scholarly journals CHILD PROTECTION RESPONSES: NO EASY CHOICES

2015 ◽  
Vol 1 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jennifer Lehmann
Keyword(s):  
Child Development ◽  
Social Worker ◽  
Child Protection ◽  
Home Care Services ◽  
The Public ◽  
Optimal Outcomes ◽  
Need Of Care ◽  
Care Services ◽  
Out Of Home Care ◽  
The Media

This is a comment on the article by Stephen Gay in this volume entitled ‘The Choice Between Adoption and Foster Care as Child Protection Responses’. It strongly supports the conclusion drawn in the primary article that a ‘blanket approach to adoption’ is unlikely to result in the best outcomes for all children in need of care. This response is based on the author’s reflections and observations of the delivery of ‘out of home care’ services over many years as a social worker with an interest in child development. It reflects on the simplistic attitudes expressed in the media and by the public in general when children have been removed and are negatively affected by their experiences in care, as well as when they are not removed and have sustained injury or death at the hands of those who are charged with their care. The article argues that the likelihood of achieving optimal outcomes in child protection  is often compromised and concludes that it is time that Australia stepped up to the challenge of establishing creative and innovative options for children in need of care. 

School Absenteeism Associated With Child Protection System Involvement, Maltreatment Type, and Time in Out-of-Home Care

2020 ◽  
Vol 25 (4) ◽  
pp. 433-445
Author(s):  
Jason M. Armfield ◽  
Emmanuel Gnanamanickam ◽  
Ha T. Nguyen ◽  
James C. Doidge ◽  
Derek S. Brown ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Home Care ◽  
Child Protection ◽  
Protective Factor ◽  
Protection System ◽  
School Absenteeism ◽  
The Public ◽  
Out Of Home Care ◽  
Cohort Design ◽  
Maltreatment Type ◽  
The Relationship

Greater school absenteeism is associated with numerous negative educational outcomes. We used a retrospective cohort design with linked administrative data on 296,422 children to examine the relationship between school absenteeism and child protection system (CPS) involvement. Children with substantiated maltreatment had 4.1 times more unexplained and problem absences than children with no CPS involvement. In multivariate analyses, children with substantiated maltreatment had significantly greater “chronic” truancy ( OR = 3.41) and less “acceptable” levels of absences ( OR = 0.74) compared to children with no CPS involvement. Greater absenteeism was seen for children with substantiated neglect and who had their first CPS notification earlier in life. Being in out-of-home care for 3+ years was a protective factor for children who had a CPS notification before age 5. Additional adversities had a strong additive effect with CPS involvement on absenteeism and chronic truancy. This study demonstrates the potential scope for reducing problem absenteeism and helps inform the public debate regarding how the type and timing of CPS involvement might ameliorate or exacerbate harm for children.

Errors and mistakes in child protection: an unspoken issue in Italy?

2020 ◽  
pp. 215-234
Author(s):  
Teresa Bertotti
Keyword(s):  
Family Support ◽  
Child Protection ◽  
Protection System ◽  
The Public ◽  
Domestic Literature ◽  
Italian Child ◽  
Public Media ◽  
The Media ◽  
Court Proceedings ◽  
Definition Of

The issue of errors and mistakes in child protection is very rarely addressed explicitly in Italy There have been few public scandals of unprotected children or situations ‘denounced’ to the media by parents or families who felt to be victims of injustice or abusive practice. Unlike Anglophone countries, the Italian child protection system is not used to have enquiries on fatal cases nor in cases where conflicting interest arises, as divorce cases. Some reasons for this could be found in the ambiguity of the child protection system in itself (swinging from a narrow forensic child protection approach to a family support approach), or in the cultural attitude to keep hidden the recognition of errors. Following this discussion, the chapter presents an overview of existing domestic literature and research. It briefly traces the main elements of the Italian child protection system, with its changes from a paternalistic/specialised approach to a neoliberal and ‘familistic’ asset focusing on its fragmentation, ambiguity and unclear definition of responsibilities. It outlines the places where different discourses on errors and mistakes in child protection appear, (considering the public media, court proceedings and professional reflections, and how they have changed in the time. It describes the strategies adopted to deal (or to prevent) errors, drawing on results from qualitative research on how social workers deal with ‘difficult decisions’ and ethical and considering professional and institutional guidelines.

scholarly journals Beyond apologies Historical reflections on policy and practice relating to the out-of-home care of children in contemporary Australia

2010 ◽  
Vol 35 (2) ◽  
pp. 12-17 ◽  
Author(s):  
Denise Cuthbert
Keyword(s):  
Home Care ◽  
Family Policy ◽  
Paper Briefly ◽  
Policy And Practice ◽  
The Public ◽  
Black And White ◽  
The Past ◽  
Out Of Home Care ◽  
The Media ◽  
The Way

A series of harrowing reports across the 1990s on the past removal of children, black and white, from their families have impacted on children and family policy in contemporary Australia, and on the way in which this is reported by the media and understood by the public. This paper briefly surveys some of these consequences and asks how we, as a community, can learn from the past with respect to questions of the welfare of children, without being burdened by that past.

