Child Protection Interventions Research Articles

The impact of humanitarian emergencies on adolescent boys: Findings from the Rohingya refugee crisis.

Adolescent boys (age 9-19) are impacted differently by humanitarian emergencies. However, academic research on adolescent health and child protection has tended to focus on the direct impacts of an emergency rather than indirect impacts that may arise after a crisis. We sought to identify child protection concerns affecting adolescent boys in emergency settings and boys who are more vulnerable to harm through a case study of the humanitarian response to the 2017 Rohingya refugee crisis. We collected data in the Rohingya refugee crisis in Cox's Bazar, Bangladesh between 2018-2019. This included six months of participant observation, 23 semi-structured interviews and 12 informal ethnographic interviews with humanitarian staff working in the crisis, and 10 focus group discussions with a total of 52 child protection caseworkers from four child protection organisations. Our results showed that adolescent Rohingya boys were exposed to numerous protection concerns, including child labour, drug trafficking, substance abuse, family violence, and neglect. We classified these into three main typologies: community-related violence, income-related violence, and life-stage vulnerabilities. We found that adolescent boys who were unaccompanied or separated from their caregivers, adolescent boys who were members of vulnerable households, and adolescent boys with a disability were at more risk of harm. Our findings indicate that adolescent boys are exposed to an array of impactful child protection concerns in humanitarian emergencies and that this has implications for the delivery of public health and child protection interventions. We believe that humanitarian actors should improve recognition of the complexity of adolescent boys' lives and their exposure to gender and age-based harm as a critical matter for addressing adolescent health equity.

Program logic of a service collaboration to support parents with intellectual disability.

This article describes the Steps to Confident Parenting (SCP) program, developed by an Australian family service consortium. The SCP integrates home-based and case-management services to enhance the skills of parents with a diagnosed or suspected intellectual disability/cognitive impairment and to prevent child protection interventions. 'Program explication' methodology documented the components/activities, and underpinning evidence for this practitioner designed service through interviews with nine agency staff. A literature review evaluated evidence for the implicit program benefit theory. The SCP comprised five logically consistent components-Targeted Referral, Assessments, Initial Consultation, Program Delivery, Closure and Follow-up. Components generally had 'some' supportive evidence, however there was a 'lack of' evidence for Closure and Follow-up. In the context of a partnership seeking to build the evidence for the SCP, it was recommended that a protocol for a randomised trial evaluation with longer term follow-up be drafted by the consortia.

Parent Peer Advocacy, Mentoring, and Support in Child Protection: A Scoping Review of Programs and Services.

Objective: Parent peer advocacy, mentoring, and support programs, delivered by parents with lived child protection (CP) experience to parents receiving CP intervention, are increasingly recognized internationally as inclusive practices that promote positive outcomes, but little is known about what shared characteristics exist across these types of programs and what variations may exist in service delivery or impact. This scoping review examines 25 years (1996-2021) of empirical literature on these programs to develop a systematic mapping of existing models and practices as context for program benefits and outcome achievement. Method: Studies were selected using a systematic search process. The final sample comprised 45 publications that addressed research on 24 CP-related parent peer advocacy and support programs. Data analysis explored how programs were studied and conceptualized and examined their impact on parents, professionals, and the CP system. Results: Substantial variation in program settings, target populations, aims, advocate roles, and underlying theoretical frameworks were identified. Across program settings, existing empirical evidence on impact and outcomes also varied, though positive impacts and outcomes were evident across most settings. Conclusions: Findings from this review highlight the need to account better for parent peer advocacy and support program variations in future practice development to ensure alignment with inclusive and participatory principles and goals. Future research is also needed to address current knowledge gaps and shed light on the impact of these differences on individual, case, and system outcomes.

