Child Protection Research Articles

Safeguarding Families and Rights of Parents with Intellectual Disability Involved in Child Protection

Safeguarding Families and Rights of Parents with Intellectual Disability Involved in Child Protection

Pediatric occupant-to-occupant interaction responses in side impact conditions using Q-dummy and child human body models

Objective Road safety of children has improved considerably over the past decade; however, there is still much scope to better protect these occupants. Ensuring adequate protection of children seated in the rear seats requires a greater understanding of how children are injured in side crashes. The purpose of this study was to enhance the knowledge of children’s potential injuries in side impact collisions by the investigation of two different child sizes seated in different positions in the rear seats. The injury metrics associated with the occupant-to-occupant or occupant-to-child restraint system interaction was also identified. Methods Finite Elements Method simulations were performed using a validated simplified vehicle model with fully deformable side components. Dynamic virtual tests according to the Euro NCAP Child Occupant Protection Protocol were performed considering three different scenarios in terms of occupants´ distribution in the rear seats. Simulations were conducted with dummy and human body models. The injury metrics associated with near-side and far-side positions and the occupant-to-occupant interaction were analyzed. Results The 10-year-old child seated in the far-side position presented higher injury values, especially in the head due to the contact with the adjacent child or child restraint occupying the near-side seating position. Similar responses were observed in human body and dummies models in terms of head and neck injury values. However, human body models showed an increase in the chest measurements. Conclusions This study highlighted that the potential injuries of a child seated on the rear seats in a side impact crash are likely to be increased by the presence of an adjacent seat occupant, especially when larger children were seated in the far-side seating location or a CRS was installed in the near-side seating position. Results offer insight into the occupant-to-occupant interaction and occupants’ size as relevant factors to improve children safety under side impact conditions.

Working above and below the lines: paediatric diabetes health care professionals' experiences of safeguarding and child protection

Working above and below the lines: paediatric diabetes health care professionals' experiences of safeguarding and child protection

The cost-effectiveness and cost-consequences of a school-based social worker intervention: A within-trial economic evaluation

Schools are a significant source of referrals to Children’s Social Care (CSC) services. A within-trial economic evaluation estimated the cost-effectiveness of embedding social workers in schools (SWIS) in England compared to usual practice. Two hundred and sixty-eight schools comprising 277,888 students were randomised. The primary outcome of the trial was section 47 enquiries (i.e. child protection referrals to CSC services). The economic evaluation estimated the incremental cost-effectiveness of SWIS in reducing section 47 enquiries. Micro-costing approaches assessed the cost of the social worker intervention and addressed variability in key unit costs. Mean differences in costs and outcomes were estimated, with bootstrap 95% confidence intervals and scaling to incidence rate ratios per 1000 students per year. No statistically significant differences between trial arms were identified for any outcomes, costs or cost-effectiveness over a 23-month follow-up. The probability that SWIS is cost-effective was estimated for a range of willingness to pay values. At threshold values of £1000, £10,000 and £20,000, the probabilities for cost-effectiveness were estimated as 1.3%, 1.1% and 6.1%, respectively. This means SWIS had a low probability of being cost-effective.

The Legal Implications of Child Protection and Safeguarding Policies: A Nigerian Perspective

Children have the right to life, survival and development but also a right to be protected from any form of abuse, particularly in schools. Therefore, the standards for child protection in schools should be guided by the principles that prioritize the safety, well-being and rights of children. These principles form the basis of child protection safeguarding policies in schools and are paramount in ensuring a safe and secure learning environment for children. Yet the spate of child protection issues in Nigeria raises questions regarding the existence, implementation and enforcement of the pieces of legislation and policies within schools. This work not only examined the legal framework for child protection in Nigeria but also the legal implications of child safeguarding policies in schools. It argues that in order for schools to create a secure and safe environment for learning, firstly, the establishment of child safeguarding policies and procedure are critical to achieving this. Secondly, schools need to abandon the old concept of punishment-based discipline that relies on fear and embrace a more modern correction-based approach to discipline and establish structures to leverage discipline to achieve a safe and secure environment for all. It concludes that safeguarding policies should be viewed as a school’s translation of child protection legislation for action and as such, its implementation manual. In drawing lessons from the UK, the study recommended that government needs to drive child protection issues through the education of stakeholders and the establishment of an enforcement mechanism or regulatory body. This body should coordinate child safeguarding issues by providing a platform for stakeholder collaboration in order to achieve more cohesion within the sector.

