scholarly journals A Damages Remedy for Abuses by Child Protection Workers

1981 ◽  
Vol 90 (3) ◽  
pp. 681
Keyword(s):  
Child Protection ◽  
Child Protection Workers

Today in Light of Yesterday: An Exploration of Workers’ Childhood Memories in the Context of Child Protection Practice

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sean A R St. Jean ◽  
Brian Rasmussen ◽  
Judy Gillespie ◽  
Daniel Salhani
Keyword(s):  
Child Protection ◽  
Research Question ◽  
Childhood Adversity ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Childhood Memories ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Child Protection Workers ◽  
Professional Experiences ◽  
Explorative Study ◽  
Parents And Children

Abstract Child protection workers are routinely faced with emotionally intense work, both personally and vicariously through the traumatic narratives and experiences of parents and children. What remains largely unknown is how child protection workers’ own childhood memories might influence the manner in which they experience and are affected by those narratives. The aim of this explorative study was to use Interpretive Phenomenological Analysis as a research methodology to answer the research question, ‘In what ways do social workers experience, and make sense of, their own childhood memories in the context of their child protection practice?’ Semi-structured interviews were conducted with eight child protection workers, aiming to understand their personal and professional experiences with regard to this question. The study found a relationship between various forms of childhood adversity and the presence of negative present-day triggers when participants were faced with practice scenarios that bore similarity to those experiences. Implications with regard to child protection worker well-being, countertransference and risk decision-making are discussed.

scholarly journals Australian Foster Carers’ Views and Concerns Regarding Maternal Drug Use and the Safety of Breastmilk

Children ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 8 (4) ◽  
pp. 284
Author(s):  
Stacy Blythe ◽  
Kath Peters ◽  
Emma Elcombe ◽  
Elaine Burns ◽  
Karleen Gribble
Keyword(s):  
Home Care ◽  
Child Protection ◽  
Online Survey ◽  
Infant Health ◽  
Health Issues ◽  
Child Protection Workers ◽  
Out Of Home Care ◽  
Maternal Caregiving ◽  
Health And Development ◽  
Major Factors

Parental substance misuse and mental health issues are major factors associated with infant placement into out-of-home care. Such placements may result in disruption and/or cessation of breastfeeding. Provision of breastmilk to infants in out-of-home care (OOHC) is desirable in terms of infant health and development, and also in supporting maternal caregiving. However, little is known about how breastfeeding is supported for infants in out-of-home care. This study used an online survey to explore the facilitation of breastfeeding in the context of OOHC and foster carers’ management of expressed breastmilk (EBM). Foster carers were generally open to the idea of maternal breastfeeding and infants in their care receiving EBM from their mothers. However, the majority of respondents expressed concern regarding the safety of EBM for infant consumption due to the possibility of harmful substances in the milk. Concerns regarding the safety of handling EBM were also prevalent. These concerns caused foster carers to discard EBM. Findings suggest foster carers’ may lack knowledge related to maternal substance use and breastmilk. Better integration between health care and social service systems, where the voices of mothers, foster carers and child protection workers are heard, is necessary to develop solutions enabling infants living in OOHC access to their mother’s breastmilk.

scholarly journals The Effects of Violence and Aggression From Parents on Child Protection Workers’ Personal, Family, and Professional Lives

SAGE Open ◽  
2016 ◽  
Vol 6 (1) ◽  
pp. 215824401562495 ◽  
Author(s):  
Brian Littlechild ◽  
Susan Hunt ◽  
Chris Goddard ◽  
Judy Cooper ◽  
Barry Raynes ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Child Protection ◽  
Professional Lives ◽  
Child Protection Workers ◽  
Effects Of Violence

Conclusion

2021 ◽  
pp. 249-258
Author(s):  
Heather Douglas
Keyword(s):  
Legal System ◽  
Partner Violence ◽  
Child Protection ◽  
Policy Reform ◽  
Intimate Partner ◽  
Child Protection Workers ◽  
Law And Policy ◽  
Legal Responses

This final chapter affirms the importance of listening to women’s experiences when considering how legal responses to intimate partner violence might be improved to make women safe. The chapter reviews key themes identified in the book, including abusers’ use of the legal system to continue abuse and the role of child protection workers, police, lawyers, and judges in facilitating that abuse. It highlights a common and continuing failure of those who work in the legal system to recognize the significance of nonphysical abuse, to persistently misunderstand the dynamics of separation and ultimately, to fail to prioritize safety. This chapter makes recommendations for law and policy reform toward making the legal system safer.

