Leaders Guide - Child Maltreatment

Marines respect themselves and care for their children. Child abuse is incompatible with readiness, the maintenance of high standards of performance, and military discipline. The Marine Corps has zero tolerance for Marines involved in child maltreatment and will hold offenders accountable. Thus, the USMC policy is to prevent and eliminate child maltreatment from the Marine Corps. Abuse of a child impacts the entire family, is preventable, and is often treatable if addressed promptly and comprehensively. If left unreported or ignored, child victims can suffer for a lifetime and the prestige of the Marine Corps is tarnished. When responding to child maltreatment incidents, USMC operates as a coordinated community response that recognizes the importance of bringing together all the critical responders to provide safety for victims, hold abusers accountable for their behavior, and coordinate activities with civilian agencies and organizations whenever appropriate and possible.

Child Maltreatment (abuse or neglect): is the physical or sexual abuse, emotional maltreatment, or neglect of a child by a parent, guardian, foster parent, or by a caregiver, whether the caregiver is intrafamilial or extrafamilial, under circumstances indicating that the child's welfare is harmed or threatened. Such acts by a sibling, other family member, or other person shall be deemed to be child maltreatment only when the individual is providing care under express or implied agreement with the parent, guardian, or foster parent.

Although certain risk factors may make a person more likely to commit child maltreatment, risk factors alone do not cause a parent or caretaker to abuse a child. Many experts believe that child maltreatment is a learned behavior reinforced by society or culture and is often precipitated by stress and compounded by social isolation. Many Marines and their family members who experience risk factors cope well and are not abusive to their children. Risk factors that are commonly associated with child maltreatment are::

The command role in prevention is to establish clear standards for personal behavior, provide early detection of potential problems and intervention before abuse occurs, and to hold offenders accountable. Marine Corps Community Services (MCCS) offers classes, workshops and seminars on a wide-variety of topics relevant to supporting this role. The New Parent Support Program (NPSP) is a proactive home visitation program geared toward preventing child maltreatment. A wide range of services, including home visitation, are provided to expectant Marine families, or those who have young children up to the age of six. Leadership is critical in establishing an organizational climate that promotes participation in prevention programs without prejudice. Allowing Marines and their families to participate in prevention programs that teach healthy parenting and address areas of risk can be powerful tools in preventing child maltreatment. More specifically commanders can:

Baby Boot Camp:

Class offered to expectant parents and those with an infant on understanding the infants world and the basic skills necessary for loving care. Offered through the MCCS New Parent Support Program.

CMC MRRO:

Headquarters, Marine Corps, Manpower and Reserve Affairs, Personal and Family Readiness Division, Marine and Family Services Branch, Prevention and Intervention Section: 1-703-784-9547/9546.

Career Consequences:

Many Marines worry that seeking help will make them appear "weak" or "defective" to their peers or leaders. In the past there has probably been some basis for this worry, and the stigma associated with seeking help may still be a problem in some units. Current Marine Corps policy is for commands to create a climate where seeking help is encouraged to promote maximum personal and unit readiness. If a Marine were drowning, they would not hesitate to ask for help, and peers and leadership would do everything in their power to help, regardless of the reason for the distress. It needs to be the same way for Marines "drowning" in personal problems or distress. Our readiness and their lives may depend on it. It is important for Marines to be confident they can ask for help without prejudice to their careers. It is especially important for them to understand that what is more likely to affect their careers is not seeking help, and waiting until problems affect their job performance or mental health. But at any point, seeking help should be welcomed and encouraged as the right and courageous thing to do, for the benefit of not only the Marine involved, but also team-mates who depend on him/her to be there when needed.

Case Review Committee (CRC):

A multidisciplinary team of designated individuals working at the installation level, tasked with the evaluation and determination of abuse and/or neglect cases and the development and coordination of treatment and disposition recommendations.