SOSIALISASI PENCEGAHAN DAN PENANGANAN KEKERASAN SEKSUAL PADA PELAJAR

Sexual violence among students is becoming a major problem, especially in the school environment. Data from the Ministry of Women's Empowerment and Child Protection (KPPA) shows that cases of sexual violence against children are increasing. In 2022 there will be 18 cases of sexual violence in schools. The method used is the Community Service Program related to outreach to MTs students located in Nagasari Village, Serang Baru District, Bekasi Regency. This service aims to socialize the prevention and preventive treatment of sexual violence. The results obtained from community service are that students gain improvement and new understanding regarding the forms, prevention and handling of cases of sexual violence so that students are enthusiastic about protecting themselves from promiscuity.

The Impact of Child Protection Service Experience and Secondary School Completion on Employment Outcomes

This study utilizes registry data and logistic regression to investigate the relationship between Child Protection Service (CPS) experience, completion of upper secondary school, and subsequent gainful employment. The findings show that completion of upper secondary school is associated with later gainful employment. However, when control variables are included to adjust for substantial differences between the two groups, the results reveal that completion of upper secondary school has a more substantial impact on future gainful employment for former CPS clients compared to non-CPS clients.

Should I Call Child Protection?—Guidelines for Clinicians

This Viewpoint offers 5 guiding principles to help pediatric clinicians distinguish between families who need support and resources and those who require a child protective services investigation because there is concern of maltreatment.

Wissen zu und Umsetzung von institutionellen Schutzkonzepten in deutschen Krankenhäusern als Teil des medizinischen Kinderschutzes

ZusammenfassungHintergrundAktuelle Studien zeigen die hohe Prävalenz von Kindesmisshandlung in Deutschland und dass Übergriffe durch Krankenhauspersonal ebenfalls ein Problem darstellen. Seit 2020 fordert der Gemeinsame Bundesausschuss institutionelle Schutzkonzepte (ISK) zum Schutz und zur Unterstützung von Betroffenen in Kliniken. Diese Untersuchung hat zum Ziel, zu analysieren, wie hoch Wissen und Handlungskompetenzen zu Kindesmisshandlungen bei Krankenhausmitarbeitenden sind und inwiefern ISK in Krankenhäusern umgesetzt werden.MethodenEs wurden 1011 Teilnehmende vor dem Belegen zweier Online-Kurse zu Kinderschutz und Schutzmaßnahmen in Krankenhäusern zu selbsteingeschätztem Wissens- und Kompetenzstand im Kinderschutz und Auftreten von Misshandlungsfällen und Schutzmaßnahmen in der eigenen Einrichtung befragt. Die Daten wurden mittels deskriptiver Verfahren ausgewertet.ErgebnisseEs zeigt sich, dass Wissen und Kompetenzen von Krankenhausmitarbeitenden zu Kinderschutz im Mittelfeld liegen. Besonders häufig werden in Krankenhäusern Misshandlungsfälle wahrgenommen, die außerhalb der Institution begangen werden, aber auch Gewalt durch Mitarbeitende bzw. gleichaltrige Mitpatient*innen spielt eine bedeutende Rolle. 93,6 % der Befragten gaben an, dass ihre Einrichtung bereits mindestens ein Element eines ISK entwickelt habe, allerdings berichteten nur 1,0 % der Befragten, dass bereits alle abgefragten Elemente vollständig entwickelt wurden.DiskussionKrankenhäuser in Deutschland scheinen sich überwiegend auf den Weg gemacht zu haben, Kinder und Jugendliche besser vor Misshandlung zu schützen und Betroffene zu unterstützen. Allerdings bestehen nach wie vor noch Defizite bei den Kompetenzen der Mitarbeitenden und der Umsetzung der ISK-Elemente. Hierfür müssen mehr Ressourcen von den Trägern der Krankenhäuser und von der öffentlichen Hand zur Verfügung gestellt werden.

