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The quality of parenting program implementation significantly affects the extent to which a program is delivered effectively as well as the likelihood of it becoming embedded in everyday services. The group based Parenting for Lifelong Health for Young Children (PLH-YC) program for parents of children aged 2–9 years was developed specifically for implementation in low- and middle-income contexts, has been tested in five randomized trials, and incorporates a number of strategies to encourage fidelity of delivery. This paper reports on the introduction of PLH-YC to Montenegro, including initial work to engage government agencies and service providers, adapt the program and, following initial evidence of effectiveness, implement strategies to promote effective delivery and embed the program. Following program adaptation and initial facilitator training, eight groups were run, supported with resources and supervision and independently evaluated. The successful pilot led to program training accreditation by national professional agencies and a series of steps to successfully further embed it into routine settings in Montenegro, including by recognizing the program in national policy documents. This led to further facilitator trainings, now numbering 97 facilitators and the certification of ten coaches and two trainers. By the end of 2023, 1278 parents, across 13 municipalities (half of all municipalities in Montenegro) and a range of service providers, have received the program. The paper describes the project phases and key fidelity components that underpinned the successful introduction and embedding of the program in Montenegro. The plan has resulted in Montenegro having its own domestic resources to continue to implement the program effectively and further plan for widespread dissemination. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Since all policies address problems, they necessarily include implicit or explicit constructions of these problems. This paper explores how child maltreatment has been constructed in New Zealand's child protection policies. It questions the underlying assumptions of this problem construction and seeks to shed light on what has been omitted. Utilizing a qualitative content analysis of eight key policy documents, this study reveals the construction of child maltreatment has been dominated primarily by a child-centric, risk-focused approach. This approach assigns blame and shifts responsibilities onto parents and families. In addition, the vulnerability discourse and social investment approach underpinning this perspective have allowed important structural factors, such as poverty and inequality, to remain unaddressed. This paper also highlights the one-dimensional focus on the lower social class to control future liabilities. We suggest that the harm inflicted by corporations on children's well-being is another form of child exploitation currently omitted from the problem construction. We suggest that child abuse should be defined and understood in policy as harm to children's well-being and argue that the state should prevent and mitigate harm by addressing structural forces of the problem as well as protecting children against corporate harms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In January, 2016, the Board of Directors of the American Professional Society on the Abuse of Children approved a position paper on allegations of child maltreatment and intimate partner violence in divorce/parental relationship dissolution. This commentary describes the range of dynamics that can lead to allegations of interpersonal violence in divorce/relationship dissolution, outlines the process employed in developing the position paper, and provides a description of the contents of the position paper. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Non-suicidal self-injury (NSSI) is a significant public health concern among adolescents with major depressive disorders (MDD). Although previous research has linked child maltreatment (CM) to NSSI, the precise mechanisms remain unclear. This study aims to investigate the association between CM, cognitive reappraisal (CR), negative coping styles (NC) and NSSI in adolescents with MDD, from the perspectives of both Latent Variable Theory and the Network Theory of Mental Disorder. Methods: A sample of 651 adolescents with MDD was recruited from January to December 2023. Data on CM, CR, NC, and NSSI were collected through paper-based self-reported questionnaires. Data analysis primarily involved structural equation modeling and network analysis. Results: The reporting rate of NSSI among adolescents with MDD was 48.2%. CM showed a significant positive correlation with NSSI. NSSI was affected by CM through three paths: the mediating role of CR, the mediating role of NC, and the chain mediating role of both CR and NC. Emotional abuse (EA) was the central node, while NSSI, EA, and "The urge to cry quietly when faced with troubles"(NC10) were the key bridge nodes. Conclusions: This study is the first to use both structural equation modeling and network analysis to explore the explore the relationship between CM, CR, NC, and NSSI in adolescents with MDD, providing a theoretical basis for future early prevention and targeted interventions for adolescents with MDD. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper addresses the experiences of US child welfare professionals during the COVID pandemic. Using an online survey, we report on a convenience sample of 444 child welfare workers. The majority reported receiving adequate guidance on staying safe; 86.3% were given access to face masks. Workers reported 75.8% of clients used masks; 10.7% reported contracting COVID through work. About 80% worried that child clients were more at-risk. Workers who felt the most supported and least at-risk were those with stay-at-home orders. Results are discussed in terms of supporting child welfare professionals during periods of crisis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article presents the discussion on addressing the need for empirical data regarding the legal system's responses to child abuse and neglect. Topics include implementation and effectiveness of law enforcement strategies for identifying, investigating, and clearing cases of child maltreatment and child trafficking; and treatment to poor legal outcomes such as involvement in juvenile delinquency or adult criminality.

Unintentional pediatric ingestions of substances can lead to serious and even fatal consequences in children1 and raises concern for supervisory neglect. Supervisory neglect occurs when a caregiver's supervisory decisions or behaviors place a child in their care at significant risk for physical, emotional or psychological harm.2 A caregiver who is taking prescription medication or who uses recreational or therapeutic substances, such as cannabis, must protect children in their care from accessing these potentially harmful drugs. Studies have demonstrated that unintentional cannabis ingestions by children has increased in states that have legalized medical and recreational cannabis.3 Given the changing laws surrounding cannabis in Rhode Island, this study aims to provide a conceptual framework to diagnose, manage and understand supervisory neglect when children present to care with a cannabis ingestion. Additionally, this paper provides guidance for providers to help prevent unintentional cannabis ingestions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An up‐to‐date and accurate picture of the evidence on the impact of poverty is a necessary element of the debate about the future direction of children's social care services internationally. The purpose of this paper is to update evidence about the relationship between poverty and child abuse and neglect (CAN) published since a previous report in 2016 (Bywaters et al., 2016). A systematic search was conducted, identifying seven reviews. Poverty was found to be consistently and strongly associated with maltreatment, be that in terms of familial or community‐level poverty, or in terms of economic security. Findings demonstrated that both the type and the quantity of economic insecurities impacted child maltreatment. Certain economic insecurities – income losses, cumulative material hardship and housing hardship – reliably predicted future child maltreatment. Likewise, as families experienced more material hardship, the risk for maltreatment intensified. In some studies, the relationship between poverty and maltreatment differed by abuse type. Future reviews need to investigate individual papers and their findings across different CAN measures, definitions, samples, abuse types and conceptualisations of poverty to provide a comprehensive understanding of the current research base and the directions which need to be taken to further understand and prevent CAN. Key Practitioner Messages: Poverty should be a central theme in work with families, and visible in assessments, case conferences and court reports.Research indicates that child protection practices need to move away from a narrow focus on parental risk to harmful contexts and ways of addressing these in which society, communities and families can provide environments where harm is minimised, and children are enabled to flourish.Further research is needed to better understand the relationship between poverty and CAN. