Federal law protects children under the Keeping Children and Families Safe Act of 2003. Among its provisions are protections against risk of harm or acts on the part of the parent or caretaker that could cause death, physical or emotional harm, abuse, or exploitation. 

For this week’s discussion, please respond to each of the following:

• You have been dispatched into a neighborhood where an individual claims to have heard a child screaming next door and upon arrival, you see a 4-year-old child on the sidewalk bleeding from the head.  Using information learned in the textbook, what would you do to investigate this situation?  Make sure to include all steps that you would take and what kind of information you would attempt to learn at each step.

• Spanking is a controversial topic when it comes to child abuse. Based on what you have learned in this lesson, should spanking be classified as abusive? Why or why not?  Make sure to support your position with information from the textbook.