Environmentally Smart House Services for the Children in The City of Bekasi, Indonesia

The city of Bekasi was awarded as one of child-friendly cities in Indonesia, by the Ministry of Women's Empowerment and Child Protection in 2022. The city government is committed to fulfilling children's rights, included in a Bekasi City Regional Regulation Number 13 of 2017, concerning child friendly cities. To fulfill children's rights, the Bekasi City government built smart homes to improve child-friendly cities. Smart homes are a facility used for the children, which they use to learn, play and create things, without any charge. Currently, there are 7 smart houses built in Bekasi City, with another 5 being planned to be built in every sub district. The aim of this research was to identify the service coverage of 7 smart houses that serve Bekasi City, and to provide some recommendations for those to be built. This research used a mixed method, which involved an observation assessment, a score analysis and a spatial analysis. The results of the study showed that, of the 7 smart houses in Bekasi City located in several subdistricts, two were in good conditions (Pondok Gede and Bekasi Timur), three were in moderate conditions (Bekasi Selatan, Mustika Jaya, Rawa Lumbu), and the remaining two were in bad conditions (Medan Satria, Bekasi Utara). It can also be concluded that, based on the service coverage, the Pondok Gede covered another 5 districts, with a distance of 3100 m.

The Aggressiveness of Institutionalized Minors Depending on the Type of Residence

This article presents the findings of a research study that sought to identify and compare the levels of aggression exhibited by institutionalised minors, contingent on the type of residence in which they are situated. To this end, the research was conducted on a sample of 200 minors residing in four different forms of care: foster care, traditional placement centre, and apartment. The Buss and Perry aggression questionnaire was employed to assess four dimensions of aggression: verbal, physical, anger and hostility. The results demonstrate the presence of all forms of aggression in the research subjects, albeit with varying levels contingent on the type of residence of the institutionalised minor. Based on these findings, it can be concluded that the child protection system requires reform, with an emphasis on developing the maternal care component and reducing the proportion of traditional foster care centres.

Perceived Ease of Use, Perceived Usefullness and Perceived of Interest E Rapport Growth and Development of Child

Background: Children are an important asset for a nation, so the education and care provided must be able to improve the quality of children in the future. Child Protection Law no. 23 of 2002 explains that every child has the right to receive growth and development monitoring without exception. Early detection of deviations in growth and development needs to be done, one of which is by using digital-based growth and development e-Reports. Objective: The e-report product produced can increase efficiency and effectiveness, helping teachers, homeroom teachers, cadres or health workers in managing the SDIDTK program so that valid, practical and effective digital-based e-Report applications can be obtained. Research methods: The research design for the development of digital-based growth and development e-reports was carried out referring to the development of the 4D model which includes define, design, develop and disseminate. Results: There is an influence of perceived usefulness on interest in using the child health e- report application Conclusion: e-Report can be used to check children's health and growth and development at the PAUD unit level to increase the scope of monitoring children's health and SDIDTK Keywords: e-reports, growth and development

Child Abuse, Marital Satisfaction and Premarital Counseling: How do They Relate One Another?

One of the reasons for the increase in child abuse in recent years is the actions of those closest to the child, including one or both of their parents. Parents who commit such violence are triggered by several factors, including lack of insight into married life and not getting satisfaction in their marriage. This study aims to describe how premarital counseling can promote marriage satisfaction and anticipating potential child abuse. This study uses literature research with a descriptive approach. This research concerns with systematic and scientific collection of library sources which include books, scientific journals, and related research findings, then analyzed descriptively so as to achieve the research objectives. The results of the discussion show that in premarital counseling, the materials are provided comprehensively which includes the Law on Domestic Violence. Child Protection Law, Munakahat Law, Implementation of Family Functions in Child Protection, Caring for Love in the Family and Conflict Management in the Family as recommended by the Director General of Islamic Community Guidance Regulation Number 542 of 2013. By understanding comprehensively and applying such recommended points, prospective partner can achieve their marriage satisfaction and minimize potential child abuse.

The Legal Framework for the Protection of the Rights of the Girl-Child in Nigeria; How Effective?

