Joining up children's services: safeguarding children in multi‐disciplinary teams

In this article we reflect on the complexity and the contested nature of the roles of multi‐disciplinary teams working with children. This is an increasingly important issue in the current UK child welfare policy environment. The article uses the theories of Etienne Wenger to understand data gathered from five multi‐disciplinary teams working with children. We explore key issues relating to location; information sharing; models of understanding; and professional identities. We hope to demonstrate that the teams addressed tensions creatively through their engagement with diversity while at the same time developing common team values. We argue that effective strategies for making multi‐disciplinary teams work will combine inter‐agency issues with internal team‐specific aspects. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Working systemically following abuse: exploring safe uncertainty

This paper explores systemic practice and ‘safe uncertainty’ in work with parents who do not accept responsibility following child abuse. The prevailing view has been that little positive work can be carried out with families where responsibility is denied. Our work is offered to add to the small yet growing number of publications which challenge the dominant discourse relating to child protection work. A case study is illustrated within which the issue of assessment versus therapy emerges. The Legal Department of the Local Authority Social Services requested an assessment from child and family psychiatry. Concern developed regarding the point at which assessment ended and therapy began. The authors offer a systemic model in exploring the importance of a safe multi‐disciplinary framework within which uncertainty can be tolerated and therapy/change work can be affected. A framework within which parents can be supported in developing skills to meet the needs of children is presented. These issues are central to the professional and legal systems relating to child protection in the UK. Copyright © 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

UK Paramedics Confidence in Identifying Child Sexual Abuse: A Mixed-Methods Investigation

United Kingdom (UK) paramedics are in a prime position to identify children and young people who are victims or at risk of sexual abuse. Paramedics have access, by phone, or in person, to unprepared homes and communities which other health professionals such as social workers may not. Little research exists however, investigating UK paramedic confidence in identifying child sexual abuse. This mixed-method explanatory sequential investigation used the self-reported confidence levels of 276 UK paramedics to inform the design of seven semi-structured focus groups with 25 UK paramedics from a large ambulance service with operating models similar to all UK services. Multiple factors contribute to a lack of confidence in identifying child sexual abuse, child sexual exploitation, and female genital mutilation, including a perceived lack of exposure to sexual abuse, the perceived hidden nature of sexual abuse, and the lack of physical symptoms and examination. An overarching lack of knowledge is the most significant contributor to a lack of confidence which in turn perpetuates misinformation surrounding prevalence, location, and the signs and symptoms of sexual abuse. These findings suggest a lack of sufficient training and a need for further research evaluating the content of current training and its method of delivery.     

Korean American Pastors' Perceptions and Attitudes Toward Child Abuse

Abstract

More than 80 percent of Korean immigrants in the United States attend church on a regular basis. Churches, as informal community organizations, can play a very significant role in protecting children from abuse. This study examines Korean American clerics' knowledge of child abuse, their definition of child abuse, and their familiarity with mandatory child-abuse reporting laws. The study also examines how culture, demographic variables, and individual theological orientation affect their attitudes toward child abuse, mandated child abuse reporting by clergy, and preference of intervention strategies. Major findings include that more than 50 percent of respondents have seen child abuse and neglect among their church members, but the majority who have witnessed child abuse prefer to provide pastoral counseling to the family instead of reporting the case to a child protective agency.     

Parental Discipline and Abuse Potential Affects on Child Depression,Anxiety, and Attributions

The current study investigated differences in children's emotional functioning as a product of their parents' reported disciplinary practices and child abuse potential. Families with no known history of abuse were recruited to ascertain whether depressogenic attributional style and depressive or anxious symptomatology was evident in children of parents who used harsher physical punishment and who had higher abuse potential. Forty‐two New Zealand children ages 8–12 participated with their parents. Child‐report measures of depression, anxiety, and attributional style were compared with parents' responses on physical discipline scenarios and child abuse potential. Children's anxiety symptoms were higher in those children whose parents obtained higher abuse potential scores and had harsher discipline practices. Children's depressive symptoms and some components of maladaptive attributional style were also found in families with higher abuse potential. Results suggest emotional difficulties similar to those of maltreated children even without identifiable abuse.     