Chaplain:

Provides spiritual guidance, personal counseling, and life issues counseling in a confidential setting. Chaplains are protected by the Uniform Code of Military Justice, which ensures confidentiality. Under military law, chaplains must keep conversations confidential when service members seek their spiritual guidance, either as a formal act of religion or a matter of conscience. Chaplains do not have to keep conversations confidential when a service member speaks with them for reasons other than spiritual guidance. When it is in the best interest of the person involved, the chaplain is expected to assist the individual in identifying the appropriate means of self-disclosure without violating the individuals trust. For additional information of the Chaplains confidentiality guidelines, contact the base legal office or the installation chaplain's office.

Child Protective Services (CPS):

State or county program responsible for responding to allegations of child abuse and neglect and for enforcing state and county child protection laws and statutes. Programs vary by location but many offer prevention and family preservation programs. A representative from the local CPS attends the installation Case Review Committee (CRC) as a permanent voting member. To locate CPS in your area, contact: Childhelp® USA National Child Abuse Hotline, 1-800-4-A-CHILD® (1-800-422-4453)

Child Removal Order (CRO):

A written order, signed by the Installation Commander, by direction of the Installation Commander or by another officer with authority over the place where the child whose welfare is endangered, issued to PMO, Family Advocacy Program (FAP) personnel, medical personnel, or similar authorities, directing a child be removed from a home to a place of safety. This order, issued upon finding there is substantial reason to believe that an emergency situation exists and the child(ren) may be in imminent danger of serious mental, emotional, or physical harm, must spell out the location from which the child(ren) are removed, and the time and date of return. While this order is given orally, telephonically, or in any written form, the preferred method for issuing a CRO uses a standard format listing provisions reviewed by SJA for legal sufficiency. Contact the installation FAP office or the SJA for the standard formatting.

Command Representative:

SNCO or officer, who is appointed in writing by the Battalion/Squadron Commander to represent the command of the service member involved in a child maltreatment incident at the CRC and has voting privileges.

Coordinated Community Response:

An interdisciplinary and multi-agency response to ensure victim safety. This requires a consistent and immediate response from individual community members such as other family members, neighbors, teachers, military and civilian doctors, child care providers, and all witnesses to report abuse; the military and civilian police to arrest or apprehend the primary aggressor and ensure incident reports are forwarded to the FAPO, civilian prosecutors to institute criminal charges, military judge advocates to advise the Command; and Command leadership to convene courts-martial, where appropriate, to prevent further abuse and protect victims and other family members from additional abuse. All community members must treat child and domestic violence as UNACCEPTABLE behavior. The military community is responsible for holding the offenders of abuse accountable for their behavior within the military community to ensure no recidivism or recurrence.

Emotional Abuse:

A type of child maltreatment that includes acts or a pattern of acts, omissions or a pattern of omissions, or passive or passive-aggressive inattention to a childs emotional needs resulting in an adverse affect upon the childs psychological wellbeing. Emotional maltreatment includes intentional berating, disparaging or other verbally abusive behavior toward the child, and violent acts that may not cause observable injury.

Family Advocacy Program (FAP):

DoD mandated program designed to address the prevention and treatment of domestic violence and child abuse, and to provide direct services that may include crisis intervention and safety planning, counseling and rehabilitation, risk assessment, and training in the field of domestic violence and child abuse. The program is designed to prevent abuse and/or to intervene in families where there is substantiated or suspected abuse, to protect and provide safety for victims, to hold offenders accountable, and to promote healthy family life. The program includes prevention and education services, clinical counseling, case management, and victim advocacy.

Family Advocacy Program Manager:

An individual designated by the Secretary of the Military Department to manage, monitor, and coordinate the Family Advocacy Program at the headquarters level.

Family Advocacy Program Officer (FAPO):

A designated officer who manages, monitors, and provides staff supervision of the Family Advocacy Program at the local level.

Fully Investigated:

Ensuring that all reasonable suspicions of child maltreatment are fully assessed is vital to ensuring child safety. Because it is common for alleged offenders to deny or minimize abuse, leaders may be tempted to avoid involving or activating a coordinated community response and instead launch an investigation restricted to the unit. Not only does this put the leader at risk should abuse escalate or result in serious injury, but it also may seriously endanger a child. A full investigation optimally includes an assessment of the child and parents by a Family Advocacy clinician or Child Protective Services social worker, a review of all current and past law enforcement blotter entries related to suspicions of child maltreatment, a thorough medical examination of all children involved.

