scholarly journals Trends in investigations of abuse or neglect referred by hospital personnel in Ontario

2019 ◽  
Vol 3 (1) ◽  
pp. e000386 ◽  
Author(s):  
Barbara Fallon ◽  
Joanne Filippelli ◽  
Nicolette Joh-Carnella ◽  
Steven P Miller ◽  
Avram Denburg
Keyword(s):  
Child Abuse ◽  
Child Welfare ◽  
Child Abuse And Neglect ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Child Welfare Services ◽  
Referral Patterns ◽  
Welfare Services ◽  
Vulnerable Families ◽  
Abuse And Neglect

BackgroundThere is a dearth of literature surrounding mandated reporters to child welfare services in the Canadian context. This paper examines 20 years of reporting patterns from hospitals, which represent 5% of all referrals to child welfare services in Ontario.MethodsThe Ontario Incidence Study of Reported Child Abuse and Neglect (OIS) is a representative study that has taken place every 5 years since 1993. The OIS is a multistage cluster sample design, intended to produce an estimate of reported child abuse and neglect in the year the study takes place.ResultsThere have been significant changes in referral patterns over time. Hospital referrals in 2013 are more likely to involve a concern of neglect, risk of maltreatment or exposure to intimate partner violence. In 1993, children were more likely to be referred from a hospital for a concern of physical abuse. Between 1993 and 1998, there was a significant drop in the number of sexual abuse investigations referred from a hospital. Hospitals have low rates of substantiation across all of the OIS cycles.ConclusionThis is the first study to examine hospital-based referral patterns in Canada. The relatively low percentage of hospital referrals across the cycles of the OIS is consistent with the extant literature. The findings warrant further discussion and research. This study is foundational for future research that can assist in identifying and developing responses across sectors that meet the complex needs of vulnerable families and that ultimately promote children’s safety and well-being.

Child Welfare Responses Linked to Subtypes of Exposure to Intimate Partner Violence: Evidence From the Canadian Incidence Study of Reported Child Abuse and Neglect

2017 ◽  
Vol 35 (13-14) ◽  
pp. 2607-2623 ◽  
Author(s):  
Andrea Gonzalez ◽  
Harriet MacMillan ◽  
Masako Tanaka ◽  
Susan M. Jack ◽  
Lil Tonmyr
Keyword(s):  
Intimate Partner Violence ◽  
Child Abuse ◽  
Child Welfare ◽  
Incidence Study ◽  
Partner Violence ◽  
Child Abuse And Neglect ◽  
Intimate Partner ◽  
Welfare Services ◽  
Increased Risk ◽  
Abuse And Neglect

Children exposed to intimate partner violence (CE-IPV) are at increased risk for later health and social difficulties. To date, studies have primarily focused on CE-IPV as a unitary construct; this may lead to the mistaken assumption that all subtypes of CE-IPV (i.e., exposure to direct or indirect physical abuse, or exposure to emotional abuse) are equally harmful requiring similar responses from child welfare services. The purpose of this study was to examine child welfare responses by CE-IPV subtype in a large Canadian child welfare sample. Using data from the Canadian Incidence Study of Reported Child Abuse and Neglect–2008 ( N = 2,184), we examined child welfare responses to CE-IPV subtypes or their co-occurrence. Information was obtained from child welfare workers’ reports. Cases with co-occurring subtypes of CE-IPV were more likely to be substantiated and involved multiple incidents compared with that with single CE-IPV subtypes. Cases with direct physical CE-IPV and co-occurring CE-IPV were also more likely to remain open and have an application considered or made to child welfare court. Exposure to emotional IPV was the least likely to warrant interventions by welfare services, including referrals to specialized services. These results suggest that within CE-IPV subtypes, there is evidence of different responses (recommendations and services) once a case has been opened by a worker. Future research is needed to examine the effectiveness of the responses and outcomes for children following child welfare interventions.

Research Implications for the Prevention of Child Abuse and Neglect

2005 ◽  
Vol 86 (4) ◽  
pp. 491-501 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jeanette Harder
Keyword(s):  
Child Abuse ◽  
Child Abuse And Neglect ◽  
Prevention Programs ◽  
Empirical Literature ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Abuse And Neglect ◽  
Comparison Groups ◽  
Quality Of Research

Child abuse and neglect is a problem of vast proportions. Research on the effectiveness of child abuse and neglect prevention programs is critical for the provision of effective and efficient services. This article is a critical analysis of the research methodologies on child abuse and neglect prevention programs at the secondary and tertiary levels as represented in the empirical literature. The article describes child abuse and neglect prevention programs, describes and analyzes the research conducted on these programs, and suggests ways to improve and validity of future research. There is a need for greater quantity and quality of research on child abuse and neglect prevention programs, including the increased use of comparison groups, larger sample sizes, and follow-up measurement.