Treating Serious Emotional and Behavioural Problems Using Multisystemic Therapy

Multisystemic therapy (MST) is a family‐ and community‐based treatment of serious emotional and behavioural problems presented by adolescents. The development of this model began in the late 1970s, and today MST is a leading evidence‐based treatment of serious antisocial behaviour in youths, with programs transported to more than 30 states in the United States and 12 nations, including Australia and New Zealand. This article rerviews the theoretical rationale that underlies MST and presents the central clinical features of the intervention model. In addition, the training and quality assurance protocols used to promote MST program fidelity and treatment adherence are described. Finally, findings from approximately 15 published randomised and two quasi‐experimental clinical trials with youths presenting serious clinical problems (e.g., violence, substance abuse, serious emotional disturbance, sexual offending, and chronic illness) are summarised.     

Child abuse and neglect: Perspectives on a national emergency

Hundreds of thousands of children are being abused and neglected in the United States annually. The structures devised to respond to this abuse and neglect have been unsuccessful. The United States government continues to spend billions of dollars on programs to deal with the effects of these unsuccessful responses. Child abuse and neglect in the United States now represent a national emergency. In this article, we will provide a historical, cultural, and contemporary perspective on child abuse and neglect. This perspective throws light on the complexity of the national emergency and provides a context for further exploration of the issue.     

Recommendations from child fatality review teams: results of a US nationwide exploratory study concerning maltreatment fatalities and social service delivery

Multidisciplinary child fatality review teams (CFRT) have existed in the United States (US) for almost 30 years; the products of the review process, however, remain unexamined. This study reviewed reports from CFRT throughout the US to compile and evaluate the identification of problems and recommendations by professionals concerning child maltreatment fatalities. Team‐ and state‐level data were also used for analysis to better understand the context in which recommendations are made. Over 300 recommendations for change from CFRT were grouped into 11 macro categories. The frequency of each type of recommendation and examples from each category are provided. The authors provide recommendations of their own for improvements in CFRT outputs. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Changing structures: Necessary but not sufficient

Moves are afoot across the UK to change the mechanisms for managing local inter‐agency child protection policy and practice. This is being achieved through the development of Safeguarding Boards in England and Wales and guidance on Child Protection Committees that took effect from August 2005 in Scotland. Following our review of one Scottish Child Protection Committee (the SCPC), we are concerned that these changes focus almost exclusively on structure and pay scant attention to process and relationships. The study we undertook was an in‐depth evaluation of the functioning of the SCPC and used a range of qualitative methods. The main findings were that the size of the committee, its coverage of three local authority areas, and its patterns of working meant that some aspects of its work were highly developed and effective, such as the guidelines and multi‐agency training, while others, such as links with practice and the management of information systems, were poor. Considering these findings in the light of systems theory suggests that improving the effectiveness of child protection committees, and similar bodies, may need to be based on greater attention being paid to issues of authority, trust and negotiation among their members. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Multi‐type maltreatment and the long‐term adjustment of adults

Multi‐type maltreatment refers to the experience of more than one form of child maltreatment (sexual abuse, physical abuse, psychological maltreatment, neglect and witnessing family violence). Researchers have largely ignored the presence of other types of child abuse and neglect when examining the adjustment problems associated with a particular form of maltreatment. The association between ‘multi‐type maltreatment’ and adjustment was explored in the current study. Retrospective data were obtained on (a) the degree to which maltreatment types co‐occurred, (b) childhood family characteristics and (c) adjustment problems in adulthood in an Australian self‐selected community sample (N=175). As hypothesized, a large degree of overlap was reported in the experience of the five types of maltreatment. Family characteristics—particularly family cohesion and adaptability—discriminated between respondents reporting single‐type and multi‐type maltreatment. Greater adjustment problems were associated with reports of a larger number of different maltreatment types. Multi‐type maltreatment should be recognized as a crucial aspect of the nature and impact of child maltreatment and considered in the development of programmes for the prevention and treatment of child abuse and neglect. Copyright © 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Reviewing child deaths—learning from the American experience

