Who's to Blame: Conceptualising Institutional Abuse by Children

The aim of this paper is to provide initial discussions surrounding conceptualising abuse by children within institutional settings. This will be achieved by reviewing literature and research from a number of different sources, exploring the assumptions held about peer behaviour, and the problems and dilemmas surrounding identifying when behaviour by residents should be viewed as abusive. Central to this discussion is how the dynamics of institutions effect these definitions and assumptions, and how these differ depending on the type of abuse involved.     

Socio-cultural Causes of Institutional Abuse in Japan: The Issues of Leadership, Authority and Power Relation

The socio-cultural causes of institutional abuse in Japan are explored through the analysis of 3 reported case studies. The author concludes that the lack of leadership in public homes as well as the wrong leadership authorised unprofessionally in private homes, could be contributing to the abuse in institutions in Japan.     

The Institutionalised Abuse of Children in Australia: Past and Present

Institutionalised forms of child abuse have been committed by both government and non-government authorities including the police force, social service departments, the diplomatic service, schools and pre-schools, the judicial system and the church. This paper examines Australian examples and shows that leadership may mitigate or amplify abuse by authority. The precedence of the rights of adults over the rights of children is also viewed as a factor in child abuse. The recent creation in Australia, of another authority -- a 'Commissioner for Children' -- may go some way towards rectifying this imbalance of rights.     

Who will Guard the Guards? Some Questions about the Models of Inspection for Residential Settings with Relevance to the Protection of Children from Abuse by Staff

Child abuse scandals in British residential institutions have led to the introduction of a tight legal framework for inspecting services. Detailed standards for inspection have been published. While this framework is valuable for services seeking to improve their standards, it will not protect children from future abuse, because it does not address some underlying problems which gave rise to the abuse or enabled abusers to continue undetected. The governments' powers to regulate and inspect have been exercised inconsistently, reflecting sensitivities between central and local government agencies, and between professional and other interest groups rather than the needs of children. New proposals due to be published soon may correct some anomalies but it is questionable whether 'regulatory' and 'developmental' models for inspection are compatible within a single framework, and whether inspections can meet their child protection objectives. Future developments should address the enforcement of standards, collaboration between agencies regulating and using residential services, and the avoidance of dependency on poor services.     

Dilemmas in Working in Partnership with the Parents and Relatives of Children Involved in Child Protection Planning

This paper considers the currency of the word “partnership” in child protection as it relates to the parents and other relatives of children subject to child protection investigations orprocedures. Parents, it is suggested, are often effectively ignored, or worse, deliberately excluded, once child protection concerns are being addressed. To ignore, however, the families that children were either born to or live with when efforts are made to protect them is, it is suggested, to de-contextualise their lives. Ultimately indeed it may be to place them at greater peril than exists as the consequences of any abuse. The basis for professional power in child protection is analysed along the dimensions of legal mandate and statutory role, gatekeeping functions and the organisational and professional context in which it operates. Seligman's theory of learned helplessness is employed as a conceptual framework in which to understand the processes by which birth parents and other relatives are likely to become increasingly ineffectual, once child protection procedures are invoked, in participating in a partnership with professionals to promote the best interests of their children. The paper concludes in examining what Sir Henry Maine first described as the move from 'status' to 'contract' in modern liberal democracies, a process whereby the regulatory functions of traditional kinship systems increasingly have been eroded by the State. It is suggested that only those models of child protection which can effectively begin to reverse this trend are likely to lead to effective partnerships between parents and birth relatives of children who are seen to be at risk, and the various professionals concerned to protect them. The paper concludes in suggesting that good intentions on the part of professionals are necessary but insufficient requirements for partnership; partnership can only effectively be achieved, it is suggested, through a fundamental reform of the legal framework.-     

Overcoming Boundaries: A Cross-Cultural Inventory of Primary Prevention Programs Against Wife Abuse and Child Abuse

