Book Reviews

Book Reviewed in this article:
From Child Abuse to Permanency Planning: Child Welfare Services Pathways and Placements. Richard P Barth, Mark Courtney, Jill Duerr Berrick & Vicky Albert
Making Positive Moves Developing Short-Term Fostering Services. Judith Stone
Participation and Empowerment in Child Protection. Edited by Christopher Cloke & Murray Davies
Chairing Child Protection Conferences: An Exploration of Attitudes and Roles. Ann Lewis
On Behalf of the Child: Child Welfare, Child Protection and the Child Care Act 1991. Edited by Harry Ferguson and Pat Kenny
The Abuse of Women Within ChiJdcare Work. Kieran O'Hagan & Karola Dillenburger
Foster Care: Theory and Practice. John Triseliotis, Clive Sellick & Robin Short     

Review Articles

Book Reviewed in this Article
Positive Discrimination, Social Justice, and Social Policy By J ohn E dwards
Case Management in Community Care By D avid C hallis and B leddyn D avies
Matching Resources to Needs in Community Care By B leddyn D avies and D avid C hallis
Understanding Child Abuse By D avid N. J ones , J ohn P ickett , M argaret R. O ates and P eter B arbor     

Book Reviews

Book Reviewed in this article:
Social Work in Action. Robyn Munford & Mary Nash (eds)
Family Group Conferences in Child Care Practice. Heather Hamill
Family Conferences in Child Abuse and Neglect Cases-Learning from the Experience of New Zealand. Mark Hardin
Young Offenders: Law, Policy & Practice Caroline Ball, Kevin McCormac and Nigel Stone
Working with Families of Children with Special Needs: Partnership and Practice. Naomi Dale     

REVIEWS

Book Reviewed in this Article Children, Their Families and the Law — Working with the Children Act by Michael D. A. Freeman Mothers Surviving Child Sexual Abuse by Carol -Ann Hooper Social Work and Europe By Crescy Cannan , Lynne Berry and Karen Lyons Inter-Country Adoption By Michael and Heather Humphrey (Eds) The Education System Transformed By Clyde Chitty Beneath the Surface: Racial Harrassment By Barnor Hesse , Dhanwant K. Rai , Christine Bennett and Paul Mcgilchrist Black Politics in Britain Edited by Harry Goulbourne Probation: Politics, Policy and Practice by Tim May Quality and Regulation in Health Care by Robert Dingwall and Paul Fenn In Patients, Policies and Politics by John Butler Whose Standards? By Charlotte Williamson Exchange by John Davis Applied Research For Better Practice by Angela Everitt , Pauline Hardicker , Jane Littlewood and Audrey Mullender Social Research and Social Reform: Essays in Honour of A.H. Halsey by COLIN CROUCH and ANTHONY HEATH (eds)     

Group Therapy Techniques for Work with Child Sexual Abuse Victims

Group therapy techniques used by the Washington University Child Guidance Center's Child Sexual Abuse Treatment Team are described for clinicians working with child sexual abuse victims. Activities and tasks used to promote the therapeutic process are presented, broken down into three age groups: preschoolers, latency age children, and teenagers. The intent is to disseminate ideas found to be useful in the treatmcnt process.     

Appropriate Use of the Child Abuse Potential Inventory in a Big Brothers/Big Sisters Agency

The present study investigated the utility of the Child Abuse Potential (CAP) Inventory in screening: volunteers for Big Brothers/Big Sisters (BBDS). CAP Abuse scores effectively discriminated between volunteers who were rated excellent versus bad by BBDS agency staff members and between volunteer applicants who were accepted versus rejected by traditional BBDS agency screening method. In a second study, 21 male sexual offenders against children completed the CAP. The CAP Abuse scores for 47% of these males were elevated, suggesting that the CAP alone is insufficient for screening: this disorder. It is useful only as Dart of a multimodal assessment program. Suggestions for incorporating the CAP into the BB/BS screening program are offered.     

Missing Elements in the Protection of Children: Three Cases from China

ABSTRACT.

