Foster and Adoptive Parenting

CWTI logo with man and child photo

Session 4

Unit Three: Impact of Child Maltreatment on
Development and Attachment

How is Child Maltreatment Defined by Law?

Child abuse and neglect are defined in both Federal (Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment Act -CAPTA) and State legislation. Federal legislation provides a foundation for states by identifying a minimum set of acts or behaviors that define physical abuse, neglect, and sexual abuse.

Each State is responsible for providing its own definitions of child abuse and neglect within the civil and criminal codes. Maine state law defines abuse or neglect as “a threat to a child’s health or welfare by physical, mental or emotional injury or impairment, sexual abuse or exploitation, deprivation of essential needs or lack of protection from these by a person responsible for the child."

There are four major types of maltreatment:

Physical abuse
Neglect
Sexual abuse, and
Emotional abuse.

While State definitions may vary, operational definitions include the
Main Types of Maltreatment.

For example, the parents/caregivers may use extreme or bizarre forms of punishment, such as confinement of a child in a dark closet. Less severe acts, such as habitual scapegoating, belittling, or rejecting treatment, are often difficult to prove and, therefore, CPS may not be able to intervene without evidence of harm to the child.

Although any of the forms of child maltreatment may be found separately, they often occur in combination. Emotional abuse is almost always present when other forms are identified.