Handout

How to Respond to a Child's Disclosure of Maltreatment

• 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 physical and/or emotional pain in children who have been physically or sexually abused.
• 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. You want the child to be specific because you have to decide if there is a suspicion of abuse. However, you don’t want to begin an investigation.
• 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. Uncertainity increases the child's anxiety.
• 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.”