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: An outbreak of the COVID-19 disease in 2020 and resulting social restrictions forced many medical facilities to modify admission protocols and increased the use of health services. The stay-at-home orders also contributed to a change in the volume of the emergency admissions as well as their causes. Materials and methods: The available electronic databases were searched for papers concerning pediatric trauma admissions, referrals, and visits during the coronavirus outbreak and in the previous year. The quality of included papers was assessed via National Institutes of Health National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NIH NHLBI) Study Quality Assessment Toolbox. Results: The overall workload in pediatric emergency medical care during the COVID-19 outbreak declined by 40.13% (95% CI 18.7–61.6) compared to the previous year. A massive decline in the pediatric trauma admissions was observed during the coronavirus outbreak. The sport-related accidents were supplanted mainly by those that occurred at home. The child abuse injuries arising during the outbreak seemed to remain undetected. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Child protective services (CPS) case records contain a vast amount of narrative information that is underutilized for estimating risk, conceptualizing family needs, and planning for services. The current study applied a novel method for quantifying family-level severity of maltreatment and non-maltreatment-related adversity types to narrative information reflecting a family's full CPS history. Cases were randomly sampled (N = 100) from two regions of Connecticut that were referred over a specified 6-month period. De-identified data were extracted through comprehensive chart review of electronic and paper case records. The Yale-Vermont Adversity in Childhood Scale (Y-VACS; Holbrook et al., 2015) was used to quantify adversity severity across a range of intrafamilial and extrafamilial experiences. Several family-level adversity severity ratings were associated with administrative data on allegations and investigative outcomes. Poly-victimization (β =.47, p <.001) and poly-deprivation (β =.25, p =.005) significantly predicted total allegation types and total substantiation types (β =.30, p =.002; β =.26, p =.008, respectively) across the case history. Poly-victimization significantly predicted the presence of a new allegation within 12 months of the index report, OR = 1.72, SE =.25, p =.027. Findings support the feasibility of a novel method that uses narrative case record information to quantify severity of maltreatment and non-maltreatment-related adversity types, as well as cumulative measures of threat- and deprivation-based adversities at the family level. Implications for utilizing case record data to inform CPS intervention are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

"Forgotten Australians" are the estimated half a million children who were placed in institutional care in Australia from the 1920s to the 1980s. Increasing numbers are entering older age but many are poorly positioned to age well and with the supports they need. This is often because the lasting effects of childhood institutional care have contributed to poor housing outcomes, including housing insecurity, reliance on social housing, prevalence of rental stress and experiences of homelessness. This paper presents a review of the evidence on the housing experiences and outcomes of people who spent time in childhood institutional care. The evidence review was complemented by qualitative interviews with community service practitioners and representatives of advocacy groups. Based on the prior evidence and fieldwork, we identify data and service gaps that are likely to undermine the capacity of the housing and aged care sectors to improve the care and supports available for Forgotten Australians. We suggest potential improvements to service delivery for people who experienced institutional care as children and directions for further research. This paper contributes to a stronger evidence base around the housing and care needs of Forgotten Australians in mid‐ and later life. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Exposure to secondhand tobacco smoke (SHS) and child maltreatment are preventable threats to child health. Few evidence-based interventions target both SHS and child maltreatment risk. The purpose of this paper is to describe the systematic braiding process of two evidence-based programs to address child SHS in the home and maltreatment perpetration risk, and present results from the formative work and pilot study. Methods: The first 4 steps of the systematic braiding process were completed, including the following: (1) the identification of core elements of both programs, (2) the development of an initial draft of the braided curriculum (Smoke-Free Home SafeCare — SFH-SC), (3) an acceptability and feasibility pilot of SFH-SC with caregivers of young children who reported a smoker living in the home (N = 8), and (4) feedback collection on the braided curriculum from SafeCare Providers (N = 9). Results: Experts identified common pedagogical and theoretical underpinnings for the two programs and braided Smoke-Free Homes: Some Things Are Better Outside into two SafeCare modules. Caregiver feedback from the pilot demonstrated that participants were engaged with SFH-SC and felt supported and comfortable discussing SHS intervention content with the SFH-SC Provider. Caregiver self-reports indicated a slight increase in smoke-free home rules from baseline to follow-up and a notable reduction in parent stress on the Parent Stress Index of 5.9 points (SD = 10.2). SafeCare Provider feedback following intensive review of the curriculum indicated high feasibility for SFH-SC delivery. Conclusions: Parent and Provider findings suggest SFH-SC is a viable intervention that has potential to reduce the public health impact of SHS and child maltreatment for at-risk families. Protocol: The protocol for the pilot is not published elsewhere; however, the full protocol for the hybrid trial can be found here: https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT05000632. Trial registration: NCT, NCT05000632. Registered 14 July 2021, there is not a separate registration number for the pilot. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Traumatic head injury due to child maltreatment (THI-CM), also known as abusive head trauma (AHT), is a significant public health problem due to the wide array of consequences affecting multiple domains of a child's health and development. Several studies have evaluated its cost on healthcare systems, families, and societies. Many jurisdictions have implemented caregiver education programs to prevent THI-CM. Objectives: This paper aims to provide a brief overview of the epidemiology and cost analysis of THI-CM and discuss its prevention and the intergenerational transmission of child maltreatment. Methods: Although not systematic, a literature search of original articles published from 2000 to 2022 in English and French was undertaken using the following databases: PubMed, EMBASE (Ovid), and PsycINFO (OVID). The search combined terms related to traumatic head injury and child maltreatment, with terms related to its cost and prevention. Studies of children aged 0–5 years old were included. The authors completed a screen of the titles and abstracts to determine relevance with respect to this article. Results: Globally, although THI-CM accounts for a small proportion of cases of child maltreatment, there is a high incidence of death and neurological sequelae compared to other causes of head trauma.The incidence of THI-CM is likely underestimated due to the lack of standardized definitions, differences in reporting, and challenges in identifying less severe cases. Cost analysis studies reveal the significant short- and long-term costs associated with THI-CM. Caregiver education programs have been studied and implemented in many centers and have shown varying but promising results. Conclusion: A multi-pronged approach to prevention efforts should be considered to support families and help to prevent THI-CM and maltreatment throughout childhood. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Individuals with a history of Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) are at risk of subsequent cannabis use. However, at present no existing systematic review explores ACEs as they relate to cannabis use. The aim of this systematic review paper is to examine how adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) impact rates, patterns, and the nature of cannabis use in adulthood. Guided by the PRISMA statement, this systematic review focuses on longitudinal studies that report cannabis use in adulthood. Databases searched include PubMed and Embase. Ultimately, 28 manuscripts were selected for inclusion, ranging in scope from smaller community-focused studies to nationally representative longitudinal surveys; 22 of 28 studies occurred in the United States, with sample size ranging from 303 to 15,960 participants. Instruments used to assess ACEs and cannabis use varied considerably across studies, leading to loss of consistency. Nevertheless, presence of ACEs–childhood sexual abuse in particular–was consistently associated with cannabis use later in life. Frequency and severity of ACEs was found to exert an additive cumulative effect on severity of cannabis use. This systematic review lays the foundation of the current state of the science regarding ACEs and cannabis use, which can provide further insight into a better understanding of this relationship and provide potential intervention opportunities. • Childhood adversity correlates with cannabis use, with more severe ACEs increasing risk of adult cannabis use disorder. • Inconsistent methods of measuring cannabis use and ACEs hinder result comparison, affecting reliability. • Adult primary care screening can identify those needing specialized care due to childhood trauma. • Studying causation and ACEs' impact on cannabis use in diverse groups are curcial for better understanding. