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Abstract: Abstract The COVID-19 pandemic saw drastic and unprecedented actions by governments to mitigate the spread of the virus. Often, the restrictions limited in-person interaction and included the closure of schools. To investigate the impact of both the pandemic and resulting restrictions, the International Society of Child Indicators developed the Childrens Worlds: COVID-19 Supplement. This paper reports on the results of that survey in Wales in 2021. Seven hundred and twenty seven children from 18 schools participated from years 6 and 8. They received an anonymous survey asking about their circumstances and well-being across a range of domains, and how these have changes during the pandemic. The children had experienced significant changes in their lives with the onset of the pandemic. The majority could not attend school, were confined to their homes, and were unable to see wider family and friends in person. Almost a half of both groups felt that their relationships with family they lived with had improved, with many becoming closer to members. Over one-fifth of both groups thought their relationships with friends were affected, with younger children more likely to think they had improved. The pattern throughout the survey was that the older children were less positive in their responses. The disparity between the groups was markedly so regarding school with the secondary schoolchildren being particularly dissatisfied with the content of their learning. Whereas there was a trend for less disparity between the groups during COVID-19, the only area where the disparity increased was regarding satisfaction with school. These findings are then placed in the context of developments in education in Wales and research on the impact of COVID on Welsh schools and schoolchildren. As in other countries, the pandemic would appear to have exacerbated existing educational inequalities. PubDate: 2023-03-20
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Abstract: Abstract Parental substance use can harm and increase risk to children. Accurate reporting and monitoring by addiction staff is essential to support and protect families and children. The caseloads of 8 nurses and 12 social care workers (736 service users) were reviewed for offspring related information. 62.8% of service users were parents, 38.3% of those being parents of children aged 16 years and under. Data were available on 913 offspring, 475 (52%) aged 16 or under. 32% of the total offspring sample, and of the 16 and under sample, lived with a family member who was not the parent receiving treatment and had no social work involvement. Seven offspring (0.8%) were deceased—a two-fold increase in mortality rate compared to the general population, highlighting the increased risk of harm experienced by the offspring of this group of parents. In the records of 53 parents (11.5%; 68 children), there was a discrepancy between the electronic records and staff knowledge about children aged 16 and under. Of these 68 children, 56 (11.8%) were recorded on the electronic system but not reported by the care manager, and 12 (2.5%) were only reported by the care manager but were not recorded on the electronic system. Worryingly, there might also be children who are neither on electronic systems nor known to staff. Due to these discrepancies in recording and the increased risks to these children, we recommend that addiction staff routinely asks service users if they are parents and who provides care for their children. PubDate: 2023-03-07
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Abstract: This paper presents findings from a pilot study focused on examining intergenerational violence in a three-generation sample, which included young children, in a rural area of South Africa. The aims of the pilot study were to investigate the feasibility of participant recruitment, consent, and interviewing; length and burden of the study questionnaires; appropriateness and acceptability of the measures used; and young children’s (age 4–7) ability to comprehend the measures and participate meaningfully in interviews asking about violence. Data were collected for 4 months with three groups of participants, often within families (young adults, their children, and the young adults’ former caregivers), using cognitive interviews, quantitative questionnaires, and qualitative in-depth interviews. All groups participated in arts-based methods and child interviews included visual and tactile aids. Pilot study findings demonstrated feasible recruitment within families for a three-generation study using comprehensive consent protocols and mandatory reporting information. Adults and young children were able to participate in the extensive interviews (2–3 h and 1 h, respectively) without significant burden. The employed measures were appropriate and acceptable to the setting, though minor revisions were made to improve comprehension of certain items. Young children were able to engage and participate meaningfully in the research, though they were not able to answer abstract reasoning items in cognitive interviews and children who were less developmentally advanced required more play- and arts-based accommodations to support their participation. Future research around sensitive topics, such as violence, appears feasible within families and including young children as participants even in resource-poor settings. PubDate: 2023-03-07
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Abstract: Abstract Abuse and interpersonal violence threaten participant safety and trust in sport. Many political and project activities have sought to promote safeguarding policies within national sporting structures. Despite this, implementation of safe sport policy measures has been lacklustre, and policy guidance is often disparate and sometimes contradictory. Against this background, the Council of Europe initiated the development of a safeguarding in sport self-assessment tool to assist national sport authorities in this crucial area. This tool addresses some of the gaps within safe sport policy guidance by summarising current good practices and offering policy guidance and legitimation. In the following Innovations article, we present our work developing the safeguarding self-assessment tool for national sport organisations in collaboration with the Council of Europe. PubDate: 2023-03-01
