scholarly journals When is Enough Enough? The Burgeoning Cost of Child Protection Services

2014 ◽  
Vol 39 (2) ◽  
pp. 93-98 ◽  
Author(s):  
Frank Ainsworth ◽  
Patricia Hansen
Keyword(s):  
Child Abuse ◽  
Young People ◽  
Parent Education ◽  
Child Protection ◽  
Good Reason ◽  
Child Abuse And Neglect ◽  
Child Rearing ◽  
Children And Young People ◽  
Vulnerable Families ◽  
Abuse And Neglect

The Australian Bureau of Statistics estimates that at 31 December 2011 there were 5,098,694 children and young people in Australia under the age of 18 years, while for the period 1 July 2011 to 30 June 2012, the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare's report on child protection indicates that there were 48,420 substantiated cases of child abuse and neglect in Australia. The likelihood is that almost 95 (94.96) per cent of Australian children and young people were not abused or neglected in that period; and this is a cause for national celebration. These figures are good reason to praise the parents and caregivers of the 5,050,274 children who were not abused or neglected. We argue that there is a need for an emphasis in the political debate about child protection that focuses on children who are not abused, in order for the issue of child abuse and neglect to be placed in proper perspective. The lack of perspective in the current dialogue simply results in an unending demand for more resources for detection-focused services. Instead, there has to be increased emphasis on preventative services for vulnerable families who fail to meet community child-rearing standards. These exacting standards of parenting can only be achieved through parent education and the provision of intensive and extensive family support services, combined with sensitive monitoring of at-risk families. Accordingly, this article is written in a dissenting voice.

scholarly journals Safe from Harm: Development of Online Child Protection Training for Scouts New Zealand

2021 ◽  
pp. 384-391
Author(s):  
Elizabeth Asbury ◽  
Emma Addington ◽  
George Orsborn ◽  
John Williams
Keyword(s):  
Child Abuse ◽  
New Zealand ◽  
Young People ◽  
Youth Development ◽  
Child Protection ◽  
Child Death ◽  
Child Abuse And Neglect ◽  
Youth Protection ◽  
Abuse And Neglect

Introduction: SCOUTS New Zealand place paramount importance on keeping young people safe from harm. New Zealand (NZ) has one of the highest rates of child abuse and child death by maltreatment in the developed world. SCOUTS NZ engage with 14,500 children and young people, supported by 4,500 adult volunteers in 340 locations across New Zealand. SCOUTS wanted to inform and educate all their members about the importance of child protection (CP), while managing the challenges of a geographically disparate population through online learning.Method: “Introduction to Child and Youth Protection” module was created collaboratively with SCOUTS NZ and online educators at Whitireia NZ. The aim was to provide an accessible, evidence based, self-paced online module illustrating the realities of child abuse and neglect in NZ, while enabling the participants to understand the role of SCOUTS NZ in child and youth protection. The module was developed using “Articulate Storyline”, peer reviewed by Subject Matter Experts (SMEs) working in Youth Development and Social Work, and evaluated using the Kirkpatrick framework.Results: 1102 SCOUTS leaders and volunteers have completed the CP module and evaluation to date. Significant improvements in the learning outcomes “Understanding the realities of child abuse and neglect in NZ” (5.32 ± 1.35 vs. 6.26 ± 0.79, p  0.001), “Understanding the importance of child and youth protection in NZ” (5.99 ± 1.13 vs. 6.51 ± 0.71, p  0.001) and “Understanding the role of SCOUTS in child protection” (5.74 ± 1.22 vs. 6.46 ± 0.79, p  0.001) were found on completion of the module. Participants found the module engaging (95%), useful (97%), applicable (99%) and relevant to their role (99%).Conclusion: By using tailored, appropriate content, emotive topics can be addressed through online learning, as this successful collaboration has demonstrated.

The Prevalence of Child Abuse and Neglect: A Study of Young People

2001 ◽  
Vol 43 (3) ◽  
pp. 1-34 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sue Brooker ◽  
Graham Kelly ◽  
Pat Cawson ◽  
Corrine Wattam
Keyword(s):  
Child Abuse ◽  
Young People ◽  
Child Protection ◽  
Social Research ◽  
Public Attitudes ◽  
Child Abuse And Neglect ◽  
Abuse And Neglect ◽  
Size Type ◽  
Physical Neglect ◽  
The Uk

Describes a survey among young people about experience of abuse or neglect, conducted by BBMRB Social Research for the NSPCC in connection with their Full Stop campaign. It was known that crimes against children tend to be underreported. A key objective was to provide robust and reliable benchmarks for the measurement of child abuse and neglect and public attitudes to them. Research challenges which had to be resolved were: how abuse should be defined; context, approach and presentation of the study; how to maximise response rate and minimise/account for bias; data collection method; size, type and composition of the sample (a crucial issue, discussed in some detail); questionnaire design; memory and recall; interviewer briefing and fieldwork issues; confidentiality and ethics. The very sensitive questionnaires had to be well piloted. CAPI was essential because of the complexity of potential interviews. Key results are summarised (a full report is available: ‘Child Maltreatment in the United Kingdom’, Cawson, Wattam, Brooker and Kelly, 2000), under the following heads: physical abuse, physical neglect, emotional or psychological maltreatment, sexual abuse. The results have suggested that the present child protection system in the UK is inadequate in several respects, and raises important questions for public policy, and for the need for continuing research in this area.

