Child Protection Authorities Research Articles

Exploring Social Care: Applying a New Construct to Young Carers and Grandparent Carers

Mainstream literature on paid care for children, frail elderly people and people with chronic illness or disability, and unpaid care provided usually by family members within households and kin networks tends to establish dichotomies: formal/informal, commodified/non‐commodified. Recent feminist literature rejects these dichotomies, developing models of social care in which the interconnections of paid and unpaid care are mapped within policy frameworks. This paper uses theoretical frameworks of ‘social care‘: care as labour; care as a relationship embedded in obligation; care incurring a range of costs; to explore two case‐studies: young carers aged up to 24 years who are most often caring for a co‐resident parent; and grandparents who are the primary carers of their grandchildren. The latter may occur under the aegis of child protection authorities, or Family Court orders, or in informal arrangements, not licensed by state authorities. This analysis of the international literature and Australian research data affirms the power of the social care framework, and also shows the influence of social policy settings on informal care provision.

Domestic violence: a priority in child protection in New South Wales, Australia?

AbstractOver the last several years there has been increasing awareness of the connection between domestic violence and child abuse, yet only minimal attention has been paid to the implications of this for child protection practice. This article begins to address this gap. Drawing on research undertaken in New South Wales (NSW), Australia, it examines child protection practice in relation to children and young people who have been exposed to domestic violence. The research involved analysis of the responses of the statutory child protection authority in NSW (the Department of Community Services or DoCS) to abuse allegations involving domestic violence. The data are drawn from observation and analysis of the initial responses to referrals to DoCS and the ‘tracking’ of a sample of these referrals over an 18 month period. From the data obtained, it is evident that domestic violence referrals are treated less seriously than other referrals, with more being confirmed as abuse but fewer resulting in follow up or intervention. The implications of this for child protection practice are teased out. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Campaigning for the 'Protection Rights' of Children in Sri Lanka

For more than a decade, the cause of children who are exploited and abused has been championed by Senior Ashoka Fellow Prof. Harendra de Silva whose term as the Chairman of the National Child Protection Authority (NCPA) has just ended. His success in pursuing the perpetrators of these heinous crimes has resulted in widespread awareness among the public on child abuse resulting in the prompt reporting of abuse cases. The perpetrators range from foreign paedophiles, School Teachers/ School Principles, Clergy, to the uncle next door or the parents. Child abuse and exploitation cover a range of crimes that violate the basic human rights of children, which include child labour, torture and cruel treatment, rape, incest, domestic violence, trafficking, abduction and sale of children, slavery, child prostitution, child pornography and other unlawful sexual practices.

United Kingdom General Medical Council Fails Child Protection

To protect children, pediatricians must be willing to raise the possibility of abuse and not be intimidated by the consequences. We consider that the United Kingdom General Medical Council does not understand child protection matters and has no system for dealing adequately with complaints submitted by parents who claim false allegations of abuse. The actions of the General Medical Council in the recent cases of Drs Roy Meadow and David Southall conflict with current child protection laws and guidance for professionals. By deterring doctors from raising concerns about a child's safety and giving opinions on child deaths, the General Medical Council may be increasing the risk of serious child abuse. Although the rate of registrations by child protection authorities decreased by 28% between 1995 and 2005 (ie, there are fewer multiagency child protection plans), the number of criminal convictions for cruelty to or neglect of a child increased by 247% between 1998 and 2005. It is unacceptable that to date the General Medical Council has refused training in child protection offered by the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health.

Child protection in Stockholm: A local cohort study on childhood prevalence of investigations and service delivery

Prevalence figures of child protection investigations and services are dominated by cross-sectional data and annual statistics. So far, no data exist on how many children are investigated or receive services at some time during childhood, from birth to age of majority. This study reports on Child Protection Authorities' (CPA) involvement in a random sample of children born from 1968 to 1975, who resided permanently in Stockholm (Sweden) from birth to age 18 ( N = 2.297). Information is based on reviews of CPA case files, registering information of all referrals, investigations and social services received by those children until the age of 20. In the study population, 12% ( n = 272) were objects of at least one child protection investigation during their childhood and 7% ( n = 162) received social services at least once. When these figures are extrapolated to children who have at any time lived in Stockholm (including those born outside of Stockholm but moving to Stockholm and children born in Stockholm but migrated elsewhere), they increase to point estimates of 19% and 10%. The average total service time was about 5 years. Three out of four children receiving services were at one time or another in out-of-home care. 56% of the service receivers were re-referred to the CPA after terminated services. Implications for the findings are discussed.