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Abstract: Abstract Increasing partner cooperation is an established approach to reducing intimate partner violence. This strategy, known in the literature as “gender transformation,” benefits mental and physical health of women and men. Less is known about the potential for gender transformation strategies to improve the nurturing context for children. We hypothesize that increasing partner cooperation, a common benefit of community-based empowerment programs, would decrease child maltreatment through reducing intimate partner conflict and improving maternal mental health. This study utilizes cohort data from women (n = 400) participating in a combined group-based microfinance program to assess potential mechanisms by which partner cooperation at T1 (June 2018) predicts less children maltreatment at T2 (June 2019). As hypothesized, partner cooperation predicts less subsequent child maltreatment—frequency of neglect, corporal punishment, physical assault, and psychological abuse in the past month. This association is mediated completely by subsequent more partner cooperation and less intimate partner conflict, maternal loneliness, and depression. Implications of this study include potential for combining multiple development areas—women’s empowerment, intimate partner cooperation, mental health, and child nurturing contexts. Future study should assess these pathways in a cluster-based randomized trial, and explore how findings may inform policy and practice where these domains are less integrated. PubDate: 2023-03-01
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Abstract: Abstract Child maltreatment has detrimental social and health effects for individuals, families and communities. The ERICA project is a pan-European training programme that equips non-specialist threshold practitioners with knowledge and skills to prevent and detect child maltreatment. This paper describes and presents the findings of a rapid review of good practice examples across seven participating countries including local services, programmes and risk assessment tools used in the detection and prevention of child maltreatment in the family. Learning was applied to the development of the generic training project. A template for mapping the good practice examples was collaboratively developed by the seven participating partner countries. A descriptive data analysis was undertaken organised by an a priori analysis framework. Examples were organised into three areas: programmes tackling child abuse and neglect, local practices in assessment and referral, risk assessment tools. Key findings were identified using a thematic approach. Seventy-two good practice examples were identified and categorised according to area, subcategory and number. A typology was developed as follows: legislative frameworks, child health promotion programmes, national guidance on child maltreatment, local practice guidance, risk assessment tools, local support services, early intervention programmes, telephone or internet-based support services, COVID-19 related good practices. Improved integration of guidance into practice and professional training in child development were highlighted as overarching needs. The impact of COVID-19 on safeguarding issues was apparent. The ERICA training programme formally responded to the learning identified in this international good practice review. PubDate: 2023-03-01
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Abstract: Abstract The maltreatment of children has negative outcomes for their academic and social-emotional development. Child maltreatment is a global issue that affects millions of children every day. However, many of these cases go unreported and researchers have found that school personnel lack the training, knowledge, and skills to address maltreatment. The purpose of this paper is to provide a consultation framework for how school personnel can work collaboratively to identify, report, and prevent maltreatment. PubDate: 2023-02-21
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Abstract: Abstract The striking prevalence of child exposure to intimate partner violence (IPV) and its associated adverse health outcomes necessitates a robust response from professionals who must grapple with the ethical dilemma of how to serve and support children in these circumstances. In 2020, 42 participants from four different professional backgrounds (attorneys, nonprofit leadership, licensed therapists, and social workers) were interviewed or participated in a focus group discussion. All groups acknowledged the shortfalls of current intervention practices, which often result in child removal. Group 1, which included social workers that work for children’s legal services, minor’s counsel, and Los Angeles Department of Child and Family Services social workers, were more conflicted in their recommendations for change. Some Group 1 participants recommended more training, while others thought more training would make little difference and recommended more substantial changes to prevent child removal when possible. Group 2, which included parents’ counsel, and Group 3, which included social workers, attorneys, and nonprofit leadership at IPV nonprofits, were more closely aligned in their recommendations, primarily focusing on systemic changes to the child welfare system. Participants whose employment required them to advocate for parents tend to view child removal from a non-offending parent as harmful for both the child and IPV survivor. These findings illuminate how the perspectives of these diverse participants are influenced by their professional and personal experiences. PubDate: 2023-02-09