Hold Offenders Accountable:

Many researchers in the child maltreatment field have found that abusive and neglectful behavior is learned in families and supported by either cultural or societal beliefs and expectations. From a behavioral perspective, abusive and neglectful behavior can be changed through positive and negative consequences. The use of consequences to mold behavior is a well-known and respected strategy utilized by the Marine Corps to shape young civilian recruits into Marines. The same strategies can be applied to abusive and neglectful behavior. Marine parents need to know that the Marine Corps will not tolerate child maltreatment and that negative consequences will result. Negative consequences can range from ensuring the Marine parent participates in recommended prevention or treatment options to formal action under the UCMJ, depending on the nature and extent of the abuse and legal consultation. On the flip side, when Marine parents seek help early or make necessary changes as a result of treatment, positive consequences can reinforce healthy parenting. Positive consequences can range from verbal encouragement, to allowing time off to take advantage of programs and services, to some type of formal recognition.

Immediate Danger:

Examples of immediate danger include: young child or children have been left unsupervised, parent is intoxicated and in any way incapacitated and unable to adequately care for the children, or witnessing or hearing a child being physically abused to the point of injury or potential injury.

Informational/Educational Brochures:

Brochures on topics related to infant care, community resources, and parenting may be obtained from the installation FAP or NPSP or printed off the web from Military OneSource.

Institutional Child Abuse:

Child abuse that occurs in any setting in which the Marine Corps is responsible for the victims welfare, for example, Marine Corps-sanctioned child care.

Losing Their Children:

Many people, including Marines, fear that if they seek help for parenting or express concern that their parenting is having a negative impact or hurtful consequence for their children, Child Protective Services (CPS) or Family Advocacy will take away their children. CPS, like most agencies that work to end child abuse and neglect, encourage families to seek services early on and take advantage of educational programs and resources that support parents and children. Seeking services proactively is viewed as a strength or protective factor against maltreatment. CPS agencies prefer that children remain in their homes if at all possible. They know that children do better in the long run if they can remain with their parents. Removing a child from the home is almost always a last resort or a result of imminent harm or serious injury. Even when a child is removed from the home, in most cases, CPS will work with the family toward reunification. One of the primary goals of the Family Advocacy Program (FAP) is to prevent child abuse and neglect. Toward that end, FAP encourages Marines and their family members to take advantage of programs and services that support them in their parenting role such as the New Parent Support Program (NPSP). Even when abuse occurs, FAP does not have the authority to remove a child from the home but instead works closely with CPS and the command to ensure children are safe from abuse.

Marine Corps Community Services (MCCS):

Enhances unit and family readiness by delivering programs such as Marine Corps Family Team Building (MCFTB), Military One Source Information and Referral Service, Counseling Services and New Parent Support. The programs are designed specifically for Marines and families to increase their awareness of relevant readiness issues, while offering creative ideas to build a healthy family. Through proactive education, training, coordination of support services, materials and tools, MCCS promotes personal and family readiness that can be applied in everyday situations. Military One Source is also able to coordinate counseling services for Marines and families in need of counseling support to help cope with deployment related issues, reunion concerns, parenting, childcare and other everyday issues. Marines and family members are allowed six face-to-face counseling sessions per incident with a civilian mental health practitioner for free. A Marine or family member will call a One Source consultant who will determine if there are on base resources readily available to assist the caller. If on base resources are not available, the One Source consultant will provide the caller an immediate referral to counseling assistance, and using their nationwide network of providers, will find a licensed mental health practitioner near the caller. Utilizing Military One Source is ideal for Marines and Marine Reservists (and families) needing counseling services but who are not located near an installation. Marine and Family Services (MFS) counseling is available to those units and families in need of counseling support in the areas of combat stress, stress reduction, anger management, new parent support, and couples counseling.

