Search

Young people are more likely to seek help about abusive relationships from friends, rather than adults or professionals, irrespective of gender, age or ethnic group. However, friends may be unequipped to deal with relationship problems and unable to provide adequate emotional or practical support. The aim of this paper is to explore how young people would support friends if they were seeking help or shared experiences of abuse. Qualitative findings drawn from a larger UK mixed‐methods study are used to explicate this. Data was gathered using 16 focus groups and one interview with girls, young women and non‐binary young people aged 13 to 24 years. Thematic analysis provided six themes pertaining to supporting friends and help‐seeking around relationship abuse. Findings showed young people recommended supporting friends in a non‐judgemental way to keep conversations open and help them recognise unhealthy behaviours. However, young people confirmed this is a difficult topic and many would feel fearful, helpless and under pressure. Conversations illustrated the need for more awareness of non‐physical abuse and resources specifically aimed at young people to enable them to help friends and know where and when to seek professional support. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Many children continue to be sexually abused worldwide. In Ghana, relatively high figures of child sexual abuse (CSA) are reported by the police daily. Although there are laws that seek to protect children from sexual abuse, in reality, there is a wide gulf between legislation and practice. This paper explores why this is so by examining the measures adopted in sanctioning perpetrators of CSA in the Ga community in Ghana. The study uses a qualitative approach to collect data from parents and guardians through in‐depth interviews. The study revealed that, generally, traditional rather than legal sanctions are adopted in handling CSA cases. This paper thus interrogates the consequences of the obvious contraventions of the law as traditional interventions are resorted to. We posit that CSA can be minimised only when child protection laws are enforced by the police and victims are reoriented to appreciate the benefits of seeking legal redress. Key Practitioner Messages: Conscious efforts must be made to destigmatise child sexual abuse.Sensitisation programmes should be organised periodically by stakeholders to educate community members on child sexual abuse.The police in partnership with the media must also lead the campaign to educate the populace that choosing traditional options of redress and non‐disclosure of incestuous acts against children is a clear violation of the law and the rights of the child. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Young people's voices detailing how they experienced engagement with the criminal justice system following child sexual abuse, what was helpful or unhelpful and how services can be improved to minimise secondary victimisation and maximise the potential for healing are largely absent from the research literature. This paper draws on semi‐structured interviews with a culturally diverse sample (n = 47) of young people aged 14 to 25 across Ireland and Canada about their experiences of disclosure and engagement with systems. Data were collected pertaining to experiences engaging with law enforcement personnel using thematic analysis with a trauma‐informed lens. The research identified three key themes: the importance of feeling safe through kindness, transparency and being believed; the importance of having a say; and the importance of timely court processes. The study builds on the small body of qualitative research illustrating young people's lived experiences of engaging with the criminal justice system and provides empirical support for promoting a trauma‐informed approach in how police engage with young people. Guidance is offered for police professionals on how to engage with adolescents following sexual abuse. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Research demonstrates that relationships are key when working to support young people affected by sexual violence. Within these relationships, young people show a preference for non‐judgemental, flexible, consistent and informal support. Peer support – defined here as support provided by those with similar experiences – is however an uncharted area for assisting young people affected by sexual violence. This paper draws on interviews with 25 respondents with knowledge and experience of setting up, supervising and/or participating in peer support initiatives for young people impacted by different forms of sexual violence in Europe and North America. The article highlights how one form of peer support, peer or 'survivor' mentoring, can provide emotional and social support; create space for 'normality'; and give choices to young people. It outlines three unique dimensions to the support provided by peers more generally: relatability, credibility and translatability. The discussion reflects on what this might mean for traditional support provided by professionals. It also draws attention to the significance of recognising both the variety of experience and identity of young survivors of sexual trauma and the impact this may have on promoting relatability within relationships. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Parental substance misuse is a significant child welfare issue and associated with increased risk of child maltreatment. The aim of the present study was to understand what social care outcomes children who live with parental substance misuse have, and to assess factors associated with those social care outcomes over a two‐year period. The paper reports on a retrospective longitudinal study of 299 children all living with parental substance misuse and referred to one local authority in England. Data were collected from children's social work case files about procedural social care outcomes and factors which may be associated with those outcomes. Using cluster analysis, a new typology of children's longitudinal trajectories through the children's social care system was developed, consisting of five distinct types. Analysis indicated that some children received too little intervention from children's social care despite ongoing concerns, while other children were potentially unnecessarily caught up in the social care system. Factors associated with children having the poorest outcomes were: caregiver instability resulting from substance misuse, parenting capacity and household instability. The study's findings indicate that some children who live with parental substance misuse are at significant risk of harm, but others are not and may be better supported through non‐statutory services such as early help. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Whatever the circumstances, the separation of infants from their mothers at birth is a traumatic experience for all concerned. The paper reports on a study designed to improve practice in this highly sensitive area. An analysis of data collected through semi‐structured interviews with 38 mothers who had experienced removal at birth identified four common themes: isolation and unacknowledged support needs; shame, stigma and the failure of others to acknowledge their maternal identity; acute trauma, immediate downturn and disenfranchised grief following infant removal; and strategies to mitigate their pain and grief. These last themes included the use of artefacts both as transitional objects to help mothers come to terms with the permanent loss of a baby, and as a means of keeping maternal identity alive and connecting with an infant who might eventually return home. In response to these findings, and in collaboration with a group of women with lived experience, HOPE boxes were designed to ameliorate the trauma and psychological burden borne by women in this situation. The contents of the boxes have been chosen to reflect the changing experiences of the women's journeys but also the range of possible potential outcomes. The intervention has considerable potential to minimise the trauma of this painful experience. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Family and extended kinship systems which nurture healthy, happy children are central to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures. Since colonisation, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities have been impacted by intergenerational cycles of trauma, stemming from colonial violence, genocidal policies and discrimination, including the forced removal of children from their families. Becoming a parent offers a unique life‐course opportunity for trauma recovery and preventing intergenerational trauma. However, identifying or 'recognising' complex trauma carries significant risk of harm for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander parents due to reactive prenatal child protection involvement potentially compounding experiences of trauma, and limited benefits due to lack of culturally appropriate support. The Aboriginal‐led participatory Healing the Past by Nurturing the Future project aims to co‐design safe, accessible and feasible perinatal awareness, recognition, assessment and support strategies for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander parents experiencing complex trauma. This paper presents views of 38 workshop participants to determine prerequisites for ensuring benefits outweigh risks of assessment to safely recognise parents experiencing complex trauma, consistent with screening criteria. Six essential elements were identified from thematic analysis: high‐quality holistic care; cultural, social and emotional safety; empowerment, choice and control; flexible person‐centred approaches; trusting relationships; and sensitive, skilled communication. Key Practitioner Messages: The impacts of colonisation and rates of Aboriginal and Torres Strait children in out‐of‐home care mean that there can be a myriad of issues facing Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander parents with regard to perinatal child protection involvement.The benefits must outweigh the risks of identifying parents experiencing complex trauma.Assessment must be offered within foundations of supportive relationships and holistic care in culturally‐safe, empowering settings, where choices are respected and skilled communication approaches are used. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In 2021, Birmingham County Football Association (BCFA) in partnership with Newman University carried out a quantitative online review to assess coaches, volunteers, parents and young people's understanding of safeguarding information, policies and procedures in relation to football. This paper examines the findings from the children (aged 5–11) and young people (aged 12–17) using the Six Principles of Safeguarding to assess the current safeguarding measures in place to protect children and young people (CYP) playing grassroots football. The review found that whilst most CYP felt safe when playing organised football, there were some concerns raised from the young people in relation to angry parents, abuse and racism. Most children in both groupings had heard of the term safeguarding, but fewer had heard of the term welfare, and struggled to explain what welfare meant. A key finding and concern is that many CYP are not aware of the role of the Club Welfare Officer at their football club or that this might be someone to whom they can disclose issues concerning them. Furthermore, it became evident that further research, awareness raising and implementation of listening to and acting on children's voices needs to be fully embedded into safeguarding practice in children and young people's organised football. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Framed within the European project ECLIPS (Enhancing the Capacity to combat chiLd abuse through an Integral training and Protocol for childcare professionalS), this study aims at understanding the needs related to the screening and referral of child maltreatment by childcare professionals working with children aged 0–3 in daycare settings of four European countries (Belgium, Hungary, Italy and Latvia). While children in this age group display the highest risk of abuse compared to older children, research and practice are less focused on them. Given their daily exposure, childcare professionals are in a unique position to identify and refer child maltreatment of infants and toddlers. However, data from desk research and focus groups held in the four countries revealed significant gaps in both processes. Screening for abuse is not mandatory for childcare professionals, and many barriers limit its effectiveness, such as the lack of training and the absence of standardised practices. Referral is mainly undermined by psychological barriers, namely fear and lack of self‐efficacy. This is a fundamental first step to developing strategies to face underreporting and filling knowledge gaps while supporting the fundamental competencies necessary to safeguard the young child's best interest, which is the final goal of the ECLIPS project. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article focuses on the underestimation of the risk of family and domestic violence (FDV) in child protection cases. The study compares the data collected through fixed-field methods and narrative data, revealing that the extent of children's exposure to FDV is higher when using narrative data, highlighting the limitations of fixed-field data in capturing the complete picture of FDV.

