(TW) Update on my sister's child abuse case

[rebeccagrace.livejournal.com]

Hello VPers.

I wanted to give an update about my nephew's child abuse case. I called child services today to get an update on the case. The person in charge of the investigation told me that they had closed the case due to lack of evidence. I am so, so upset. The person basically told me that I was the only person who had come forward and that everyone else had said that it wasn't that bad, and/or they hadn't seen anything. I was made to feel like I was almost making it up, to cause trouble. The person was like, "Well, no one else has corroborated your story, so..."

I don't know what else I can do, VPers. I tried, and now I feel like I have failed my nephew and it just makes me ill. I am already under so much stress from the whole thing, and then just to be told that there was no case basically because there were no marks or bruises just makes me feel awful. She won't get the help she needs, and my nephew still has to live with her...and...it's awful. I feel like I haven't made the slightest difference. 

Wow, I'm sorry...this kind of turned into a pity party for me, and I didn't mean it that way. I just feel so bad, and scared for my nephew. What more can I possibly do? There is no way on earth I will ever be allowed to see my nephew or niece again after this, so I've lost them...therefore I have lost my ability to protect them and nurture them. I am sad. 

Comments

[aylaelphaba.livejournal.com]

I second this - speak with his teachers, with anyone who will listen. Don't teachers have a legal obligation to report suspected abuse?

[atalanta0jess.livejournal.com]

They do. That doesn't necessarily mean that they have to report abuse that a) has already been reported and b) is only known to them through hearsay. But if they had noticed anything that seemed off, hearing from the OP might push them towards reporting. Or they can at least keep their eyes open to see if there is anything that raises eyebrows in the future.

[knittinggoddess.livejournal.com]

If I remember my mandatory reporter training correctly, we actually can't report hearsay unless it's in the context of firsthand observations.

Personally, if a student's relative told me your story, I would definitely be watching the student more carefully.

[atalanta0jess.livejournal.com]

Probably varies from state to state? I don't really know. I expect that in my county at least, it would be tough to get the hotline worker to take a report that was second hand. Plus if the incidents in question have already been reported and investigated there's really nothing else they could do.

[leeshers.livejournal.com]

Not sure where you are at but in CA most of us err on the side of report everything, just in case.

We have a saying at my work, "its my job to report it, its their job to investigate it" just meaning that we report pretty much everything and let those people who are more trained in abuse specifics do the digging into each situation.

[knittinggoddess.livejournal.com]

I just flipped back through the training documents available online (which isn't the entire training) and can't find anything that corroborates my memory. The only thing I could find was specific to using the secondhand information in court. So I guess I'm wrong about "can't report hearsay". The CPS person might not take the hearsay under the same level of scrutiny as a firsthand report, but that's not under my purview.

And yes, I have the "when in doubt, report" philosophy. I just thought I remembered something about how CPS would not find a secondhand report legitimate unless I had also found evidence--or if the secondhand came from a child himself. ("My brother told me...")