HSM Law Profile Paper There are federal, state, county, and even tribal laws that have been put into place to protect both the client and the human service worker. Some are more of a guiding tool for human service workers, while some laws are designed to protect the client in a wide variety of ways. The Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment Act (CAPTA) was originally enacted in January 1974 to require agencies to assess, investigate, and provide treatment, and prosecution in order to receive federal funding. To fully understand everything that this law has to offer, we must learn more about it. Possibly the best place to find information on this law,…show more content… CAPTA also requires anyone who works in a position with a child to report suspected child abuse to the proper authorities. In some cases, the human service worker may find that it could have been a false allegation, however due to CAPTA’s strict regulations; they are forced to go through with an investigation to ensure the child is safe. Some still argue that CAPTA gives too much power to government officials. In 1993 Janet Reno went under the gun for a siege accusing more than 87 adults of suspected child abuse. They argue that CAPTA gave far too much power to social workers, and that in the event of a crime without proper evidence, they can use CAPTA if children are present to gain “access” for a siege. This is far from what CAPTA was designed for. The same website also argues that CAPTA is far from effective. That parents are no longer permitted to punish their children, now punishment is now considered child abuse (Family Rights Association, n.d.). Who is really at risk if no one follows the law? In many cases it is the client, not always a child; sometimes it could be a mentally or physically handicapped adult. Worst case scenario the client could suffer if no help arrives, to even as bad as death. However, if the human service workers do not follow the law, they risk losing this valuable funding to their organization. Without this funding, many organizations could not exist at all. Then,
