, An MDT is essential to establishing a support network to guide the family into a more positive situation, but also to seek well-deserved justice. There are distinct and immediate changes that need to happen in order to facilitate that kind of environment, and with the right support they might be able to. Hopefully in this hypothetical situation, everything part of the investigation was investigated thoroughly and honestly.
8 References Franklin, C. “Case Study Lesson 9.” SCWK 4013: Child Advocacy Studies II, University of Arkansas, 2023. Child Welfare Information Gateway. (2022). The use of safety and risk assessments in child protection cases. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Administration for Children and Families, Children's Bureau. https://www.childwelfare.gov/topics/ systemwide/laws- policies/statutes/safetyrisk/ Newlin, C., Steele, L. C., Chamberlin, A., Anderson, J., Kenniston, J., Russell, A., Stewart, H., & Vaughan-Eden, V. (2015). Child Forensic Interviewing: Best Practices. Juvenile Justice Bulletin . https://ojjdp.ojp.gov/sites/g/files/xyckuh176/files/pubs/248749.pdf