MLM Counties News. Notices. Need-to-know Information.
Missouri officials say the state Children’s Division has received more than 1,000 reports of juveniles with sexual behavior problems since late August.
According to state Social Services department’s spokeswoman Rebecca L. Woelfel, the division has logged 1,270 reports between Aug. 28 and Nov. 30. She said that reports are received in every region of the state.
The Jefferson City News Tribune reports that a law allowing the division to investigate complaints of child-on-child sexual abuse was recently passed, increasing the division’s caseload and insight into the scope of the issue.
Until this year, state officials or local law enforcement were authorized to take action on a complaint only when the person accused of causing abuse had “care, custody and control over” the victim. Since juveniles don’t fit that definition, no one had the authority to investigate complaints that one child had abused another.
Under the new law, the Children’s Division must immediately tell the appropriate local office about any report it receives alleging that a juvenile has problem sexual behavior. The local office will then use a “family assessment and services approach” to respond to and investigate the report.
Emily van Schenkhof, deputy director for the group Missouri KidsFirst, said “The numbers of assessments performed has far exceeded our projections and expectations.
Julie Donelon, executive director of the Kansas City-based Metropolitan Organization to Counter Sexual Assaults and van Schenkhof say the report shows that more needs to be done to address the issue in Missouri.
“We have learned that more training needs to be done to educate professionals across the state — including law enforcement, prosecutors, court personnel, mental health providers and teachers — about this issue and how to effectively intervene,” Donelon said.
According to van Schenkhof, the Children’s Division’s largest issue is that is not have the adequate staff to meet the demands of the assessments.
