MEASURE AIMS TO BARRIERS WHEN REPORTING SUSPECTED CHILD ABUSE

Current law is failing Maine children

AUGUSTA – A measure to reduce barriers when reporting suspected child abuse received compelling and broad support from family members of abuse victims, child advocacy groups, and social workers at a public hearing today in the state’s Judiciary Committee.

The measure, LD 199, “An Act to Improve the Reporting of Child Abuse,” amends the state’s law for mandated reporters who are required to report cases of suspected child abuse and neglect. There are more than 32 categories of mandatory reporters including clergy, bus drivers, school officials, doctors, camp counselors, and law enforcement.

“Child abuse has serious short- and long-term consequences. The sooner we intervene in child abuse cases, the more likely a child will experience less long-term consequences,” said Democratic State Senator Bill Diamond of Windham, the bill’s sponsor.

In 2013, over 19,000 reports of suspected child abuse were made to Maine’s Department of Health and Human Services’ Office of Child and Family Services.

Sen. Bill Diamond of Windham

Current law states that a mandated reporter may “cause someone else” such as a supervisor to make the report. The proposed change would strike that language and retain the responsibility of the individual mandated reporter who suspects abuse.

“We know that these reports of abuse are merely the tip of the iceberg when it comes to child abuse.  And, we need to decrease barriers to the intervention of child abuse,” added Sen. Diamond. “We know from the Penn State-Jerry Sandusky case that too often reports of abuse get lost up the chain. We can make no more excuses for reports of abuse that go unreported or investigated.”

During the public hearing, Irving Faunce and Jan Collins the grandparents of Ethan Henderson, a two month old baby who was fatally injured by his father, provided compelling and tearful testimony in support of Sen. Diamond’s bill.

Jan Collins said, “The law as written is failing Maine’s children. There has to be a way of ensuring that the reports get made–that they don’t languish somewhere where they are not followed up on.”

Jan’s husband, Irving Faunce added, “I made a promise to Ethan: we would do whatever we could to prevent abuse from happening to anyone else and we would hold accountable those parts of the system that have failed him. Ethan’s death was preventable. And we are here to represent his memory.”

The measure is also supported by the National Association of Social Workers, the Maine Coalition Against Sexual Assault, and child advocacy groups.

The state’s Judiciary Committee will schedule a work session on the bill in the coming weeks.