Integrating Substance Abuse Treatment and Child Welfare Services: Findings from the Illinois Alcohol and Other Drug Abuse Waiver Demonstration

Alcohol and other drug abuse is a major problem for children and families involved with public child welfare. Substance abuse compromises appropriate parenting practices and increases the risk of child maltreatment. A substantial proportion of substantiated child abuse and neglect reports involve parental substance abuse. Once in the system, children of substance-abusing families experience significantly longer stays in foster care and significantly lower rates of reunification. To address these problems, child welfare systems are developing service integration models that incorporate both substance abuse and child welfare services. This study provides an initial examination of the effectiveness of one service integration model that emphasizes the provision of intensive case management to link substance abuse and child welfare services. The authors used an experimental design and focused particular attention on two outcomes: access to substance abuse services and family reunification. The findings indicate that the families assigned to the experimental group used substance abuse services at a significantly higher rate and were more likely to achieve family reunification than were families in the control group. KEY WORDS: case management; families; reunification; substance abuse ********** The effective collaboration of multiple service systems to deal with parental alcohol and other drug abuse (AODA) continues to challenge government efforts to ensure family permanence and the safety and well-being of neglected and abused children. Research has documented the heavy toll that parental drug addiction exacts on families and children who come to the attention of state child protection authorities. According to Young and colleagues (1998), at least 50% of the nearly 1 million children indicated for child abuse and neglect in 1995 had caregivers who abused alcohol or other drugs. A 1994 report issued by the U.S. General Accounting Office (GAO) estimated that the percentage of foster home placements resulting in part from parental drug use rose from 52% to 78% between 1986 and 1991 in the cities of Los Angeles, New York, and Philadelphia (GAO, 1994). A 1998 GAO study of child protection systems in Los Angeles and Cook County, Illinois, documented that substance use was a problem in more than 70% of active foster care cases (GAO, 1998). If child welfare systems are to achieve desirable permanency and safety outcomes, the development of innovative service strategies and agency partnerships are necessary. Parental substance abuse often compromises appropriate parenting practices, creates problems in the parent--child relationship, and significantly increases the risk of child maltreatment (Famularo, Kincherff, & Fenton, 1992; Jaudes, Ekwo, & Van Voorhis, 1995; Kelleher, Chaffin, Hollenberg, & Fisher, 1994; Nurco, Blatchley, Hanlon, O'Grady, & McCarren, 1998). Once involved in the child welfare system, substance-abusing parents are more likely to experience subsequent allegations of maltreatment compared with non-substance-abusing parents (Smith & Testa, 2002). In addition to the increased risk of maltreatment, access to and engagement with treatment providers is often limited (Maluccio & Ainsworth, 2003). Consequently, children of substance-abusing parents remain in substitute care for significantly longer periods of time and experience significantly lower rates of family reunification relative to almost every other subgroup of families in the child welfare system (GAO, 1998). Access and Engagement Access to substance abuse treatment is limited for substance-abusing parents. Overall, in the United States approximately one-third of all individuals who need treatment receive it (Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration [SAMHSA], 1997). The supply of treatment services for women with children is especially inadequate (Price, 1997). …

Right reaction, wrong response

Dr. Bulleid may be placated to know that this case was abbreviated to preserve patient confidentiality, and that the child protection authorities were involved appropriately. However, physician responsibility to contact Child Protection Services in cases of suspected child abuse is always a

