Social-Emotional Learning and Identifying and Reporting Child Abuse and Neglect

Children’s mental health is vital to their development. Social-emotional learning (SEL) and identifying and reporting abuse or neglect are essential to helping young children to become healthy, school-ready kindergarteners.

	Topics Covered:
	Social-Emotional Learning (SEL) Resources to Integrate SEL Into Your Childcare Lessons Identifying and Reporting Child Abuse and Neglect Statistics Types of Child Abuse Signs of Abuse or Neglect in Children Childcare Providers Are Mandated Reporters Resources to Learn More About Identifying and Reporting Child Abuse or Neglect Professional Development Courses About Abuse and Neglect

Social-Emotional Learning (SEL)

Social-emotional learning (SEL) encompasses the various aspects of teaching children to recognize and deal with their emotions and appropriately interact with others. Mental health can also help children to be better capable of succeeding in school. In an article on the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC), the author notes that existing research points to a correlation between children with positive mental health and those who perform well academically.

Many childcare providers already recognize the importance of having SEL lessons to integrate into their classrooms. In fact, in a survey conducted by the Hobby School of Public Policy, we found that SEL was a common write-in response from childcare providers on the current curricula focus on their facilities.

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Resources to Integrate SEL Into Your Childcare Lessons

The following resources can help you to better integrate social-emotional learning into your early childhood education classes:

• The Kazdin Method: Creator of the Kazdin Method.
• Guide to Choosing Social-Emotional Curricula: This helpful tool makes finding the right SEL curricula simpler. Some targeted groups in the included curricula of this guide are those with diagnoses of mental health concerns, children in urban environments, preschoolers getting ready for kindergarten, and children from high-risk populations.
• Creating Teaching Tools for Young Children with Challenging Behavior: The methods included in this strategy guide originated from the research done by the Early Childhood Mental Health Consultation on Positive Behavior Support. Items included in the classroom resources are tools for building emotional vocabulary, the turtle technique for helping children deal with frustration and anger, and scripted stories to aid children in understanding social information. The tools also have a kit of printable PDFs you can send home with children, so their families can continue the lessons at home.
• Free Resources for Teaching Social-Emotional Regulation for 0 to 5-Year-Olds: The Center for Social and Emotional Foundation for Early Learning (CSEFEL) offers free tools that give teachers practical ways of integrating social and emotional regulation learning into other lessons. Some valuable resources include those in the Book Nook that outline ways to use age-appropriate books to teach emotional regulation, a listing of books to teach emotions to children, and modules for designing behavior support plans. All resources listed target infants those 5-year-old children.
• Training Modules for Infant/Toddler Teachers: Teachers of infants and toddlers can use these training modules from the Center for Social and Emotional Foundation for Early Learning (CSEFEL) to learn about the importance of social and emotional regulation lessons for young children and how to implement them.
• Simple SEL Practices to Use Daily: Edutopia has a list of a few simple tasks to do every day to teach self-awareness, improve social skills, and foster relationships. For instance, one of the activities suggested is having a gratitude closer at the end of the day. Each child names a person or thing that brought them joy that day. When they think about this question and answer it, they build self-awareness, relationship skills, and social awareness.
• Supporting Emotional Regulation Video: An 85-minute video with a supporting practice guide to instruct teachers in using instructional strategies and establishing positive learning environments to help children learn emotional regulation and decrease problem behaviors.
• Infant, Toddler, and Three-Year-Old Children Social and Emotional Development: This is a section of Little Texans, Big Futures, a guide on what children learn in early childhood on SEL. The guidelines include ways caregivers can promote different types of social-emotional development. It also outlines the things children do at different stages that indicate their levels of development in social-emotional growth across four areas – relationships with others, self-awareness, self-regulation, and trust and emotional security.
• Conscious Discipline Free for All: Free resources from the Conscious Discipline method. This system uses a trauma-informed social-emotional learning approach, backed by research and is a highly popular SEL teaching option for many early childcare providers in the Gulf Coast region.

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Identifying and Reporting Child Abuse and Neglect

Anyone working with children needs to understand the signs of abuse and neglect and how to report them. The information presented on this website should not replace required formal instruction in how to identify and report abuse or neglect. Instead, let it serve as a reference to remind you of what you learned in your mandatory training.

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Statistics

In 2022, the Department of Family and Protective Services (DFPS) Office of Child Safety published a report on child maltreatment fatalities and near fatalities in Texas for that year.

Abuse or neglect contributed to the deaths of 182 children in Texas that year. Among those deaths, the majority, 163, did not have Child Protective Services (CPS) cases open at the time. Sadly, most of the physical abuse fatalities in children in 2022 happened in families that were never reported to CPS. Therefore, reporting suspected abuse or neglect of children can save lives by alerting the authorities to the situation.

As a childcare provider, especially if you have infants and toddlers at your facility, recognizing child abuse and neglect and reporting it is essential. During fiscal year 2022, 61% of fatalities that CPS confirmed to have abuse or neglect as their cause were in children under three years old.

