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- Abusive parents are typically reported to police officers or to the state social service department, and a social worker is generally assigned to investigate.
- The abuse may have occurred only one time, but it is far more likely that it has been recurrent over a period of months or years. Often, abuse is not detected until a child enters kindergarten or first grade.
- If a social worker or investigator determines that abuse has occurred to a child and that abuse was caused by a parent or relative with whom the child lives, the child is usually removed from the home and placed with relatives or in a state-approved foster home or group home.
- The child will not be returned to the home until it is determined by social workers that the parent has been rehabilitated from the problem leading to the abuse, whether it was alcohol or drug use, emotional or mental problems in the abuser or some other cause.
- Traditionally, however, a child can be removed from the home before the innocence or guilt of the alleged abuser is determined, for the sake of the child's safety. If the allegations of abuse prove to be false or their veracity cannot be determined, the child is returned to the home.
- It may be extremely difficult for investigators to determine whether or not abuse has actually occurred, especially if injuries have healed or theoretically could have been caused by an accident. Investigators and physicians look for a pattern of "accidents" and also the type of injury that results from the alleged accident.