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Abstract: Abstract In this study, we look at the decision to provide services following a child protection investigation in Norway. More specifically, we want to look at variability at the case level and at the agency level in order to identify factors that may impact a decision to provide services. The study was designed as a cross-sectional archive study that was carried out retrospectively. Included predictors for service provision were presence of abuse, and risk factors related to child, parental and family function. Agency predictors were referral rate and metropolitan location. Variation in service provision was sectioned into case level (N = 883) variation and agency level (N = 16) variation. Five nested multilevel models were estimated. Service provision for families following a child protection investigation was on average 38.4% in the sample. Among the 16 agencies, it varied between 21.9 and 60.0%. This variation is mostly explained by case variables. The strongest were physical abuse (OR = 1.37) and neglect (OR = 1.18). There is evidence for agency differences with respect to the types of cases being referred. Differences in agency thresholds for service provision when controlling for the referral reason seem to be quite small. PubDate: 2023-02-09
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Abstract: Abstract Child maltreatment has been linked to short- and long-term negative consequences for various aspects of development. Maltreated children experience multiple difficulties in cognitive, emotional, motoric, sensory, linguistic, and social domains. These multiple domains entail an interprofessional team whose individual expertise can best ensure comprehensive trauma-responsive assessment, intervention planning, and a developmental point of view. Comprehensive and multidisciplinary early treatment that considers development and trauma may promote recovery from child maltreatment. However, most existing child services usually provide developmental or trauma-informed treatment. This commentary aims to present and describe a novel interdisciplinary work model of the Haruv Mental Health Clinic, which addresses all aspects of development and trauma. A case study is presented to demonstrate work processes according to the interdisciplinary model, integrating trauma-informed and developmental perspectives, and stresses its importance. It also emphasizes the need to overcome the separation between mental health and developmental services to better address the multiple and complex needs of children who suffered abuse and neglect. PubDate: 2023-01-31
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Abstract: Abstract Child abuse and neglect (CAN) causes significant harm to Australian children, resulting in significant health and social impacts. Paramedics frequently encounter patients experiencing CAN, though they often report little education and training. Little is known about their capacity to detect CAN or their willingness to report suspected cases. This study aims to explore the understanding of Australian paramedics of key legislation and organisational policies. A novel, 23-item exam-style questionnaire and 10 short vignettes depicting CAN were presented to a sample of Australian paramedics working in the state of Victoria. Analysis of item-level responses and associations with gender, location of work, and skillset was undertaken. Participants provided the correct response for knowledge items 62.7% of the time (range per item: 23.0–73.3%). Participants responded “unsure” for items between 3.2 and 24.9% of the time (average 11.0%). Participants correctly identified that each vignette contained a depiction of CAN between 51.8 and 94.3% of instances. Participants were least knowledgeable or willing to report CAN when depicted as emotional abuse or domestic and family violence. Australian paramedics appear reasonably well educated and informed with respect to CAN; however, they also appear to be less able to recognise emotional abuse and children exposed to domestic and family violence than other types of CAN, which may require targeted intervention. It is possible that paramedics may not be detecting and reporting CAN based on risk to the child and may be attempting to determine the validity of disclosures or have a too high threshold for indicative signs of CAN. Future research should focus on determining the most effective strategies and interventions to increase detection and willingness to report. PubDate: 2023-01-30
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Abstract: Abstract The lengthy time of school closure was one defining factor in understanding child well-being during the pandemic in a context where school as a relational space holds great importance for children, particularly those from a low socioeconomic background. Considering this significant aspect of lengthy school closure during the pandemic in Turkey, this article explores children’s experiences concerning their day-to-day access to education, digital inequalities, housing conditions, and changing context of relations with peers and teachers. The article also explores the meaning that children attribute to school as a relational space where they shape their intergenerational and generational relations. The absence of the school in children’s lives for almost 2 years has been a major source of longing for such significant childhood space. Following our earlier work on the children’s negotiation of well-being within the boundaries of the relational spaces of home and school, this article looks into how children negotiate their well-being in a pandemic environment where school as a relational space has changed its meaning and where children’s caretakers’ (teachers, parents, and other) vulnerabilities have also increased. The analysis draws on the qualitative fieldwork carried out with 50 children during the summer of 2020 in Turkey. We aim to reflect on the experiences from children’s perspectives within the boundaries of the constraints that the pandemic has generated. This article also discusses how COVID-19 has widened the gap and increased vulnerabilities among the already disadvantaged groups and gender in terms of available resources and their allocation as it is reflected in time use that portrays the meaning that children attribute to their own experience during the pandemic. PubDate: 2023-01-27