“Essential” services, risk, and child protection in the time of COVID-19: An opportunity to prioritize chronic need

2020 ◽  
Vol 2 (3) ◽  
pp. 208-223
Author(s):  
Johanna Caldwell ◽  
Ashleigh Delaye ◽  
Tonino Esposito ◽  
Tara Petti ◽  
Tara Black ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Child Protection ◽  
Risk Mitigation ◽  
Children And Families ◽  
Long Term Outcomes ◽  
Public Health Response ◽  
Child Protection Workers ◽  
Health Response ◽  
Vulnerable Families ◽  
Essential Services

In many North American jurisdictions, socioeconomically vulnerable families are more likely to be involved with child protection systems and experience ongoing challenges. The current public health response to the COVID-19 pandemic is having a disproportionate impact on these families via unemployment, “essential” work, isolation, and closures of childcare and schools, with negative implications for children’s developmental wellbeing. Experts warn that while child protection referrals have gone down, children who are at risk of maltreatment are less exposed to typical reporters (e.g., school professionals). At the same time, physical distancing measures are prompting many human service settings to shift toward virtual intervention with children and families. In this commentary, we suggest that a focus on short-term risk in the response to COVID-19 may obscure support for children’s long-term outcomes. We propose two policy considerations: (1) in the immediate term, that child protection workers be deemed “essential”; and (2) in the longer term, that permanent, universal basic income guarantees be implemented to support a baseline of predictability both in families’ material wellbeing and in fiscal budgets in the case of a future crisis. As we write, it is impossible to predict the longevity of these closures nor the extent of their impact on children and families. However, the present article mirrors commentary following previous crises noting the importance of going beyond immediate health risk mitigation to consider wellbeing with regard to children’s development and families’ socioeconomic needs in the long term.

You are not allowed to tell: organisational culture as a barrier for child protection workers seeking assistance for traumatic stress symptomology

2019 ◽  
Vol 44 (02) ◽  
pp. 84-90 ◽  
Author(s):  
Fiona Oates
Keyword(s):  
Traumatic Stress ◽  
Child Protection ◽  
Human Services ◽  
Organisational Culture ◽  
Health Issues ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Doctoral Study ◽  
Child Protection Workers ◽  
Work Related ◽  
Fear Of Rejection

AbstractChild protection work is one of the most difficult and complex areas of human services practice. Working within a trauma-laden environment often means that practitioner susceptibility to trauma-related mental health issues is an occupational hazard. However, many practitioners are reluctant to seek support when they start to experience symptoms of traumatic stress. This paper considers current literature relating to child protection workers’ exposure to work-related traumatic material, resulting traumatic stress symptomology and organisational responses to practitioner distress. Results from a recent doctoral study that explores the experiences of child protection practitioners based in Queensland will be presented. Findings from the study were derived from qualitative in-depth, semi-structured interviews. The study findings indicate that the organisational culture within statutory child protection agencies creates an environment where practitioners are labelled as incompetent or not suitable for child protection work when they disclose experiencing symptoms of traumatic stress. The experience of bullying and retribution by supervisors and colleagues and the fear of rejection by the workgroup were also found to be significant barriers for workers seeking support.

Effect of Gender Roles and Workplace Violence on the Professional Quality of Life and Wellbeing at Work Among Child Protection Workers

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Renaud Dufour ◽  
Robert-Paul Juster ◽  
Steve Geoffrion
Keyword(s):  
Quality Of Life ◽  
Gender Roles ◽  
Workplace Violence ◽  
Child Protection ◽  
Moderating Effect ◽  
Professional Quality Of Life ◽  
Occupational Outcomes ◽  
Child Protection Workers ◽  
Professional Quality

Abstract Exposure to workplace violence puts child protection workers at risk for adverse occupational outcomes. While previous studies have identified protective and risk factors, individual differences in gender roles have yet to be explored. Moving beyond sex, the present study aims to examine the ways in which gender roles influence exposure to workplace violence, professional quality of life, and wellbeing at work among child protection workers. A randomized sample stratified by sex of 301 Canadian child protection workers (male: 15.6%, female: 84.4%) completed validated questionnaires of gender roles, professional quality of life, and wellbeing at work. We assessed mean differences using analyses of covariances controlling for clinical experience and type of work. We then assessed the moderating effect of gender roles on other variables through hierarchical multiple linear regressions. Androgyny (high masculinity and high femininity) was associated with higher scores on positive indicators of professional quality of life and wellbeing at work. However, gender roles showed no significant moderating effect on the relationship between exposure to violence, professional quality of life, and wellbeing at work. Results suggest that androgyny could be related to potential psychosocial benefits for child protection workers.

Violence against child protection workers: A study of workers’ experiences, attributions, and coping strategies

2018 ◽  
Vol 81 ◽  
pp. 308-321 ◽  
Author(s):  
Josianne Lamothe ◽  
Amélie Couvrette ◽  
Gabrielle Lebrun ◽  
Gabrielle Yale-Soulière ◽  
Camille Roy ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Coping Strategies ◽  
Child Protection ◽  
Child Protection Workers ◽  
And Coping

scholarly journals Construct Validity of the Professional Quality of Life (ProQoL) Scale in a Sample of Child Protection Workers

2019 ◽  
Vol 32 (4) ◽  
pp. 566-576 ◽  
Author(s):  
Steve Geoffrion ◽  
Josianne Lamothe ◽  
Julien Morizot ◽  
Charles‐Édouard Giguère
Keyword(s):  
Quality Of Life ◽  
Construct Validity ◽  
Child Protection ◽  
Professional Quality Of Life ◽  
Child Protection Workers ◽  
Professional Quality
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