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Army Family Advocacy Program (Army FAP) strives to prevent family violence and intervene to reduce the deleterious effects of exposure to family violence. This paper examines the individual, family, community, and treatment factors associated with family violence revictimization. Case files of 134 families with substantiated child maltreatment and associated Army FAP interventions that closed in 2013 were coded across risk and protective factors and intervention characteristics and were matched to Army Central Registry files to identify revictimization rates through 2017. Revictimization, experienced by 23% of families, was predicted by community risk and reduced by intervention dose. With the high rates of relocations, housing or neighborhood issues, and the isolation military families experience and the relationship of these concerns to repeated family violence, identifying the impact of community risk is particularly important. Similarly, research that elucidates the effective treatment components is needed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The novel coronavirus (COVID-19) has spread across the United States, resulting in significant changes in almost all aspects daily life. These changes place parents at increased risk for parental burnout. Parental burnout is a chronic condition resulting from high levels of parenting-related stress due to a mismatch between the demands of parenting and the resources available for parents to meet those demands. Research on parental burnout has suggested that parents who experience burnout are more likely to engage in child abuse and neglect, placing children at risk for detrimental short- and long-term outcomes. The purpose of this paper is to review the concept of parental burnout, discuss parental burnout in the context of the current COVID-19 pandemic, and focus specifically on the effects of child maltreatment. Implications for practitioners will be discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Decades of collective and cumulative work by practitioners, activists and researchers have made violence prevention an important part of international development agendas. However, violence prevention and response work addressing women and children has historically been siloed. Those working at the intersection of violence against women (VaW) and violence against children (VaC) have wrestled with the age–gender divide. Addressing the historical and political influences that underpin this divide will likely enhance progress towards more integrated strategies. This paper examines the origins and development of this polarisation and potential strategies for a more coordinated and collaborative agenda. This paper draws on the insights gained from eleven (11) semi-structured interviews conducted with key violence prevention actors in VaW and VaC from across the globe, alongside relevant published literature. Informants were purposively sampled on the basis of their expertise in the field. Findings reveal key differences and tensions between the two fields, including in collection and use of research and evidence, core conceptual frameworks, and the development, funding and implementation of policy and practice. Potential opportunities for future synergies between the two fields are highlighted, particularly through a focus on the adolescent girl. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article argues that two interrelated factors have played important roles in the emergence of academic analyses of child protection policies and practices: the evidence of growing strains and crises in child protection systems over the last forty years; and the development of comparative research on different systems. The latter has demonstrated that child protection policies and practices vary between different countries such that the differences could not be explained by differences in the nature of child maltreatment in the different societies—other political, social, and cultural factors were at play. This paper outlines the nature of these key developments and the conceptual frameworks which have emerged to explain the differences. A significant positive outcome is that such conceptual frameworks can be drawn upon for furthering our analyses of different policies, practices and systems and their possible reform and improvement. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Psychologists are key team members in the delivery of integrated behavioral healthcare. Healthcare reform has supported a shift toward a team-based, interdisciplinary model of service delivery, with increasing emphasis on primary care services, prevention, and health promotion. In conjunction with this shift has been a greater focus on psychosocial problems and social determinants of health, particularly childhood adversity. Psychologists in primary care are uniquely positioned to advance efforts to prevent and ameliorate childhood adversity, which are essential to improving care for underserved populations and reducing health disparities. Targeted training efforts are needed to increase the number of psychologists equipped to work in primary care settings with underserved populations. This paper provides an overview of a training program designed to provide psychology trainees with specialized training in both integrated primary care and child maltreatment. The overarching goal of the program is to provide trainees with the skillset to work within integrated primary care settings and the expertise needed to further efforts to address and prevent child maltreatment, as well as childhood adversity more broadly, to improve outcomes for underserved populations. The paper reviews strengths, challenges, and lessons learned from this program. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Recent evidence indicates that the United States is facing a public health crisis of alcohol misuse and alcohol use disorder (AUD), which has been fueled in part by dramatic rises in binge and heavy drinking and prevalence of AUD in women. Historically, alcohol misuse and AUD have been more prevalent in men than in women. However, recent evidence on data from the past decade shows increases in AUD prevalence rates that are associated with substantially higher binge and heavy drinking and AUD prevalence in women compared to men. This paper first addresses the key roles of stress, trauma, childhood maltreatment, negative affect, and mood and anxiety disorders; sex differences in the presentation of these psychosocial and psychological factors; and their contributions to alcohol misuse, escalation to binge and heavy drinking, and transition to AUD in women. Also examined are potential central and peripheral biological mechanisms by which stressors and traumatic experiences, as well as chronic stress states--including depression and anxiety--may facilitate differential pathways to alcohol misuse, escalation, and transition to AUD in women. Finally, this paper discusses major gaps in the literature on sex differences in these areas as well as the need for greater research on sex-specific pathways to alcohol misuse and transition to AUD, so as to support a more comprehensive understanding of AUD etiology and for the development of new strategies for prevention and treatment of alcohol misuse and AUD in women. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Child welfare organization websites exhibit different bureaucratic cultures. • Child protective agencies with high rates of maltreatment have bureaucratic websites. • Content analysis of website indicated alignment between culture and maltreatment. • State child protective agencies symbolically conveyed culture in online presence. Child welfare organizations work directly with families to intervene in response to community concerns about child abuse and neglect. Other aspects of their services are symbolically conveyed through online presence. This paper explores the mediated culture of state-operated child protective services agencies with a focus on bureaucracy and gendered power. Our findings reveal alignment between mediated cultures that signify rigid, penalty-oriented bureaucratic cultures and those states with the highest substantiated rates of child maltreatment. Similarly, this content analysis indicated alignment between more family-oriented collaborative bureaucratic cultures of online websites for states with the lowest rates of substantiated child maltreatment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Scottish government plans a more preventive and partnership‐oriented approach to child protection. However, it has not recently published statistics on the number of child protection investigations. This paper analyses data from a request for information from government. It shows a rate of 153 investigations per 10 000 children aged 0–17 in 2017/18. There were wide variations in rates of investigations across Scottish local authorities. Almost three‐quarters of investigations in 2017/18 did not lead to the child being placed on the child protection register. A small association between investigation rates and local authority deprivation suggests that factors other than deprivation at the local authority level are at play in decisions to investigate child protection. There has been an increase of investigations by one‐third in the last two years with no change in the numbers starting a child protection plan. These trends raise the possibility that concerns about the preventive approach net‐widening and leading to more rather than less children drawn into the formal child protection system may have some basis. The limited nature of published statistical data in Scotland means that policies and activities, which are carried out with large amounts of public funding, receive limited public scrutiny. Key Practitioner Messages: One investigation was conducted for every 65 children in Scotland in 2017/18.One child in 23 was investigated before the age of four.Rates of investigation vary widely between local authorities.One in four investigations are likely to lead to a child protection registration.There was a 33 per cent increase in investigations in the most recent two years with no change in child protection registrations.Investigations harm families and lessen the chances of engaging them with support. 