Even if you think that a child has a pleasant home life, don’t let the idea prevent you from making a report. Among the fatalities from abuse or neglect, 50% occurred in homes where the victim or the perpetrator did not have any history of CPS investigations.

Child abuse and neglect are potentially fatal problems. Learn the signs to look for and never hesitate to make a report.

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Types of Child Abuse

Child abuse takes many forms. You will need to know how to recognize the signs of each of these types.

• Physical Abuse
• Neglect
• Emotional Abuse
• Sexual Abuse

Additionally, you should recognize that often, a child may experience more than one type of abuse.

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Signs of Abuse or Neglect in Children

Abuse can happen to a child of any age, even infants. Often, children will not admit to the abuse, but they may show behavioral, emotional, or physical signs that something is wrong. Watch out for the following signs of potential maltreatment from a publication by the Child Welfare Information Gateway:

General Signs of Maltreatment

Pay close attention to the behavior and physical appearance of children at your facility. Sudden changes could indicate a problem at home.

Possible signs of maltreatment could include a child who arrives early and stays late but doesn’t want to go home, has sudden behavior or emotional changes, medical concerns you tell the parents about seem to go unaddressed, sudden learning or concentration difficulties, constantly vigilant, or withdrawn or overly compliant.

Parents may also show signs that they mistreat their children. When the parents come to pick up their children, pay attention to their behavior. Signs of a possibly abusive adult in a child’s life include a lack of concern for the child, sees the child as a burden, blames the child’s problems on the child or ignores them, or asks childcare providers to exact harsh punishments on the child.

Both parent and child may distance themselves from each other or state a dislike for the other.

See below for signs of specific types of abuse.

Signs of Physical Abuse

Physical abuse occurs when a child sustains injuries on their body from someone else. The perpetrator could be a parent, older sibling, or another adult. Regardless of who hurts the child, the incident needs reporting to DFPS.

A child may have experienced physical abuse if they have any of the following:

• Fading bruises or other healing injuries after an absence
• Appears fearful of adults
• Has unexplained injuries, such as black eyes, broken bones, scratches, bites, or burns
• Seems afraid of parents or doesn’t want to go home
• Tells someone, a friend or childcare provider, about the abuse

Adults in the abused child’s life may provide poor explanations for the child’s injuries, have a history of abuse when they were a child, talk about the child as evil or deserving of punishment, and use harsh physical punishments on the child.

Signs of Neglect

Children who are neglected do not have adequate adult supervision at home. Signs of neglect in a child include:

• Frequent absences
• Unkempt physical appearance, such as unbathed body, severe body odor, unwashed and brushed hair, and disheveled clothes
• Does not have weather-appropriate clothing, such as a jacket in the winter
• Lacks medical or dental needs, such as glasses or vaccines
• Steals or begs for food or says they’re always hungry
• Claims no one is at home

Adults who neglect children may behave erratically or unusually, suffer from a mental health condition that prevents them from properly supervising their child, abuse drugs or alcohol, or seem indifferent to their child’s presence.

Signs of Emotional Abuse

Emotional abuse is very subtle and doesn’t leave physical impressions. However, it can still cause a disruption in the child’s mental well-being and development, which is why you must report this type of maltreatment if you suspect it.

An emotionally mistreated child may show any of the following signs:

• Shows behaviors far outside their expected developmental stage, such as being too infantile or too adult
• Displays emotional or behavioral extremes, such as excessively compliant or aggressive
• Shows emotional or physical development delays
• Claims a lack of caring or attachment to one or both of their parents or caretakers

Adults who emotionally maltreat their children may seem unconcerned about their children’s accomplishments or problems, belittle their children, or overtly reject their children.

Signs of Sexual Abuse

Sexual abuse of children can happen at any age, even to infants. Be vigilant in watching for the following signs of sexual abuse in children:

• Suddenly begins bedwetting
• Has problems sitting or walking without pain or discomfort
• Reports having nightmares
• Shows a sudden appetite change
• Displays sexual behaviors or has sexual knowledge outside their age
• Reports sexual abuse

Adults who sexually abuse children may display possessiveness of the child, especially when around those of the opposite sex. The adult may also be very controlling of other family members and highly secretive in nature.

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Childcare Providers Are Mandated Reporters

In Texas, childcare providers are among the mandated reporters, meaning you have a legal obligation to verbally report any suspected cases of child abuse or neglect within 48 hours.

https://www.dfps.texas.gov/Contact_Us/report_abuse_faqs.asp

What Does Being a Mandated Reporter Mean?

Mandated reporters in Texas include daycare workers. If you suspect child abuse or neglect but fail to make a report within 48 hours, you could face misdemeanor charges with a potential fine of up to $2,000 and or imprisonment for up to 180 days.

When making a report, don’t try to become a detective. You do not need to have firm proof or a confession to make a report. Your job is not to investigate the allegation but to report it.

