I was pondering the question the other day, “Who are we?” Not as a species or phylum or such, but rather who are we as the VJJA. Individually I came up with plenty of answers. VJJA members are the people who care for and care about others’ children, and as a result we are protectors of public safety. Depending on where we work and in what capacity, we are the folks who wake up children for school; teach those children; and feed those same children. Some members clean up vomit when the children are ill (using approved bio-hazard protection materials of course). Others physically prevent children from harming themselves or others’ selves. Some of us treat their wounds and ailments. Many work to protect children from harm from others. Others with special talents help them through that psychological maze we call childhood. A lot of members stay awake at night to provide for the children’s safety and comfort. Some represent these children in court before other members who adjudicate and establish controls and limits on their behavior based on laws passed by other members. Most encourage parents to be more involved with their children, to love more, accept responsibility, be accountable, and to stimulate positive family environments. Some clean out sewer traps of the debris children throw down the drain when angry. Overall, we stand in aid and comfort to those children who need supervision and assistance beyond what life has provided them.
As those answers came to me, I realized it was easier to reflect on what we do rather than who we are. Not who we are to the clients with whom we work – we are many things to them. The labels and names they attach to us include counselor, nurse, mentor, Your Honor, officer, and the like. Sometimes they call us things that are not as flattering as other descriptors. All of that is a part of our establishing effective communication and positively influencing these sentient folks to divert them from destructive paths and to encourage them to reach their full potential. We are inexorably entwined with the clients whom we serve through the activity we engage in with them and the actions we take on their behalf. My thinking kept leading me to seek what it is that defines us as VJJA members.
I found the answer in advocacy. Simply stated, we support others. We encourage others. We promote, we sponsor - we do unto others. As VJJA members we take action. We are best defined by verbs rather than nouns. At a recent Board meeting, we took time to put our feet up on a cloud and just talk about how we can stimulate advocacy. We started work on developing an approach so we may support all VJJA members to more effectively advocate for children. Let me briefly share some of our preliminary conclusions with you.
Principally we are looking at dividing our efforts into passive, active, and legislative advocacy because each seems to progressively require different and increasing effort. Passive advocacy may take the form of simply displaying plaques, awards, bumper stickers, license plate frames, slogan buttons, banners, and the like. Active advocacy seemed driven by the activity required to gain community support for initiatives like reporting centers, speakers’ forums, graffiti removal, pamphlet distribution, and so forth. Last, legislative advocacy (local, state, and federal) appears to require more effort, not just in tenacity but through time investment and placing oneself publicly on record. Each of these has its advantages. Each requires differing skill and effort levels. And each represents an important element of our overall scheme to improve the lives of children in the Commonwealth. It is our Association’s task to develop ways to help support our members’ contributions. To that end, a sub-committee has been formed to address those pertinent areas such as education, legislative comparisons, information mechanisms, campaign organization, research, and how best to take a position on every piece of legislation offered. Whether we opine for, against, or remain neutral, we want the VJJA to speak up and out, and let the voice of our thousand members be heard.
You may be thinking that I have a request up my sleeve, and indeed I do. If you wish to be involved with the sub-committee to help us fashion the advocacy direction for the Association, please contact me - you are welcome, your ideas and thoughts will help even if all you bring to the table is a smile. But my request is much more personal than that. It seems to me that fundamentally, the first step for all of us as advocates is to work to stop what harms children - to prevent child abuse – and the first step in advocating in this manner is to know our own responsibilities and the requirements of our professions.
The Code of Virginia (§63.2-1509) gets rather specific about who needs to report suspected child abuse. Who is a “mandated reporter” is enumerated with detail and is not really an issue, but knowing how to report and taking that action may benefit from our collective focus. Almost every child-serving agency, provider, and entity must be prepared to report abuse but, honestly, when was the last time your employer reviewed those reporting procedures with you? Most VJJA members are responsible individually under the Code to report suspected child abuse. It’s simple, you just pick up the phone and make a call, and it is the Department of Social Services’ responsibility to determine if it was abuse or not. As an individual you are “off the hook” as it were and not subject to a substantial fine for failing to do so within 72 hours. You are also protected from reprisals in the bargain. Those of us who work for schools, hospitals, and institutions have it even easier. You can report it to the person in charge (or their designee) and they must make the report to DSS forthwith. It is hoped that they will also take immediate action on site to prevent any further possibility of abuse from occurring.
In a nutshell, that’s it: Suspected Child Abuse Reporting 101. If you are serious about advocating for children, you might start with this issue. It falls somewhere between passive and active depending on your employer and position. What can you do? Stimulate discussion. Ask for clarification of policy. Seek training. As a supervisor, ensure you have reviewed expectations and responsibilities with all your staff. As an employer, formulate a training program outlining responsibilities, procedures, and designated personnel - you’d be surprised how few employees really know how the process works. Call DSS in advance and learn who “those people” are in your community, so you’ll be familiar with them should you ever have a need to call. Most importantly, take action if you observe or suspect child abuse. Get rid of your discomfort, suppress your nervousness, and make that call. It’s not about you (or me) feeling better in the end, although lighting candles in the dark comes to mind, it’s about a child feeling better, feeling safe, feeling protected. The world is a harsh enough place for a child to find their way; don’t let abuse be an obstacle if you can prevent it. Please join us in our effort to educate others, analyze research, and promote remedies to help our communities provide what children need to grow up safe, to love and to be loved, and to achieve their potential. Be involved. Be an advocate.
(Ron Telsch is a Probation Supervisor in the Virginia Department of Juvenile Justice's
25th Court Service Unit (covering Lexington, Covington and Botetourt).