The article analyzes 3 severe cases of child abuse that were widely discussed in the mass media in China in 2007 based on a framework used by the International Society for Prevention of Child Abuse and Neglect in its official publication World Perspectives on Child Abuse. The framework sets out the basic elements that must be included in systems of child protection: a) a responsible government or government-authorized organization; b) a set of institutional arrangements for reporting cases of child abuse, investigation, and intervening when necessary; and c) state guardianship or mechanisms to remove children from their parents’ care when necessary. By applying the framework to the 3 cases under analysis, the authors found that these basic elements are missing from the Chinese child protection system, and therefore, they recommend that a reform of the system to address these elements should be a priority for Chinese social policy. The article makes a number of recommendations for reform.     

The Abduction of Credibility: A Reply to John Paley

Correspondence to Liz Kelly, Child and Woman Abuse Studies Unit, Ladbroke House, 62-66 Highbury Grove, London, N5 2AD Summary This response takes issue with John Paley's paper ‘SatanistAbuse and Alien Abduction’ (this issue) in a number ofareas: his definition of Satanic ritual abuse (SRA); the parallelshe draws between SRA and alien abduction; his assertions thatthere is no evidence of SRA and that accounts of SRA can beviewed as urban legends; and his ‘temporal lobe connection’conclusion.     

An analysis of current Australian program initiatives for children exposed to domestic violence

While services have been assisting women who have been victims of domestic violence for many years, it has only been in recent times, that children exposed to domestic violence have begun to receive attention by service providers as clients in their own right. A number of specialised programs have now been designed to meet the needs of these children by domestic violence services and agencies that have a child protection or child welfare/family support focus. This paper aims to describe the types of programs currently in operation across Australia which cater specifically for the needs of children who have been exposed to domestic violence by analysing programs listed on the Child Abuse Prevention Programs Database developed by the National Child Protection Clearinghouse. A number of suggestions are made with regard to the means by which therapeutic responses and research in this area could be enhanced.     

Foster mothers: Successful and unsuccessful 1

Social Work Issues in Health Care. Rosalind S. Miller and Helen Rehr, Editors. (New Jersey: Prentice‐Hall, Inc., 1983.)

The Process of Change. Maxwell Jones. (Boston: Routledge and Kegan Paul, 1982.)

Social Policy and the Rural Setting. Julia M. Watkins and Dennis A. Watkins. (New York: Springer Publishing Company, 1984.)

Child Abuse and Neglect: A Guide with Case Studies for Treating the Child and Family. Nancy B. Ebeling and Deborah A. Hill, Editors. (Littleton, MA: John Wright, PSG, Inc., 1983.)

When Bonding Fails: Clinical Assessment of High‐Risk Families. Frank G. Bolton, Jr. (Beverly Hills, CA: Sage Library of Social Research, 1983.)

Psychotherapy of Schizophrenia: The Treatment of Choice. Bertram P. Karon and Gary R. VandenBos. (New York: Jason Aronson, 1981.) and The Regressed Patient. L. Bryce Boyer. (New York: Jason Aronson, 1983.)     

REVIEW ARTICLES

Book review in this Articles:
Negotiating Family Responsibilities By JANET FINCH & JENNIFER MASON
Ageing and Economic Welfare By PAUL JOHNSON & JANE FALKINGHAM
Time for Retirement: Comparative Studies of Early Exit from the Labour Force By MARTIN KOHLI, MARTIN REIN, ANNE-MARIE GUILLEMARD & HERMAN VAN GUNSTEREN (eds.)
Empowering the Elderly: Direct Consumer Funding of Care Services By WILLIAM LAING
Private Residential Care: the Admission Process and Reactions of the Public Sector By JUDITH PHILLIPS
The Abuse of Elderly People: a Handbook for Professionals By JACKI PRITCHARD
Carers: Research and Practice By JULIA TWIGG (ed.)
The Coming of Age in Europe SALLY GREENGROSS and others
When I'm Sixty-Four By SALLY HERNE
Social Policy in Europe: Latest Evolution and Perspectives for the Future By B. GREVE (ed.)
Poverty and the Adequacy of Social Security in the EC: A Comparative Analysis By H. DELEECK, K. VAN DEN BOSCH & L. DE LATHOUWER     

