U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government, Department of Justice.

NCJRS Virtual Library

The Virtual Library houses over 235,000 criminal justice resources, including all known OJP works.
Click here to search the NCJRS Virtual Library

COMMUNITY AGENCIES AND CHILD ABUSE - LABELING AND GATEKEEPING

NCJ Number
54912
Author(s)
R J GELLES
Date Published
1975
Length
27 pages
Annotation
THE ROLE OF COMMUNITY AGENCIES IN DIAGNOSING AND THEN LABELING SUSPECTED CASES OF CHILD ABUSE AND THE RESULTS OF THIS LABELING ARE EXAMINED. THE FACTORS UNDERLYING DECISIONS TO REPORT SUSPECTED ABUSE CASES ARE DISCUSSED.
Abstract
HOSPITALS, HEALTH CARE CLINICS, SCHOOLS, PUBLIC SOCIAL WORK AGENCIES, PRIVATE SOCIAL WORK AGENCIES, AND THE POLICE PLAY AN ACTIVE ROLE IN THE CHANNELING OF CHILD ABUSE CASES INTO THE HEALTH AND WELFARE SYSTEM. THE CURRENT LEVEL OF KNOWLEDGE ABOUT CHILD ABUSE IS HEAVILY DEPENDENT UPON THIS DIAGNOSTIC PROCESS BECAUSE MOST STUDIES DEAL WITH CASES LABELED AS ABUSE BY SUCH SOCIAL WELFARE AGENCIES. THE FACTORS WHICH LEAD PROFESSIONALS TO DIAGNOSE ONE CASE AS POSSIBLE ABUSE AND ANOTHER AS AN 'ACCIDENT' ARE EXAMINED. THE MAJOR FACTOR IS SEEN AS THE PROFESSIONALS' VIEW OF THEIR ROLE IN CHILD ABUSE. A SURVEY OF COMMUNITY WORKERS FOUND THAT NURSES, SOCIAL WORKERS, CLERGY, AND THE POLICE WERE THE ONLY PROFESSIONAL GROUPS WHO STATED THEY WOULD GET PERSONALLY INVOLVED IN AN ABUSE CASE. EDUCATORS AVOID PERSONAL INVOLVEMENT BECAUSE OF THE POLITICAL PROBLEMS INVOLVED. PHYSICIANS MAY REPORT ABUSE IN AN EMERGENCY ROOM OR CLINIC SETTING BUT ARE UNLIKELY TO REPORT IT IN PRIVATE PRACTICE. INSTANCES IN WHICH PHYSICIANS DELIBERATELY IGNORED ABUSE SYMPTOMS ARE CITED. BECAUSE OF THIS PROCESS THE FAMILIES LABELED AS ABUSIVE TEND TO BE THOSE WITH LITTLE SOCIAL POWER, THE POOR, AND MINORITIES, AND EVEN THESE CASES ARE NOT WELL-SERVED. ONE STUDY FOUND THAT THOSE WHO ACTIVELY SEEK HELP OFTEN ARE SHUFFLED FROM AGENCY TO AGENCY UNTIL THEY ARE LOST FROM THE SYSTEM. THE NEED FOR COORDINATION, FOR EXCHANGE OF INFORMATION, AND FOR GREATER EFFORTS TO OVERCOME THE RESISTANCE TO REPORTING ABUSE ARE DISCUSSED. NOTES AND REFERENCES ARE APPENDED. (GLR)