Towards Prevention - a Population Health Approach to Child Abuse and Neglect

Towards Prevention - a Population Health Approach to Child Abuse and Neglect

Author: Melissa O'Donnell

Publisher:

Published: 2009

Total Pages: 207

ISBN-13:

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[Truncated abstract] The primary aims of this thesis were to investigate health indicators of child maltreatment, as well as pathways into the child protection system using routinely collected government databases, enabling a preventative health approach to child abuse and neglect. This thesis aims to improve understanding of the trends in child maltreatment and the factors, at the child and family level, which increase or reduce vulnerability to child maltreatment so more effective prevention policies and practices can be developed. This project uses longitudinal de-identified population data from the Western Australian Government Departments of Child Protection, Health and Disability Services. These data contained information on demographic, clinical, social and child protection outcomes of children and their families. Record linkage of administrative data was undertaken to: investigate health indicators of abuse and neglect using Hospital Morbidity data to enable the monitoring of population trends in abuse and neglect; compare proportion of cases obtained using health indicators with the Department of Child Protection data, and describe the physical, psychological and social characteristics of abused and/or neglected children and families. Statistical techniques utilised include logistic and Cox regression to investigate risk of adverse child outcomes, taking into account potential confounding and time to event. The main findings include: There has been an increase in assault and maltreatment related hospital admissions over the last 25 years. ... There has been a marked increase in the birth prevalence of Neonatal Withdrawal Syndrome (NWS) in Western Australia over the last 25 years, from 1 per 10,000 live births in 1980, to 31 per 10,000 live births in 2005. Specific maternal characteristics associated with having a child with NWS are identified and these children have an increased risk of child protection involvement. A population level analysis of child and parental factors determined the estimated increase in risk of substantiated child maltreatment for child intellectual disability, parental admissions for mental health, substance use, and assault, as well as greater socio-economic disadvantage. Conclusions This is the first body of research which has extensively used longitudinal, population level linked health and child protection data to investigate health indicators of child abuse and neglect and antecedent causal pathways. Monitoring injuries and conditions associated with child abuse and neglect in routinely collected data and using multiple sources of ascertainment are important initiatives in child maltreatment surveillance. Health indicators of child abuse and neglect are not subject to the same definitional and policy issues as child protection data and therefore provide a more valid comparison over time and between jurisdictions. The identification of factors which increase vulnerability for children and families to child maltreatment is essential in the implementation of prevention strategies including universal public health approaches as well as the identification of at-risk families for targeted intervention.


Re-Visioning Public Health Approaches for Protecting Children

Re-Visioning Public Health Approaches for Protecting Children

Author: Bob Lonne

Publisher: Springer

Published: 2019-04-26

Total Pages: 517

ISBN-13: 3030058581

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This volume provides readers around the globe with a focused and comprehensive examination of how to prevent and respond to child maltreatment using evidence-informed public health approaches and programs that meet the needs of vulnerable children, and struggling families and communities. It outlines the system failures of contemporary forensically-driven child protection practice. Detailed guidance is provided about how to re-think earlier intervention strategies, and establish stronger and more effective programs and services that prevent maltreatment at the population level. Service user and stakeholder perspectives, particularly from marginalized groups including Indigenous peoples, highlight how public health approaches can better support families and keep children safe. Case studies from different countries grapple with the fraught nature of large system change and the various strategies needed to effect multi-level reforms. Presenting the reader with an array of innovative services used in different institutional and community context, this volume confronts the complex challenges found in implementing successful prevention programs that are aligned with diverse cultural and political environments and community expectations.


New Directions in Child Abuse and Neglect Research

New Directions in Child Abuse and Neglect Research

Author: National Research Council

Publisher: National Academies Press

Published: 2014-03-25

Total Pages: 376

ISBN-13: 0309285151

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Each year, child protective services receive reports of child abuse and neglect involving six million children, and many more go unreported. The long-term human and fiscal consequences of child abuse and neglect are not relegated to the victims themselves-they also impact their families, future relationships, and society. In 1993, the National Research Council (NRC) issued the report, Under-standing Child Abuse and Neglect, which provided an overview of the research on child abuse and neglect. New Directions in Child Abuse and Neglect Research updates the 1993 report and provides new recommendations to respond to this public health challenge. According to this report, while there has been great progress in child abuse and neglect research, a coordinated, national research infrastructure with high-level federal support needs to be established and implemented immediately. New Directions in Child Abuse and Neglect Research recommends an actionable framework to guide and support future child abuse and neglect research. This report calls for a comprehensive, multidisciplinary approach to child abuse and neglect research that examines factors related to both children and adults across physical, mental, and behavioral health domains-including those in child welfare, economic support, criminal justice, education, and health care systems-and assesses the needs of a variety of subpopulations. It should also clarify the causal pathways related to child abuse and neglect and, more importantly, assess efforts to interrupt these pathways. New Directions in Child Abuse and Neglect Research identifies four areas to look to in developing a coordinated research enterprise: a national strategic plan, a national surveillance system, a new generation of researchers, and changes in the federal and state programmatic and policy response.


