How some parish catechetical leaders respond to incidents of suspected child abuse
Abstract
This study focuses on parish catechetical leaders as respondents to incidents of suspected child abuse. It endeavors to study how these leaders classify situations of suspected child abuse, the course of action taken in responding to hypothetical situations of suspected child abuse, how training influences the response of the catechetical leader, what steps are actually taken in situations of suspected child abuse, and what, if any, follow-up was provided to either the student or the family. The subjects received a questionnaire that included vignettes of parents' actions to which subjects were to classify and take action steps. Training and demographics were also explored. Subjects who had actually reported abuse went through an additional interview process on a personal level. Four factors that impacted decisions to report and actions taken emerged: the evidence of the abuse itself, the awareness and impact that culture has upon situations of suspected child abuse, the reluctance to report based mostly upon prior negative experience, and the ethic of care in ministry.
Subject Area
Religious education|Religion|Teacher education
Recommended Citation
Cullinan, Mary Kay Therese, "How some parish catechetical leaders respond to incidents of suspected child abuse" (2000). ETD Collection for Fordham University. AAI9975342.
https://research.library.fordham.edu/dissertations/AAI9975342