Nine years after child sexual abuse

Objective: During 1988–1990, 103 children presented to Child Protection Units (CPU) at two children’s hospitals in Sydney, Australia. Nine years later, the psychological adjustment of these young people (mean age=19.1 years, SD=3.4 years; range=14–25 years) was compared with that of non-abused young people of similar age and gender to assess group differences and examine potential risk factors. Method: At intake, data on the nature of the index sexual abuse, demographics and the family environment were collected by clinicians. A comparison group, of similar age and gender, was selected from schools in the catchment area of the CPUs. Six years after presentation for the abuse, records of the statutory child protection authority were checked to determine any further notifications for abuse and/or neglect. Nine years after intake, 49 of the abused young people and 68 of the non-abused young people and/or their parents were interviewed and assessed. Results: The sexually abused young people performed more poorly than non-abused young people on psychometric tests of depression ( p=.001), self-esteem ( p<.001), anxiety ( p<.001), behavior (Child Behavior Checklist: p=.01; Youth Self Report: p=.01; Young Adult Self Report: p<.001), and despair ( p=.001). They were also more likely to have a history of bingeing ( p=.002), self-inducing vomiting ( p=.02), smoking cigarettes ( p=.01), and using amphetamines ( p=.002), ecstasy ( p=.002) and cocaine ( p=.004). Potential risk factors were in two groups, family and child. Family factors: family functioning, parental drug/alcohol problems, mother’s sexual abuse history, mother’s depression and socio-economic status. Child factors: despair and hopefulness, number of negative life events, ratings of their father’s care, previous notifications for child sexual abuse and placements in out-of-home care by the statutory child protection authority. In the presence of other risk factors, child sexual abuse was a significant predictor of self-esteem, behavior and bingeing. Conclusions: Rather than focusing only on the individual’s child sexual abuse, treatment may also need to address the family’s functioning and the individual’s feelings of despair.

Prevalence and outcomes for parents with disabilities and their children in an Australian court sample

Objective: The purpose of this study was to obtain sound prevalence and outcomes data on parents with disabilities and their children in statutory child protection proceedings. Method: The court files of all care and protection matters initiated by the statutory child protection authority and finalized in a 9-month period ( n=285) at two Children’s Courts in NSW, Australia were reviewed. Results: Parents with disabilities featured in almost one-third of the cases (29.5%). Parental psychiatric disability was most prevalent at 21.8% followed by parental intellectual disability (mental retardation) at 8.8%. Significant associations were found between parental disability and court outcome with a disproportionately large number of children of parents with intellectual disability being made wards of the state. Conclusions: The findings demonstrate that parents with disabilities are significantly over-represented in statutory child protection proceedings and that the outcomes of these proceedings vary according to disability type.

Child Sexual Abuse in Sri Lanka: The Current State of Affairs and Recommendations for the Future

ABSTRACT This article focuses on child sexual abuse in Sri Lanka. The background of child sexual abuse in the country and its current status are discussed. The role of the National Child Protection Authority, the primary governmental body concerned with child protection, is also explored. The article also brings to light various cultural dimensions that serve to call attention to the issue of sexual abuse of children in Sri Lanka. These are explored and illustrated with case vignettes from the author's clinical experience. Finally, the article elucidates the main issues and barriers in Sri Lanka that need to be surmounted in order to have an integrated service delivery in the care of the sexually abused child.

Australia's Fragmented Family Law System: Jurisdictional Overlap in the Area of Child Protection

This article presents the findings of an empirical study of cases of jurisdictional overlap in the area of child protection.1 The study comprised a qualitative analysis of two samples of cases: one drawn predominantly from the Melbourne Children's Court in Victoria (n = 113); the other, from the Canberra Children's Court in the Australian Capital Territory (‘ACT’) (n = 10). Cases from each sample were then tracked in the federal Family Court of Australia. The dominant finding from the study was that in over two thirds of the cases the relevant child protection authority withdrew from the Children's Court proceedings and moved the matter from the Children's Court to the Family Court. This was done on the basis that a ‘viable carer’ had been identified and that carer had obtained, applied for, or was willing to apply for Family Court orders.

From minimal intervention to minimal support: Child protection services under the neo-liberal Kennett Government in Victoria 1992-1999

This article examines the politics and ideology of Victorian child protection services during the Kennett years. The argument advanced is that the Kennett Liberal/National Party Coalition Government viewed child abuse in narrow, individualistic terms. In contrast to the previous Labor Government, which emphasized a philosophy of minimal intervention based on a partnership of family, community and the state, the Kennett philosophy was one of minimal support. The key emphasis was on the reporting of child abuse to statutory child protection authorities, and the treatment and punishment of individual offenders. Spending on broader structural prevention and support services which actually help the victims of abuse was not a priority.A number of examples of this neo-liberal agenda are given, including the poorly timed introduction of mandatory reporting and the associated diversion of resources from support services to investigation; the early cuts to accommodation and non-government support services; the inadequate response to demonstrated links between child abuse and poverty; the censorship of internal and external critics; and the appalling handling of the strike by child protection workers. Attention is focused primarily on the broader macro-political debates, rather than specific micro-service delivery issues.

