Nonoffending Parents of Maltreated Children

Nonoffending parents of maltreated children are those parents who do not actually commit the abuse against the child, but who are responsible for protecting the child after the abuse. For example, when a child is physically abused by a mother, the father is the nonoffending parent. The majority of literature on nonoffending parents is written about parents of sexually abused children. Sexual abuse is different from other types of child maltreatment in that the vast majority of offenders are male and nonoffending parents are female.

Because of the disproportionate representation of the poor in child welfare, there is also an overrepre-sentation of poor single mothers. This overrepresenta-tion and the historical bias of considering the mother primarily responsible for the child also contribute to the emphasis by child welfare on nonoffending mothers rather than on nonoffending fathers. Thus, when a child is sexually abused, regardless of whether a mother or father figure is available, the mother is typically assumed to be responsible for the ongoing care, protection, and support of the child.