Proposal for Repeat Offenders of Child Maltreatment
Rodger Marsh, a 27-year-old father from Oklahoma City, was arrested on March 10, 2015 for allegedly abusing his children. Marsh was accused of injuries that included breaking bones, choking, biting, and duct taping a diaper on one of his children, putting him in a playpen and forcing the other children to make fun of him. However, this is not Marsh's first documented offence. Adrianna Iwasinski a reporter for Oklahoma News 9 reported that over a five-year period "He had four different protective orders filed against him by three different women claiming he was dangerous, aggressive, and abusive to them and their children." The Department of Human Services was also contacted several times throughout the five years with no law enforcement investigations taking place.
Child Protective Services (CPS) is a government agency designed to intervene when suspected cases of abuse (like the one above) arise and to protect the child from further abuse. According to California Department of Social Services (CDSS), the primary goal of CPS "Is to keep the child in his or her own home when it is safe, and when the child is at risk, to develop an alternate plan as quickly as possible". In cases such as that of Rodger Marsh, who is in charge of determining the home to be safe? In addition, exactly what is considered safe when Rodger Marsh was continually allowed to abuse his children over 5 years? Preventing not only child abuse, but also repeated occurrences of child abuse, would require an increase in time spent with the suspected and identified families by state workers and the incorporation proven interventions like the ones listed below.
When it comes to cases of repeat offenders, the Child Welfare league of America conducted a study to reveal the “Effects of the Child Protective Services, System Factors, on Child Maltreatment Rereporting”. The study was conducted over a 5-year period. It followed 67,243 families being investigated for abuse or neglect. It found that 21% of the cases "had one or more child maltreatment rereports" (Hwa-ok Bae, 2010). This raises the question of, what can be done to prevent not only child abuse but also the reoccurrence of abuse in identified families? The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services examined reoccurrence cases and noticed trends that increased the risk for repeat maltreatment.Some of those trends included, but were not limited to:
- Child victims who were reported with a disability were 61% more likely to experience recurrence than children without a disability were.
- In comparison to children who experienced physical abuse, children who were neglected were 23% more likely to experience recurrence.
- The youngest children (from birth through age 3) were the most likely to experience a recurrence of maltreatment.
Increased training programs for professionals in identifying high-risk victims, including those families that have more than one report of suspected abuse, needs to be enforced by and of the highest concern for the investigating party. During a Legislative review conducted by members if the Health and Human Services Interim Committee (HHSIC), it was identified that several training issues needed to be addressed. It was a concern that due to high caseloads and high turnover, new employees do not always receive the required training before being assigned a full caseload, making the training they do get insufficient. "Utah Code requires that new workers receive core training and on-the-job training before being assigned full case loads". Some recommendations the HHSIC made for improvements included:
- DCFS should conduct a workload analysis to determine the appropriate workload standards for the caseworkers and review the needed number of child visits by caseworkers.
- DCFS should monitor removals by caseworker and investigate cases/removals by worker with very high and low removal rates.
- DCFS should develop a statewide uniform system to monitor caseworker training to ensure that caseworkers receive adequate training.
There are also several programs that have been implemented across the country with proven results of preventing future abuse and strengthening of “at risk” families. Two examples of the programs out there are:
Parents Anonymous are one of the leaders in child abuse prevention. It is designed to increase support, offer guidance and strengthen families. Groups are lead by parents whom set the agenda for weekly meetings. They also "operate the only National Parent Helpline that provides emotional support and resources to parents seeking help who have nowhere else to turn" (Anonymous). There are several ways to get involved and collaborate with Parents Anonymous. Currently, they except donations of monetary value as well as in the form of a car, truck, boat, RV, or trailer. They are also always in search of new volunteers to give back to families in local communities. Interested parties can contact Parents Anonymous directly.
Healthy Families America (HFA) is a national program designed to send trained professionals into homes that have been identified as being of high risk for child maltreatment. The program offers voluntarily services prenatally or right after birth and over 3-5 years. Evaluation of outcomes have shown HFA to reduce child maltreatment, improve parent-child interaction, and decrease dependency on state assistance programs. (HFA, 2015) Individuals interested in becoming involved with HFA can do so by contacting their local branch.
In conclusion, child abuse continues to be a concern with new cases arising almost daily. Without a strong emphasis on identification of “at risk” families, especially those at risk for repeat offences, and the implementation of proven prevention programs, it will continue to be a problem our youth face.