Exploring the Perspectives of Social VR-Aware Non-Parent Adults and Parents on Children's Use of Social Virtual Reality

Social Virtual Reality (VR), where people meet in virtual spaces via 3D avatars, is used by children and adults alike. Children experience new forms of harassment in social VR where it is often inaccessible to parental oversight. To date, there is limited understanding of how parents and non-parent adults within the child social VR ecosystem perceive the appropriateness of social VR for different age groups and the measures in place to safeguard children. We present results of a mixed-methods questionnaire (N=149 adults, including 79 parents) focusing on encounters with children in social VR and perspectives towards children's use of social VR. We draw novel insights on the frequency of social VR use by children under 13 and current use of, and future aspirations for, child protection interventions. Compared to non-parent adults, parents familiar with social VR propose lower minimum ages and are more likely to allow social VR without supervision. Adult users experience immaturity from children in social VR, while children face abuse, encounter age-inappropriate behaviours and self-disclose to adults. We present directions to enhance the safety of social VR through pre-planned controls, real-time oversight, post-event insight and the need for evidence-based guidelines to support parents and platforms around age-appropriate interventions.

Disability, childhood experiences of violence and associated health outcomes in refugee settlements in Uganda

BackgroundThere is limited evidence regarding the associations between disability, childhood experiences of violence, and associated health outcomes in humanitarian settings. ObjectiveWe examined the prevalence of childhood sexual, physical, and emotional violence by disability status, explored associations between childhood violence and type of disability (limitation), perpetrator types, and the negative health outcomes associated with experiencing childhood violence by disability status. Participant and SettingParticipants included 1338 females and 927 males aged 13–24 years living in refugee settings in Uganda. MethodsData were from a cross-sectional Humanitarian Violence against Children and Youth Survey (HVACS) conducted between March and April 2022 in Uganda. Analysis entailed cross-tabulation with a chi-square test and estimation of bivariate and multivariate logistic regression models. ResultsFor both females and males, the prevalence of sexual violence in childhood was higher among those with disabilities compared to those without disabilities (23.2% vs. 11.5% for females; and 15.7% vs. 7.6% for males). The odds of experiencing sexual violence were higher among females with physical limitations (self-care [AOR:2.1; 95%CI-1.0-4.3] and task performance [AOR:2.5; 95%CI = 1.3–5.2]) and males with both physical [AOR:4.4; 95%CI = 1.4–13.7] and communication [AOR:4.1; 95%CI = 1.3–12.9] limitations compared to those without such limitations. Experiencing violence and having disabilities increased the odds of reporting negative health outcomes including severe mental distress and symptoms or being diagnosed with STI among females by three times. ConclusionIn Uganda's refugee settings, the prevalence of childhood violence is higher among children and youth with disabilities compared to those without disabilities. Females with disabilities and who had experienced childhood violence were considerably more susceptible to negative health outcomes. These findings underscore the need for targeted child protection and response interventions to address the vulnerabilities of children and youth, and particularly for those with disabilities and female children.

Evidence-based practice criteria’s effect on the implementation of the Family First Prevention Services Act in Nebraska and Colorado

Child abuse, particularly neglect, is often preventable because many causes of harm stem from poverty, lack of social connections, substance use disorders, mental illness, lack of childcare, and other family support shortages. Prevention of child abuse and neglect starts with family support in these areas. The federal government recognized this need for prevention, and through considerable bipartisan support, passed the Family First Prevention Services Act on February 9, 2018. The Family First Prevention Services Act was designed to divert investment away from long-term foster care and toward programs that prevent unnecessary placement and child protective services interventions. The Family First Prevention Services Act restricts the state’s use of federal funds for institutional foster care placements and uses those savings to fund reimbursements for evidence-based family preservation. The requirement for evidence-based prevention is a first in child-welfare federal law, and compliance with this requirement requires public-private partnership with agencies implementing the models, infrastructure, and evaluation standards that most states must build to be eligible for the new funding. This evaluation research analyzed how the stringent guidelines for prevention funding and the requirement of federally approved evidence-based practice programming affect the implementation of the Family First Prevention Services Act in Nebraska and Colorado.