This paper reviews existing primary prevention programs against wife and child abuse in the USA, Canada and France. There are a large variety of primary prevention approaches to wife and child abuse, but no systematic overview of these programs exists. In addition, knowledge of intervention programs has been limited by language barriers. This paper looks beyond language differences to provide a fuller view of the spectrum of recent intervention programs. We present a qualitative overview of existing programs and discuss the similarities and differences among different intervention strategies     

Child abuse and child care: A descriptive study of center policies and caregiver experiences

Much of the recent media attention devoted to child abuse has included the child care profession, although few documented abuse cases have actually occurred within child care centers. While educational programs have been developed to help children, parents, and teachers identify and respond to child abuse, little information is available which can help caregivers prevent false accusations of abuse. Toward this end, caregivers are especially in need of strategies by which to build an open and trusting relationship with parents. This study involved a survey of 264 child caregivers about selected aspects of center policies and caregiver experiences that may influence the caregiver-parent relationship. Implications for early childhood educators in helping caregivers to build a more open and positive relationship with parents are summarized.     

Free to Grow: Translating Substance Abuse Research and Theory into Preventive Practice in a National Head Start Initiative

This article describes the application of the research on risk and protective factors as employed in the design, chosen strategies and pilot testing phase of a national preschool substance abuse prevention initiative. In the absence of research-based model programs aimed at decreasing children's vulnerability to substance abuse as they grow older, the goal of the initiative is demonstrate how preventive research can be applied in the early childhood period in partnership with the national Head Start Program. While the findings from the initial pilot phase are preliminary, the experience to date does provide concrete examples of the practical uses of research to inform practice in addressing substance abuse prevention.     

Bridging the Gap Between Family-Focused Research and Substance Abuse Prevention Practice: Preface

This paper introduces the contributions of this special section on connecting family-focused substance abuse prevention research and practice. Other expert reviews and the meta-analyses discussed in this and the following papers have given us a good idea about what works in this area. They have specified a number of family-focused substance abuse prevention approaches and programs effective in decreasing substance abuse in youth. Unfortunately, some practitioners are still primarily implementing untested, ineffective programs. A number of recommendations are made by the authors of this special section to help improve the adoption of evidence-based family programs to prevent substance abuse by youth.     

Rural-Urban Disparities in Child Abuse Management Resources in the Emergency Department

Purpose: To characterize differences in child abuse management resources between urban and rural emergency departments (EDs). Methods: We surveyed ED directors and nurse managers at hospitals in Oregon to gain information about available abuse-related resources. Chi-square analysis was used to test differences between urban and rural EDs. Multivariate analysis was performed to examine the association between a variety of hospital characteristics, in addition to rural location, and presence of child abuse resources. Findings: Fifty-five Oregon hospitals were surveyed. A smaller proportion of rural EDs had written abuse policies (62% vs 95%, P= .006) or on-site child abuse advocates (35% vs 71%, P= .009). Thirty-two percent of rural EDs had none of the examined abuse resources (vs 0% of urban EDs, P= .01). Of hospital characteristics studied in the multivariate model, only rural location was associated with decreased availability of child abuse resources (OR 0.19 [95% CI, 0.05-0.70]). Conclusions: Rural EDs have fewer resources than urban EDs for the management of child abuse. Other studied hospital characteristics were not associated with availability of abuse resources. Further work is needed to identify barriers to resource utilization and to create resources that can be made accessible to all ED settings.     

The Effects of Childhood Abuse on Relationship Quality: Gender Differences and Clinical Implications

This study examined the relationship between self‐reported childhood physical and sexual abuse, romantic relationship quality, possible gender differences, and clinical implications. Three hundred thirty‐eight women and 296 men who sought services at a university mental health clinic in the northeast region of the United States completed a 30‐minute self‐report assessment questionnaire before their first therapy session. Among the items in the questionnaire were measures of childhood physical and sexual abuse, relationship stability, problem areas in the relationship, and other demographic information. Results from structural equation modeling indicated that childhood physical abuse influenced relationship quality for both men and women whereas childhood sexual abuse did not have a significant impact on relationship quality for either gender. The results of the study indicated that there may be more gender similarities than differences in experiences of childhood abuse and relationship quality than previous research has shown.     

