Ours is by no means a tradition limited to respect for the bonds uniting the members of the nuclear family. Even if conditions of modern society have brought about a decline in extended family households, they have not erased the accumulated wisdom of civilization, gained over the centuries and honored throughout our history, that supports a larger conception of the family. Out of choice, necessity, or a sense of family responsibility, it has been common for close relatives to draw together and participate in the duties and the satisfactions of a common home. Decisions concerning child rearing, which Yoder, Meyer, Pierce and other cases have recognized as entitled to constitutional protection, long have been shared with grandparents or other relatives who occupy the same household - indeed who may take on major responsibility for the rearing of the children.15 Especially in times of adversity, such as the death of a spouse or economic need, the broader family has tended to come together for mutual sustenance and to maintain or rebuild a secure home life. Although any of the forms of child maltreatment may be found separately, they often occur in combination.
Emotional abuse is almost always present when other forms are identified.
Only one third of all reported abuse cases to CPS are ever investigated. Almost all cases investigated use hear say and other evidence that would never be permited in a court of law. Very few are completed in a professional manner.