A Longitudinal Study to Better Understand Child Protection Intervention for First Nations Children

This study brings forward new evidence regarding child protection (CP) intervention for First Nations children and contributes to a longitudinal understanding of their trajectories within CP services. It raises questions regarding the persisting, unmet needs of First Nations children, families, and communities by identifying the CP factors associated with a first decision to provide post-investigation intervention and a first decision to close a case following post-investigation intervention among First Nations children. Anonymized administrative data (2002–2014; n = 1340) were used to conduct multivariate analyses, including longitudinal analyses using Cox proportional hazards modeling. Among First Nations children, those who were very young, who were reported for serious risk of neglect, and whose situation included indicators of repeated individual or family contact with CP services were more likely to receive post-investigation intervention. Similarly, those who were very young, provided services for neglect or serious risk of neglect, and whose situation was investigated at least twice before intervention was provided were more likely to have a longer first episode of intervention. The longitudinal analyses also revealed that more than one in two First Nations children (51.7%) receiving post-investigation intervention experienced a placement in out-of-home care during their interaction with CP services. This study contributes to a better understanding of intervention for First Nations children in Canada. It highlights how First Nations children receiving CP intervention live in situations in which their needs persist over time and how current services do not appear able to respond to these situations adequately, supporting the move towards autonomous, Indigenous–led CP services.

Childhood trauma and factors influencing primary school teachers' reporting of child abuse: Insights from Italy

BackgroundChildhood traumatic experiences can profoundly impact individuals, posing risks to the physical and psychological well-being of children and influencing their psychological development. Teachers in primary schools play a critical role in identifying and reporting suspected cases of child abuse and maltreatment (CAM), which initiates child protection interventions. However, the psychological factors that influence teachers' likelihood of reporting suspected CAM cases remain largely unexplored. AimThis study investigates the influence of teachers' childhood traumatic experiences and psychological factors (i.e., cognitive empathy and psychological detachment) on their reporting behavior regarding child abuse and maltreatment, addressing an important social issue. ParticipantsThe study involved 1380 primary school teachers from Italy (88.3 % female; aged 21–69, Mage 46.7, DS 10.3). ResultsThe results reveal that teachers with a history of childhood emotional abuse tend to report a higher number of suspected child abuse and maltreatment cases. Other forms of traumatic childhood experiences were not significantly associated with teachers' reporting suspected cases of CAM. Additionally, cognitive empathy and psychological detachment emerge as significant predictors of teachers' reporting behavior. ConclusionsThis research contributes to the existing literature by providing unique insights into actual reporting behavior within an unexplored cultural context.

NAVIGATING “SAFETY” IN A PANDEMIC: A CRITICAL EXAMINATION OF ONTARIO CHILD WELFARE SAFETY INTERVENTIONS FOR NEWCOMER PARENTS AND OTHER FAMILIES DURING THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC

This study investigated circumstances surrounding the impact of COVID-19 on child protection investigations, particularly those affecting newcomer parents in Ontario, Canada. Recognizing that the pandemic inflicted substantial socioeconomic disadvantage on some people, the purpose of the study was to use an intersectional lens to examine challenges and solutions found by child welfare agencies when working with families. Insights for policy and practice are drawn from 11 virtual interviews with child welfare workers and managers in Ontario. Our findings reveal that some newcomer families encountered unique challenges: ineligibility for the available pandemic public assistance; inaccessibility to faith-based supports, which had often been their first key contact for mental wellness in the past; technological inequities; and language barriers. These intersecting conditions impacted newcomer families and led to innovative child protection interventions. Analysis of the interview data shows a gradual shift in Ontario from risk-focused approaches to supportive and preventative child welfare interventions in families. Furthermore, supervisors faced the dilemma of how stringently to enforce ongoing safety policies when some social workers were questioning the benefits of these rules for families with intersecting identities who were experiencing added burdens because of the pandemic.

The Most Vulnerable Children Faced Unique Risks During COVID-19: How Agencies Communicated with Communities on Parenting in Low Resource and Humanitarian Settings

Evidence suggests that children in low resource and humanitarian settings experienced added mental health burdens and violence in the home during the SARS-CoV-2 (COVID-19) pandemic, which may have affected their health and development. For humanitarian response agencies, conducting child protection services during this pandemic had been constrained by safety concerns related to the risk of COVID-19 transmission, and logistical issues aligned with social and public health measures. This paper describes how agencies responded to the identified risks children face, integrating remote risk communication and community engagement approaches and safe in-person dialogues with parents and caregivers into child protection interventions to educate about the disease and prevention, encourage a positive parenting environment and mitigate negative effects on children. United Nations (UN) agencies and non-government organizations (NGOs) must reflect on these different approaches and share lessons learned and best practices internally and at an inter-agency level to support evidence-based responses for future epidemics and pandemics.

