Child Maltreatment Case Essay

When evaluating child maltreatment cases it is a vital step to properly assess the risk factors within the family. Some risk factors are more noticeable than others, but all share a large importance. For cases of physical maltreatment large predictors can include poor coping strategies or history of family violence. Parents who are unable to properly handle strenuous situations with their children or who were also abused as kids might be more likely to use extreme punishment tactics. Looking at cases of psychological maltreatment, children who are in elementary school and up tend to be more victimized because they are able to understand the cruel words their parents are directing at them. Typically those who are victims of child sexual abuse …show more content…
One risk factor present in David’s family included substance abuse – marijuana was used in the home although both parents denied it. Another factor that played a large role in David’s family was mental illness. Darlene suffered from what some claimed to be postpartum-depression. She repeatedly expressed that she felt she needed to “just get away” and that she needed more time away from the children. David’s mother was unhappy and he paid the price for it. Both Darlene and Donald experienced forms of abuse as children, which likely contributed to the maltreatment of David and Marie. As a result of Darlene’s rough childhood, she didn’t develop proper skills to cope with the stress of children. Sentinels were unable to recognize David’s risk of being abused because they were mostly focused on Marie, his older sister. She was the “open case” and the focus was getting her back with her family despite her mother’s wishes to terminate her parental rights. David was overlooked when Marie was being assessed. Those who were working on David’s case neglected to take into account the previous history of abuse in addition to the risk factors presented. Each risk factor was essentially shrugged off and deemed as being