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75 °F Forecast | Road Cams Tuesday, April 26, 2005 Today's News | Shop Our Valley | Tempo | Health | Community | Home Delivery | Contact Us SECTIONS Home Page Local News Sports Business Obituaries Life Opinion Tempo AP News Weather Classified Archives Site Map SPECIAL SECTIONS Since We Asked Outdoor Journal Menu Guide How To Guide Health Readers' Choice Real Estate Showcase Real Estate Guide Joy Magazine Homelife Magazine Wedding Guide Passport to the Rogue Valley SHOP OUR VALLEY AutoFinder HomeFinder JobFinder Classified Place an ad TOP JOBS EXTRA Ashland News NIE Personals Movie Times TV Times E The People Volunteer Moving here? eSouthernOregon CUSTOMER SERVICE FAQ's Advertise with us Home Delivery Employment Contact Us Media Kit Oregon Road Conditions & Cams Email Story to a Friend April 26, 2005 Pam Bergreen feeds her 24-year-old thoroughbred Punkin on her land off Wagner Creek Road. Bergreen is one of thousands of local workers required by law to disclose incidents of child abuse. Mail Tribune / Andrew Mariman Reporting child abuse A caseworker for Jackson County urges people other than those required by law to call authorities when they see mistreatment Stories by JONEL ALECCIA Mail Tribune In a world where child abuse knows no hour, Pam Bergreen is always on duty. Sure, the Jackson County social service caseworker goes home at the end of her workday. But even when she’s walking her dog, feeding her horse or loading up on groceries for her 16-year-old son, Bergreen bears responsibility for keeping kids safe. She’s a mandatory reporter, one of thousands of local workers in dozens of professions required by law to disclose suspected incidents of child abuse and neglect. "It’s not as if you’re out looking for trouble," said Bergreen, 48. "But if you see trouble, you’re not relieved of the responsibility of making that call." Advertisement Bergreen and other child advocates want to extend that responsibility to the general public, if not by law, then by practice. Jackson County’s Child Abuse Task Force has spent most of April reminding mandatory reporters and others who work with kids to report suspicions of abuse. At Medford’s Pear Blossom Festival, members handed out nearly 2,000 blue ribbons to raise awareness of the importance of reporting. "That may just be the last piece of the puzzle the state people need to take action," said Roxann Jones, who is Jackson County’s staff liaison to the task force. Oregon’s mandatory reporting law was enacted in 1971. In the 17 years Bergreen has worked in the field, she has filed about 10 off-duty reports of child abuse. Although she won’t discuss specific incidents, Bergreen acknowledged that reports can arise anywhere. "In the parking lot at a grocery store, you see a child unattended," she said. "Or you see a 4-year-old walking alone down the street. It’s children locked in cars, children witnessing domestic violence." Sometimes, the reports spring from more intimate sources. "I had a friendship that ended because of a mandatory report," Bergreen said quietly, adding that the report involved domestic violence. "It extends to your family and your extended family." Making such calls isn’t easy, Bergreen said. But knowing that it’s required by law helps ease the moral dilemma some reporters might face. "It makes it easy to know what to do," she said. Reporters are only required to notify officials of suspected abuse. They’re not required to investigate, Bergreen said. That’s an important point, because many people worry that they don’t have enough evidence to make a report. "The thing that people who aren’t in this field struggle with is, ‘Am I overreacting? Is this child abuse or not?’ " she said. "If you see a child with a slap mark on their face — or what looks like a slap mark — it’s not your job to make that assessment. It’s just your job to make the call." Just as important, mandatory reporters must call as soon as possible, Bergreen said. When she suspects an incident of abuse, she stops whatever she’s doing and heads for the phone. "I don’t wait until the next day when I go to work, I don’t wait a few days while I think about it," she said. "When I’m off-duty, I make that report immediately. Sometimes, I don’t even go to the parking lot." Despite her constant awareness, Bergreen said she’s no vigilante. "It’s a consciousness that you carry, but it’s not a focus," she said. That opinion is shared by another mandatory reporter, Jane Hamilton, director of the Children’s Advocacy Center in Medford. She, too, encourages everyone, mandatory reporters and citizens alike, to make reporting child abuse their business. "We see kids every day who don’t have the ability to pick up the phone and make that call," she said. "It’s everybody’s responsibility to speak up for kids who have no voice." Reach reporter JoNel Aleccia at 776-4465, or e-mail [email protected] Law