Attachment Theory: Its Absence and Role in Deinstitutionalisation Strategies

Institutional care for children without families is still widely used globally as a child protection intervention, despite concerns that it violates child rights, separates children from their families, puts children at risk of abuse and neglect and is harmful for child development. This article applied attachment theory to analyse the use and risks of institutional care. It also discusses the challenges and consequences of implementing deinstitutionalisation strategies, a series of policy-driven activities aimed at transitioning a child protection system from an institutional to family-based model of childcare. A secondary data analysis found the progressive elimination of institutions can be effective where deinstitutionalisation strategies implement an attachment approach to improve institutions alongside building permanency planning capacity for children. This article proposes that institutional care may have a role as a child protection intervention where it is temporary, recognises a child’s need for secure attachment and facilitates safe permanency in a family setting.

SHADOWS OF THE GLOBAL PANDEMIC: A STUDY OF PERCEIVED CHILD RISK FACTORS PREDISPOSING CHILD ABUSE DURING THE COVID-19 IN LUSAKA, ZAMBIA

The study sought to examine the perceived risk factors contributing to child abuse during the COVID-19 pandemic in Zambia. A mixed-method approach supported by a concurrent triangulation research design was used in the study. The sample was 107; involving 92 service providers and 15 parents/caregivers. The participants were selected using expert and homogeneous purposive sampling approaches. A questionnaire involving closed and open-ended questions was employed in the collection of data. In quantitative analysis, the study used Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) to arrive at primary descriptive statistics and inferential test results. Qualitative data was analysed using a thematic approach. Documentary data analysis was used to arrive at secondary data to supplement primary data. The study revealed that despite a decrease in reported child abuse cases during the pandemic, various risk factors persisted such as: age of the child, gender of the child, lack of parent-child attachment, physical or developmental disabilities, gender disparities, and increasing child vulnerability. It was evident from the study that, pandemic-related child protection services needed targeted strategies that addressed individual, familial, and societal factors, with a focus on prevention, intervention, and support measures to safeguard children. The study, therefore, emphasizes the need for comprehensive child protection interventions, including the creation of safe spaces, community awareness programmes, food security, mental health support, and fast-track court services.<p> </p><p><strong> Article visualizations:</strong></p><p><img src="/-counters-/soc/0011/a.php" alt="Hit counter" /></p>

An interceptive child-discipline progression model (ICdP) for child protection developed from parents’ conceptualization of discipline

Child protection is a crucial aspect of social work practice worldwide. Despite efforts to ensure a safe environment for children's development, child abuse in various forms continues to increase. One factor contributing to this issue is the way parents discipline their children. To better understand parents' disciplinary choices, the study was conducted using a qualitative approach with an Afrikology design. The study involved 24 participants, including 20 parents and four key informants, who were interviewed using an interview guide. The results showed that parents view discipline as a relational, punishment, modeling, mannerism, process, and skills-set. These perceptions influence the disciplinary methods used by parents, and understanding this thinking process can help inform child protection policies and interventions. To promote positive disciplinary practices, the researchers proposed an Interceptive Child-Discipline Progressive Model (ICdP), which used the ‘dare’ concept through the Delphi panel method for model development. This model encourages self-reflection during disciplinary interventions to identify and intercept negative ideas and notions perceived as a discipline before enactment to protect children from abuse under the pretext of discipline. How to reference using ASWNet style: Simango, T. G & Mafa, I. H (2023). An interceptive child-discipline progression model (ICdP) for child protection developed from parents’ conceptualization of discipline. African Journal of Social Work, 13(5), 244-253. https://dx.doi.org/10.4314/ajsw.v13i5.3 Visit journal website: https://ajsw.africasocialwork.net

Measuring the ratio of true‐positive to false‐positive judgements made by child and family social workers in England: A case vignette study