Prevention of Substance Abuse in the Workplace: Review of Research on the Delivery of Services

With the growing recognition that most illicit drug users and heavy drinkers are members of the work force, the workplace has become an increasingly significant, though still underutilized, vehicle for the delivery of substance abuse prevention services. This paper discusses some of the chief reasons for engaging in substance abuse prevention in the workplace; outlines the foundations of workplace prevention services; and reviews recent research on workplace substance abuse prevention, including the major preventive interventions aimed at the workplace environment and the individual worker. The paper closes with a discussion of future programming and research on the delivery of workplace prevention services.     

Interprofessional Collaboration in Finnish Residential Child Care: Challenges in Incorporating and Sharing Expertise Between the Child Protection and Health Care Systems

Many children taken into care tend to be in need of psychiatric treatment as well as child protection services, and thus the professional expertise of both systems must be coordinated in their care. However, it is widely known across Europe that collaboration between child protection services and mental health services is not working well and the outcomes for looked-after children are poor. In spite of drastic need for knowledge, interprofessional collaboration between residential workers and mental health practitioners is poorly explored in international research. Most importantly, very little is known about shared expertise in multi-agency teams between these systems. Based on the analysis of interprofessional focus group interviews (eight interviews with 17 practitioners) in Finland, it is claimed that both sides have unrealistic expectations and perceptions of the other professional grouping and its facilities to help high-need children. The study also indicates that the collaboration assumes an equality of status and responsibilities between the professionals that does not always exist amongst residential child care practitioners and mental health professionals. The analysis suggests that the concept of residential child care work itself needs more empirical research to strengthen the interprofessional competencies and enhance child-centred integrated care.     

某中学高中女生儿童期性虐待发生情况调查

目的 了解高中女生儿童期性虐待发生情况，为卫生及教育部门制定预防儿童期性虐待对策提供参考依据。方法 用自填式问卷，于2000年12月对某高中学校985名女生就有关儿童期受性虐待经历进行不记名的回顾性调查。结果 在被调查的985名女生中，有251人（25．5％）16岁前曾经历过非身体接触或身体接触的性虐待；其中18人经历过被试图性交，5人经历过被强行性交。儿童期性虐待首次发生年龄58％在13岁及以前。性交行为的发生率在有儿童期性虐待经历的女生中（2．6％）高于没有性虐待经历的女生（0．4％），差异有显性(x^2=6.48,P=0.011)。在不同的父母化程度间，儿童期性虐待发生率差异未发现有显性。结论 儿童期性虐待问题在我国女童中可能并非少见，有必要对这一问题开展研究，并重视在小学生中开展预防性虐待教育工作。     

By Way of Thanks for Warm Recognition: Some Personal and Professional Reflections on the Field and Its Prospects for the Future

The author responds to the recent Child and Youth Care Forum Festschrift and the current special issue that were published in his honor, acknowledging the contributors, offering a few personal reminiscences, assessing the current status of the child and youth care field, and drawing implications for its continuing development.     

家长对儿童性虐待的认识及与子女交流状况调查

目的了解幼儿园儿童的家长预防儿童性虐待知识、态度以及与子女交流情况,为在幼儿园和社区中开展预防儿童性虐待教育提供依据.方法用自填式问卷,在某幼儿园以班级为单位整群抽取2个大班的57名儿童家长就儿童性虐待问题的认识及与孩子交流情况进行不记名调查.结果在被调查的家长中,91.1%的家长赞成学校开展预防儿童性虐待教育,40.4%的家长担心这种教育可能会导致儿童对"性"知道得太多.50%的家长与孩子谈论过人体的隐私部位不能随便被人看或触摸,如果有人要看或触摸要坚决说"不",并迅速离开.只有1.8%的家长给孩子看过有关预防儿童性虐待的书刊或音像制品.结论应重视对幼儿园儿童的家长普及预防儿童性虐待知识;重视幼儿园预防儿童性虐待教育的研究,尽快出版相关书籍和音像制品.     