This article explores the rarely considered role of friends and peers supporting young people after sexual abuse experienced in adolescence, drawing on participatory research with 32 young people in the UK with lived experience. The article considers ways in which relationships with friends and peers interplay with recovery from abuse. This includes friends and peers as recipients of disclosure, conduits to professional support, sources of emotional support and distraction, and being embroiled in often challenging, precarious peer cultures that young people navigate post‐abuse. The article explores young people's rationale for, and experiences of, reaching out to friends and peers. It considers what young people seek and gain from these relationships in the aftermath of abuse, while acknowledging complex risks and precarity of these relationships. It argues that support from friends offers something distinct to family and professionals. It explores benefits of these relationships, but also potential for peer responses to undermine wellbeing if not sufficiently supportive or informed. The article ends by arguing for professionals to better recognise and respond to these relational contexts and consider whether there are safe and appropriate ways to 'support young people to support' without responsibilisation, and recognising welfare needs of those providing such support. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Repeated reporting to child protection is common. One approach to early intervention is for jurisdictions to receive and respond to child protection concerns raised before children are born. Despite this, little research has comprehensively examined subsequent child protection contact for those first reported prenatally. This study aimed to examine the subsequent child protection contact for up to a two‐year period for a cohort of children who were reported about prebirth. Child protection administrative data were extracted for 640 children reported for a concern about an unborn child in a single jurisdiction during 2014. Data about child protection contacts included reports, investigations, substantiations and out‐of‐home placements for children reported prenatally. Of the 640 children, 79% reported about prenatally also had contact with child protection between birth and age two. From birth and up to age two, children reported prenatally had between zero and 21 reports. Twenty‐two per cent of the children reported prenatally were removed from their birth parents and placed in out‐of‐home care prior to age two. These findings highlight the importance of intervening and supporting families prior to and during pregnancy to reduce harm to children and reduce the need for contact with child protection. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses the results of an exploratory study aimed to provide policymakers with a rapid analysis of the extent of child protection involvement for individual children and their families, and the characteristics of families reported. Topics covered include the sources of data utilized, the research in partnership towards system improvement and the extent and patterns of involvement with child protection over the life of the family.

