Tackling Child Neglect

With contributions from internationally recognized experts, this edited volume presents original thinking on the theory, research and practice surrounding child neglect. Comprehensive and current, the book takes an expansive look at how we can better address this prevalent issue. It explores the effects of neglect on the developing child and makes recommendations on how to identify neglect at the earliest opportunity. It considers common causal and contributing factors in neglect cases and the impact of these on children. The book details effective intervention techniques alongside case vignettes and shows how change can be achieved. It highlights the importance of supporting parental care and developing parental responsibility in families where children are neglected. Chapters provide in-depth descriptive examples and include a summary of learning points. Including practical suggestions for combating child neglect, this is an essential guide to best practice for students and practitioners working with children and families. The book also contains useful insights relevant to researchers and policy makers.

This bracing book makes a forceful case for reinvigorating our efforts to address and prevent childhood sexual abuse. In recent years, Sarah Nelson argues, the fight against childhood sexual abuse has been complacent, or even fearful. She attacks the causes of this head-on, reassessing backlashes like that surrounding the “satanic panic” and arguing that policy makers, practitioners, and academics have a duty to move beyond such problems and address the real issue. To that end, she proposes new models for child-centered, perpetrator-focused protection, community prevention, and working with survivor-offenders. Sure to be controversial,Preventing Child Sexual Abuse will challenge—and galvanize—the field.

This bracing book makes a forceful case for reinvigorating our efforts to address and prevent childhood sexual abuse. In recent years, Sarah Nelson argues, the fight against childhood sexual abuse has been complacent, or even fearful. She attacks the causes of this head-on, reassessing backlashes like that surrounding the “satanic panic” and arguing that policy makers, practitioners, and academics have a duty to move beyond such problems and address the real issue. To that end, she proposes new models for child-centered, perpetrator-focused protection, community prevention, and working with survivor-offenders. Sure to be controversial,Preventing Child Sexual Abuse will challenge—and galvanize—the field.

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.

Most people get information about child sexual abuse from media coverage, social movements, or conversations with family and friends. Confronting Child Sexual Abuse describes how these forces shape our views of victims and offenders, while also providing an in-depth look at prevention efforts and current research. Sociologist Anne Nurse has synthesized studies spanning the fields of psychology, sociology, communications, criminology, and political science to produce this nuanced, accessible, and up-to-date account. Topics include the prevalence of abuse, the impact of abuse on victims and families, offender characteristics, abuse in institutions, and the efficacy of treatments. Written for people who care for kids, for students considering careers in criminal justice or human services, and for anyone seeking information about this devastating issue, Nurse’s book offers new public policy ideas as well as practical suggestions on how to engage in prevention work. Interactive links to studies, videos, and podcasts connect readers to further resources.

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