REVIEWS

Book reviewed in this aticle:
Images of Welfare By PETER GOLDING AND SUE MIDDLETON.
Professional Power and Social Welfare By PAUL WILDING.
The Strategy of Equality: Redistribution and the Social Services By JULIAN LE GRAND.
The Inspector General: Sir Jeremiah Fitzpatrick and Social Reform 1783–1802 By OLIVER MACDONAGH.
The Home Office 1848–1914: From Clerks to Bureaucrats By JILL PELLEW.
Victorian Values: Secularism and the Size of Families By J. A. BANKS.
Children, School and Society in Nineteenth Century England By ANNE DIGBY AND PETER SEARBY (eds)
English Education, Social Change and War, 1911–20 By GEOFFREY SHERINGTON.
The Administrative "Revolution" in Whitehall By G. K. FRY.
Quangos in Britain: Government and the Networks of Public Policy Making By ANTHONY BARKER (ed.)
Social Welfare Law By DAVID PEARL AND KEVIN GRAY.
The Abuse of Power: Civil Liberties in the United Kingdom By PATRICIA HEWITT.
Disability: Legislation and Practice By DUNCAN GUTHRIE (ed.)
Current Trends in British Gerontology By REX TAYLOR AND ANNE GILMORE.
Retirement Policy: The Next 50 Years By MICHAEL FOGARTY (ed.)
The Inner City in Context By PETER HALL (ed.)
The Uses of Social Research: Social Investigation in Public Policy Making By MARTIN BULMER.
Sociology and Social Research By GEOFF PAYNE et al.
Economic Efficiency and Social Welfare By E. J. MISHAN.
Values in Social Policy: Nine Contradictions By JEAN HARDY.     

Child maltreatment in Disney animated feature films: 1937–2006

The 45 fully animated, theatrical release feature films produced by Disney between 1937 and 2006 were analyzed for child maltreatment content. All child and adolescent characters were counted and coded for age, role type and incidents of child maltreatment, following US National Incidence Study of Child Abuse and Neglect (NIS) criteria. A total of 561 incidents of child maltreatment were identified among the 1369 child characters in the films. A total of 26 of the 42 (62%) main child characters were maltreated at least once. Findings are discussed in the context of previous research. Implications of the findings for understanding potential effects on film viewers’ understandings of issues around child maltreatment are outlined.     

Intensive family preservation services: an examination of critical service components

A treatment programme for child victims of sexual abuse within the family has been evaluated in terms of psychological and behavioural outcomes for the young people two years after beginning therapy. The Canadian programme was based on principles established by Giarretto in his Child Sexual Abuse Treatment Program (CSATP). Screening by child protection workers selected potential candidates. However, because of limited resources, referral of less than half of the originally screened families was made, even though they were judged suitable for participation. This made available an untreated comparison group ( n  = 30), similar in many ways to the treated families ( n  = 27). After two years the treated adolescents had largely recovered levels of self-esteem obtained in normative samples, and depressive affect had diminished markedly, as had problem behaviours. By contrast, the untreated adolescents had retained low levels of self-esteem, and high levels of depression. Negative behaviours (delinquency, running away from home, acts of deliberate self-harm) had deteriorated after two years. This was linked both to further within-family abuse (in a fifth), followed by a drift in some into street life. Despite its apparent success, the CSATP could not be continued because of lack of funding, and problems in maintaining a community development model for supporting a humanistic programme.     

Children and safety in Australian policy: Implications for organisations and practitioners

Child safety is now a national policy priority in Australia. Extensive enquiries and reviews have escalated legislative and policy responses focused on developing, maintaining and monitoring “child safe” organisations. The recommendations of the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse point to the importance of cultural conditions within organisations in supporting child safety and the need for responsive change in some organisations. Drawing on a recent policy analysis, undertaken as part of a larger Australian Research Council Discovery Project, this article examines how children and safety are constructed, within and across relevant state and federal government policies in Australia, and the implications of this. Distinctions are drawn between conceptualisations of children within the broader education policy context and two specific policy contexts in which children are considered particularly vulnerable to abuse – out‐of‐home care and disability. The findings indicate that policy discourses of “child safe” potentially foster different emphases and approaches in organisations. These have implications for the way children are positioned in relation to their safety, how their rights are recognised and implemented, and what is required to foster cultural conditions within organisations to best support children’s safety and wellbeing.     