Current systems for investigating child deaths in England, Wales and Northern Ireland have come under intense scrutiny in recent years and questions have been raised about the accuracy of child death investigations and resulting statistics. Research has highlighted the ways in which multidisciplinary input can contribute to investigative and review processes, a perspective which is further supported by recent UK policy developments. The experience of creating multidisciplinary child death review teams (CDRTs) in America highlights the potential benefits the introduction of a similar system might have. These benefits include improved multi‐agency working and communication, more effective identification of suspicious cases, a decrease in inadequate death certification and a broader and more in‐depth understanding of the causes of child deaths through the systematic collection and analysis of data. While a lack of funding, regional coordination and evaluation limit the impact of American CDRTs, the positive aspects of this process make it worthwhile, and timely, to consider how such a model might fit within our own context. Current policy developments such as the Home Office review of coroner services, the Children Bill and related Department for Education and Skills (DfES) work on developing screening groups demonstrate that strides have been made in respect of introducing a multidisciplinary process. Similarly, the development of local protocols for the investigation and[sol ]or review of child deaths in England, Wales and Northern Ireland highlights an increased focus on multidisciplinary processes. However, key issues from the American experience, such as the remit of CDRTs[sol ]screening panels, the need for national coordination and the importance of rigorous evaluation, can inform the development of a similar process in the UK. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

History of Childhood Abuse and Intergenerational Support to Mothers in Adulthood

The authors examined the association between maternal childhood abuse and the frequency of providing social support to mothers when the victim is an adult and investigated the mediating effects of internal working models (self‐esteem, positive relations with others) and maladaptive coping. Using data from the National Survey of Midlife Development in the United States II, they analyzed a sample of 887 adult children using a structural equation modeling approach. The results showed that maternal childhood abuse was associated with providing less frequent emotional support to mothers, although the authors did not find significant mediating effects of internal working models and maladaptive coping in the association between child abuse and intergenerational support giving. The findings suggest implications for theory, practice, and policy to address specific concerns and possible challenges that adults with a history of childhood abuse may experience in the relationship with their mothers.     

Who Gets What From Government? Distributional Consequences of Child‐Care Assistance Policies

Given the fragmented structure of child‐care assistance in the United States, it has been difficult to obtain accurate estimates of which families are assisted, through which mechanisms, and at what level. Making use of survey data from New York City, we analyze the distribution of several forms of public child‐care assistance. Results suggest that about 40% of all families with young children receive some form of child‐care assistance. Considering all forms of assistance, the distribution of child‐care help is targeted in both expected and some unexpected ways. Implications of these results are discussed in the context of U.S. child‐care policies governing access and benefit levels.     

Abusers gaining custody in family courts: A case series of over turned decisions

Abstract

This article presents findings and recommendations based on an in-depth examination of records from 27 custody cases from across the United States. The goal of this case series was to determine why family courts may place children with a parent that the child alleges abused them rather than with the nonoffending parent. We focused on “turned around cases” involving allegations of child abuse that were at first viewed as false and later judged to be valid. The average time a child spent in the court ordered custody of an abusive parent was 3.2?years. In all cases we uncovered the father was the abusive parent and the mother sought to protect their child. Results revealed that initially courts were highly suspicious of mothers' motives for being concerned with abuse. These mothers were often treated poorly and two-thirds of the mothers were pathologized by the court for advocating for the safety of their children. Judges who initially ordered children into custody or visitation with abusive parents relied mainly on reports by custody evaluators and guardians ad litem who mistakenly accused mothers of attempting to alienate their children from the father or having coached the child to falsely report abuse. As a result, 59% of perpetrators were given sole custody and the rest were given joint custody or unsupervised visitation. After failing to be protected in the first custody determination, 88% of children reported new incidents of abuse. The abuse often became increasingly severe and the children's mental and physical health frequently deteriorated. The main reason that cases turned around was because protective parents were able to present compelling evidence of the abuse and back the evidence up with reports by mental health professionals who had specific expertise in child abuse rather than merely custody assessment.     

