3.2

We Care...
by knowing the types and signs of child abuse and neglect

Now that you are familiar with some of the possible indicators of child abuse, we will look at the specific categories of child abuse as defined by Pennsylvania law.

The Child Protective Services Law that we reviewed earlier has established the definitions and criteria for the categories of abuse in Pennsylvania. Those five categories of abuse are listed below and apply to children under the age of 18. Throughout Lesson Three, we will define each category of abuse and provide indicators or red flags that will help you to identify such abuse.

Categories of Abuse

  • Serious Physical Injury
  • Serious Physical Neglect
  • Serious Mental Injury
  • Sexual Abuse or Exploitation
  • Imminent Risk

Some of the categories of abuse must be recent for mandated reporters to be required to report. In each section, please take note of whether the abuse must be recent.

There is one other category of abuse that is rarely seen at Penn State — Student Abuse.

The reporting process is different from the other five categories that you will learn about in the following sections. If you know an abuser is a K—12 employee who is abusing a K—12 student, you should report the abuse directly to the police.

People making a report of suspected child abuse are not charged with diagnosing a child with any of the conditions associated with abuse. Trained professionals, such as child abuse investigators and medical doctors, will determine any resulting diagnosable condition during the official investigation. It is only important for someone making a report to understand the definition and criteria of abuse and of the obligation to report suspected abuse and neglect.

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