AbstractSocial workers routinely make judgements and decisions as part of their everyday practice. The nature and quality of these can have a significant and long‐lasting impact on the children and families concerned. In this paper, we present an analysis of more than 20 000 judgements (n = 21 193) made by social workers (n = 586) in relation to case vignettes, based on a series of anonymized referrals (n = 12) to social services in England. We do so to ascertain how accurately the social workers were able to predict subsequent actions, events and outcomes, and to calculate the ratio of true positives to false positives at various decision thresholds. We find that the social workers' predictions were more accurate than chance in relation to all but one of the referrals, albeit at the cost of a high rate of false positive errors. We consider these findings in relation to what appears to be a general lowering of the threshold for child protection interventions in England in recent years and in relation to who suffers the injustice of false positive errors in child and family social work.

Multi-systemic risk and protective factors for contact with criminal justice services for vulnerable children

Children who experience adversity in childhood are more likely than their peers to have contact with criminal justice services. There are many risk and protective factors that can influence outcomes for vulnerable children, including factors within the child, family, school, community and the wider socio-political context. Little is currently understood about how these multi-systemic factors impact on individual outcomes, and how the formal response from child protection services may improve outcomes for vulnerable children. Through the use of a whole population administrative dataset and multi-level models the present findings explore the role of multi-systemic factors on later involvement with criminal justice services in England. In particular, the complex interactions between childhood adversity, ethnicity, poverty, additional educational needs and disabilities, engagement in education, and the level of school based and community child protection interventions. The research also reports on how individual outcomes are influenced by community level inequalities and public sector service resources, that differ between regions of England. The findings uphold the importance of recognition of vulnerable children as a heterogenous group whose outcomes are strongly influenced by multi-systemic factors, which could be influenced directly by policy and practice changes. The presentation also highlights the potential contribution and limits of administrative data to the field.

Maternal disability and newborn discharge to child protection in Ontario, Canada

ObjectivesOne in 8 pregnancies are to women with disabilities. These mothers can face additional social, structural, and health-related challenges, and negative health care provider assumptions about their parenting capacity. We aimed to examine rates of newborn discharge to child protection comparing newborns of mothers with and without a disability.
 MethodWe are conducting a population-based cohort study in Ontario, Canada using linked administrative health data. The cohort includes all women in Ontario with a live birth between 2003 and 2020. Diagnostic algorithms were applied to health care encounters prior to pregnancy to identify maternal disability. We will use modified Poisson regression to estimate the relative risk of discharge to child protection immediately after the birth hospital stay, comparing newborns of women with physical, sensory, developmental, and multiple disabilities to those without disabilities. Models will be adjusted for socio-demographic factors, antenatal care receipt, and maternal mental illness and substance use disorders.
 ResultsThe study cohort includes of over 1.4 million newborns delivered to women with physical disabilities (n=120,014), sensory disabilities (n=39,892), developmental disabilities (n=2,182), multiple disabilities (n=8,428), and no known disability (n=1,269,633). Analyses are ongoing and results will be concluded by the conference date.
 ConclusionEarly infancy is a critical period for breastfeeding and maternal-infant bonding. Findings will inform the development of tailored services and resources for supporting women with disabilities in antenatal care and after birth by identifying those most at-risk of child protection intervention, thus potentially reducing maternal-newborn separations.

Defensive Optimism: Parental Aspirations and the Prospect of State-Enforced Child Removal in Britain

ABSTRACT: In 2010s Britain, expectations for parents living on low incomes to pursue aspirations for their children's upward social mobility converged with a concentration of forcible child protection interventions in so-called "deprived" neighborhoods. This article explores the subjectivities of parents, mainly women, living on one such housing estate [housing project] in England by critically engaging Berlant's theories of optimism and intimacy. The overtly aspirational practices by which parents there sought better lives for their children are inseparable from those parents' attempts to dispel their fears of their children being removed. While the immediate prospect of child removal provoked one woman to forego an express will to retain custody, the remoter possibility of the same event incited others to comply with parental norms to which they did not subscribe or to reaffirm their existing parental aspirations ever more vocally. Conceptually the article argues that optimism can sometimes be defensive rather than aspirational, especially in the face of lawful expropriations, and that these two forms of optimism—aspirational and defensive—may interact with and reinforce one another. The article extends Berlant's analysis by showing the involvement of coercive legal force in the processes by which people cling onto hopes that wear them down. When faced with the possible expropriation of the object of an intimate attachment, people's attempts to hold onto that object may also involve reasserting the aspirations which the attachment makes possible. This suggests that research into optimism, aspirations and ethical self-formation has much to gain from careful attention to people's mundane expectations of violence and loss.