YOU ARE CLOSE TO YOUR RIVAL AND EVERYBODY HATES A WINNER: A STUDY OF RIVALRY IN COLLEGE FOOTBALL

We use a recent survey of college (American) football fans to study rivalry, where we find the most intense rivalries occur between in‐state teams. Relatedly, within a conference fans are more likely to target rivalrous feelings toward the winningest teams and, in Bowl Championship Series conferences, teams who have been conference members for a longer proportion of time. While the stakes are different from other settings, such as warring nations, college football teams compete for resources and often have loyal followings with strong emotional ties. Thus, examining rivalrous feeling in this setting provides insights into rivalry more generally besides being of interest in its own right as college football is a multi‐billion dollar industry. (JEL L22, L83)     

Blacks and earnings in New York State

This research seeks to explain why earnings differences among foreign‐born Jamaicans and native‐born blacks are significantly larger in New York State than they are throughout the United States. The findings indicate that the Jamaicans in New York State are less endowed in terms of earnings‐related attributes, relative to the native born, than they are nationwide. Furthermore, even though the Jamaicans in New York State definitely are more disadvantaged with respect to earnings, this is not a manifestation of more intense discrimination. In all actuality, discrimination accounts for a relatively smaller proportion of the earnings gap in the New York State case than in the national case.     

A National Survey of Child Advocacy Center Directors Regarding Knowledge of Assessment,Treatment Referral,and Training Needs in Physical and Sexual Abuse

Mental health services are a core component of child advocacy centers in the United States. Child advocacy center directors were surveyed about (a) trauma and posttraumatic stress disorder; (b) referral criteria for treatment of abuse victims; (c) evidence-based treatments for abused children; (d) reliable, valid, and normed measures helpful in assessment; and (e) training needs. Directors accurately identified posttraumatic stress disorder symptoms, but additional symptoms were misidentified. Directors identified best practices for assessment and treatment, but they misidentified non-evidence-based practices. Primary reasons for referral for services included severity of abuse and emotional response of the child. However, referrals based on assessment findings were not a high priority. Directors expressed some training needs for staff consistent with issues identified in the study.     

Framing Child Sexual Abuse: A Longitudinal Content Analysis of Newspaper and Television Coverage, 2002–2012

ABSTRACT

The way in which the news media frame child sexual abuse can influence public perception. This content analysis of the child sexual abuse coverage of eight national news organizations in the United States from 2002 to 2012 includes the two dominant events of the Catholic Church and Pennsylvania State University child sexual abuse scandals. Census and systematic stratified sampling techniques were applied to articles obtained from the Lexis/Nexis Academic database, resulting in a sample of 503 articles. Intercoder reliability was ensured by double coding a randomly selected sample. Study findings indicate a shift in the attribution of responsibility of child sexual abuse among news organizations over the past decade from an individual-level problem with individual-level solutions to a societal-level problem with institutional culpability. Nevertheless, individual-level solutions continue to be framed as the best possible solution.     

Information sharing and reporting systems in the UK and Ireland: Professional barriers to reporting child maltreatment concerns

Across the UK recent policy developments have focused on improved information sharing and inter‐agency cooperation. Professional non‐reporting of child maltreatment concerns has been consistently highlighted as a problem in a range of countries and the research literature indicates that this can happen for a variety of reasons. Characteristics such as the type of abuse and the threshold of evidence available are key factors, as are concerns that reporting will damage the professional‐client relationship. Professional discipline can also impact on willingness to report, as can personal beliefs about abuse, attitudes towards child protection services and experiences of court processes. Research examining the role of organisational factors in information sharing and reporting emphasises the importance of training and there are some positive indications that training can increase professional awareness of reporting processes and requirements and help to increase knowledge of child abuse and its symptoms. Nonetheless, this is a complex issue and the need for training to go beyond simple awareness raising is recognised. In order to tackle non‐reporting in a meaningful way, childcare professionals need access to on‐going multidisciplinary training which is specifically tailored to address the range of different factors which impact on reporting attitudes and behaviours. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.