Inky, you did the best that you could do, and this still could work out for the best. A few months ago I was feeling bad about reporting that a child I was working with had said his dad was hurting him. The social worker came and interviewed him at school, and his mom happened to be there, so she was in the interview. The boy was afraid to say anything, and told us that his mother got mad at him and told him not to tell people about things that happened at home anymore. I thought that we had probably only made things worse by reporting. But I got to talk to him again yesterday, and it sounds like things are getting better for him at home. Now his parents know that someone knows what was going on (at least a little bit), and they are more careful about controlling their tempers, and the mom is empowered to stand up to her husband since she knows she would be backed up.

Your kids' stepmom may take steps to try to cover up what she has done, but hopefully now that she is aware that someone is watching for signs of trouble, and that the kids are well capable of telling, she will be more careful. It's a hard decision to tell because we wonder what the abuser might do to maintain silence, but they also know that if they take it too far someone will know. I'm sure that T will handle it appropriately and let the kids know that it is okay to tell. They have been working with him long enough that I would bet they have a trusting relationship. Also, what your daughter says when she is on the phone being prompted doesn't mean that she won't trust you to confide in you when she needs to. She knows that you tried to help her.

Will their dad help keep them safe?