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This paper grants some considerations on a critical phenomenon for child health: child neglect. It is an omission-type form of childhood maltreatment, which is widespread but very hard to intercept. For the assessment of child neglect, the Italian Society of Pediatric Psychology (S.I.P.Ped.) has developed and validated a specific assessment technique (the C.N.A. technique). It is supposed to be for parents of children between 3 and 9 years old. It is based on a paradigm that identifies the dysregulation of parental competence as the cause of neglect. It can occur in hypo- or hyperactivation of three fundamental factors (recognition, stimulation, and care). The child neglect assessment technique (C.N.A.) differs from the retrospective tools available in the literature since it allows for interception of the "signs" of possible child neglect when negligence occurs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Child neglect, recognized as the most prevalent form of child maltreatment with profound repercussions on children's development, has received limited scholarly attention compared to abuse. The current study addresses this shortfall with a qualitative research investigation involving 10 multicultural focus groups of youths aged 12 to 15. The research examined how young individuals identify signs of child neglect and discern whether formal and informal sources of assistance may be relied upon to assist in addressing this issue. Through qualitative–thematic analysis, three primary themes emerged: (1) Characteristics of neglected children, (2) challenges in identifying child neglect, and (3) official and unofficial sources to appeal for assistance when child neglect is identified. This study's insights concern peers' recognition of signs indicating neglect in children and their perspectives on potential assistance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Rates of child maltreatment in the U.S. have been relatively stagnant since the 1990s. This lack of progress suggests that prevention efforts, which have primarily focused on individual behaviors, have been unsuccessful. Building on existing research, this conceptual paper identifies the need to refocus prevention efforts on changeable and causal risk factors. The Modifiable Maltreatment Factors (MMF), a new framework to classify risk factors for maltreatment, is introduced. Use of the MMF in social work education and child protective services work could increase the understanding of macro factors in child maltreatment and the possibilities of policy change and community organizing in maltreatment prevention. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Child maltreatment is any action, neglect or aggression towards a child caused by parents, family members or others. The objective of this study is to find out the beliefs and attitudes regarding abuse among nursing students. Methods: This was an exploratory study with the aim of validating the questionnaire, made up of four dimensions. This questionnaire was administered during the 2020/2021 academic year to 370 undergraduate nursing students (first and third year), in Toledo, Talavera de la Reina and Albacete of the University of Castilla-La Mancha, in addition to resident nurses, master's students and doctoral students during the first four-month period (September, October, November and December). A statistical analysis was carried out observing internal consistency for Cronbach's alpha. Results: In total, 61.6% of the students concluded that the child was not responsible for maltreatment, and 41.6% thought that it was independent of gender. Furthermore, 65.7% stated that it is human nature for parents to care for their children, 74.1% considered maltreatment to be a crime in the family, and 15.4% said that it does not exist in higher social classes. A total of 23.2% said that those in nursing professions should not intervene in child abuse. With regard to Münchausen syndrome, there was less agreement among the participants, being unknown to the great majority of the students. Conclusions: Among the participants, a lack of knowledge about child abuse was observed, as well as the role of nursing in its detection. Subsequently, given the importance of nursing and its professionals in the detection and management of child abuse, it is necessary to implement knowledge and skills in undergraduate training. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Social work and allied professions can struggle to accurately assess child neglect. Our research project is developing a new child neglect measurement tool for use by multi-agencies to address this issue. Phase two of this project employed a Delphi study to gather the views of a range of experts to help develop it. There were two important stages to inform the Delphi study: a systematic review of child neglect measures, and three online focus groups with a purposive sample of 16 participants with expertise in child neglect (academics, practitioners, and experts by experience). We then conducted a three-round modified online Delphi study with a purposive sample of 60 international panellists with expertise in child neglect. We followed the CREDES guidelines for the rigorous application of the Delphi technique. The panel generated salient items for the tool and scaled these for importance. The panel reached consensus for 18 items and 15 elements for the tool. The items included neglect type, chronicity, and severity. The elements included hyperlinks to research and the use of 10-point scales. The draft tool is short and may be useable by a range of practitioners in multi-agency settings. It is inclusive of social harms, such as poverty and social isolation. It will now be piloted. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the United States, childcare subsidies are available to low-income working parents to assist with the cost of childcare. The subsidies are provided as block grants to states, which allows for a great deal of flexibility in the specific policies guiding their distribution. Prior research has found a protective link between childcare subsidies and child maltreatment, but the variations in policies have been much less explored. The current study used longitudinal administrative child welfare data from 10 years (2009–2019) linked with state policies regarding the income eligibility requirements of states to examine the impact of these policies on child abuse and neglect among young children (0–5); early school-age children (6–12), and older children (13–17). Using multiple regression and controlling for state demographic characteristics, the study found that more generous policies surrounding income eligibility were related to lower rates of child abuse and neglect investigations at the state level. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]