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(Unit 1) Topic 6: Child Abuse Awareness

Responding to a Child's Disclosure

Topic 6 Page 7

One of the most important indicators of maltreatment is a child’s disclosure. As a teacher, you must know what to do when the child comes to you with this information. A child may tell you directly that he or she is being abused. However, this is the least common way for a child to let you know that something is happening.

Disclosure is difficult for a child because:

There is a sense of shame associated with the maltreatment
There is a sense of loyalty to the abuser
There is a real fear of not being believed
There is a fear of negative consequences—to the child or to family members

Fear of Consequences
Abusers often tell children that bad things will happen if they tell others about the maltreatment. It is a “secret” that is not to be shared. Whether the abuser directly threatens the child or just implies that there will be consequences, the impact on the child is the same. This fear of what might happen makes the disclosure that much more difficult for the child.

Because of this fear, children are much more likely to share information in an indirect way — hoping that you will figure out what they are trying to tell you.

Indirect Disclosure
Indirect disclosure might sound like this:

Indirect hints — “My babysitter keeps bothering me.”
Disguised disclosure — “What would happen if a girl was being touched in a bad way and she told someone about it?”
Disclosure with strings — “I have a problem but if I tell you about it, you have to promise not to tell.”

How to Respond
How you respond to the child’s disclosure or attempts at disclosure has important consequences. Not responding may leave the child feeling abandoned or unprotected. On the other hand, being overly emotional or intrusive may scare the child and hinder the disclosure.

Here are some ideas about how to respond to disclosure:

Find a place that is private to talk to the child. Make sure you won’t be interrupted.
Don’t sit behind a desk. Sit near the child to put him or her at ease.
Don’t touch the child without permission. Touch may be associated with the abuse.
Remain calm.
Listen to the child.
Use the child’s language. Avoid words he or she might not understand or might find embarrassing.
Encourage the child to tell you what happened, but don’t press for details beyond that which the child is able or willing to provide.
Honor the child’s method of disclosure. If the child is making a disguised disclosure (for instance, claiming that the abuse happened to someone else), encourage the child to tell you about the situation. The child will often reveal that he or she is the actual victim after talking for a while.
Avoid asking “why” questions. Children often feel they have done something wrong or must defend themselves when asked why.
Reassure the child, but be sure to do so realistically. Let the child know that he or she is not to blame for what is happening.
Try to get enough information to determine the child’s safety. Immediate action is needed if you think the child is in imminent danger.
Support the child. Even though you will be turning over responsibility to a Child Protective Services worker, the child will continue to look to you for support since you know about the situation, and the child will see you as a safe person.
Let the child know what you will do now that you know about the abuse/neglect.
Reassure the child that you will not share this information with other teachers or children. But, do let the child know that you may need to tell a “helping person.”

You, as an educator or caregiver, are not responsible for proving that abuse or neglect has occurred. You must only have a suspicion that a child is being abused or neglected.