Marine and Family Services (MFS):

Encompasses those programs focusing upon the needs of the individual concerning education, prevention and intervention /treatment programs. Departments housed in this area will include Retired Activities, Transition Assistance Program, Lifelong Learning Education Programs, Libraries, Child, Youth and Teen Programs, New Parent Support, Exceptional Family Member Program, Information Referral, Suicide Awareness, Intervention and Treatment, and auxiliary programs such as the Armed Services YMCA and Navy/Marine Corps Relief Society. For more information please contact your installations Marine and Family Services Center.

Medical Treatment Facility (MTF):

A military hospital or outpatient clinic where licensed health practitioners provide diagnostic, medical, and surgical services to eligible personnel.

Medically Examined:

Child abuse and neglect can sometimes be chronic and the injury that brought the child to the attention of others may be one of many. Having the child thoroughly examined by a physician at the closest Military Treatment Facility or emergency room is extremely important. If a head injury is suspected, a CT scan or MRI will reveal any previous injuries. It is not uncommon to find previous injuries through x-ray in cases of child physical abuse. If other children are present in the home, having the other children examined is important to ensure they have not been abused as well. Medical examinations should be coordinated through the installation FAP office.

Military OneSource:

The services of Military OneSource supplement the existing support system for Marines and their families by providing assistance 24 hours a day, 7 days a week via toll free telephone and Internet access. In addition, Military OneSource supports geographically dispersed Marines and their families (recruiters, Inspector and Instructor staffs, and mobilized reservists) who do not have traditional services available. Resources are available on topics to include parenting and childcare issues, education services, financial information and counseling, legal, elder care, health and wellness, crisis support and relocation. Marines or family members seeking assistance can call 800-342-9647. Military OneSource Online can be visited at www.militaryonesource.com.

Naval Criminal Investigative Service (NCIS):

In a dangerous and complex world, threats against America and its military forces continue to proliferate and evolve. Standing between these threats and the people, families, and assets of the Navy and Marine Corps is a unique, highly-trained, and effective team of special agents, investigators, forensic experts, security specialists, analysts, and support personnel: NCIS, the Naval Criminal Investigative Service. NCIS is the primary law enforcement and counterintelligence arm of the United States Department of the Navy. It works closely with other local, state, federal, and foreign agencies to counter and investigate the most serious crimes: terrorism, espionage, computer intrusion, homicide, rape, child abuse, arson, procurement fraud, and more. NCIS is the Navy's primary source of security for the men, women, ships, planes, and resources of America's seagoing expeditionary forces worldwide

New Parent Support Program (NPSP):

Voluntary program developed to assist families expecting a child, or with a child under six years of age. A professional team of social workers and nurses provide supportive and caring services to military families through home visitation, support groups, and classes. NPSP helps families cope with the stress of parenting, deployment and reunion issues, isolation and other issues impacting parents and children. Contact the installation MCCS to locate the NPSP on your base.

Post-partum Depression:

Postpartum depression is a more severe case of the "baby blues" that affects at least 10 percent of new mothers. Postpartum depression, which may occur up to a year after childbirth, usually involves changes in brain chemistry. Although researchers have not yet determined what causes it, several factors, often working in combination with one another, appear to play a role. Sleep deprivation and a sudden drop in hormone levels immediately after birth make new mothers vulnerable to getting the disorder. In addition, a family history of depression, a lack of social support, and medical complications during pregnancy increase the risk.

Prenatal Program:

Many local hospitals and/or county health departments offer free or low cost prenatal programs to expectant parents or parents with infants. Local programs may be located through the installation FAP or NPSP, Tricare, or Military OneSource.

Prevention Programs and Classes:

A full description of prevention programs and classes can be obtained from the installation Marine and Family Services. Many installations have classes on personal financial management, couple's communication, stress management, anger management, parenting, and other life skill topics. Additionally, Military OneSource is another important resource to identify community resources and programs.

Proper Authorities:

Includes the closest Family Advocacy Program (FAP), local or installation law enforcement for emergency situations, and the county Child Protective Services. If the incident involves a Marine on independent duty or at a geographically separated unit, the commander contacts the Child Protective Services in the county in which the child victim resides. Most states have a child abuse hotline to report abuse. Numbers for states can be obtained by calling: Childhelp® USA National Child Abuse Hotline, 1-800-4-A-CHILD® (1-800-422-4453).

