POLICIES AND PROCEDURES

CHILD ABUSE

Definitions | Action to take | County phone numbers

Girl Scouts of Western Ohio, Inc. expects all staff (volunteer and paid) to adhere to the following standards regarding reporting suspected child abuse and conduct when in contact with girls.

1. Paid and volunteer staff members are expected to recognize the signs and symptoms of child abuse or neglect and report incidents immediately to the local county children’s agency. Once an incident has been reported to the appropriate agency, it is the staff member’s responsibility to also inform his/her manager.

2. Paid and volunteer staff members are prohibited from harassing or threatening harm to a child’s health or well-being which occurs through sexual abuse or exploitation, non-accidental physical touching, mental harassment or injury or maltreatment in any form.

Guidelines for Reporting Child Abuse and Neglect
 

DEFINITIONS
 

What is child abuse?

Non-accidental injuries by a parent, caretaker or other adult (often by an adult known to the child) which cause or create substantial
risk of harm to the child.

• Physical abuse: abuse represents an act against the child; health or safety is at risk.

• Sexual abuse: any act of a sexual nature upon or with a child, which may be for the sexual gratification of the perpetrator
  or a third party.

• Emotional abuse: chronic attitude or acts that interfere with psychological or social development of a child.

What is neglect?

Failure to provide basic needs (physical care/supervision, safety, education, love) which places the child in a dangerous situation and which usually occurs over a period of time.

Physical Abuse

• Appearance: bruises, welts, lacerations and abrasions; clustered marks, burns; skeletal injuries; head injuries. (Consider the number, location and stages of healing, or an explanation not consistent with injury.)

• Behavior: fearful of physical contact; poor relationships; reports injury by parents or caretaker.

Sexual Abuse

• Appearance: usually there is no outward sign; may have torn, stained or bloody underclothing; sexually transmitted diseases; pregnancy.

• Behavior: child relates incidents of touching or other behavior that makes the child feel embarrassed, confused or unsafe; behaves in an abnormally seductive manner with friends or adults; fire-setting; abuse to animals; bedwetting;
  nightmares; poor peer relationships; eating disorders; fear or reluctance towards a caretaker, family member or friend; difficulty walking or sitting.

Emotional Abuse

• Appearance: few visible clues; obesity or anorexia; hives; rashes.

• Behavior: bed-wetting; poor peer relations/withdrawal; cruel behavior; fire setting; substance abuse; excessive risk taking; behavioral extremes.

Neglect

• Appearance: chronic uncleanliness or poor hygiene (lice, scabies); body odor; squinting; unsuitable clothing or missing key articles of clothing; untreated injury; left alone.

• Behavior: excessive sleepiness; begging; stealing or delinquency; chronic hunger; substance abuse; assumes role of parent, reports no caretaker in home; excessive school tardiness or absence.

ACTION BY VOLUNTEER LEADER OR PAID STAFF
 

Physical proof or other forms of validation are not required. It is the responsibility of the local (county) children's services agency, through its investigation, to determine if abuse or neglect is in fact occurring.

What if I am unsure?
If (as a volunteer or paid staff member) you are unsure, contact the local children's services agency to describe the situation.

How do I report?
Reports can be made by telephone or in person, and the individual making the report can do so anonymously. Any report is confidential. A report can be made immediately by telephone to the local children's services intake phone numbers for the 33 counties served by Girl Scouts of Western Ohio, Inc.

What information should I give?
Reports should include:

1. The names and addresses of the child and her/his parents/guardians or person(s) having custody of such child, if known.

2. The child's age and the nature and extent of the child's injuries, abuse or neglect, including any evidence of previous injuries, abuse or neglect.

3. Other information that might help in establishing the cause of the injury, abuse or neglect.

4. Record the name of the intake worker who takes the report and note the date that the report is made.

Is this confidential?
Yes. Do not share this information with anyone other than the local children's services agency, your manager, or regional director of your region within Girl Scouts of Western Ohio Inc. or her designate.

What happens next?
Any volunteer or paid staff member participating in good faith in the making of the report, or any volunteer leader or paid staff participating in a judicial proceeding resulting from the report, by statute is immune from civil or criminal liability that might otherwise be incurred or imposed as a result of such actions. Any report made under this section of the statute is confidential, and any volunteer or paid staff member who permits or encourages the unauthorized dissemination of the report's contents is guilty of a misdemeanor in the fourth degree.

Does someone at the Girl Scout Center need to know?
Although reports may be made anonymously, immediately advise Girl Scouts of Western Ohio of any reports of suspected abuse or neglect involving either adults or youth in Girl Scouting made to the local children's services agency intake office by using the following procedure:

• Providing a written report to the regional director of your region or her designate no later than 24 hours after making a report to the local children's services.

• This report should include your name, address and telephone number (as the person who made the report to the local children's services agency), the date of the report, and to whom the report was made
  at children's services.

Action by the local children's services agency:

• The local (county) children's services agency will make a decision regarding the need for immediate investigation of each report referred to it and determines the circumstances surrounding the injury, abuse or neglect, the cause thereof and the person or persons
  responsible.

LEGAL REFERENCE:
O.R.C. 2151,421 and I.C. 31-6-4-3(a)(1) through 31-6-4-3(a)(5)

CHILDREN'S SERVICES INTAKE PHONE NUMBERS

OHIO | INDIANA

OHIO COUNTIES

A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z

Allen County 419-227-8590
Auglaize County 419-738-4311
Brown County 937-378-6104
Butler County 513-868-0888, 1-800-325-2685
Champaign County 937-484-1500
Clark County 937-327-1700
Clermont County 513-732-7173
Clinton County 937-382-5935
Darke County 937-548-3840
Defiance County 419-782-3881
Fulton County 419-337-0010
Greene County 937-562-6600
Hamilton County 513-241-KIDS (5437)
Hancock County 419-424-7022
Hardin County 419-673-1101
Henry County 419-592-0946
Logan County 937-599-7290
Lucas County 419-213-3200
Mercer County 419-586-5106
Miami County 937-335-4103
Montgomery County 937-276-1698
Ottawa County 419-898-3688
Preble County 937-456-1135
Paulding County 419-399-3756
Putnam County 419-523-3893
Shelby County 937-498-7213
Van Wert County 419-228-5430
Warren County 513-925-1600
Williams County 419-636-6725
Wood County 419-352-7566

INDIANA COUNTIES
State-wide toll-free number 1-800-800-5556
Dearborn County 812-537-5131
Ohio County 1-800-800-5556

Parent Resource Line 1- 800-244-5373