Intro
Reporting Requirements
Types
Talking to
a Child
Making the
Report
Conclusion
Reporting requirements vary slightly for a few groups...
Select the affiliation that best fits you:
Mandated Reporters
by State Statute
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If so (or if you're not sure), then choose this affiliation.
UW System
Do you work within the
UW System? *
If so, then choose this affiliation.
* As a UW System employee, you may have a role that falls into s. 48.981. If so, you must follow the "Mandated Reporters by State Statute."
Clergy
Do you hold a position within a church or other faith organization?
If so, then choose this affiliation.
Emotional Abuse
Define
Recognize
Practice
Listen to audio
Emotional abuse is defined as emotional damage for which the child's parent, guardian or legal custodian has neglected, refused, or been unable for reasons other than poverty to obtain the necessary treatment or to take steps to ameliorate the symptoms.
The statutes define emotional damage as harm to a child’s psychological or intellectual functioning that is demonstrated by one of the following exhibited to a severe degree:
- Anxiety
- Depression
- Withdrawal
- Outward aggressive behavior
- Substantial change in behavior, emotional response, or mental functioning that is outside the normal range for the child’s age and stage of development
You can download a printable copy of the questions shown below. (PDF)
As in physical abuse, there must be harm to the child, and who caused the harm is irrelevant. As in neglect, there is a failure to provide necessary care: the parent, guardian or legal custodian has to neglect, refuse to or be unable to obtain necessary treatment or take steps to ameliorate the symptoms. This implies that the parent is aware of the condition and still does not act to provide necessary care for the child. Also as in cases of neglect, the failure to act must be for reasons other than poverty.
- A parent’s decision to not use medication to control a child’s behavior, unless the medication is necessary treatment for emotional damage as defined in the statutes and the parents can afford it.
- Yelling, name-calling, belittling the child.
- Consistently favoring one child over another.
Emotional Abuse Scenarios
1) You’ve been concerned about a particular teenaged boy on your team — 15-year-old Lorenzo. He has little energy and just seems depressed to you. He goes along with your instructions but doesn’t engage with the other kids. One day you notice that Lorenzo has slash marks on his forearms — old healing ones as well as fresh ones. You call his home and reach the mother. You explain what you’ve seen and your concern for Lorenzo, but the mother replies, “Oh, just ignore him. He’s just trying to get attention.” You suggest that maybe Lorenzo should get an evaluation from a mental health professional, and the mother replies, “Are you kidding? Then he’ll know he’s won. Just ignore him.”
Are you required to report?
Correct: You are required to report.
Lorenzo is demonstrating severe behaviors that are injurious to him. You do not need to determine which type of behavior it is (for example, whether it’s a sign of severe depression as opposed to severe anxiety, etc.) to suspect emotional damage. The mother has indicated to you that she is unwilling to obtain necessary treatment for her son. Therefore, both parts of the emotional abuse definition are present.
Incorrect: You are required to report.
Lorenzo is demonstrating severe behaviors that are injurious to him. You do not need to determine which type of behavior it is (for example, whether it’s a sign of severe depression as opposed to severe anxiety, etc.) to suspect emotional damage. The mother has indicated to you that she is unwilling to obtain necessary treatment for her son. Therefore, both parts of the emotional abuse definition are present.
2) 13-year-old Audrey has had trouble recently focusing in your class and has turned in a couple of assignments late, which is unlike her. You know her parents are going through a divorce and that she’s spending time at both homes. You ask Audrey how things are going, and she says she is getting really tired of her parents bad-mouthing each other and pressuring her to choose one parent over the other. She’s sick of hearing it, wishes they would stop, and sometimes wants to just scream. When you ask, she says she stays with her Aunt Ginny when she needs a break. She can talk to her Aunt Ginny. Audrey is unhappy but seems to be coping, and although her work isn't at its usual level, she is doing OK in school. But it isn’t fair she has to deal with this.
Are you required to report?
Correct: You are not required to report.
True, it isn’t fair. But Audrey is not demonstrating any severe psychological or emotional behaviors as described in the statutory definition of emotional damage, and although counseling or other treatment might be a help to her, it is not “necessary.”
Incorrect: You are not required to report.
True, it isn’t fair. But Audrey is not demonstrating any severe psychological or emotional behaviors as described in the statutory definition of emotional damage, and although counseling or other treatment might be a help to her, it is not “necessary.”
1) You’ve been concerned about a particular teenaged girl in your summer camp — Jessica. She has little energy and just seems depressed to you. She goes along with your instructions but doesn’t engage with the other kids. One day you notice that Jessica has slash marks on her forearms — old healing ones as well as fresh ones. You call her home and reach the mother. You explain what you’ve seen and your concern for Jessica, but the mother replies, “Oh, just ignore her. She’s just trying to get attention.” You suggest that maybe Jessica should get an evaluation from a mental health professional, and the mother replies, “Are you kidding? Then she’ll know she’s won. Just ignore her.”
Are you required to report?
Correct: You are required to report.
Jessica is demonstrating severe behaviors that are injurious to her. You do not need to determine which type of behavior it is (for example, whether it’s a sign of severe depression as opposed to severe anxiety, etc.) to suspect emotional damage. The mother has indicated to you that she is unwilling to obtain necessary treatment for her daughter. Therefore, both parts of the emotional abuse definition are present.
Incorrect: You are required to report.
Jessica is demonstrating severe behaviors that are injurious to her. You do not need to determine which type of behavior it is (for example, whether it’s a sign of severe depression as opposed to severe anxiety, etc.) to suspect emotional damage. The mother has indicated to you that she is unwilling to obtain necessary treatment for her daughter. Therefore, both parts of the emotional abuse definition are present.
2) 13-year-old Audrey has had trouble recently focusing in the summer science camp you are teaching at and has turned in a couple of assignments late, which is unlike her. You know her parents are going through a divorce and that she’s spending time at both homes. You ask Audrey how things are going, and she says she is getting really tired of her parents bad-mouthing each other and pressuring her to choose one parent over the other. She’s sick of hearing it, wishes they would stop, and sometimes wants to just scream. When you ask, she says she stays with her Aunt Ginny when she needs a break. She can talk to her Aunt Ginny. Audrey is unhappy but seems to be coping, but it isn’t fair she has to deal with this.
Are you required to report?
Correct: You are not required to report.
True, it isn’t fair. But Audrey is not demonstrating any severe psychological or emotional behaviors as described in the statutory definition of emotional damage, and although counseling or other treatment might be a help to her, it is not “necessary.”
Incorrect: You are not required to report.
True, it isn’t fair. But Audrey is not demonstrating any severe psychological or emotional behaviors as described in the statutory definition of emotional damage, and although counseling or other treatment might be a help to her, it is not “necessary.”
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