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Many turn a blind eye to child abuse/neglect

New Hampshire Union Leader - 9/19/2021

Sep. 19—If neighbors are correct, five young children never ventured outside a fetid, dirty center city Manchester apartment — an apartment police described as "deplorable" — for more than a year.

One neighbor interviewed last week said he saw the children through windows. Another heard them. Yet despite the isolation, a swarm of flies and a stench, no one contacted police or child protection officials.

One neighbor told a reporter it was about time somebody said something. Another, a father himself, said he'd never call to report such a situation.

"It's hard. You have to keep up," he told a reporter, after police arrested three adult caregivers nine days ago and charged them with child endangerment and reckless conduct.

New Hampshire has a state law that requires all adults to report suspected cases of abuse and neglect. But the fact that such a situation could go unreported in a densely packed neighborhood shows that many either don't know about the state's mandatory reporting law or don't follow it.

Invariably in a child protection case, a neighbor surfaces who knew enough to make a call, said New Hampshire Child Advocate Moira O'Neill.

"That's always been the thing that drives me crazy," she said.

According to state data, most of those reporting child abuse or neglect are law enforcement, family members or guardians and, during school months, teachers.

In July 2021, of the more than 1,750 reports made, only about 150 came from the "other" category, which would include neighbors and friends, said Joseph Ribsam Jr., director of the state Division for Children, Youth and Families.

The biggest excuse he hears is that people fear children will be removed from the home.

"That's based on people not understanding how the system works," Ribsam said. "People hear DCYF, and they think of that removal aspect."

But removal only takes place in a fraction of cases, he said.

He points to the most recent statistics on DCYF activity for July. The state opened about 800 investigations of child abuse or neglect; only 33 children were removed from homes that month, according to data available online.

His message: Everyone's job is to report; let the professionals decide what has to be done.

'Know and Tell'

In New Hampshire, the job of encouraging people to report is in the hands of the Granite State Children's Alliance.

Two years ago, the nonprofit agency launched Know and Tell website. Although directed at professionals, it allows anyone to take a three-hour online course that uses instruction and dramatization to guide people through the reporting process.

The agency also produces public service announcements, posters and social media.

More than 10,000 have taken the course since it launched, but it is only available in English.

The agency is considering translating the website and other materials, but that would be expensive, said Nicole Ledoux, director of victim services quality assurance for the Alliance.

"Certainly there's always more that can be done to reach folks," Ribsam said. His agency is developing a decision tree — again directed at professionals — to help determine whether behavior is abuse or neglect.

Why people don't call

A former Manchester police officer, Ledoux said she has seen police arrest people for failing to report. Anyone who does not report is subject to a misdemeanor prosecution, which can be up to a year in jail and $2,000 fine.

In 2015, Manchester police famously arrested a DCYF social worker for failing to call police when a man put a gun to his child's head; a judge threw the case out.

Ledoux cited other reasons people offer for not calling: They don't know what agency to call, and they're not sure if questionable behavior rises to the level of abuse.

"The important part of the law is (the word) 'suspects,'" Ledoux said. It's not up to the caller to be sure the actions meet the definition of abuse and neglect. In fact, state law protects anyone from recriminations if they make a good-faith report.

What about an apartment that is enveloped by stench, where children are never outside?

"For me personally, that would rise to the level of 'suspects,'" Ledoux said.

The landlord in the Manchester case notified police when the tenant refused to grant access for repairs. The landlord has blamed the eviction moratorium for allowing the tenants, who were behind on their rent, to remain for so long in the apartment.

O'Neill said data show that although teachers are some of the most frequent reporters, many of their reports end up to be unfounded and more an indication of poverty in the home rather than abuse. Meanwhile, African Americans are more likely to be the subject of reports but less likely to end up a founded case.

Ribsam said other people are hesitant to report for fear of repercussions to them. For example, if a grandmother reports, she could run the risk of losing access to her grandchildren, Ribsam said.

Conversely, some professionals such as teachers and social workers report when unnecessary. A lot of professionals will report action they don't suspect is abuse just to avoid recriminations if it turns out they were wrong, Ribsam said.

And some report families who are merely in need of government assistance. A child abuse and neglect report can move their case to the top of the pile, Ribsam said.

"It's not the best intervention," he said. "It brings attention, but you could scare away a family that needs help."

Children removed from bad homes end up in better situations, both said.

Professional care and a new family blunt the impact of "adverse childhood experiences," the technical term for physical and emotional abuse that occurs at an early age, said Ribsam, who stressed he was speaking in generalities and not about the most recent case.

"Getting with a family, a community that loves them, things like Little League, that's really key," Ribsam said.

But Ledoux noted that the state does have a shortage of foster care parents, which hampers positive outcomes.

"They can recover," she said. "If they don't, the situation can impact them for a long time. It depends on the response."

mhayward@unionleader.com

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