ask dr. gramma karen What to do when child abuse is suspected or witnessed BY KAREN L. RANCOURT I recently received an email from a distraught set of grandparents who suspected that their granddaughter was being abused by their son-in-law. When they expressed their concern to their daughter (the granddaughter's mother), she became furious with them and said if they ever brought this up again, they would never see their granddaughter again. Their situation prompted me to write this column - that is, I want to provide information and options to consider when child abuse is either witnessed or suspected, information that may be helpful, not only to family members but to anyone. To ensure the accuracy of the information I am about to share, I contacted four frontline professionals: a family physician; a former school principal; and two licensed mental health professionals. A compilation of their comments and advice * Each of these four professionals is considered a " mandated reporter " - defined as an individual who holds a professional position that requires him or her to report, not investigate, to the appropriate state agency cases of child abuse that he or she has reasonable cause to suspect. The list of mandated reporters includes registered psychologists; social workers; teachers; counselors; principals; child-care workers; family daycarers and home-based careers; refuge workers; and in some states, clergy. 12 GRAND Winter 2022 Continued on next page Continued on next pagehttps://www.facebook.com/GRANDmagazine https://twitter.com/grandmmagazine?lang=en