Assessing Maltreatment of Children of Battered Women: Methodological and Ethical Considerations

This article reviews considerations to be made when assessing maltreatment in children of battered women and offers guidelines to improve research and practice in the field. Methodological problems regarding the measurement of child maltreatment experiences are discussed. Next, techniques appropriate for assessing maltreatment of children of battered women are reviewed, including parent questionnaires and interviews, children's reports, case record reviews, and observations. In addition, ethical concerns are addressed, particularly regarding the consequences to battered women when investigators are required to breach confidentiality and report suspected maltreatment to child protection authorities. Practical suggestions are offered regarding how these problems might be resolved.

When a child needs protection: What does it matter why?

Despite the claims of statutory child protection authorities to be ‘child-centred’, the language used to record responses to child abuse and neglect allegations still focuses heavily upon parental actions. In most Australian states, child protection records perpetuate an emphasis on how harm was caused and by whom. This paper illustrates that parental blame – theoretically a concept of the past – is alive and well within child protection recording systems, and raises the implications of this for the development of policy frameworks and service delivery. It is argued that recent moves by some states towards differential responses actually perpetuate a focus on the parent to the detriment of a focus on the child’s needs. A better way of conceptualising the outcomes of child protection assessments – focusing on a child’s protective needs – is suggested.

Interdisciplinary training in the evaluation of child sexual abuse

To increase their knowledge of the medical evaluation and reporting of child sexual abuse, medical students, pediatric resident physicians, fellows and attendings participated in an interdisciplinary team-based training program consisting of didactic lectures, case discussions, videotapes and direct participation in patient evaluation. Content focused on the medical knowledge and skills needed for an assessment of the child's interview, anogenital examination and the indications for case reporting to child protection authorities. We evaluated the results of this training in our outpatient child abuse clinic located in a university-affiliated, municipal hospital using a survey which assesses knowledge of female genital anatomy, sexually-acquired diseases and case reporting in a nonrandomized control trial. Fifteen medical students and pediatric physicians participated and were compared to a reference group of 127 participants who did not receive this training and 15 others who randomly repeated the survey instrument during the study period. The results showed that resident physicians demonstrated increased mean total scores in the survey instrument. We conclude that an interdisciplinary team using patient care exposure increases physician knowledge in the evaluation of child sexual abuse.

Incidence et caractéristiques des signalements d'enfants maltraités: Comparaison interculturelle

This study compared the incidence and characteristics of reported child abuse cases in two different ethnic groups. Incidence was calculated based on the total number of cases ( N = 2,854) reported to child protection authorities between July 17, 1988 and March 31, 1989. In a sample of 953 reports, the following were examined: the source of the reporting, type of abuse, substantiation and age of the child. The incidence was found to be slightly higher among Haitian group compared to French-Canadian group. In the former case, reporting tended to originate with public authorities such as the police or school personnel. Cases tended to consist mainly of physical abuse, with very few cases of sexual abuse. Most involved adolescents. These results suggest that child-rearing practices of Haitian families are in conflict with the values of the host community, and that there exist similar value-based conflicts between Haitian parents and their children.

Diagnosis or Dilemma: Drawings of Sexually Abused Children

AbstractThe incidence of child sexual abuse in both the United States and Great Britain has been reported in increasing numbers over the past 20 years (American Humane Association, 1984; Miles, 1989). In Cleveland, England, in 1987, a national scandal arose (The Cleveland Incident) from the reporting of a large number of alleged cases of child sexual abuse by two pediatricians (“Cleveland Inquiry,” 1988). This resulted in the traumatic and, in some cases, inappropriate removal of many children from their homes by child protection authorities. The National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children (NSPCC) released figures which reflected twice as many cases reported from April 1988 to April 1989 as were reported in the preceding year (Miles, 1989). The alleged case of ritual sexual abuse in the Orkney Islands in Scotland currently is being investigated in a hearing which will continue through June 1992. The need for better diagnostic tools on behalf of sexually abused children in the United Kingdom...