Adult disclosures of childhood sexual abuse and section 3 of the child care act 1991: past offences,current risk

In the Republic of Ireland Section 3(1) of the Child Care Act 1991 places an obligation and legal duty upon the State child protection services “to promote the welfare of children in its area who are not receiving adequate care and protection.” This article focuses on a specific element of this duty; the social worker’s responsibility to accept and assess retrospective reports of childhood sexual abuse. Retrospective disclosures of abuse are referrals made by adults of experiences they encountered as children. This article argues that current social work practice in this area lacks clarity and cohesion and while new policy and practice approaches are emerging ultimately there is a sense of confusion for both social workers and those adults affected by childhood abuse who come forward to disclose. This article presents an examination of the key judgement of Justice Barr in M.Q. v. Robert Gleeson and Ors [1998] 4 IR 85 and subsequent, related, precedents and how they relate to current Irish social work policy in this area. Adult disclosures of childhood abuse have the potential to bring alleged abusers to justice and thereby protect current and future children from harm. This article seeks to provide clarity, to social workers and those working with adults affected by abuse, regarding the Irish legal framework relating to adult disclosures of abuse as it stands. The article ultimately argues that further research and policy guidance is required.     

Children’s participation in Dutch youth care practice: an exploratory study into the opportunities for child participation in youth care from professionals’ perspective

ABSTRACT

Since 2015, local municipalities in the Netherlands have been responsible for the organisation of the youth care and child protection system. One of the basic assumptions underlying the new Youth Act (2015) is the mobilisation and empowerment of the family to help solve their problems. Consequently, the participation of children and parents is essential in the implementation of youth care services. However, it seems that substantial differences exist between municipalities in realising children's participation in decisions that are taken concerning their care and protection. This article provides an interdisciplinary perspective on child participation; it explores both the legal opportunities for participation and the extent to which children can make use of these opportunities in practice. It is concluded that municipalities have large discretion in giving shape to child participation in the access to voluntary and coercive youth care. However, child participation is better regulated and implemented in practice with respect to compulsory youth care via court orders. Throughout almost the entire process, the minimum age limit from when children are involved in the decision-making process is 12 years, which means that children below that age have scarce opportunities to participate.     

School Performance in a Longitudinal Cohort of Children at Risk of Maltreatment

Objective: Previous research has suggested that child maltreatment is associated with poor school performance. However, previous studies have largely been cross-sectional or, if longitudinal, have had small sample sizes, short follow-up periods, or have not adequately controlled for confounders. The objective of this study is to determine the relationship between child maltreatment and school performance in a cohort of children at risk of maltreatment and followed since birth. Method: This prospective study followed children born at risk for maltreatment with semi-annual reviews of the North Carolina Central Registry of Child Abuse and Neglect. At ages six and eight years, children's teachers were surveyed using the Achenbach Teacher Report Form and project-developed questions regarding peer status. This information, along with control variables from maternal interviews, was used in logistic regression models to determine the impact of maltreatment on academic performance, peer status, and adaptive functioning. The generalized estimating equations (GEE) method was applied to adjust variance estimates for within-person correlations of school performance measures at two points in time. Results: A substantiated maltreatment report is significantly associated with poorer academic performance (p < 0.01) and poorer adaptive functioning (p < 0.001) but not with peer status. Conclusions: Understanding the consequences of maltreatment, including poor academic performance and adaptive functioning, is important in planning educational, health, and social service interventions that may help abused or neglected children succeed in school and later in life. Longitudinal analysis is the best way to establish a causal relationship between maltreatment and subsequent school problems.     

Spreading a Warm Blanket of Prevention over All Children: Guidelines for Selecting Substance Abuse and Related Prevention Curricula for Use in the Schools

There is a need for a set of clear, practical, empirically and theoretically grounded guidelines to select substance abuse and related prevention and competence promotion programs based in schools. This report provides such a framework in the form of recommended key elements of effective school-based prevention programs derived from an extensive literature search. In addition, major programs are summarized and compared in relation to their coverage of these key elements.