Nurses to learn about reporting child abuse

Every adult in a public school is required to report child abuse when they see it.

Problem is there’s some confusion about how to go about doing that. But on Dec. 12, all 26 school district nurses in the Newport-Mesa Unified School District will be trained on a policy for detecting child abuse and reporting it to the Orange County Social Services Agency.

“Some places have an interpretation of what the rule is [regarding reporting],” said school nurse Karen Manning. Even hospital workers sometimes aren’t sure who officially reports child abuse.

Wednesday’s training will get everyone on the same page, said Marcia BMarthaler, the district’s health services coordinator. The school nurses will go back to their schools and educate faculty on the standard process.

In Carol Sotack’s experience, teachers and nurses are usually confused about how much to investigate before reporting possible abuse.

“It’s your job up to a certain point to ask so much and then you can stop and give us a call,” the Orange County Social Services social worker said. “As soon as the child makes a disclosure [admitting abuse], the person can stop right there. Their job is not the detective or to figure it all out.”

School faculty, staff and nurses are trained to look out for several different kinds of abuse — physical, sexual and emotional abuse, general and severe neglect, and having a prolonged absence of a caretaker.

Physical abuse is defined as any kind of injury, be it a bruise, scratch or even a headache inflicted on a child.

General neglect covers a range of issues from a child having no food, having poor hygiene to being left alone for long periods of time.

Severe neglect involves drug-dependent children or kids in severe medical need, such as a diabetic child not given insulin.

Social services also investigates caretaker absences, like when the parents are arrested or a guardian is a danger to themselves and others and is taken away.

To report child abuse, call the Orange County Agency Child Abuse Registry hotline at (714) 940-1000 or (800) 207-4464.

JOSEPH SERNA may be reached at (714) 966-4619 or at joseph.serna@latimes.com.