The Future of Decision Making in Child Welfare Practice: The Development of an Explicit Criteria Model for Decision Making

1985 ◽  
Vol 9 (4) ◽  
pp. 3-6 ◽  
Author(s):  
Barbara J. Meddin
Keyword(s):  
Decision Making ◽  
Child Abuse ◽  
Child Welfare ◽  
Social Workers ◽  
Child Abuse And Neglect ◽  
Fiscal Year ◽  
Abuse And Neglect ◽  
Placement Decision ◽  
Decision Making Model ◽  
Explicit Criteria

AbstractThe paper examines the impact that a decision making model can have on child placement decisions. Using a pre and post test design with three different conditions, the research investigated the ability to increase the consistency of the placement decision by the use of a decision making model that includes explicit criteria.The study found that consistency of decision making was enhanced by the provision of the decision making model and that consistency could be further enhanced by the provision of training in the model. Implications for training of new workers and reduction of worker stress and burnout are discussed.The incident of child abuse and neglect continues to rise. The National Centre on Child Abuse and Neglect estimates that approximately one million children will be abused or neglected this year in the United States. In the State of Illinois alone, during fiscal year 1981 nearly 80,000 reports of abuse or neglect were received. Almost 50% of those reports were found to be actual cases of abuse or neglect.Whether the incident in Australia of child abuse and neglect is increasing or not is difficult to assess, since currently there is no standardised way of collecting data. However, from all indicators a similar increase is indeed occurring. Boss in his book, “On the Side of the Child”, reports that the number of cases seen by the Western Australian Department of Community Welfare has steadily increased. This is corroborated by statistics compiled by that State’s Advisory and Consultative Committee in Child Abuse (ACCCA). Their Statistical Information Report for July-December 1983 indicates an 86% increase in reports of sexual abuse and 12.5% increase in physical abuse. In Queensland the number of child abuse and/or neglect case investigations went from 1 095 in 1981 to 1 631 in 1982 – an increase of more than one third. In Tasmania between 1980 to 1982 the number of reports increased by nearly one-third, from 228-302. The Montrose Child Protection and Family Crisis Unit of the Department of Youth and Community Services in New South Wales report similar increases.On almost a daily basis, social workers are called upon to make far reaching decisions that have the potential to be a life consequential both for the child who is the victim of abuse and/or neglect and that child’s family. Because these decisions, especially the placement decision, have such great ramifications, social workers should be expected to make decisions with great care, consideration and consistency. This may be due, in part because agencies have been slow to explicate, empirically validate, and systematically apply decision making criteria that assist workers in making case decisions.While research indicates that criteria do exist and are used by child welfare workers, the research also indicates that they are not used in any systematic fashion. The result is that idiosyncratic decisions are invited and the potential spectre of gross inequities in the delivery of social services exists. Unless asystematic, consensually based decision making model is used that explicates both the decisions that need to be made along with a specific set of criteria for making these decisions, it is impossible for the child welfare agency to guarantee a minimum level of service delivery.

Growth in Child Abuse Reports and Child Welfare Services Caseloads

2017 ◽  
pp. 23-54
Author(s):  
Richard P. Barth ◽  
Mark Courtney ◽  
Jill Duerr Berrick ◽  
Vicky Albert
Keyword(s):  
Child Abuse ◽  
Child Welfare ◽  
Child Welfare Services ◽  
Welfare Services

What evidence is there that parenting interventions reduce child abuse and neglect among maltreating families? A systematic review

2019 ◽  
Vol 1 (4) ◽  
pp. 374-393
Author(s):  
Sarah Whitcombe-Dobbs ◽  
Michael Tarren-Sweeney
Keyword(s):  
Child Abuse ◽  
Child Maltreatment ◽  
Selection Criteria ◽  
Research Question ◽  
Child Abuse And Neglect ◽  
Intervention Group ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Parenting Interventions ◽  
Significant Difference ◽  
Abuse And Neglect

In families where child abuse and neglect have already occurred, there is a strong imperative to provide interventions that reduce or eliminate harm done to children. Parenting programs lack tailoring for the needs of maltreating parents, and maltreating parents themselves are a heterogeneous group with varying needs. The literature on the effectiveness of parenting interventions for high-risk parents is limited, and this scarcity of knowledge can result in child protection cases being treated as a natural experiment. For children who experience ongoing maltreatment by their parents, the most stringent test for effectiveness goes beyond an improvement in positive parenting skills—child abuse and neglect must reduce or be eliminated. The present review addressed the research question What evidence is there that parenting interventions conducted with parents who maltreat their children, reduce the incidence of further child maltreatment? Databases were searched for trials of parenting interventions where participants were maltreating parents and outcome data included an objective measure of child abuse and neglect. Nine studies satisfied the selection criteria and are summarized. Four studies reported a statistically significant difference between groups in favor of the intervention group for two parenting interventions, Parent–Child Interaction Therapy and SafeCare. However, the review concludes that none of the reviewed parenting interventions have been demonstrated to be effective at reducing all types of child maltreatment through a high-quality RCT. Previous research is compromised by several critical methodological limitations, including low participant recruitment and retention, and narrow selection criteria. Recommendations are offered for future research on parenting interventions that aim to reduce child abuse and neglect.

Beyond safety and permanency: Making well-being a focus of policy and practice for children in state care

2009 ◽  
Vol 34 (1) ◽  
pp. 15-20
Author(s):  
Mark E. Courtney
Keyword(s):  
Child Welfare ◽  
Welfare Policy ◽  
Empirical Studies ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Child Safety ◽  
Child Welfare Services ◽  
Policy And Practice ◽  
Child Welfare Policy ◽  
Welfare Services ◽  
Permanency Outcomes

This essay explores some of the reasons why child welfare policy has too often avoided an explicit focus on child well-being. The historical origins of child welfare services contribute to avoidance of child well-being in policy discourse. In addition, program administrators are reluctant to explicitly take responsibility for the well-being of children they serve because of concerns about added liability, the belief that public institutions other than the child welfare system should be held responsible, and the fear that child welfare services will be unable to ameliorate the damage that children often suffer before entering care. Three empirical studies of child welfare populations in the US are used to examine the inextricable links between child safety, permanency and well-being. It is argued that broadening child welfare policy to embrace child well-being as a policy goal will only enhance the likelihood that child welfare agencies will improve child safety and permanency outcomes.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document