Child Abuse and Neglect: Mandated Reporting and Working with Child Survivors provides pre-service teachers with an overview of child maltreatment and their legal duty to report suspected offenses. The text identifies various types of child abuse, reveals common signs of mistreatment, provides instruction for reporting abuse, and offers advice for working with survivors of abuse.

The first chapter of the book explores the history of the child protection movement in America, common risk factors in youth, types of maltreatment, child abuse statistics, and more. The second chapter explains the role of the mandated reporters and explains why it is a legal requirement for teachers to report suspected abuse to state authorities. Additionally, the chapter provides tips for handling disclosure of abuse and supporting children with a history of abuse. These foundational chapters are followed by carefully selected readings that further illuminate the challenges and effects of child abuse.

Child Abuse and Neglect is a supplementary text that can be used to support programs in education, social work, psychology, counseling, healthcare, and law enforcement.

Julia A. Baxter, M.S., Ed, CAS, is the supervisor of early field experience and an adjunct faculty member at the State University of New York College at Oneonta. After working in the radio and television field for over a decade, she went on to get her B.S. degree in elementary education and a M.S., Ed in school counseling, both from SUNY Oneonta. She has worked as an elementary teacher, a school counselor, and has taught college classes in education, educational psychology, and counseling. She has been preparing mandated child abuse reporters for almost 20 years. Ms. Baxter has published articles and run workshops in the areas of grief and loss, working with high functioning autistic students, child abuse, bullying, suicide prevention, and childhood trauma and brain development.