(3) Conduct a primary assessment. Examine the child to determine whether
there are injuries which must be treated immediately.
(4) Do a rapid secondary assessment. Perform a more thorough
examination of the child to find what other injuries the child has sustained.
(5) Treat only those injuries that require immediate attention before
transporting the patient to a medical treatment facility.
4-10. PREVENTION OF CHILD ABUSE
Child abuse is a complex problem, and American society must deal with
preventing the problem. Reacting to the problem of child abuse after it occurs is costly
in terms of human suffering and dollars. Today, there are many individual instances of
effort to prevent child abuse and many child abuse prevention programs. A common
factor in many of these programs has been to identify situations or circumstances in
which abuse is likely to occur.
a. Programs/Groups for Prevention. New groups and programs are being
formed. Listed below are some child abuse prevention groups and programs now in
existence.
(1) Parent-aides. Parent-aides are individuals trained to work with troubled
parents. The aides listen to parents who are troubled by the stresses of life (caring for
children being one of those stresses). These aides help the parents learn to deal with
the stress of caring for and nurturing a child. The troubled parents are also taught that
there are other ways of solving their own problems, means other than abusing their
children.
(2) Parents Anonymous (PA). Parents Anonymous is a national group with
more than 600 chapters. This self-help group provides a support network for abusive
parents, an organization for socialization for such parents, and a wide range of
information about parenting. The nature of PA groups is different from chapter to
chapter, depending on the individuals who make up the group. On the whole, a Parents
Anonymous chapter helps abusive parents understand their problem by seeing the
same problem and behaviors in others. This group approach can help an abusive
parent change his own attitude and treatment of his child.
(3) Public education and awareness programs. Local school systems,
social agencies, church groups, and so forth can and have initiated programs for the
general public that seek to give knowledge about child rearing. These programs give
resources for parents to use when they start to abuse their children. Many high schools
and colleges offer classes on how to be a parent. Such programs are relatively
inexpensive and very beneficial in preventing child abuse.
MD0584
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