Assignment Task: Rachel is a 15-year-old Caucasian female. Rachel is a ward of the state and lives in a group home with 12 other girls. Rachel is in the group home because she has a pattern of arrests and truancy that led her to juvenile detention. After serving a sentence of 6 months in the juvenile detention center, she was remanded to a therapeutic group home for a year. Rachel sees her mother and father once a week, on family day.
Rachel has a history of learning difficulties and her case worker reports that she has been diagnosed with a cognitive disability. The case worker explains that Rachel lacks age-appropriate social cues and struggles to make friends.
Rachel was brought into your office by a group home case worker. The case worker explains that she discovered that Rachel has been communicating with an unknown male over a social networking website. The case worker explains that the material that has been shared is "inappropriate" and involves "sexting." There is little known about the online contact, for instance they do not know the individual's age, name, or true identity.
Q1. Describe at least three symptoms that you would be assessing for in Rachel's case that may indicate child abuse.
Q2. Define sexual exploitation. Is Rachel a victim of sexual exploitation? Explain why or why not. If you do not have enough information, what additional information would you need to determine whether she is or is not?