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Abstract: Abstract The COVID-19 pandemic represented not only a health crisis, but a social crisis for children, one that has disrupted notions of what a good childhood is. However, the longer-term implications of the pandemic are still to be seen, for children, their families and communities. This article is concerned with what these ongoing changes may be, based on a qualitative multi-stage study that asks children about their experiences of well-being before the pandemic, during lockdowns and post-COVID-19 lockdowns. This included asking seven children in online semi-structured interviews about what aspects of life brought on by COVID-19 restrictions they would like to see continue post-lockdown. We outline some of our findings. We describe new rituals and ways of organising time developed by children, facilitated by the use of digital technologies. We describe these new ways of managing time as task-based rather than rule-based, with children experiencing slowness of and greater control over their time. We found that lockdowns provided a possibility for children to assert a public agency through banal acts of sociability, for example, by conforming to public health measures such as mask-wearing and hand-washing. Whilst small acts, children discussed these in terms of being moral agents (protecting the safety of others) and as part of a larger civic attitude they observed around them. Thus, their acts can be seen as expressions of larger forms of social solidarity that contributed to a sense of collective effervescence. PubDate: 2023-01-16
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Abstract: Abstract The Gary B. Melton Visiting Professorship was created to honor and celebrate the legacy of Dr. Melton and to encourage scholars and advocates to continue to build on his impressive body of interdisciplinary work on children’s rights, global approach to child health and well-being, and social frameworks of family and community. A collaboration of the Haruv Institute and the Kempe Center for the Prevention and Treatment of Child Abuse and Neglect at the University of Colorado, the Melton Lecture was designed to be interdisciplinary, with the inaugural professorship and lecture given by a pediatrician and an anthropologist. This set of award recipients encompassed Gary Melton’s concerns from the individual and family to the larger context of culture and community. In this inaugural Melton Lecture, we take as our starting point Gary Melton’s quote, “Child abuse is wrong….” On this, we all can agree. Agreement lessens in response to the second part of the quote, “…the nation’s lack of an effective response to it is also wrong….” Indeed, the field continues to grapple with long-standing issues on how to ensure an effective response to child abuse. We use this lecture to consider how to move toward an effective response without simply rearranging the deck chairs on a sinking ship. PubDate: 2023-01-13 DOI: 10.1007/s42448-023-00148-x
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Abstract: Abstract This paper aims to contribute to the theory on school-related well-being by applying a qualitative approach that focuses on children’s experiences during the Covid-19 pandemic and conceptualizes them as an epistemic opportunity to reconstruct aspects of school-related well-being from children’s perspectives. Within the framework of the multinational qualitative study Children’s Understandings of Well-being (CUWB), it conceptualizes well-being as a cultural construct and argues for including children’s voices in the process of knowledge production. By drawing on statements from online interviews with 11- to 14-year-old children from Berlin, Germany in spring 2021 during school lockdown and by using a discourse analytical approach, the paper outlines the findings on visibility as a central feature of well-being in school environments that children make relevant for experiences of agency, security, and self. Visibility in school is constructed as a medium of control that subjects their bodies to norms of the school, exposes the individual to the gaze of others, and provides security in the context of the digital sphere and its temptations. The paper argues to systematically include these reflections and assessments of new digital learning arrangements during the Covid-19 pandemic into theoretical concepts on school-related well-being. PubDate: 2023-01-12 DOI: 10.1007/s42448-022-00136-7
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Abstract: Abstract Almost a quarter of the child welfare workforce leaves their job each year, and despite clarion calls over the decades, our insights into dynamics underlying turnover remain limited. Using survey data from 276 caseworkers in a midwestern state, this analysis explores an array of personality, stress, attitudinal, and perception measures and their association with three measures of turnover intent: thinking about quitting, intending to search, and intent to leave. Findings indicate that controlling for demographic factors, burnout, and confidence in decision support from agency leadership had consistent and strong associations with all three outcomes (positive for burnout; negative for decision support). In contrast, associations between conscientiousness, open-mindedness, secondary traumatic stress, and attitudes favoring family preservation over child safety varied in their significance, orientation, and strength depending on the outcome in question. Given that the most powerful and consistent predictors of turnover intentions are potentially malleable, these findings indicate that these are two important areas for agencies to consider developing interventions. Moreover, despite the commonalities, the finding that the three outcomes examined were associated with different predictors, suggests they may be distinguishing phases of contemplation and action along a pre-turnover continuum. Future research will explore the relative predictive validity of these scales. PubDate: 2023-01-11 DOI: 10.1007/s42448-022-00139-4
