Child Protection Services Needed During Armed Conflicts

This study investigated the resilience of the Chinese child protection system in responding to the special needs of children in difficulty under the specific circumstances caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. This study applied qualitative document analysis of child protection administrative documents, in-depth interviews with 13 child protection professionals, and an in-depth case study of 14 children living in difficulty, complemented by relevant information available in the media. The results indicate that there are good policies in China’s child protection services but the organizational and functional fragmentation complicates implementation, suggesting a need for the development of bottom-up practices. The essential conclusion supported by these results is that the child protection system should be regarded and developed as a systematic project combining the legal, policymaking, and professional systems of child welfare services as well as governmental and non-governmental forces. As the COVID-19 pandemic has raised awareness of the need to develop the field of child protection holistically as an integrated system in terms of social sustainability in China, an international literature-based comparison indicates that the pandemic has also raised similar political awareness in other countries.

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‘Rising demand and decreasing resources’: Theorising the ‘cost of austerity’ as a barrier to social worker discretion

Journal of Social Policy ◽

10.1017/s0047279421000507 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. 1-18

Author(s):

CIARÁN MURPHY

Keyword(s):

Social Worker ◽

Child Protection ◽

Child Protection Services ◽

Radical Reform ◽

Critical Realist ◽

Documentary Analysis ◽

Effective System ◽

The Individual ◽

The Uk ◽

The Cost

Abstract The Munro Review of Child Protection asserted that the English child protection system had become overly ‘defensive’, ‘bureaucratised’ and ‘standardised’, meaning that social workers were not employing their discretion in the interests of the individual child. This paper reports on the results of an ethnographic case study of one of England’s statutory child protection teams. The research sought to explore the extent of social worker discretion relative to Munro’s call for ‘radical reform’ and a move towards a more ‘child-centred’ system. Employing an iterative mixed methods design – encompassing documentary analysis, observation, focus group, questionnaire, interview and ‘Critical Realist Grounded Theory’ – the study positioned the UK Government’s prolonged policy of ‘austerity’ as a barrier to social worker discretion. This was because the policy was seen to be contributing to an increased demand for child protection services; and a related sense amongst practitioners that they were afforded insufficient time with the child to garner the requisite knowledge, necessary for discretionary behaviour. Ultimately, despite evidence of progress relative to assertions that social worker discretion had been eroded, the paper concludes that there may still be ‘more to do’ if we are to achieve the ‘child-centred’ and ‘effective’ system that Munro advocated.

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Body Techniques of Vulnerability: The Generational Order and the Body in Child Protection Services

Human Studies ◽

10.1007/s10746-013-9259-z ◽

2013 ◽

Vol 36 (1) ◽

pp. 67-88

Author(s):

Lars Alberth

Keyword(s):

Child Protection ◽

The Body ◽

Child Protection Services ◽

Body Techniques

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Guaranteeing the Broadest Protection to Minors in the Aftermath of Disasters: Re-Framing the International Discussion in Terms of Child Abduction, Sale, and Trafficking

Journal of International Humanitarian Legal Studies ◽

10.1163/18781527-00401006 ◽

2013 ◽

Vol 4 (1) ◽

pp. 135-150 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Silvia Scarpa

Keyword(s):

Child Protection ◽

Disaster Relief ◽

Armed Conflicts ◽

Relief Work ◽

Child Abduction ◽

Labour Exploitation

The Article aims at demonstrating that a more effective and comprehensive protection of minors in the aftermath of disasters can be guaranteed by, first of all, re-framing the discussion of the relevant actors in this field on the various practices and processes, including sexual and labour exploitation, early and forced marriages, the involvement of children in armed conflicts, and illegal adoptions, that can be grouped under the heading of three umbrella terms, namely, the abduction, sale, and trafficking of children. These terms are, in part, already used by relevant actors in the field of disaster relief work; however, their interpretation and boundaries are not always properly clarified. Therefore, the Article discusses the definitions of these three terms and recommends that all the relevant actors follow such framework and conform to the definitions provided, so as to guarantee a greater consistency and clarity in the debate over child protection in the aftermath of disasters.

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The Prevalence of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder in Birth Parents in Child Protection Services: Systematic Review and Meta-analysis

Trauma Violence & Abuse ◽

10.1177/15248380211048444 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. 152483802110484

Author(s):

Aino Suomi ◽

Annalese Bolton ◽

Dave Pasalich

Keyword(s):

Mental Health ◽

Post Traumatic Stress Disorder ◽

Traumatic Stress ◽

Child Protection ◽

Stress Disorder ◽

Meta Analysis ◽

Post Traumatic Stress ◽

Birth Parents ◽

Child Protection Services ◽

Post Traumatic

Background Birth parents of children in the statutory child protection system have disproportionally high rates of trauma exposure and mental health problems, however, little is known about the extent to which this population display symptoms of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) or Complex PTSD. This study provides a systematic review and meta-analysis of the PTSD rates in parent samples involved in the child protection services. Method Articles were identified by searching PSYCINFO, Medline, CINAHL, and PILOTS. The search included terminology pertaining to parents, trauma, and child protective services and we included all peer-reviewed articles that reported a valid measure of PTSD and child protection service involvement. Results Fifteen studies were included in the review with a combined prevalence estimate for PTSD based on 11 studies ( n = 4871) was 26.0% (95% CI 20.0–32.0%) for mothers, and estimate based on three studies ( n = 2606) was 13.0% (95% CI 7.0%–18.0%) for fathers and 23.0% (95% CI 17.0–29.0) for all parents based on 7848 responses. Four studies that did not report prevalence rates, reported sample mean scores for PTSD that were consistently higher than in general population. Factors associated with parents’ PTSD symptoms included mental health co-morbidities, victimization of physical and sexual violence, and perpetration of child abuse. Conclusion There are high rates of PTSD in parents involved in the protective system, thus more targeted efforts are needed to identify and adequately address trauma symptoms of parents as part of child protection interventions.

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