Have You Ever Had To Report A Parent To CPS?

[Hunni Bee]

If I was a parent, and my child got a bruise or bump and I was reported to CPS, you better bet I would be finding a new provider. I think in these situations where the issue is very questionable, that people should not jump to conclusions and assume the parent is abusive. I am all for reporting if in fact there is proof and you know for sure, but it appears you already asked the mom and she gave you an answer.

The thing about being a mandated reported is that you aren't supposed to wait until you think you have "proof" or you know for sure. You may never know for sure. Meanwhile, the child may be enduring abuse and could be receiving help. CPS doesn't require you to have proof. But it is required that you report if you have suspicions.

Yes, you should be judicious about what you report, a bump or bruise on a bony, protruding part of the body is probably not a reason to report. But on a soft, protected area like the inside of a thigh, is something to document, and make a report on if it continues.

I had a little girl a couple years ago who I am 95% sure was being abused. We had make two different reports on the family, once because the child couldnt walk because of a sore on the sole of her foot, which the mom said was a cut from the stairs. On further inspection, was obviously a cigarette burn. The second because she came in one morning with a seriously bruised eye, which the mom claimed happened from her falling off a swing at the park. Had she fallen off of a swing and hit the ground- her forehead, nose, cheek and brow area would have taken the hit, not the soft tissue of her eye. That's why we have brows - to protect our eyes. The injury came from force being applied directly to her eye...from being hit in it. We immediately suspected that the mom lied, and when we asked dcg, she said "my mommy did it" and then clapped her hand over mouth.

The mom had an excuse for every injury the child had...and believe me, there were countless smaller, unreportable ones. She fell, her brother scratched her, she touched the hot stove....on and on. We took the dcm's version at first, but then it became a pattern. Plus her version did not match the careful, cautious personality of dcg nor did her younger brother have even a fourth of injuries she had. Plus the child told us her mother was hurting her .

To OP, I would not report this time, but I would absolutely document every bruise he gets, what the mom says happened, and take pictures. If you see a pattern of incongruities between the type of injury and what mom says happened, then make your report.

[SilverSabre25]

Obviously if you truly suspect abuse you need to report it. However, a logical explanation for a squeeze bruise on the inner thigh might be parent holding the leg to get a diaper changed when the child was fighting for some reason. Some kids bruise easily; some parents might accidentally squeeze too hard. I can easily see someone holding up there, if the child was fighting the change for some reason.