Protecting Children - Frequently Asked Questions


	Protecting Children - Frequently Asked Questions
Home What is Child Abuse? Reporting Child Abuse FAQ	What is reasonable discipline? What common behaviours do abused children present? What do you do if a child tells you about abuse? What happens if your family is reported to CAS? 1. What is reasonable discipline? The law presently allows parents to use "reasonable force" to discipline children. What’s reasonable depends on the situation, but many forms of physical punishment that were acceptable in the past are no longer permitted, such as tying or locking children up. Any form of physical discipline that requires medical attention, or results in bruising, welts or broken skin, is not considered reasonable discipline. Using belts, electrical cords or other objects to discipline a child can cause serious harm as well. Physical discipline of babies is also unacceptable. Handling babies roughly - whether in anger or playfulness - is extremely dangerous. Shaking can cause serious injury, including brain damage, blindness and even death. Physical punishment can also lead to physical abuse when parents or caregivers lose control and strike their children in anger. What are alternatives to physical discipline? If you’re frequently angry or frustrated by your child’s behaviour, learning different ways to handle the situation can help you and your child. The CAS, the public health department and other community agencies can give you information about how to deal with your child’s behaviour. (Back) 2. What common behaviours do abused children present? Sometimes a child who is being abused will tell an adult. If this happens to you: anxiety aggressive behaviour post traumatic stress disorder depressive disorders suicidal risks are increased poor self esteem depression dissociative disorders substance abuse (alcohol and drugs) violent behaviour / outbursts 3. What do you do if a child tells you about abuse? Sometimes a child who is being abused will tell an adult. If this happens to you: stay calm listen to the child let the child know you believe him or her reassure the child tell the child you’re sorry it happened and let them know it’s not his or her fault don’t promise to keep it a secret don’t say everything will be fine now - it may take a lot of time before it is Contact a Children’s Aid Society (Back) 4. What happens if your family is reported to a CAS? If someone says your child is abused or neglected, a CAS worker will visit your family to determine if abuse is occurring. If the worker thinks your child is at risk, he or she must decide how to protect the child and help your family. The worker may offer you support services, or decide to temporarily remove your child from home. If your child is removed from home against your wishes, a judge will decide what should happen next. You can get a lawyer to help you in court. If you can’t afford one, you should ask for assistance from the legal aid office. If you disagree with the worker you should talk to the CAS worker’s supervisor. If you, your social worker and the supervisor can’t resolve the problem, the CAS has a formal complaint procedure that will be explained to you. You can ask for a written copy of the complaints procedure at any time. Because some forms of abuse are crimes, the police may be involved and might lay charges against a suspected abuser. (Back)
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