Judicial System and the Human Services Professional
Human service professional play a major part in reporting a case to the criminal and judicial system. As a mandated reporter, it is the responsibility of any human service professional to report any actions that may seem out of the ordinary or a cause for concern. There are, however, some issues that may prevent a human services professional from being in compliance with both the judicial and criminal justice system. In addition, there are situations that may represent conflict for a human service professional when reporting a situation. Through this paper there will be further explanation regarding the issues and situations a human service professional may face, as well as the expectations of the law for all human service professionals to follow.
It is required by law that any human service worker report abuse and neglect immediately as soon as they suspect that a child is or has been abused or neglected. When any suspicion arises, one is legally bound to report it immediately, rather than waiting for absolute confirmation that the child is in fact in danger. A human service workers duty is to the children above all else, regardless of who the client is or what they may have stated during a confidential meeting, if a child is in danger action is required. Once the abuse has been reported, it is the human service workers duty to analyze the behavior and marks that the child may have. In order to do so, one must learn to gain the trust of the child in order to have the child speak freely about anything that may be bothering them. During this procedure, documentation is crucial to help in the legal aspect of a childs safety (Hirschy & Wilkinson, 2010).
When there is a need for a Human Service professional to report possible child maltreatment there are a few issues that may prevent them from being in compliance with the criminal justice and judicial system. The Human Service professional must always take these issues into consideration for it can create unwanted issues for the professional and possibly put the child in a more dangerous, unhealthy environment.
Although it is human nature to bond with a family or child that may be your client, as a human service professional there are boundaries and laws. If there are suspicions of child maltreatment, as a mandated reported it is left up to the professional to assess the situation and report