The Worst Records Of Child Abuse - 1142 Words

Which word captures the essence of the United States? The country, since its birth in late 18th century, has often been referred as a nation of immigrants, opportunities, and freedom. In modern U.S. society, however, those lofty words are being replaced by one word: crime. In FBI’s 2012 Crime in United States report, the violent crime rate marked 26.1 per 1,000 U.S. residents, which is the highest in the world. Among the crimes, child abuse is rising as a serious social problem in America. The U.S. has one of the worst records of child abuse among industrialized nations. Every year, 6 million or more children suffer from child abuse—losing about seven children per day. In order to deter such horrid consequences, social service agencies and†¦show more content†¦Their adeptness and discipline in multiple systems help direct team efforts more efficiently. Other than coordination, social workers serve as a â€Å"liaison to families and outside agencies, [provide] psychosocial assessment, and ongoing family support† (Van Pelt 26). Social workers have proficiency in approaching the family and children and talking with them. The communication is extremely important in the process of diagnosis and treatment of child abuse cases. The ability of social workers’ to interact with victims and families is therefore a huge help for the team. In fact, physicians heavily rely on their expertise in family interaction, for the physicians â€Å"don’t always have enough time to build trust with families† (Van Pelt 26). Social workers thus fill up the deficiency of the team with their ability in communication. Considering the trust between agencies and victims is essential to handle cases, the communicating role of social workers is vital to deal with problems. In addition to this, social workers â€Å"field calls from outside entities, arrange visits from child welfare and law enforcement, interface with citywide and countywide ch ild abuse programs, and coordinate with prosecuting attorneys† (Van Pelt 26). The hospital-based teams have limitations to handle child abuse crimes. Although they can provide physical or psychological treatments to the victimized children and help recover the deteriorated relationships between