NCJ Number
141826
Journal
Texas Police Journal Volume: 41 Issue: 1 Dated: (February 1993) Pages: 1-5
Date Published
1993
Length
5 pages
Annotation
This article presents principles that should be followed by an instructor in any program of child abuse training for police officers.
Abstract
Child abuse training includes a number of considerations that most other forms of training do not present, thus requiring special handling. Chief among them is the emotional impact of the training on certain students, who may have been abused themselves as children, or perhaps had their own children, friends', or relatives' children abused. A judicious and sensitive approach must be taken with the subject matter and the students. Still, the seriousness of the subject must be alleviated at times with humor, so as to produce a relaxed state of mind in students to facilitate learning. Proper sequencing will ensure that the information is received in a logical progression, making it more easily digestible. Consideration should be given to the characteristics of a multidisciplinary class and to the application of impartiality and diplomacy to this situation. Prevention should be the capstone of every child abuse training course, providing officers with the ways and means to help stop child abuse in both the personal and the professional arenas.