'The limited nature of published statistical data in Scotland means that policies and activities, which are carried out with large amounts of public funding, receive limited public scrutiny' [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Many parents who interact with the child welfare system present with substance use issues, which means their children are at risk for prenatal exposure to alcohol and other drugs. Because child welfare agencies play an important role in identifying and providing services to mitigate negative impacts of prenatal exposures, we conducted a search for literature addressing child welfare information sources, policies, and practices related to this population. The search yielded 16 research/evaluation and 16 policy/practice papers, with most addressing exposures to both alcohol and other drugs. The literature most commonly reports that children identified as exposed are referred to child protection agencies during the newborn period. This practice may lead to underidentification, especially of children with prenatal exposure to alcohol. Research suggests that this population is at risk for poorer child welfare outcomes and that there are specific service needs for these children. This review indicates that there is an overall lack of research literature regarding identification of prenatally exposed children involved in the child welfare system that could best inform child welfare policies and practices. Studies investigating how the child welfare system identifies and cares for children with prenatal exposures are needed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Child maltreatment tends to show intergenerational continuity. However, a significant proportion of maltreated parents break these cycles. Since several studies have investigated risk and protective factors associated with the intergenerational continuity of child maltreatment over the past decades, and no systematic review of the literature is available, this scoping review aimed to summarize studies documenting associated psychosocial risk and protective factors. A secondary objective was to document the prevalence of this phenomenon. A search in six major databases (PsycINFO, Scopus, Medline, Social Work Abstracts, ProQuest Dissertations/Theses, and Web of Science) was conducted. Studies involving human participants, presenting original findings, written in French or English, and of any type of design were included. There was no limit regarding the date of publication, except for theses/dissertations (5 years). A final sample of 51 papers was retained, 33 providing data on risk and protective factors and 18 providing only prevalence data. Results indicate that parents' individual characteristics (e.g., mental health, age), childhood adversity (e.g., multiple forms of adversity), relational (e.g., couples' adjustment, attachment, social support), and contextual factors (e.g., disadvantage, community violence) are relevant to the intergenerational continuity of child maltreatment. Prevalence rates of continuity ranged from 7% to 88%. Major limitations of reviewed studies are discussed. Continued efforts to uncover the mechanisms associated with the intergenerational continuity of child maltreatment using strong methodological designs are necessary. Knowledge in this area could lead to the development of effective prevention strategies (e.g., mental health services for parents, family/dyadic interventions) to break harmful intergenerational cycles of violence. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to understand child welfare investigations that involve child custody disputes in Ontario, Canada. Methods: The study used data from the Ontario Incidence Study of Reported Child Abuse and Neglect. The OIS is a cyclical, cross sectional provincial child welfare study conducted every five years. Characteristics of investigations involving child custody disputes were examined by conducting chi-square tests on key variables, and a logistic regression was performed to examine the influence of child custody disputes on transfers to ongoing services. Findings: In 2013 approximately 12% of child welfare investigations involved a child custody dispute. These investigations were predominantly referred by a custodial parent, and the primary maltreatment concern was exposure to emotional violence. Investigations involving custody disputes when controlling for all other predictors of maltreatment, were less likely to be transferred to ongoing child welfare services. Implications: There is a complicated relationship between child custody disputes and investigations involving intimate partner violence. Policy and practice implications are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper informs practice in community‐based home visiting workforce development by describing the development and evaluation of a university‐based training certificate program for home visitors and supervisors. The Interactive Systems Framework for Dissemination and Implementation (ISF; Wandersman et al., 2008) guides our conceptualization and paper organization. The ISF describes the components involved in translating research findings into effective implementation of prevention programs. We describe implementation and lessons learned from seven development activities: (a) review of the literature, (b) survey of other training initiatives across the country, (c) focus groups with home visitors and supervisors, (d) consultation with individual home visitors, (e) creation of a state advisory board of home visiting providers and stakeholders, (f) evaluation of two pilot trainings, and (g) video development. We then present evaluation data from 49 home visitors and 23 supervisors who completed the training certificate program after the pilot trainings. Both home visitors and supervisors rated training satisfaction highly, reported significant increases in self‐efficacy related to the training topics, and reported extensive use of motivational communication techniques, which are the foundational skills of the training content. These and other favorable results reflect the benefits of building on advances in theory and science‐based practice and of involving providers and stakeholders repeatedly throughout the development process. Highlights: We developed a state‐wide training center for infant home visitors. Training content was developed through an iterative process of community partner feedback. Home visitors reported increases in self‐confidence following training in most competency areas. Participant evaluations of training are consistent with positive results from an RCT of training. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper reports on a randomized control trial involving children less than 3 years old and their mothers who were regarded at risk of maltreating their children by referral agencies. Mothers' risk status derived from a heavy trauma burden (average exposure over the first 18 years of their lives to 10 possible adverse childhood experiences [ACEs] was >5), mental health challenges (15%–28% had experienced a prior psychiatric hospitalization), and prior removal of a child to foster care (20%). Mothers were randomly assigned to either a widely used parenting class known as Systematic Training for Effective Parenting (STEP) or the Group Attachment-Based Intervention (GABI), a multifamily 26-week treatment. The resulting mother–child pairs available for consideration in this baseline versus end-of-treatment report were 35 families in the STEP arm and 43 families in the GABI arm. The focus of this paper is the outcome measure of observed parent–child relationship assessed with the Coding of Interactive Behavior (Feldman, 1998) collected at baseline and end of treatment. In comparison to STEP, results indicated that GABI was linked to significant improvements in maternal supportive presence and dyadic reciprocity, and significant declines in maternal hostility and dyadic constriction (proxies for risk of child maltreatment). These medium-to large-sized effects remained significant even after controlling for mothers' prior ACEs in analysis of covariance procedures. In addition, two small interaction effects of ACEs by treatment type were found, underlining the need for, and value of, treatments that are sensitive to parents' traumatic histories. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Children may often be able to overcome and grow from single episodes of maltreatment, however as these risk factors accumulate, a child's capacity to endure diminishes (Newman & Blackburn, 2002). This paper highlights the prevalence of chronicity and multiplicity in maltreatment experiences and the ways in which these experiences may manifest, as multi type maltreatment, poly-victimisation and re-victimisation across the life course. The article discusses the reciprocal relationship between risk and harm; and examines the literature on cumulative risk and cumulative harm and the theoretical frameworks that underpin the notion of accumulation. The paper argues that cumulative risk and harm need to be embedded in practice and prioritised in research, across all aspects of the helping professions, in order to turn the tide in our battle to protect our most vulnerable children and families. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Two common methods in community settings of assessing program fidelity, a critical implementation component for program effectiveness, are video and audio recordings of sessions. This paper aims to examine how these two methods compared when used for a home-based behavioral parenting-training model (SafeCare®). Design/methodology/approach: Twenty-five SafeCare video-recorded sessions between home visitors and parents were scored by trained raters either using the video or audio-only portions of recordings. Sessions were coded using fidelity checklists, with items (n = 33) classified as one of two fidelity aspects, content [delivery of program components (n = 15)], or process [communication and rapport building (n = 11)]. Seven items were considered to overlap between constructs. Items were coded as having been done or not done appropriately. Coders rated items as "technological limitation" when scoring methods hindered coding. Analyses compared percent agreement and disagreement between audio and video coders. Findings: Overall agreement between coders was 72.12%. Levels of agreement were higher for content items (M = 80.89%, SD = 19.68) than process items (58.54%, SD = 34.41). Disagreements due to technology limitations among audio coders were noted among 15 items; particularly, higher levels of disagreement were seen among process items (42.42%) than content items (9.64%). Originality/value: Compared to video, fidelity monitoring via audio recordings was associated with some loss of process-related fidelity. However, audio recordings could be sufficient with supplements such as participant surveys, to better capture process items. Research should also examine how content and process fidelity relate to changes in family behavior to further inform optimal fidelity monitoring methods for program use. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As championed by the work of Ed Zigler, investing in nurturing environments for all children is a chief tenet of primary prevention that will have far-reaching benefits to the health and welfare of all members of society. Children who endure child maltreatment (CM) are among society's most vulnerable. Prospective longitudinal research aimed at a comprehensive understanding of the mechanisms linking CM to subsequent adverse health consequences is needed to improve outcomes and to strengthen causal inference. This paper outlines the methods of the Child Health Study (CHS), a large, state-wide longitudinal cohort of recently maltreated and nonmaltreated youth aged 8–13 who will be assessed every 2 years. The CHS is designed to include in-depth assessments of multiple environmental, behavioral, neural, physiological, and molecular mechanisms through which CM may impact a broad spectrum of youth development, including behavioral and physical health outcomes. In addition to describing the conceptual framework and methods underlying the CHS, we provide information on valuable "lessons learned" in the hopes of supporting future research efforts facing similar challenges. The ultimate goal of this research is demonstrating how policies regarding CM impact the well-being, resilience and recovery of survivors and that they are worthy of large public investment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Globally, the oral health needs of children who have, or are suspected of having, experienced abuse or neglect has become a focus of concern. It is thus valuable and timely to map the contemporary nature of the research landscape in this expanding field. This review reports the findings of a scoping review of the international empirical literature. The aim was to explore the relationship between child maltreatment and oral health and how this complex issue is addressed in contemporary dental, health, and social work practice. The review identified 68 papers, analysis of which identified three themes: (1) There is a relationship between poor oral health and child maltreatment that is well evidenced but conceptually underdeveloped. (2) There are discrepancies between the knowledge of members of the dental team about child maltreatment and their confidence and aptitude to identify and report child protection concerns. (3) There are areas of local-level policy and practice development that seek to improve working relationships between dentists and health and social work practitioners; however, there is widespread evidence that the oral health needs of this group of vulnerable children are not consistently met. To orientate critical discussion and planning for future research and practice, we present the Patterns, Advances, Gaps, Evidence for practice and Research recommendations (PAGER) framework. The review's findings are likely to be of interest to researchers, practitioners, and policy makers working across dentistry, health and social work. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Corporal punishment (e.g., spanking) remains a highly debated yet common form of discipline in the United States. A body of research exists investigating the prevalence and effects of corporal punishment; however, less attention has been devoted to factors influencing individual perceptions of corporal punishment. The current study explores college students’ perceptions of corporal punishment with a specific focus on students’ experiences with physical discipline and factors that may influence students’ intentions to use physical discipline with their own children. Relying on a convenience sampling methodology, the current research is based on a sample of 318 students, who participated in a pen-and-paper survey. Findings reveal that most students experienced corporal punishment (86.8%) and roughly three-quarters intend to use physical discipline with their children. Moreover, positive attitudes towards physical forms of punishment were positively associated with intentions to use corporal punishment (OR = 1.494; ***p < 0.001). Despite most participants reporting experiences with corporal punishment and intending to use physical discipline with their children, many felt better disciplinary methods were available. Given that attitudes were correlated with intention to use, educational programs and curricular endeavors to inform individuals of the negative impact of corporal punishment, as well as alternative non-physical discipline strategies are recommended as ways to reduce reliance on physical forms of discipline. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Increases in child welfare investigations involving children's exposure to intimate partner violence (IPV) in Ontario are likely the result of three factors: 1) changes to legislation, policy, and assessment instruments; 2) increased awareness of the risks of exposure to IPV for children, and 3) referrals from professionals (e.g., police). Using data from 6 cycles of the Ontario Incidence Study of Reported Child Abuse and Neglect (OIS) (1993, 1998, 2003, 2008, 2013, and 2018), this paper will examine the changes of the incidence rates of IPV exposure, providing important context for a type of investigation that is not well understood in Ontario. The incidence of investigations where the primary concern of the investigating worker is IPV was derived and compared across OIS cycles. Investigation were compared across cycles using incidence counts. After the nearly 2-fold increase of investigations for all maltreatment types in Ontario between 1998 and 2003, IPV investigations are the only type that continue to increase. There is a growing gap between these investigations and substantiating child maltreatment. Rates of placement have not changed over time, remaining low. Rates of transfers and referrals have increased but not significantly. The continued growth in the rate of child welfare investigations involving exposure to IPV as well as the overwhelming endorsement of substantiated exposure to IPV, while maintaining the same proportion of transfers to ongoing child welfare services and low placement rates, is a significant concern for Ontario. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