requiring some professionals to report abuse is rarely enforced Although Oregon law requires people in certain professions to report child abuse, few people in Jackson County have been penalized for failing to do so. Jackson County Deputy District Attorney Karen Loomis said she remembered just one case several years ago where penalties were levied on a mandatory reporter. Oregon State Police Lt. Kurt Barthel said that, to the best of his knowledge, the law had never been enforced. Barthel speculated that the penalties for not reporting may not be stiff enough. Failure to report abuse is a Class A violation and carries a maximum penalty of $1,000. Mandatory reporters can also be sued in civil court for not upholding their duties. "We would like to see more teeth in the law," Barthel said. "We’d like to see it have some bite." Loomis said the district attorney’s office would willingly prosecute more such cases. "Maybe we don’t hear about them," she said. Of the average 400 child abuse reports received in Jackson County each month, between 75 percent and 80 percent are submitted by mandatory reporters, said Phil Niemeyer, a DHS supervisor. Most of those calls come from teachers, principals or others who have daily contact with kids, he added. Those calls often spark investigations that lead to founded cases of abuse. In 2003, Jackson County received 2,349 reports of child abuse or neglect, according to data from the latest report from Children First for Oregon, a Portland advocacy agency. More than half — 54 percent — of those reports were assessed and one-third — 33 percent — were both assessed and founded. State DHS officials have been criticized for failing to assess a higher percentage of cases, but local officials said many cases don’t rise to the level of abuse. "People call to say, ‘How can you not care if a child is exposed to secondhand smoke? How can you not care if a child is eating bologna sandwiches or that other kids are teasing them because they have holes in their shoes?" he says. "Of course we do care, but those wouldn’t be instances that we would assess." There are several commonly reported kinds of abuse: Physical abuse: can include bruises, broken bones, head and facial injuries, burns, internal injuries and poisoning by forcing ingestion of large amounts of water, hot peppers, ground pepper, laxatives or household products. Sexual abuse: can include fondling, sexual contact including penetration, sexual harassment, exposure and voyeurism, sexual exploitation. Neglect: can include failing to provide adequate food, clothing, shelter, supervision or medical care. Abandonment and mental injury: Abandonment is parental behavior showing intent to permanently give up all claims to a child. Mental injury can include rejecting, abandoning or ridiculing a child; terrorizing a child by threatening extreme punishment against him or his pets or possessions; ignoring a child over time by refusing to talk or show interest in him; isolating a child by teaching him to avoid social contact; corrupting a child by teaching inappropriate sexuality, aggression or substance abuse. Threat of harm: The largest category of child abuse, threat of harm, is subjecting a child to a substantial risk of harm to his or her welfare. To report child abuse in Jackson County, call 776-6120. Who are the mandated reporters? Physician, including any intern or resident. Dentist and dental hygienist. School employee. Licensed practical nurse or registered nurse. Employee of the Department of Human Services, Oregon Commission on Children and Families, Child Care Division of the Employment Department, the Oregon Youth Authority, a county health department, a community mental health and developmental disabilities program, a county juvenile department, a licensed child-caring agency or an alcohol and drug-treatment program. Peace officer. Psychologist. Member of the clergy. Licensed clinical social worker. Optometrist. Chiropractor. Certified provider of foster care, or an employee thereof. Attorney. Naturopathic physician. Licensed professional counselor. Licensed marriage and family therapist. Firefighter or emergency medical technician. A court-appointed special advocate. A registered or certified child-care provider. Member of the Legislative Assembly. — Source: Oregon Department of Human Services Mail Tribune Home | Local News | Sports | Business | Obituaries | Life | Opinion AP News | Archives | Site Map | Community | Classified Copyright © 1997-2005 Mail Tribune, Inc. All rights reserved. Privacy Policy | Terms & Conditions | Website Feedback Free Music Downloads Conference Calls - $50/Month Home Security Systems Trunks, Footlocker, Trunk, Footlockers home equity loans helzberg Distance Education Diamonds Online Poker Slippers Student Loans Tatoo tcg student loan consolidation teleconferencing Website Design & Marketing Memory Foam Mattress w2 forms Tatoos Advertisement s