The girl-child in Nigeria has globally recognized and acknowledged inalienable rights as a member of the human family. However, the rights of the girl-child in Nigeria continue to be violated despite the plethora of laws guaranteeing such rights in domestic and international instruments. This paper examines the legal framework for the protection of the girl child in Nigeria and contends that there are several social, cultural and economic factors that make the laws ineffective in the lives of the girl-child in Nigeria. The laws by themselves are not enough to protect the rights of girl children. There has to be adequate social and economic structures to guarantee the enjoyment of such rights. This work posits that several factors serve as impediments to the realization of the rights of the girl child. These impediments include, non adoption of the Child’s Rights Act 2003 by some states, discriminatory cultural practices, child labour , among others. This work therefore underscores the need for legal reforms including nation-wide adoption of the Child Rights Act 2003, prohibition and punishment of discriminatory cultural practices against the girl child, equal educational opportunities for the girl child, among others to ensure a better realization of the rights of the girl child in Nigeria.

Impact of being taken into out-of-home care: a longitudinal cohort study of First Nations and other child welfare agencies in Manitoba, Canada

Across Canada, Child Protection Services (CPS) disrupt Indigenous families by apprehending their children at alarmingly high rates. The harms borne by children in out-of-home care (OoHC) have been extensively documented. We examined the impact of OoHC on Manitoba children's health and legal system outcomes to provide rigorous evidence on how discretionary decision-making by CPS agencies can affect these outcomes. In partnership with First Nations researchers, we used linked administrative data to identify Manitoba children (born 2007-2018) served by First Nations and other Manitoba CPS agencies. We compared those taken into OoHC (n=19,324) with those never in care but with an open CPS file due to child protection concerns (n=27,290). We used instrumental variable analysis (CPS agency rates of OoHC as the instrument) to obtain odds ratios (aOR) and 95% confidence intervals adjusted for child, maternal, and family factors. Mean age (yrs±standard deviation) at first CPS contact for children taken into OoHC was 2.8±3.7 (First Nations) and 3.0±3.8 (other), and for children never in care was 4.5±4.5 (First Nations) and 5.1±4.7 (other). Among children served by a First Nations agency, males made up 50.6% (n=5496) in OoHC and 51.0% (n=6579) never in care. Among children served by other agencies, males made up 51.0% (n=4324) in OoHC and 51.0% (n=7428) never in care. Odds of teen pregnancy (First Nations aOR 3.69, 1.40-9.77; other aOR 5.10, 1.83-14.25), teen birth (First Nations aOR 3.23, 1.10-9.49; other aOR 5.06, 1.70-15.03), and sexually transmitted infections (other aOR 7.21, 3.63-14.32) were higher for children in care than children never in care, as were odds of being accused (other aOR 2.71, 1.27-5.75), a victim (other aOR 1.68, 1.10-2.56), charged with a crime (other aOR 2.68, 1.21-5.96), or incarcerated (First Nations aOR 3.64, 1.95-6.80; other aOR 1.19, 1.19-8.04). Being in OoHC worsened children's health and legal system outcomes. The importance of reducing the number of children taken into care was emphasized in briefings to provincial and First Nations governments. The government response will be monitored. Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (no. 890-2018-0029).

Performance and trust in child protection systems: a comparative analysis of England and Norway

Performance and trust in child protection systems: a comparative analysis of England and Norway

Early life child protection contacts and developmental risk at age five: a whole-of-population cohort study of 479,413 children in two Australian states.

IntroductionChildren who experience maltreatment have worse health and development outcomes than other children. Early prevention relies on opportunities to respond to system contacts that reliably indicate the population burden of children’s future developmental risk. Objectives and ApproachWe quantified the population burden of developmental vulnerability at age five by the type, timing, and frequency of child protection contacts before school, among children in two Australian states. We used linked whole-population births, child protection and Australian Early Development Census (AEDC) data (2009-2018 cycles) in New South Wales (NSW) and South Australia (SA). Results56,650/398,702 (14%) NSW and 12,617/80,731 (16%) SA children had ≥1 child protection contacts before school. The risk of developmental vulnerability on ≥1 domains was lowest in the no child protection group (NSW, 17-18%; SA, 19%), with higher risks in the child protection report (NSW, 28-29%; SA, 32-35%) through to the OOHC (NSW, 35-38%; SA, 39-50%) groups, with a similar pattern for the risk of medically diagnosed conditions. Children with only one child protection report before school had a higher developmental risk than the no child protection group (NSW, 34% versus 21%; SA, 42% versus 24%). Conclusions/ImplicationsEven a single child protection report in the first 2000 days of children’s lives was a robust indicator of developmental risk at age five, with higher developmental risks among children with more serious child protection contacts before school. Child protection reports represent an under-utilised asset to inform early universal and targeted support from health, human and early education services.