Provost Marshall's Office (PMO):

The law enforcement agency at a particular installation. A representative from PMO is a permanent voting member of the Case Review Committee.

Review:

The Case Review Committee (CRC) reviews progress in treatment every 90 days until the case is closed. The command representative is expected to participate in all reviews. Cases can be closed as resolved if all treatment goals have been met or can be closed as unresolved if the SNM separates from the military, refuses to participate in treatment, etc. The CRC decides on the type of closure based on input from the team and by majority vote.

Safety Plan:

In child maltreatment incidents, establishing a plan to ensure the child's safety is critical. Ideally, the creation of a safety plan should include input from Family Advocacy Program, Child Protective Services (CPS), and law enforcement. Options may include removing the alleged offender from the home if active duty, developing a plan for monitoring and intervention through FAP or NPSP, placing the child in temporary foster care, or issuing a Child Removal Order. A Family Advocacy Victim Advocate can assist the non-offending parent in developing a safety plan that meets her/his needs. When a victim advocate is not available or the parent refuses the services of a victim advocate, the commander is responsible for ensuring that risk has been assessed and a plan for safety exists.

Serious Injury:

An injury or situation which has the strong potential to be life-threatening or results in temporary or permanent loss of use of an organ or limb, including fractured or dislocated bones, deep cuts, torn members of the body, serious damage to the internal or sensory organs, and injuries resulting in shaken baby syndrome.

Services and Programs in the Civilian Sector:

Most communities offer support programs and services for families who are at risk. These can be located through United Way, churches, county social services usually under the umbrella of family preservation, Military OneSource, or Healthy Families America.

Signs of Improvement:

A commander may monitor a situation through consultation with Family Advocacy or the Marines supervisor or First Sergeant. Commonly, a commander will learn the situation is not improving when a subsequent incident or call of concern occurs.

Speakers:

The prevention and education specialists and the victim advocates assigned to the Family Advocacy Program are available to commands to provide briefings/training on a wide variety of family wellness topics. Other programs under the MCCS umbrella such as Personal Financial Management may also provide speakers to units. Contact the Family Advocacy Program or the installation MCCS to learn more about the resources available in your community.

Staff Judge Advocate:

The senior judge advocate assigned to a general officer in command. The Staff Judge Advocate (SJA) serves as the principle legal advisor to the Commanding General and subordinate commands. For more information see: http://sja.hqmc.usmc.mil

Status Determination:

Clinical Status is the finding of the Case Review Committee (CRC) at the time the case is assessed. Determinations can be:

Substantiated - Preponderance of the information indicates that the act of maltreatment occurred.
Suspected - There is a belief abuse/neglect might have occurred but sufficient information is not available at the time of the CRC meeting to substantiate.
Unsubstantiated - There are two types:
- The act did not occur. Preponderance of information indicates no abuse/neglect occurred.
- Unable to resolve. After all information was made available, it remained unclear whether abuse occurred.

Trained:

The command representative on the Case Review Committee (CRC) should be trained in the DoD definitions of abuse, signs and symptoms of abuse, CRC procedures, and command responsibilities in responding to abuse allegations. The installation Family Advocacy Program (FAP) Manager is the point of contact to obtain this training. DoD has also launched a joint service on-line training for commanders.

Treatment Recommendations:

The Case Review Committee (CRC) makes clinical recommendations for treatment, not recommendations for administrative or disciplinary action. The commander retains authority to take appropriate administrative or disciplinary action in addition to or in lieu of ordering the abuser to treatment. Commanders should NOT order a service member who was the victim into FAP treatment. The CRC process is standardized to ensure consistent and thorough assessments pertaining to the report have been conducted, and that all relevant information is available that is necessary to make a solid clinical determination and, if the report is substantiated, to make recommendations for treatment.

Women, Infants, and Children (WIC):

The Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children - better known as the WIC Program - serves to safeguard the health of low-income women, infants, & children up to age 5 who are at nutritional risk by providing nutritious foods to supplement diets, information on healthy eating, and referrals to health care. Visit the WIC website to learn about the program in your state: http://www.fns.usda.gov/wic/