The Department of Family Protective Services will take over the investigation part through its Child Protective Services (CPS) department.

As a mandated reporter, if you make a good-faith report of abuse or neglect, you have immunity to criminal or civil liability.

How Do You Report Suspected Child Abuse or Neglect?

When you make a report to DFPS, you must provide your full name and business or home phone number. DFPS can no longer accept anonymous reports as of September 1, 2023. The organization needs this information in case investigators need to contact you for more information. Your personal information will remain confidential by law.

You have two options for making a report to DPFS the website and hotline.

Use the Texas Abuse Hotline Website to Report Suspected Abuse or Neglect

The DPFS Texas Abuse Hotline website accepts reports from across the state of Texas. You will need to create an account or use a guest login before making your report.

As a registered user, you input your full name and contact information when you set up the account. As a childcare provider, you should consider setting up an account to make future reporting, if ever needed, as simple as possible.

A guest account will still require you to provide your full name and contact information, but you will not have to take the time to create a complete account.

Before completing a report online, have the following information ready:

• Your full name and contact information
• The affected child’s age, name, and address
• Names of the affected child’s parents and siblings or others in the home
• Description of the situation
• Any current physical, medical, or behavior signs that could be from abuse or neglect
• Explanation of how you know about the situation

If you cannot complete all the information requested on the report, such as the names of siblings in the home, fill out as much information as you possibly can.

When using the website, allow for at least 48 hours for DFPS to process your report.

If you have any questions about how to use the Texas Abuse Hotline website, refer to the DFPS guide.

Use the Hotline to Report Abuse or Neglect

The other option to making a report to DFPS is by calling the hotline 1-800-252-5400.

You can make the same types of reports over the phone hotline that you would on the website.

The hotline has a faster processing time and response compared to the website. Therefore, you should opt for the phone number over the website in the following instances:

• Serious injuries
• A child five or younger who is or at risk of being left alone within the next 24 hours
• Any suspected abuse of a child who is five or younger
• Any case of suspected sexual abuse where the abuser may have access to the child in the next 24 hours
• All cases that require a response within 24 hours

In all cases of imminent danger to a child, always call 911.

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Resources to Learn More About Identifying and Reporting Child Abuse or Neglect

To help you to learn more about identifying and reporting child abuse, use any or all the following resources:

• Recognizing Child Abuse and Neglect: Signs and Symptoms: This guide from Child Welfare Information Gateway contains information on what to look for in children and adults that indicate possible abuse.
• Tips and Resources for Teaching the Sensitive Topics of Abuse and Neglect: A resource for trainers who will teach the topics of child abuse and neglect. This site has useful tips if you will deliver this information to your staff as part of your facility’s required orientation training.
• Child Abuse Prevention Month Toolkit 2023: This brochure includes ways to make the community more aware of preventing child abuse. It also has lessons on child abuse and prevention for school-aged children.
• Child Abuse the Hidden Epidemic: This downloadable lesson plan aimed at high school students contains important information for anyone to learn about abuse and how to prevent it.
• Child Abuse Identifying and Reporting: This simple-to-follow online course for childcare providers includes several lessons on recognizing and reporting child abuse. It also includes lessons on protecting children in your program from harm and caring for yourself after of witnessing or reporting abuse.
  • Child Abuse Prevention Overview: This overview from the Texas Education Agency focuses on the programs and policies schools must have to prevent child abuse. This information can be good to know if you care for school-aged children.
  • Child Abuse Scenarios: This resource has a series of scenarios that let you practice what you learned concerning recognizing child abuse. Reinforce lessons about spotting abuse with these scenarios that show some of the more subtle signs of potential abuse and how to respond.

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Professional Development Courses About Abuse and Neglect

You will need professional development courses to maintain your ability to work with children as a caregiver or director. The following are some online courses for adults about child abuse and neglect you may opt to take. Some of them offer continuing education units (CEU) or certificates for completing them.

• Mandatory Reporting: A Community Response Guide for Reporting and Supporting Youth and Families: This is a free, one-hour course that gives you an overview of what it means to be a mandatory reporter. Note that this course does not satisfy the requirements for training under the Texas Education Code 38.004.
• Child Maltreatment: A Guide for Child Care Professionals: Texas A&M AgriLife Extension produced and sponsors this two-hour course for those working in childcare. It includes information on preventing, identifying, and reporting abuse and neglect. If you have an account on the Texas Early Childhood Professional Development System (TECPD) you can earn a certificate from completing this course that will automatically be uploaded to your TECPD account.
• The Monique Burr Foundation for Children Public Courses: These courses cover multiple topics surrounding child abuse including online child sexual exploitation and protecting children from sexual abuse. The courses are all free and about one hour each.
• Stewards of Children: This comprehensive course from Darkness to Light focuses specifically on preventing and recognizing child sexual abuse. It is a paid course you can take online at your own pace.

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