Social Services
To most outsiders, Mr. Roberts looked like a model citizen and a wonderful father to his two foster daughters, Angel and Rebecca. He took them everywhere, attended PTA meetings with his wife, faithfully completed the required paper work, activity logs, and incident reports, and even served as President of the Foster Parent Advisory Group at the social service agency that placed the girls with him and his wife.
Angel's school counselor presented a class to everyone in 3rd grade about abuse and told the children they should tell someone they trust if anyone was abusing them. That day after school, Angel told her playmate's mother that Mr. Roberts touched her at night. The mother, a neighbor and close family friend, told Angel she better not say bad things about her foster father or she would have to move.
Why didn't the neighbor believe Angel?
- Child molesters often go undetected because they fool those around them into thinking they are model citizens-just wonderful with kids.
- Molesting a child is such a horrible act, we don't like to believe it occurs.
- Adults sometimes see children in social service programs or foster care as "problem children," prone to telling lies or making up stories. This can place them at increased risk to be abused.
Fortunately, Angel didn't give up. A few days later, she told her school counselor who believed her. Mr. Roberts was arrested and convicted. Teaching Angel about child abuse saved her and her sister and perhaps others from further abuse.
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