People who engage in abusive behavior toward children, unfortunately, are usually pretty good at keeping it less than apparent. They learn how to get their victims to stay quiet about being abused and are oftentimes quite skilled at getting themselves into situations and employment where they have access to children. To make sure you have a better chance of spotting them, there are habits you can adapt to foil their usual strategies.
Believe Your Children
Yes, children do sometimes confuse their imaginings with reality and it has been shown, despite a romantic stereotype that people like to adhere to, that children do lie. Whenever a child claims to be being abused, however, you have to listen to them and take it seriously. They may not tell you everything that’s going on at first or there may not have been significant abuse by the time they tell you. Anything they say that sounds suspicious, however, should be heeded and taken seriously.
Watch the Workers
You can learn a lot about a person’s disposition when you watch them. When you’re at the facility, be on the lookout for workers who seem to have short tempers, cruel attitudes or who tend to boss the children around instead of being authoritative with them. Good daycare workers are not bullies; they’re skilled at working with children and keeping them in line without being aggressive toward them.
Transferred Employees
Abusers will sometimes transfer from facility to facility. This may mean nothing at all. Perhaps they weren’t happy at the last facility they worked at or perhaps they got offered a better salary at the one they’re working at now. People tend to move around between jobs a lot. Make sure, however, that you take the time to ask about any new hires at your child’s facility. It’s the best way to make sure that you have some idea about who they hire and why.
If you suspect daycare abuse, the first thing you have to do is remove your child from the situation and address it head on. If, after it’s all said and done, you’re interested in pursuing a lawsuit against the facility, you can speak with a daycare abuse law firm about the matter. They have specialist attorneys who handle these cases and who know how to address this sensitive issue in a respectful way, while still aggressively pursuing compensation for the clients who rely on their services.