Introducing consumer directed care in residential care settings for older people in Australia: views of a citizens’ jury

2018 ◽  
Vol 23 (3) ◽  
pp. 176-184 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kate Laver ◽  
Emmanuel Gnanamanickam ◽  
Craig Whitehead ◽  
Susan Kurrle ◽  
Megan Corlis ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Older People ◽  
Residential Care ◽  
Service Providers ◽  
Management Strategies ◽  
Home Care Services ◽  
The Public ◽  
Care Services ◽  
People With Dementia ◽  
Risk Management Strategies ◽  
Care Models

Objectives Health services worldwide are increasingly adopting consumer directed care approaches. Traditionally, consumer directed care models have been implemented in home care services and there is little guidance as to how to implement them in residential care. This study used a citizens’ jury to elicit views of members of the public regarding consumer directed care in residential care. Methods A citizens’ jury involving 12 members of the public was held over two days in July 2016, exploring the question: For people with dementia living in residential care facilities, how do we enable increased personal decision making to ensure that care is based on their needs and preferences? Jury members were recruited through a market research company and selected to be broadly representative of the general public. Results The jury believed that person-centred care should be the foundation of care for all older people. They recommended that each person’s funding be split between core services (to ensure basic health, nutrition and hygiene needs are met) and discretionary services. Systems needed to be put into place to enable the transition to consumer directed care including care coordinators to assist in eliciting resident preferences, supports for proxy decision makers, and accreditation processes and risk management strategies to ensure that residents with significant cognitive impairment are not taken advantage of by goods and service providers. Transparency should be increased (perhaps using technologies) so that both the resident and nominated family members can be sure that the person is receiving what they have paid for. Conclusions The views of the jury (as representatives of the public) were that people in residential care should have more say regarding the way in which their care is provided and that a model of consumer directed care should be introduced. Policy makers should consider implementation of consumer directed care models that are economically viable and are associated with high levels of satisfaction among users.

Comparison of Public and Private Home Care Services for Elderly in Gothenburg Region, Sweden 2013

2014 ◽  
Vol 11 (3-4) ◽  
pp. 25-55 ◽  
Author(s):  
Iwona Sobis
Keyword(s):  
Home Care ◽  
Home Care Services ◽  
State Regulation ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Public And Private ◽  
The Public ◽  
Care Services ◽  
Regulation Policy ◽  
The Right ◽  
Municipal Level

The purpose of this study is to compare and evaluate the public and private home care services for elderly given economic limitations after delegating them to municipality in the Gothenburg Region. The additional aim is to make politicians conscious about this development. The theoretical model of delegation and decentralization by Cristiano Castelfranchi and Rino Falcone (1998) and the Resource Dependency Theory by Pfeffer and Salancik (1978) constitute the theoretical reference frame. The study is based on an analysis of state regulation, policy documents and semi-structured interviews with the chief responsible for public and private home care services for elderly at the municipal level. This study reveals that the delegation of care for elderly to the municipalities faced some serious problems not to be solved until 2013 and surprisingly that these problems are especially seen where the recipients of such care don’t have a choice on their service provider. The lesson drawn from the research is that if politicians or other authorities take away the right from people to make their own decisions about their own lives, this inevitably results in dissatisfaction and subsequent reforms.

Improving Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Cultural Support in Out-of-Home Care

2012 ◽  
Vol 37 (2) ◽  
pp. 76-79 ◽  
Author(s):  
Samantha Hutt ◽  
Annaley Clarke
Keyword(s):  
Young People ◽  
Home Care ◽  
Torres Strait Islander ◽  
Home Care Services ◽  
Children And Young People ◽  
Care Services ◽  
Out Of Home Care ◽  
Detailed List ◽  
Torres Strait ◽  
Cultural Support

Due to the overrepresentation of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children in the out-of-home care system many children will not always be cared for in a culturally appropriate placement. Therefore, cultural support planning for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children and young people must be a high priority for all staff, carers and volunteers of out-of-home care services. Six themes have been identified as assisting in the provision of cultural support planning within placements. Each theme has a detailed list of resources that can be accessed for children and young people, carers and professionals.

Stand By Me – Flexible and Holistic Support for Young Care Leavers: Smoothing Transitions from Care

2016 ◽  
Vol 41 (3) ◽  
pp. 208-213 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jade Purtell ◽  
Philip Mendes
Keyword(s):  
Young People ◽  
Child Protection ◽  
Care Services ◽  
Out Of Home Care ◽  
Stable Housing ◽  
Care Leavers ◽  
Poor Outcomes ◽  
The Uk ◽  
Ongoing Support ◽  
Personal Advisers

Young people placed in out-of-home care (OHC) through Child Protection in Victoria are formally discharged by the expiration of their care order at the age of 18 years or younger. In contrast, young people in Australia generally live in their family home with parents or carers well into their twenties. Whilst there are a range of leaving care and post-care services funded for care leavers, these supports tend to be temporary and discretionary in contrast to the ongoing support young people receive whilst in care or, in some cases, from family and social networks post care. Numerous studies have documented the developmental challenges experienced by young people leaving state care, and the often poor outcomes faced by this group. The Stand By Me (SBM) programme was developed in Victoria to replicate the ongoing support provided in the UK to care leavers by Personal Advisers who remain available to assist young people until 21 years of age. Evaluation of the SBM programme has shown that ongoing, holistic support, including housing support, has assisted 12 young people through the SBM pilot to access stable housing, address multiple and complex issues, and form trusting relationships with SBM workers that contribute to positive outcomes.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document