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Home > The Role of Law Enforcement in the Response to Child Abuse and Neglect > The Role of Law Enforcement in the Response to Child Abuse and Neglect: Overview of the Child Protection System
The Role of Law Enforcement in the Response to Child Abuse and Neglect
User Manual Series (1992)
Overview of the Child Protection SystemLaw enforcement is one of the key professions involved in the child protection system. Each discipline involved in the system maintains its own purpose, authority, philosophical basis, and approaches to intervening in child abuse and neglect. For example, Child Protective Services (CPS) generally is designated as the agency responsible for receiving reports of intrafamilial child maltreatment (and in some States all types of abuse or neglect). The CPS agency maintains a social work orientation, with a focus on protection of the child from further abuse and neglect and maintaining the integrity of the family. CPS has a rehabilitative focus in its intervention. State and Federal laws and professional values and standards support the preservation or reunification of the family. Decision making in these agencies is often shared, with individual CPS caseworkers seeking consultation from supervisors or legal counsel prior to significant case action such as the removal of a child from his/her family. Most child protection systems receive reports 24 hours a day. Some do so through family "hotlines" at the local or State level while other, generally more rural communities rely on law enforcement to receive the calls after hours. Law enforcement refers the emergencies to the "on-call" CPS caseworker. A few States rely exclusively on law enforcement for after hours emergency response. A limited number of agencies contract with private agencies to handle these cases. The largest percentage of the total reports are cases of neglect. In most jurisdictions law enforcement only becomes involved with the more serious cases, those involving serious injury, sexual assault, and death. Law enforcement's mission is to investigate crimes and refer those believed responsible for the crime for criminal prosecution. The police agency is organized in a quasi-military structure with clear lines of authority. Individual officers generally act on their judgment without the requirement of formal consultation with supervisors. The prosecutor and other professionals, such as victim/witness advocates, use the results of law enforcement investigations to prosecute cases and assist victims. Other key professionals such as physicians and other health personnel not only treat the injuries incurred as the result of abuse, but also provide critical information to investigators. Mental health professionals are also valuable members of the community's child protection team, assisting investigators in understanding what has happened to the child and using their skills to treat the emotional effects of maltreatment. Officers involved in the child protection system encounter a greater diversity of judicial forums than in other areas of law enforcement. Not only will they work with prosecutors and criminal courts, but they may find themselves called upon to testify in juvenile or family court, divorce courts (when allegations of abuse are being considered), and even before State administrative bodies such as day care licensing boards. Often less known to the law enforcement officers are the other members of the community's child protection system such as public health professionals, domestic violence shelter staff, homemakers, volunteers, educators, self-help groups, and others.
This material may be freely reproduced and distributed. However, when doing so, please credit Child Welfare Information Gateway. |
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