The contribution of a hospital child protection team in determining suspected child abuse and neglect: Analysis of referrals of children aged 0–9

2010 ◽  
Vol 32 (12) ◽  
pp. 1664-1669 ◽  
Author(s):  
Wendy Chen ◽  
Saralee Glasser ◽  
Rami Benbenishty ◽  
Bilha Davidson-Arad ◽  
Shmuel Tzur ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Child Abuse ◽  
Child Protection ◽  
Child Abuse And Neglect ◽  
Abuse And Neglect

scholarly journals Child Abuse And Neglect: Mandatory Reporting and the Legal Profession

2016 ◽  
Vol 2 ◽  
Author(s):  
Vanessa Deverson
Keyword(s):  
Child Abuse ◽  
Child Protection ◽  
Child Abuse And Neglect ◽  
Mandatory Reporting ◽  
Vulnerable Children ◽  
Abuse And Neglect ◽  
Protection Legislation ◽  
Legislative Framework ◽  
Legal Professional ◽  
Reporting Laws

Child abuse and neglect affects approximately 42 500 children in Australia each year. Parliaments in all Australian states and territories have introduced mandatory reporting into child protection legislation to protect vulnerable children by requiring certain individuals to report suspicions of abuse or neglect. However, lawyers are prevented from reporting because of the rules governing legal professional privilege and confidentiality. This article begins by examining the problem of child abuse and neglect in Australia and outlines the current legislative framework of mandatory reporting laws in Part II. Part III discusses the current rules governing lawyers and examines legal professional privilege and the duty of confidentiality. Part IV provides arguments for and against requiring lawyers to report suspected abuse and also considers the lawyer-client relationship and the special position of domestic violence victims. Part V offers recommendations for the proposed legislative reform. This article concludes that lawyers should be required to report child abuse and neglect.

Reporting to Child Protection Services

2019 ◽  
pp. 175-186
Author(s):  
Lea Tufford
Keyword(s):  
Child Abuse ◽  
Child Protection ◽  
Child Abuse And Neglect ◽  
Organizational Policies ◽  
Child Protection Services ◽  
Emergency Situations ◽  
Abuse And Neglect ◽  
Types Of Information ◽  
And Function ◽  
Role And Function

This chapter discusses the steps mandatory reporters take when contacting Child Protection Services. Included in this chapter is information regarding to whom the report is made, the types of information that Child Protection Services may require, timelines for reporting, how to handle emergency situations, and organizational policies for reporting. The chapter also includes attention to reporting anonymously and challenges for mandatory reporters who attempt to function as child protection investigators. Objectives include understanding the role and function of Child Protection Services, exploring what information is required by Child Protection Services when making a report regarding a suspicion of child abuse and neglect, appreciating the rationale behind an anonymous report to Child Protection Services, identifying the benefits and challenges of reporting in the workplace, and summarizing how to protect client confidentiality when reporting.

The Reporting of Child Abuse and Neglect in Ireland in an International Context

2020 ◽  
Vol 34 (2) ◽  
pp. 145-167
Author(s):  
Conor Hanly
Keyword(s):  
Child Abuse ◽  
Child Protection ◽  
Child Neglect ◽  
Church And State ◽  
Child Abuse And Neglect ◽  
Mandatory Reporting ◽  
International Context ◽  
Abuse And Neglect ◽  
Children First ◽  
New System

Abstract Starting in the early 1990s, reports published over a quarter of a century detailed shocking levels of child abuse and child neglect in Ireland, along with failures by Church and State officials to take effective action. These revelations, supported by international research, made a compelling case for the introduction of some form of mandatory reporting. Yet until 2015, Ireland’s child protection system relied upon the discretion of those who suspected incidents of child abuse. The Children First Act 2015 introduced a new system of mandatory reporting that applies to professionals working in the health, education, childcare and law enforcement fields, a system that became active at the end of 2017. This article reviews the development of the reporting system in Ireland, and analyses the new obligations created by the 2015 Act. The article also analyses some initial figures for 2018, which show a substantial increase in the number of reports of child abuse and neglect made in that year. Additionally, the article argues for the insertion into the new system of some nuance in order that victim autonomy might be better respected.

Re-referral for Complex Child Abuse and Neglect Concerns: The Influence of Family and Child Factors in a 25 Year Data Set

2013 ◽  
Vol 38 (1) ◽  
pp. 15-21
Author(s):  
Melissa Kaltner
Keyword(s):  
Child Abuse ◽  
Child Protection ◽  
Child Abuse And Neglect ◽  
Complex Case ◽  
International Studies ◽  
Parental History ◽  
Data Set ◽  
Abuse And Neglect ◽  
Child Factors ◽  
Complex Cases

ObjectiveThe study reviewed a 25-year dataset of child abuse and neglect concerns, examining child and family factors associated with re-referral.MethodsSuspected child abuse and neglect data collated from a variety of sources including child protection, health, police and education by a multidisciplinary Suspected Child Abuse and Neglect team for the 25-year period of 1980 to 2005 was entered for analysis. Case referral criteria for the team included clinician perception of the case as being complex and necessitating multidisciplinary case planning. The dataset contained 6669 cases of child abuse and neglect concerns, relating to 5943 unique children.ResultsThe majority of children (90.5%) experienced only one referral to the team, with the remaining experiencing between 2–6 referrals. Through the utilisation of regression analysis, the factors of number of abuse types present at the initial concern, parental abuse as a child, parental intellectual disability, parental history of violence, perpetrator of intrafamilial origin, disabled children in family, and financial stress in family were found to significantly predict complex case re-referral respectively.ConclusionsChildren within this Australian sample of complex cases experienced rates of re-referral similar to those reported internationally. Family and child factors identified as predictors of re-referral in this 25-year dataset support previous international studies on statutory child protection re-referral, and evidence for the association between previously unstudied variables and re-referral likelihood for complex cases.

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