The Philomena Video

Watch the video below. The video is 5 minutes in length. Remember that child abuse and maltreatment can occur in any family regardless of its education, ethnicity, or socio-economic status.

After viewing the video:

• The video illustrates how the CPS system works to support families through crisis and stress in their lives. Working with a family to improve their lives and break the cycle of abuse and maltreatment is the purpose of intervention.

• Instead of thinking of your report to the SCR as a punitive, remember that sometimes intervention can provide exactly the kind of help a family needs to prevent the abuse or maltreatment from causing irreversible harm.

• Whether or not you believe the parents or the other person legally responsible for the child will be open to intervention, you are still obligated to make the report to the SCR.

• In some cases, a report is the “wake-up call” a parent needs or a means for getting assistance in areas of their lives that have become unmanageable.