Preventing Child Maltreatment

Preventing Child Maltreatment

Author: Kenneth A. Dodge

Publisher: Guilford Press

Published: 2009-06-18

Total Pages: 219

ISBN-13: 1606233890

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Many child abuse prevention programs have targeted factors within the family, such as parenting skills. This book describes the next wave of prevention: the promotion of safer, healthier childrearing environments in entire communities. The contributors are leading authorities who illuminate how contextual factors—including poverty, chaotic neighborhoods, and lack of social supports—combine with family factors to place children at risk for maltreatment. They present a range of exemplary programs designed to strengthen communities while also helping individual parents to meet their children's needs. Real-world evaluation approaches, quality-control strategies, and policy implications are discussed in depth.


The "state of the Art" in Child Abuse Prevention, 1997

The

Author: Andy Wachtel

Publisher: Environment Canada

Published: 1999

Total Pages: 56

ISBN-13:

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This report provides an overview of the child abuse and neglect prevention agenda and an outline of how it was developed. It was created in the process of a larger and more ambitious project. A report on that larger project, entitled Current directions in child abuse and neglect prevention and intervention, is available ... from United Way Research Services, Vancouver.


New Directions in Child Abuse and Neglect Research

New Directions in Child Abuse and Neglect Research

Author: National Research Council

Publisher: National Academies Press

Published: 2014-04-25

Total Pages: 376

ISBN-13: 0309285127

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Each year, child protective services receive reports of child abuse and neglect involving six million children, and many more go unreported. The long-term human and fiscal consequences of child abuse and neglect are not relegated to the victims themselves-they also impact their families, future relationships, and society. In 1993, the National Research Council (NRC) issued the report, Under-standing Child Abuse and Neglect, which provided an overview of the research on child abuse and neglect. New Directions in Child Abuse and Neglect Research updates the 1993 report and provides new recommendations to respond to this public health challenge. According to this report, while there has been great progress in child abuse and neglect research, a coordinated, national research infrastructure with high-level federal support needs to be established and implemented immediately. New Directions in Child Abuse and Neglect Research recommends an actionable framework to guide and support future child abuse and neglect research. This report calls for a comprehensive, multidisciplinary approach to child abuse and neglect research that examines factors related to both children and adults across physical, mental, and behavioral health domains-including those in child welfare, economic support, criminal justice, education, and health care systems-and assesses the needs of a variety of subpopulations. It should also clarify the causal pathways related to child abuse and neglect and, more importantly, assess efforts to interrupt these pathways. New Directions in Child Abuse and Neglect Research identifies four areas to look to in developing a coordinated research enterprise: a national strategic plan, a national surveillance system, a new generation of researchers, and changes in the federal and state programmatic and policy response.


Confronting Chronic Neglect

Confronting Chronic Neglect

Author: Institute of Medicine

Publisher: National Academies Press

Published: 2002-05-04

Total Pages: 369

ISBN-13: 0309074312

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As many as 20 to 25 percent of American adultsâ€"or one in every four peopleâ€"have been victimized by, witnesses of, or perpetrators of family violence in their lifetimes. Family violence affects more people than cancer, yet it's an issue that receives far less attention. Surprisingly, many assume that health professionals are deliberately turning a blind eye to this traumatic social problem. The fact is, very little is being done to educate health professionals about family violence. Health professionals are often the first to encounter victims of abuse and neglect, and therefore they play a critical role in ensuring that victimsâ€"as well as perpetratorsâ€"get the help they need. Yet, despite their critical role, studies continue to describe a lack of education for health professionals about how to identify and treat family violence. And those that have been trained often say that, despite their education, they feel ill-equipped or lack support from by their employers to deal with a family violence victim, sometimes resulting in a failure to screen for abuse during a clinical encounter. Equally problematic, the few curricula in existence often lack systematic and rigorous evaluation. This makes it difficult to say whether or not the existing curricula even works. Confronting Chronic Neglect offers recommendations, such as creating education and research centers, that would help raise awareness of the problem on all levels. In addition, it recommends ways to involve health care professionals in taking some responsibility for responding to this difficult and devastating issue. Perhaps even more importantly, Confronting Chronic Neglect encourages society as a whole to share responsibility. Health professionals alone cannot solve this complex problem. Responding to victims of family violence and ultimately preventing its occurrence is a societal responsibility


Re-visioning Public Health Approaches for Protecting Children

Re-visioning Public Health Approaches for Protecting Children

Author: Bob Lonne

Publisher:

Published: 2019

Total Pages: 504

ISBN-13: 9783030058593

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This volume provides readers around the globe with a focused and comprehensive examination of how to prevent and respond to child maltreatment using evidence-informed public health approaches and programs that meet the needs of vulnerable children, and struggling families and communities. It outlines the system failures of contemporary forensically-driven child protection practice. Detailed guidance is provided about how to re-think earlier intervention strategies, and establish stronger and more effective programs and services that prevent maltreatment at the population level. Service user and stakeholder perspectives, particularly from marginalized groups including Indigenous peoples, highlight how public health approaches can better support families and keep children safe. Case studies from different countries grapple with the fraught nature of large system change and the various strategies needed to effect multi-level reforms. Presenting the reader with an array of innovative services used in different institutional and community context, this volume confronts the complex challenges found in implementing successful prevention programs that are aligned with diverse cultural and political environments and community expectations.