Child Physical Abuse Current Evidence Clinical Practice And Policy Directions

This eye-opening monograph challenges professionals across disciplines to take a more thorough and focused approach to addressing child physical abuse at the practice and policy levels. Positing child physical abuse as a public health crisis (as opposed to a more vague “social” one), the authors use empirical findings and clinical insights to advocate for wide-scale reforms in screening, assessment, responses, treatment, and prevention. The book’s social/ecological perspective delves into root causes of physical maltreatment, analyzes the role of family and community risk and support factors, and notes forms of discomfort keeping many professionals from meeting the issue head-on. From there, chapters describe coordinated multidisciplinary efforts for intervention and prevention with the potential to avert all forms of child abuse. Included in the coverage: · Adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) · The non-verbal child: obtaining a history for caregiver(s) · Clinical perspectives on multidisciplinary collaboration Corporal punishment and risk for child physical abuse Intimate partner violence (IPV) and risk for child physical abuse Evolution of child maltreatment prevention Complementary dynamic prevention approach Child Physical Abuse sets out the scope of this ongoing crisis for a wide audience including healthcare providers, child advocates, clinical social workers, public health officials, mental health providers, legislative staff professionals, and members of the lay public, with clear guidelines for effective long-term solutions.

This brief approaches the challenging topic of child sexual abuse from an objective, evidence-based perspective. It offers an overview of child sexual abuse, including definitions and a clear explanation of the epidemiology. The text also explores the conceptual frameworks that seek to explain how a child comes to be sexually abused by an adult or older adolescent. In the chapters, the authors present credible prevalence and incidence studies that are used to provide a scientific response to how common this problem is. In addition, they address the policy implications for a myriad of prevention and treatment initiatives as well as related issues such as delayed reporting and the risk for sexual abuse within child serving organizations. Finally, the brief concludes with the authors' recommendations for the future on how best to prevent child sexual abuse in the first place. Prevention of child sexual abuse is very different than prevention of child physical abuse and neglect and requires a different framework and set of initiatives. Child Sexual Abuse: Current Evidence, Clinical Practice, and Policy Directions is a must-have resource for a range of professionals including healthcare providers, child advocates, clinical social workers, public health officials, mental health providers, and legislative staff professionals. It also is written in a readable manner for members of the lay public.

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.

Child neglect is the most common type of child maltreatment. Substantial evidence indicates that the morbidity and mortality associated with neglect are significant, with enormous costs to the children involved and to society. Yet there is no major text focused exclusively on child neglect. Neglected Children presents a comprehensive and critical portrait of the phenomenon of neglect, based on theory, research and clinical practice experience. The editor and the contributing authors present a rich, interdisciplinary conceptualization with a broad view of neglect, moving far beyond the current child welfare focus on parental omissions in care. This broader view is essential to seriously addressing the complex and pervasive underpinnings of neglect.

Carole Jenny's Child Abuse and Neglect: Diagnosis, Treatment and Evidence focuses attention on the clinical evidence of child abuse to help you correctly diagnose and treat such cases in your own practice. In print and online, this unique, well-illustrated clinical reference provides new insights into the presentation and differential diagnosis of physical abuse and looks at shaken baby syndrome, sex offenders, and abuse in religious organizations, information on the biomechanics of injury, and other factors. Identify an abusive injury and treat it effectively by reviewing evidence and critical analyses from leading authorities in the field. Recognize the signs of shaken baby syndrome, sex offenders, and abuse in religious organizations. Understand the biomechanics of injury to determine whether abuse was truly the cause of a child's injury. View illustrations that show first-hand examples of child abuse or neglect. Search the complete contents online and download the illustrations at www.expertconsult.com.

Since the early 2000s, a growing body of scientific studies in neuropathology, neurology, biomechanics, statistics, criminology and psychology has cast doubt on the validity of the automatic diagnosis of Shaken Baby Syndrome (SBS), more recently termed Abusive Head Trauma (AHT). It has been shown that accidental short falls, as well as a wide range of medical conditions, might cause the same symptoms. Nevertheless, mischaracterized diagnoses and wrongful convictions continue to this day. Bringing together contributions from a multidisciplinary expert panel of 32 professionals across 8 countries in 16 different specialties, this landmark book tackles the highly controversial topic of SBS, which lies at the intersection of medicine, science, and law. With comprehensive coverage across multiple disciplines, it explains the scientific evidence challenging SBS and advances efforts to evaluate how deaths and serious brain injuries in infants should be analysed and investigated.

This best-selling text has been used by countless students, practitioners and researchers as a key reference on child protection issues. The book demystifies this complex and emotionally-charged area, outlining research, history, social policy and legislation, as well as the theory and practice underpinning child protection work. Written by influential academics and practitioners, this updated edition looks at child protection practices in a global context and provides: • The latest research and thinking on the causes and consequences of child abuse, including new insights about the relationship between deprivation, poverty and abuse and neglect • An overview of child protection practices, ranging from the 19th Century to recent policy and practice changes, including the widespread adoption of practice models and attempts to improve the quality of social work services Using examples to highlight key discussions and points, this book will enhance the confidence, knowledge and skills of practitioners, supervisors and managers. “This is an important, varied, well-structured, and interesting academic contribution to the area of child protection, neglect, and child abuse. The authors draw on a range of literature, theories, and the extant evidence-base to present a breadth of chapters, from global perspectives on child abuse, to the history of child abuse, to reflections for the future of child protection work. This book will add value to a wide range of professionals in this important field.” Dr Karen Treisman, Clinical Psychologist, Trainer "This is an important addition to the child abuse and child protection literature. Drawing from a variety of current research carried out by professionals and academics from a range of disciplines, this book will be an excellent companion for students, academics and practitioners working in this challenging but important area of work.“ Dr Elena Martellozzo, Online child protection expert. Middlesex University, UK “This is a comprehensive text which explores the legislative, cultural and historic context in which today’s child protection has been shaped. Building on previous editions, it provides a valuable and up-to-date insight into contemporary child protection practice.” Rebecca Avery, Education Safeguarding Advisor (Online Protection), The Education People “How did we get to where we are in our response to child abuse – and what might the future hold? This book provides a timely, comprehensive and thoughtful response to this question; demonstrating the importance of understanding our journey to present day practices if we are to improve the protection of children in the future. Integrating historical, sociological, psychological and biological perspectives, and grappling with the ethical as well as practical challenges of child abuse responses, the authors provide us with an overview upon which we must learn from past successes, as well as tragedies, as we utilise and further build an evidence base for confident social work practices around the world. “ Dr Carlene Firmin, Principal Research Fellow in Contextual Safeguarding, University of Bedfordshire, UK

This book is an accessible knowledge base for the whole area of child abuse and child protection, now fully updated in terms of policy, cases and research.