Child Abuse Is Wrong

"This booklet is for the parents or guardians of children. It talks about child abuse in families. It answers questions about the law on child abuse in Canada. This booklet may also be useful even if you are not a parent, but you believe a child you know is being abused. Although laws in Canada related to children may use different ages, in this booklet, a child means a person less than 18 years old. This booklet answers questions like: What types of abuse can children go through? Where can you find help as a parent or guardian? What kind of discipline is okay to use with your children? When should you report suspected child abuse?"--p. 2.

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.

By using positive methods of discipline parents have the opportunity to provide their children with an optimal home environment for healthy emotional growth and development.

Lessons from child protection errors and mistakes in 11 countries in Europe and North America are drawn together in a stimulating study from leading researchers in the field. By comparing and contrasting impacts, responses and responsibilities, it deepens understanding of how child protection systems fail and points to ideas for risk reduction.

The second edition of David Wolfe's text on child abuse has been updated to reflect the most recent literature on the subject. The book describes the different types of abuse and discusses their influence on development.

First Published in 1995. Routledge is an imprint of Taylor & Francis, an informa company.