Discussion: Child Sexual Abuse Investigators often encounter a lack of cooperation among family mem ...

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Discussion: Child Sexual Abuse Investigators often encounter a lack of cooperation among family members and victims when determining if child sexual abuse has occurred. Often, the determination is made based on warning signs or behavioral indicators demonstrated by the victim because no one in the family—including the victim—will state that child sexual abuse has occurred. The child is often concerned that the perpetrator who is a family member will be removed from the family. Even when the perpetrator is not a family member but is known to the family, the victim and the family may withhold information from the investigator. Family members often present artificial alliances among each other that obscure what is really happening within the family. Forensic psychology professionals often face ethical dilemmas that result from these alliances within the family. These circumstances require that information about alleged child sexual abuse be gathered cautiously and with great sensitivity. In this Discussion, you will consider a case of child sexual abuse. You will determine appropriate strategies to gather information, analyze the behaviors of the people involved, and consider challenges associated with the case. To prepare for this Discussion: Read the Week 3 Case Studies document. Choose one case to address in this Discussion. Read the Learning Resources pertaining to family dynamics in cases of sexual abuse. By Day 3 Post a response to two of the following: What information gathering strategies would you recommend for the scenario in the case study? What type of information is needed? Within this case study, identify the warning signs or behavioral indicators that are present and could indicate sexual abuse is taking place. How would you determine if laws have been broken? What ethical considerations need to be addressed in this case study (e.g., developing loyalties, confirmation bias, transference, etc.)? Explain and justify your answers with appropriate scholarly literature.