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Abstract: Abstract Child sexual abuse (CSA) is a significant public health problem, impacting individuals, families and communities across the lifespan. This systematic scoping review aimed to identify practices associated with the prevention of CSA before it happens using the PRISMA method (Moher et al., 2009). Nine databases were searched for empirical literature, resulting in a sample of 47 articles addressing the prevention of child sexual abuse. A definition of CSA prevention and research questions were developed in consultation with subject matter experts to provide a conceptual guide for analysing available empirical and theoretical literature published between 2012 and 2022. Studies were excluded that reported on CSA education. Included articles were analysed to identify common elements of prevention approaches and the policy conditions enabling and constraining prevention. Three approaches were identified: (i) engaging and stopping those at risk of using sexually harmful behaviour; (ii) situational prevention in child- and youth-serving organisations; (iii) preventing the emergence of CSA by promoting healthy families and communities. The article also discusses policy settings that enable and constrain CSA prevention in Australia and identifies gaps in existing research. PubDate: 2022-12-22 DOI: 10.1007/s42448-022-00143-8
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Abstract: Abstract The effects of home visiting programs to reduce child maltreatment are generally limited and warrant improvement. The present study, therefore, examined whether the effectiveness of a home visitation program in the Netherlands can be improved by adding specific intervention components targeting important risk factors for child maltreatment, namely parental stress, parental anger, and PTSD symptoms. Using a single-case experimental design, nine mothers were assessed weekly during 36 weeks of the Dutch home visiting program VoorZorg, comparing baseline, treatment (i.e., phase with added intervention components), and follow-up. Outcome effects were examined using statistical analyses on a group level and combining statistical and visual analyses on a case level for primary outcomes: perceived stress, parental anger, and PTSD symptoms, and secondary outcomes: risk of child maltreatment and parental sense of competence. As a group, mothers showed a reduction of anger in response to the additional components. No group effects were found for other outcomes. At an individual level, three mothers showed only positive effects, four mothers showed no intervention effects, and two mothers showed mixed effects (i.e., positive on some outcomes and negative on other). Consequently, the component targeting parental anger seems promising, because it can easily be implemented, but it is important to prevent any possible detrimental effects. Effects of the component targeting stress depended on the use of relaxation exercises, and therefore this component should be expanded in such a way that it is more feasible for mothers to implement it. PubDate: 2022-12-20 DOI: 10.1007/s42448-022-00134-9
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Abstract: Abstract Empirical research suggests that physical punishment of children is ineffective and potentially harmful. However, in the USA, unlike most other Western democracies, physical punishment remains normative. This pattern is especially prominent among conservative Christians. Likewise, among Christian Korean immigrants, physical punishment is normative. The current study examined an intervention to change pro-spanking attitudes among a sample of 60 Korean adults (57% female; 43% male; Mage = 32.35) attending a theologically conservative Protestant church. Participants completed the attitudes toward spanking (ATS) scale and two measures of religious fundamentalism 4 weeks before the intervention. The intervention, which was created by the authors, focused on empirical research demonstrating the ineffectiveness and potential harm associated with spanking, along with progressive theological interpretations of Biblical teachings related to child discipline and spanking. Following the intervention, participants completed the ATS a second time. We hypothesized that the intervention would result in significant attitude change from pre- to post-intervention for both parents (n = 23) and non-parents (n = 37). Repeated measures ANOVA for ATS scores indicated a significant main effect for time (Mpre = 39.64, Mpost = 29.32), indicating that ATS scores decreased over time for both parents and non-parents. Time × parent status interaction was observed. Our findings indicated that positive attitudes toward physical punishment did indeed decline post-intervention, providing further evidence that pro-corporal punishment attitudes among conservative Christians are malleable when Christians are presented with progressive interpretations of Biblical scriptures sometimes used to justify corporal punishment, along with evidence on the ineffectiveness and potential harm of physical punishment (Miller-Perrin & Perrin, hild Abuse & Neglect, 71, 69–79, 2017; Perrin, Miller-Perrin, & Song, Child Abuse & Neglect, 71, 69–79, 2017). PubDate: 2022-12-08 DOI: 10.1007/s42448-022-00140-x
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