Background checks' weakness

In 2014, Pennsylvania restructured its child-abuse laws to include broader definitions of what constitutes abuse and who is now considered a mandated reporter of abuse, plus a streamlined approach on how to report abuse, stiffer penalties for not reporting or for hiding abuse, and more.

 

While all of these changes are welcome initiatives, at least one area is still not protecting our children as well as intended.

 

The enhancement in background checks, on the surface, would seem to be an initial step in stopping child abusers from entering systems where they deal with children. Unfortunately, as we have seen far too often, the perpetrator of crimes against children often does not have a criminal history and therefore would not be “red-flagged” by a background check. What is much more common is that once a person is in a system and dealing with children, abusive actions then take place because of the unfettered access to children.

 

Simply stated, background checks are a poor indicator of who has been, who is or who will become a child abuser.

 

It is unfortunate that many children are still at risk because child abuse is a complicated issue and cannot be dealt with by a “cookbook” approach. One size does not fit all in these situations.

 

Constant attention must always be a first priority in recognizing the signs of child abuse and reporting it promptly.