The scale and timing of child protection system contacts from 0-18 years: a study of 1.9 million Australian children

IntroductionTo prevent abuse, neglect and poor outcomes for children and families, including child protection intervention, maltreatment, and removals, it is critical to understand the scale and timing of child protection system contacts to identify opportunities for early prevention. Objectives and ApproachWe quantified the cumulative incidence of child protection contacts during childhood, including initial reports, screened-in reports, investigations, substantiations and removal into out-of-home-care, among all children in two Australian states. We used child protection system data linked for the South Australian (SA) BEBOLD and NSW Child E-Cohort data platforms as the numerator, and census data for the denominator, for 571,497 SA children (birth-years 1991-2019) and 1,362,505 NSW children (birth-years 2005-2018). ResultsOf children born in 2005 (NSW SA): Two in five children were reported to child protection by age 14; one in ten children were the subject of a child protection investigation in NSW and SA; one in twelve children in NSW and one in 17 in SA, were substantiated at least once; and one in 35 children in NSW and one in 40 in SA were removed into out-of-home care at least once by age 14. Approximately half of all types of child protection contact first occurred by the child’s fourth birthday. Conclusions/implicationsThe scale of lifecourse child protection contact underscores the opportunities for early health and social supports to prevent child maltreatment and escalating child protection intervention. Child protection reports also represent an asset to generate public health intelligence to inform early prevention.

Prenatal and early life maternal substance use prevalence among Australian children born 2007-2018: a data linkage study using health, death, and child protection data

ObjectiveQuantify the scale and type of maternal substance use from conception to the child’s second birthday (First 1000 days) to inform screening and support services that may reduce associated harm or risk for children. ApproachWe used mother and child records from whole-population health, death, and child protection datasets to ascertain maternal substance use during the First 1000 days for children born in NSW, Australia, from 2008-2017. The primary outcome - maternal substance use - included use of illicit substances, alcohol, opioid-agonist treatment, organic compounds, solvents, and misuse of prescription medicines. ICD-10 and SNOMED-CT diagnosis codes were used. ResultsThe birth cohort included 970,470 children and 625,856 mothers. 32,000 children (3.4%) had a record of maternal substance use during the First 1000 days of life, including 13,647 (1.4%) with alcohol and 23,485 (2.4%) other drug use. Ascertainment was highest from child protection records (26,045 children), followed by mother’s (12,956 children) then children’s hospital records (3,826 children). 18,672 (1.9%) children had a record of carer substance use only in child protection records. Combining data increased the prevalence estimates; adding child protection records increased the prevalence estimate to 3.4%, compared with 1.2% in health and death records alone. ConclusionMore than 3 in every 100 Australian children had a record of maternal substance use in administrative data during the First 1000 days of life in this decade-long study. In addition to health and death data, child protection data offers public health insights into the scale of maternal substance use among whole-population cohorts of children.

Protecting Our Innocence: Addressing Child Pornography in India

The internet has revolutionised educational methodologies and facilitated day-to-day learning experiences. It has also unveiled its darker facets, including the proliferation of child abuse in various forms, such as trafficking, prostitution and kidnapping. Amidst these atrocities, child pornography emerges as one of the most abhorrent manifestations of exploitation, inflicting severe physical and psychological harm upon its victims. In India, where the protection of children is paramount, stringent legal measures have been enacted to address this issue. This paper provides an analysis of the critical landscape of child pornography in the digital age, examining the multifaceted challenges it presents and the proactive measures undertaken by governmental and non-governmental entities. Through an exploration of the legal framework, landmark cases regarding child abuse in India, and initiatives aimed at child protection, the paper investigates the role of internet service providers in combating the dissemination of child sexual abuse material (CSAM). Furthermore, the importance of international cooperation in addressing this grave issue is emphasised. It is crucial to protect our children from this harmful practice; it is necessary to ban the practice of child pornography and protect their fundamental rights.