While child welfare scholars and caseworkers have acquired a better understanding of risk factors associated with occurrences of child fatalities due to maltreatment over the past 20 years, little is known about the organisational and system‐level characteristics that impact efforts to prevent or intervene in these cases. As part of a collaborative agreement between a university‐affiliated centre and a state child welfare agency, we conducted interviews by phone with 19 case managers, middle managers and regional leaders who were assigned to manage or oversee a near fatality or fatality case. They illuminated five major themes: 1) their perceived stressors and sources of support; 2) client and perpetrator risk factors; 3) system‐level risk and protective factors; 4) case descriptions; and 5) lessons learned. Relying upon their lived experiences, we offer practice and policy recommendations to Child Abuse Review to support their efforts to prevent and respond to child fatality cases. Efforts should be devoted to evaluating strategies to reduce risk for all families before the child welfare system is involved, supporting workers when they are assigned to fatality cases by reducing caseloads and preparing them for the fatality review process, and embracing a culture of collaboration across and within child‐serving systems. Key Practitioner Messages: To respond effectively to child fatality and near fatality cases, child welfare caseworkers and leaders should be assigned fewer cases in the interim, and receive guidance, consultation, and time to prepare for the fatality review process.Embracing a culture of collaboration across and within child‐serving systems may also prevent fatalities and facilitate an efficient investigative process if/when they do occur. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Organisations funded by Sport England or UK Sport must work towards achieving standards for safeguarding and protecting children in sport as set by the National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children's Child Protection in Sport Unit (CPSU) and encourage a culture of listening to children. The present research was commissioned by the NSPCC CPSU to understand the practices of UK sports clubs regarding this objective. An electronic questionnaire was distributed through the national governing bodies of sport working with the CPSU. Some 64 clubs/squads representing 6,000+ juniors (under 18 years) responded. Quantitative data were analysed using simple statistics and qualitative data were themed utilising Foucault's theory of power and following Braun and Clark's six‐phase guide. Discourse, hierarchical judgement and docility were considered with reference to formal management and cultural environments. Semantic and latent themes were explored. The themes identified were: expectation awareness, reframing voice and preserving discourse. Clubs recognise the value of listening to children. However, existing power relations valorise adult knowledge fields over the experiences of juniors. Technology could provide an effective solution as it is remote, potentially anonymous and culturally accessible. As power is a productive force, problematisation of organisational culture could centralise children's voices and limit/prevent abuse. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Schools are a natural choice for providing prevention information about victimisation to children and young people. This study examines the implementation of the Monique Burr Foundation's Child Safety Matters program with minority youth attending public school. The program was implemented with children aged four to 13 years, primarily in schools in low‐income areas in a large, multicultural public school system. Pre‐ and post‐test assessments of the program showed small significant improvements over time regardless of grade or gender, though with ceiling effects in the pre‐tests. Regarding the most important information learned, youth responded with themes of bullying, safety rules, Internet safety and abuse. Five children made direct disclosures of sexual or physical abuse to the presenter and were subsequently reported to the child abuse hotline. Teachers, in whose classrooms the program was delivered, reported satisfaction with the program, and an increased sense of competence in identifying abuse. Implications for administering and assessing prevention programs are provided. Key Practitioner Messages: School wide prevention programming can begin in schools with children as young as 5 years of age and expose a wide range of students to important knowledge and self‐protection skills.Children who participated in the Child Safety Matters program showed significant gains in knowledge over time regardless of grade or gender.Participation in a school‐based abuse prevention program may lead to disclosures of abuse among participants. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The mental health problems of parents can negatively affect their whole family. The organisational and wider context may also influence the outcomes for all involved. The aims of this systematic review were: to develop a working definition of family‐focused practice (FFP); identify the types of outcomes that are measured with a focus on service user experiences; and explore how well interventions in the included studies fit with previously established components of FFP. A comprehensive literature search of 16 databases was conducted for peer‐reviewed, primary research studies related to FFP published between 1998 and 2016. In total, 3731 articles were identified and screened by four reviewers. Of those, 40 articles met all of the inclusion criteria. The review focused on family outcomes and, consistent with previous reviews, there was a reasonable degree of consistency about the core components of FFP. An additional component, identified by this review, which was part of some interventions, was work to improve access to and engagement with community supports and services. The review concludes that there is a need for: an agreed definition of FFP; clearer links to relevant theories; a more consistent approach to measuring outcomes, including economic perspectives; and an increased strategic promotion of whole family approaches. Key Practitioner Messages: There is an immediate need for an agreed definition of family‐focused practice.Relevant theory could further clarify the theories of change and anticipated outcomes.There is consistency across studies about the key components of family‐focused practice.This review suggests the inclusion of an additional component, which is practice that improves access to and engagement with community supports and services.Economic evaluations of family‐focused practice are needed. 'There is an immediate need for an agreed definition of family‐focused practice' [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]