The prevalence and nature of multi-type child maltreatment in Australia.

To determine the prevalence in Australia of multi-type child maltreatment, defined as two or more maltreatment types (physical abuse, sexual abuse, emotional abuse, neglect, or exposure to domestic violence) and to examine its nature, family risk factors, and gender and age cohort differences. Retrospective cross-sectional survey using a validated questionnaire. Mobile phone random digit-dial sample of the Australian population aged 16 years and older. National estimates of multi-type child maltreatment up to age 18 years using the Juvenile Victimisation Questionnaire-R2: Adapted Version (Australian Child Maltreatment Study). Of 8503 participants, 62.2% (95% CI, 60.9-63.6%) experienced one or more types of child maltreatment. Prevalence of single-type maltreatment was 22.8% (95% CI, 21.7-24.0%), whereas 39.4% (95% CI, 38.1-40.7%) of participants reported multi-type maltreatment and 3.5% (95% CI, 3.0-4.0%) reported all five types. Multi-type maltreatment was more common for gender diverse participants (66.1% [95% CI, 53.7-78.7%]) and women (43.2% [95% CI, 41.3-45.1%]) than for men (34.9% [95% CI, 33.0-36.7%]). Multi-type maltreatment prevalence was highest for those aged 25-44 years. Family-related adverse childhood experiences - especially mental illness and alcohol or substance misuse - increased risk. Exposure to domestic violence was the maltreatment type most often present in multi-type maltreatment patterns. Multi-type child maltreatment is prevalent in Australia and more common in women and gender diverse individuals. Child protection services, health practitioners, and prevention and intervention services must assess and manage multi-type maltreatment in children and address its health consequences across the lifespan. Public health policy should consider prevention services or strategies that target multi-type child maltreatment.

Legitimate child protection interventions and the dimension of confidence: A comparative analysis of populations views in six European countries

Abstract The legitimacy of welfare state institutions is a key question in public policy research. In this study we examine population’s confidence in child protection systems, the role of institutional context and moral alignment. Analysing representative samples of survey data (N=6,043) of citizens in six European countries (Czechia, England, Finland, Norway, Poland and Romania), we find that overall people express confidence in their child protection system. Differences between populations are correlated with institutional context, i.e. the type of child protection system in place – that is, if people live in a country with a risk-oriented system or a family service-oriented system. People’s view on their moral alignment with the system (or not) only shows minor differences in support of interventions. However, a tendency towards polarisation is detected in Finland and Norway with clear differences in support of interventions that restrict parental rights: individuals who state they are in alignment with the system favour stronger interventions than those who say they are not.

Parental Involvement in Child Protection Services and Parenting Experience as Alcohol and Other Drug Use: An Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis

Abstract This article explores the emotional experiences of drug- and/or alcohol-using parents who have child protective Social Services involvement. Research suggests that protective processes can reduce children’s experience of poor outcomes whilst parents undergo treatment for substance misuse. Semi-structured interviews combined with photovoice and journal writing were used to generate data. Eight UK-based parents participated. Each was accessing drug or alcohol treatment and had a child who was the subject of a child protection intervention. The resulting data from the seventeen interviews were analysed using Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA). Key findings are presented within four themes. The first two outline parents’ perceptions of themselves and how they felt they were viewed by others. Themes 3 and 4 focus on specific emotions: anger and frustration; fear and guilt. The research identifies the complex nature of parental emotions surrounding drug/alcohol misuse when social care services are involved. Parents conceptualised their experience as psychological trauma. They discussed the emotional roller-coaster of the effects of having combined interventions. The research provides insights into how drug/alcohol use can influence parenting. It also highlights issues for professional practice, including developing successful treatment models for substance-using parents.