Child Abuse and Family Stress

Child abuse is one example of violence in the family. This paper reviews sources of stress on the family, and especially considers infants as specific sources of stress within the family system. The problems of unrealistic expectations, use of physical punishment for child training and discipline, and the escalation from punishment to abuse are explored. Abuse cases are currently managed through mandatory reporting, official investigation, and disposition by authoritative bodies. This system of management appears both inadequate and inappropriate. Effective prevention programs are needed. This paper reviews current prevention efforts using three criteria of assessment. The mass media are presented as an important untapped resource for prevention efforts. Attractive media programs can address parents' feelings as well as provide information and advice.     

The internalising and externalising problems of adolescents in Croatia: Socio‐demographic and family victimisation factors

This study assessed Croatian adolescents' problems in relation to socio‐demographic characteristics and experienced family violence in early and late adolescence. A national representative sample of 1,780 Croatian students (45.3% males) in two age groups representing early (M = 13.20; SD = 0.42) and late adolescence (M = 18.14; SD = 0.38) participated. The questionnaire included the Youth Self‐Report, modified version of ISPCAN Child Abuse Screening Tool – Children's Version, and socio‐demographic data. Results show that internalising problems were more present in female adolescents, in adolescents who perceived family financial hardship and in those whose biological parents did not live together. More externalising problems were reported in late adolescence by students who were living in large cities and whose families had either low, or above‐average, financial status. Adolescents who have experienced family violence were at higher risk of developing internalising and/or externalising problems.     

SHORT REVIEWS

The Administrative Process in Britain By R.G.S. BROWN & D. R. STEEL
Education and Equality By DAVID RUBINSTEIN (ED).
Provision for the Disabled By EDA TOPLISS.
Able to Work By BERNADETTE FALLON.
Caring for the Mentally Handicapped Child By DAVID WILKIN.
An Ageing Population By VIDA CARVER and PENNY LIDDIARD.     

REVIEWS

Book reviewed in this aticle: Social Welfare: Why and How? By NOEL TIMMS (ED.) The Year Book of Social Policy in Britain, 1979 By MURIEL BROWN & SALLY BALDWIN (EDS) The Irish Social Services By JOHN CURRY. Rational Techniques in Policy Analysis By MICHAEL CARLEY. Social Research and Royal Commissions By MARTIN BULMER (ed.) Can Social Work Survive? By COLIN BREWER & JUNE LAIT. The Future of the Prison System By ROY D. KING & ROD MORGAN. Class Inequality and Health Care: the Origins and Impact of The National Health Service By VIVIENNE WALTERS. Principles in Economic Appraisal in Health Care By M.F. DRUMMOND. Choices for Health Care By G.H. MOONEY, E.M. RUSSELL & R.D. WEIR. Health Care Priorities and Management By GWYN BEVAN et al. How many patients? A study of list size in general practice By J.R. BUTLER. Teamwork for Preventive Care By NIGEL BRUCE. Child Support in the European Community By JONATHON BRADSHAW & DAVID PIACHAUD. Education and the Social Condition By HAROLD SILVER. The Reorganisation of Seconary Education By PHILIP H. JAMES. Compensation for Incapacity: a Study of Law and Social Change in New Zealand and Australia By GEOFFREY PALMER.     

Professionals’ decision‐making in cases of physical punishment reported to child welfare authorities: does family poverty matter?

The influence of family poverty on professionals’ decision‐making in cases of physical punishment reported to child welfare agencies was examined. The sample was drawn from the Canadian Incidence Study of Reported Child Abuse and Neglect. The influence of five indicators of poverty on six investigation outcomes was assessed. In addition, a Poverty Index was constructed from these five variables to assess whether the family's overall poverty status influenced investigation outcomes. The outcome variables examined were case substantiation, provision of ongoing child welfare services, referrals to child and family support programmes, out‐of‐home placement, applications to child welfare court and police involvement. Together, the poverty indicators did not account for more than 6% of the explained variation in any of the outcome variables, nor did the magnitude of the Poverty Index affect the likelihood of any of the investigation outcomes. These findings suggest that family poverty does not influence professionals’ decision‐making in cases of physical punishment reported to child welfare agencies in Canada. The findings have implications for the ongoing development of policy aimed at reducing parental use of physical punishment.