While it is known that young people exposed to maltreatment or abuse are at elevated risk of developing post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), much of our current knowledge of mechanisms that link trauma to childhood PTSD is based on single-incident, often noninterpersonal, trauma. Theoretical models highlight psychological processes of appraisals, memory, and coping as important for the development of PTSD. The aim of this review was to synthesize the literature on the role of these key psychological processes in relation to PTSD in maltreated children and teens. Studies were included if they (1) identified a sample of maltreated individuals, ≤18 years old; (2) measured (a) trauma memory, (b) appraisals, or (c) post-trauma cognitive or behavioral responses; and (3) measured PTSD symptoms. The systematic search of three electronic databases (American Psychological Association PsychNet, PubMed, and Published International Literature on Traumatic Stress) resulted in the inclusion of 36 papers, which described 31 studies and 33 unique samples. The review found cognitive behavioral models of PTSD appeared appropriate for understanding outcomes following maltreatment, but further research is needed on all processes, particularly trauma memory. Overall, there remain significant gaps in our knowledge of how psychological processes link maltreatment to PTSD. There is limited evidence concerning how maltreatment-related characteristics (e.g., chronicity, duration, and type of abuse) influence psychological processes and in turn affect outcomes. This review recommends further research in this area and suggests that, at the very least, comprehensive assessment should be conducted with all young people reporting maltreatment to identify appraisals and coping strategies that will potentially impact on their ongoing adjustment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to examine the development of family protective factors in participants of Help Me Grow Utah (HMGU), a community-based system that promotes child development, seeks early detection of developmental delays, and links families to services.Design/methodology/approach In this paper, standard quasi-experimental survey design was utilized. HMGU and control group participants completed the FRIENDS Protective Factors Survey, which was slightly modified into a retrospective pre-test and post-test format to address previous survey concerns of response-shift bias, self-serving assessments, and family maturation. Participants were asked to respond to ten questions at present and then again from the perspective of two years previous.Findings Participants in HMGU had statistically significant increases in protective factor scores in all but one subscale, with dramatic increases in two subscale questions on knowledge of parenting and child development. Control group scores statistically increased in four subscales, albeit at lower rates than HMGU participants. Interestingly, control group scores on two subscale questions relating to child maltreatment risk were significantly lower on post-tests as compared to their retrospective pre-test scores.Research limitations/implications Participants in HMGU clearly increased in the development of protective factors. Replication of this study is recommended and the need for a control group in protective factor studies is imperative.Practical implications Findings from this study suggest that child services focused on enhancing knowledge of parenting and child development might also expect to improve protective factors. One-on-one care coordination with families seems particularly effective. The findings might also benefit other social programs as they utilize retrospective pre-test, post-test, and control groups in their evaluations.Originality/value HMGU is the first affiliate to utilize retrospective pre-test/post-test methodology, which can overcome confounding results attributable to response-shift bias. Also, the use of a control group affords inclusion of natural maturation in considering findings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Child maltreatment (CM) encompasses sexual abuse, physical abuse, emotional abuse, neglect, and exposure to domestic and family violence. Epigenetic research investigating CM has focused on differential DNA methylation (DNAm) in genes associated with the stress response, but there has been limited evaluation of the specific effects of subtypes of CM. This systematic review of literature investigating DNAm associated with CM in non-clinical populations aimed to summarise the approaches currently used in research, how the type of maltreatment and age of exposure were encoded via methylation, and which genes have consistently been associated with CM. A total of fifty-four papers were eligible for review, including forty-one candidate gene studies, eight epigenome-wide association studies, and five studies with a mixed design. The ways in which the various forms of CM were conceptualised and measured varied between papers. Future studies would benefit from assessments that employ conceptually robust definitions of CM, and that capture important contextual information such as age of exposure and subtype of CM. • We review original research on childhood maltreatment and DNA methylation. • The 54 studies were mainly cross-sectional and candidate-gene focussed. • Methodological errors and weak conceptualisations of maltreatment were common. • Measurement tools of included studies did not capture all necessary information. • Few studies investigate the associated effects of maltreatment subtypes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) have been associated with negative mental and physical health consequences. Neighbourhood police officers (NPOs) are thought to be well placed to identify and support children experiencing ACEs. Within this paper, we describe a qualitative exploration of an initiative deployed by a large UK police force which aimed to aid early identification of young people with ACEs using police data and provide subsequent support given by NPOs. A thematic analysis was conducted using transcripts from three focus groups of NPOs, supplemented by questionnaires. Key themes identified in both sets of data offer reflections for policing and other public service provision seeking to target on the basis of ACEs, including: limitations in the usefulness of police data to identify childhood adversity; challenges using the ACEs framework as a means to target such 'early intervention'; and debates regarding the appropriate role of the police in supporting young people in adversity. Prior to replication of this intervention elsewhere, there are several points to consider: whether police data alone are sufficient in identifying ACEs; ensuring clarity regarding the role of the public sector agencies in such intervention; and determining an apt measure of success for the scheme. Key practitioner messages: Modelling using only police data can provide insight into the population of children who may have suffered from ACEs but may not provide significant opportunities for early interventionThere is a clear need for defining the role of UK police forces in the delivery of early interventionIt is evident that multi‐agency working/data sharing is crucial to preventing the duplication of referrals and interventions conducted with young people who have experienced ACEs 'There is a clear need for defining the role of UK police forces in the delivery of early intervention' [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The increasing use of qualitative methodologies to explore experiences of child sexual abuse (CSA) disclosure has led to the need to synthesise these findings. Recent reviews have tended to focus on the barriers to disclosure more than the facilitators or to conflate findings from studies of adults and studies of children and adolescents. This paper focuses on a qualitative meta‐analysis of studies conducted in the past 20 years (1998–2018) that addresses the question of what helps children disclose experiences of CSA. An analysis of 20 studies that met the inclusion criteria suggests that six key themes are important facilitators of disclosure: access to someone you can trust; realising it's not normal; inability to cope with emotional distress; wanting something to be done about it; expecting to be believed; and being asked. These can be conceptualised as representing two key dynamics that help children tell: needing to tell (pressure cooker effect), and opportunity to tell. Professionals and carers can facilitate the process of disclosure through building trusting relationships with children, recognising their distress and initiating conversations with children about their wellbeing. 'A qualitative meta‐analysis of studies conducted in the past 20 years (1998–2018) that addresses the question of what helps children disclose experiences of CSA' Key Practitioner Messages: There is a need for the focus to be on what helps children tell rather than what hinders children telling.Children need those around them to notice when they need to talk about themselves and what is happening in their lives – when they are unable to cope with their distress, when they want something done about it.Professionals and adults interacting with children need to ask children about their lives and wellbeing, in order to: help create opportunities for children to tell; help them access someone they can trust; let them know they will be taken seriously; and help them to understand that abusive behaviour is not normal. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders-Fifth Edition (DSM-5) and International Classification of Diseases-11th Revision (ICD-11; proposed) now include criteria for clinically significant (a) intimate partner violence (IPV) and neglect and (b) child abuse and neglect. However, existing measures of IPV and child abuse do not allow for assessment of established criteria. The current study examines the convergent and response process validity of the Family Maltreatment (FM) measure of clinically significant physical and psychological IPV and child abuse. Participants (N = 126) completed the FM via computer and measures of IPV (Revised Conflict Tactics Scale; Straus, Hamby, Boney-McCoy, & Sugarman, 1996) and child abuse (Parent-Child Conflict Tactics Scale; Straus, Hamby, Finkelhor, Moore, & Runyan, 1998) via paper-and-pencil. Participants who endorsed acts of aggression on the FM completed an audio-recorded computerized interview recounting the 2 most severe incidents. Verbalized incidents (n = 138) were coded for clinically significant family maltreatment. Results largely supported the convergent validity of the FM. Agreement of acts endorsed on the FM with those endorsed on convergent measures was excellent for IPV and physical child abuse, yet poor for psychological child abuse. Further, in support of the response process validity of the FM, comparison with observer ratings of interviews indicated few "false positives" and no "false negatives" on the FM across the examined types of clinically significant IPV and child abuse. In summary, the FM is a promising measure for the assessment of clinically significant physical and psychological abuse as defined in the DSM-5 and ICD-11 (proposed). (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2020 APA, all rights reserved). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• The National Survey of Child and Adolescent Well-Being (NSCAW) is the only source of nationally representative, longitudinal data on the well-being of children and families involved with the child welfare system. • The baseline data collection for the third cohort (NSCAW III) was completed in March 2022 and data have been archived for researchers. • Methodological and operational challenges faced during the baseline wave of NSCAW III required the identification and implementation of creative solutions for sampling, child welfare agency recruitment, instrumentation, data collection, and weighting. • This paper shares lessons learned and solutions from NSCAW III that may be relevant to other studies utilizing similar methods and/or collecting data from child welfare-involved populations. The National Survey of Child and Adolescent Well-Being (NSCAW) is a national survey that follows children and families who have been the subjects of investigation by child protective services agencies. NSCAW is the only source of nationally representative, longitudinal data on the well-being of children and families involved with the child welfare system (CWS). The survey examines child and family well-being outcomes in detail and seeks to relate those outcomes to experience with the CWS and to family characteristics, service needs and receipt, community environments, and other factors. To date, there have been three cohorts of NSCAW. The design of NSCAW III was guided by three priorities: (1) keeping NSCAW III as comparable to the two previous cohorts as possible, (2) minimizing response burden for all participants, and (3) updating the NSCAW III sample and instruments as needed to reflect the composition and characteristics of children being served by the CWS in 2017. NSCAW III includes 3,298 children ranging in age from 0 to 17.5 years old at the time of sampling. Children were sampled from child welfare investigations closed between July 2017 and September 2021. We provide information about methodological and operational challenges faced during the enrollment of NSCAW III (e.g., COVID-19 pandemic, state-level refusals) that required a new level of persistence and creativity, a pivot from past approaches, and the identification of solutions to maintain the integrity of this nationally representative study. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Child maltreatment is a complex problem requiring interdisciplinary collaboration. • A fellowships program was designed to support maltreatment prevention scholars. • The program created a densely connected interdisciplinary network of fellows. • Scientific collaborations between fellows increased over time. Child maltreatment is a complex problem requiring interdisciplinary collaborative research to generate innovative solutions. The Doris Duke Fellowships for the Promotion of Child Well-Being were designed to identify and nurture emerging scholars committed to child maltreatment prevention and create a supportive interdisciplinary learning network. This paper examines connectivity within the collaborative network created by the fellowships program using longitudinal social network data. Participants were 120 individuals selected as Doris Duke Fellows during their doctoral training at universities in the United States. Fellows completed annual, voluntary web-based surveys to assess their interactions with other fellows during the past year. Social network analysis methods were used to assess the strength and quality of the learning network over a four-year period. Across four years of data, there were increases in the number of connections, proportion of cross-cohort connections, and proportion of interdisciplinary connections. Network analyses showed a highly connected network consisting of primarily medium- and high-quality connections between fellows from different disciplines. The number of scientific journal articles authored by two or more fellows grew substantially over time. Findings indicate the collaborative network created by the fellowships program is growing and strengthening over time. The new Child Well-Being Research Network extends the fellowships network to a broader group of scholars and professionals to advance diversity, equity, inclusion, and justice in the field of child well-being research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper explores the well-documented relationship between child maltreatment and aggressive and criminal behavior, specifically examining several dimensions of maltreatment and cumulative child and family risk. Using data from the provincially representative Ontario Incidence Study of Reported Child Abuse and Neglect (OIS-2013), this paper utilizes a developmental lens to examine whether maltreatment dimensions and cumulative risk can differentiate maltreated young people who exhibit aggressive and criminal behaviors and those who do not. A total unweighted sample of 1837 substantiated maltreatment investigations was examined in this analysis using chi-square, t -test, and logistic regression. The findings indicate that 13% of maltreated children and youth served by the Ontario child welfare system exhibited aggression and 6% of maltreated adolescents were involved in the youth justice system. Aggressive children and youth were more likely to experience severe and co-occurring forms of maltreatment and to experience higher levels of cumulative child risk. In adolescence, youth exhibiting aggressive and/or criminal behavior commonly were investigated because of neglect, specifically because their caregivers were no longer willing or able to remain in a caregiving role. Implications for child welfare policy and practice are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose How might the profession of child protection social work be “future proofed”, i.e. remain intact and of value beyond its present existence? The paper aims to discuss this issue.Design/methodology/approach This is a discussion/“think piece” paper, in which the author argues that foregrounding the art and science of helping relationships is a way forward. Recognising and promoting the centrality of helping relationships is the direction in which the author believes (or is it hopes?) social work should head, because “more of the same” is not, in the author’s view, possible to sustain for much longer. Treading the well-worn but pot-holed path of box-ticking, endless risk assessment and perfunctory statutory visiting is likely to lead to continuing problems retaining social workers and, for those who do stay, increased burnout, compassion fatigue and secondary trauma, each of which interrupts or delays the development of working alliances with family members.Findings Growing reliance on thresholds and checklists to assess risk has served to increase referrals. As a result, social workers spend much of their time on triaging and filtering rather than working with the children and families that most need help and protection. Further, it is not what is in the practitioner’s toolkit that matters: rather, it is a defined set of personal skills and qualities that tips the balance to achieve lasting change. Thus, in order to “future proof” social work, we would do well to deepen our understanding of how helping relationships can lead to lasting change. Supporting social workers in this work is not just the responsibility of individual practitioners and their professional bodies, action also needs to be taken at governmental and managerial levels.Originality/value This is a discussion/“think piece”. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

According to the Swedish Social Services Act, all health personnel are required to report children whom they suspect are subject to maltreatment. This paper describes the organizational and professional conditions in four Swedish children's hospitals regarding the reporting process. Specifically, the study focused on knowledge of risk to children, legal frameworks and the perceptions of organizational support and explored the differences between the hospitals and professional groups. The method used was a quantitative questionnaire, and 295 personnel responded. Hospitals differed in the level of organizational support offered to staff. Importantly, the professional groups showed different levels of knowledge and awareness about structures supporting their reporting obligations, with nurses and nurse assistants showing a lower level of awareness than physicians and hospital social workers. The paper argues that all professional groups need to have equal access to education, with the opportunity to become more involved in the assessment and reporting process and to strengthen multidisciplinary structures. Further, this would reduce risk, dispel the perception that work with children is ‘dirty work’ and counter strategies of avoidance among some professionals. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Child protection continues to be a pressing social problem. Robust and relevant research is essential in order to ensure that the scale and nature of child maltreatment are understood and that preventative and protective measures are effective. This paper reports selected results from a mapping review of research conducted in the UK and published between January 2010 and December 2014. The purpose of the review was twofold: to develop a typology of child protection research; and to use this typology to describe the features and patterns of empirical research undertaken recently in the UK in order to inform a future research agenda. The paper reports the maltreatment types, substantive topics and research designs used within empirical research published in academic journals. It identifies a number of challenges for the field including the need for conceptual clarity regarding types of abuse, greater methodological diversity and a shift of focus from response to prevention of child maltreatment. The importance of a national strategic agenda is also emphasised. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. Key Practitioner Messages A substantial proportion of empirical research focuses on child maltreatment generally and less is known about some specific types of maltreatment such as exposure to domestic abuse and child trafficking., More robust evidence is particularly needed concerning the effectiveness of interventions and choice of preventative approaches., Research-minded practitioners have an important contribution to make to the development of a practice-relevant research agenda. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective Research on child protection recurrence has found consistent child, family, and case characteristics associated with repeated involvement with the child protection system. Despite the considerable body of empirical research, knowledge about why recurrence occurs, and what can be done to reduce it, is limited. Method This paper reviews the empirical literature and analyses the approaches of prior recurrence research. Four related conceptual challenges are identified: (1) a tendency to conflate child protection recurrence with repeated child maltreatment; (2) uncertainty about how best to operationalize and measure child protection recurrence in research; (3) inconsistency between prevailing explanations for the most frequently observed patterns of recurrence; and (4) difficulty in developing coherent strategies to address child protection recurrence based on research. Results Addressing these challenges requires a greater consideration of the effects of decision-making in the child protection system on recurrence. This paper proposes a methodology based in systems theory and drawing on existing administrative data to examine the characteristics of the child protection system that may also produce recurrence. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective This paper builds upon the analyses presented in three companion papers using data from the 2003 and 2008 cycles of the Canadian Incidence Study of Reported Child Abuse and Neglect (CIS-2003 and CIS-2008) and the Ontario Child Abuse and Neglect Data System (OCANDS) to examine disproportionality and disparity of child welfare involvement for Asian-Canadian children involved in the child welfare system. Methods This study used CIS-2008 data adjusted by Census child population data to examine rates per 1000 and three disparity indexes (population-based disparity index [PDI], decision-based disparity index [DDI], and maltreatment-based disparity index [MDI]) to determine the representation of child maltreatment investigations for Asian-Canadian versus White-Canadian children involved in the child welfare system. Logistic regression analyses were conducted to determine the odds of case closure for substantiated child maltreatment investigations, and whether Asian ethnicity remained significant while controlling for child demographics and household composition, case characteristics, and clinical concerns. Results This study found that Asian-Canadian children were underrepresented in the child welfare system compared to White-Canadian children (13.9 per 1000 Asian children in the Canadian population vs. 36.1 per 1000 White children in the Canadian population). Child welfare involvement for Asian-Canadian children are almost 2 times more likely to close after an investigation than White-Canadian children. The three disparity indexes (PDI, DDI, MDI) showed substantially different results with respect to the representation of child maltreatment investigations involving Asian-Canadian versus White-Canadian children for physical abuse, sexual abuse, neglect, emotional maltreatment, and exposure to domestic violence. Conclusions Disproportionality and disparity are complex phenomena. The variation in results derived from different methods of calculating representation suggests the need for greater clarity and consistency in the definitions and methodology in examining racial disparity in child welfare research. Some methodological considerations for future child welfare research with Asian-Canadian populations were discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: There are a variety of parent-support programs designed to improve parenting and, thereby, the safety and well-being of children. Providers trained in multiple programs are likely to select components of interventions they feel will meet the needs of the families they serve leaving out aspects they deem unnecessary or redundant. In so doing, the fidelity of the evidence-based program is at risk. A potential solution is systematic braiding in which evidence-based programs are combined such that the fidelity to each original model and its implementation are maintained. Methods: Drawing on qualitative feedback from a prior iteration, this paper discusses results of a feasibility and acceptability pilot of a modified version of the systematically braided Parents as Teachers and SafeCare at Home (PATSCH) curriculum. This modification removed a provider-perceived "redundant" portion from the original PATSCH curriculum. A pre-post design (N= 18) was used to evaluate the efficacy of the modified curriculum. Results: Significant improvements were seen in trained parent behaviors surrounding home safety and child health. There was also improvement in self-reported parenting behaviors, the portion of the braided curriculum removed, suggesting that the PAT curriculum adequately teaches these skills. Providers and parents were highly satisfied with the modified curriculum. Conclusions: If a curriculum is modified to reflect provider and parent preferences, then the potential for delivery without fidelity is minimized. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is twofold: first, to identify the types of adaptations made by service providers (i.e. practitioners) during a large-scale US statewide implementation of SafeCare®, an evidence-based intervention to reduce child neglect; and second, to place adaptations within a taxonomy of types of adaptations. Design/methodology/approach: Semi-structured interviews and focus groups were conducted with 138 SafeCare providers and supervisors. Grounded theory methods were used to identify themes, specific types of adaptations and factors associated with adaptation. Findings: Adaptations were made to both peripheral and core elements of the evidence-based practice (EBP). The taxonomy of adaptations included two broad categories of process and content. Process adaptations included presentation of materials, dosage/intensity of sessions, order of presentation, addressing urgent concerns before focusing on the EBP and supplementing information to model materials. Content adaptations included excluding parts of the EBP and overemphasizing certain aspects of the EBP. Adaptations were motivated by client factors such as the age of the target child, provider factors such as a providers' level of self-efficacy with the EBP and concerns over client/provider rapport. Client factors were paramount in motivating adaptations of all kinds. Research limitations/implications: The present findings highlight the need to examine ways in which adaptations affect EBP implementation and sustainment, client engagement in treatment, and client outcomes. Practical implications: Implementers and EBP developers and trainers should build flexibility into their models while safeguarding core intervention elements that drive positive client outcomes. Originality/value: This study is unique in examining and enumerating both process and content types of adaptations in a large-scale child neglect implementation study. In addition, such adaptations may be generalizable to other types of EBPs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

State and local governments are designing programs to prevent child maltreatment at an increasing rate. A relatively small portion of families offered these programs go on to engage in and complete services. Workers in a child maltreatment prevention program implemented across 21 sites in 1 state documented outreach efforts in logs maintained by program evaluators. Additionally, evaluators interviewed 23 outreach workers and supervisors who were developing and refining outreach strategies in this prevention program. Data from logs and responses to interviews speak to challenges in navigating prevention outreach with families to achieve engagement and buy-in, particularly when "cold-calling" about screened-out reports of child maltreatment. This paper presents a summary of barriers and facilitators of family engagement in outreach for prevention services, guidance from the public health literature on improving outreach strategies for at-risk populations, and suggested practice, policy, and research implications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]