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Child neglect is a problem that presents many challenges to learning and teaching in schools. Children are unable to learn if their basic needs are not met. Neglect is the second most common reason for a child to be on a child protection plan in Wales. Given the universal nature of their provision within the community, and the prevalence of neglect, schools are well-placed to notice and intervene early and provide support to children that promotes their health and wellbeing. In fact, staff in schools have the opportunity to observe children's behaviours, and their interactions with other pupils and family members up to five days a week over an extended period of time. However, little is known about the specific ways in which staff in schools respond to neglect and what factors help them to provide effective school-based support to families. This paper presents findings from thirty interviews with staff in six mainstream primary and secondary schools in Wales. Findings identify three factors that support neglect-practice within the school-setting (i) a whole-school proactive approach to child neglect; (ii) a positive learning and development environment for staff members; and (iii) relationships between staff and the child(ren)'s family. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although considerable research exists on Child Neglect (CN), gender-differentiated perceptions that fuel CN are not yet known. In the patriarchal family settings, the perception often held of mothers is that of childcare and fathers as providers. Drawing on interviews with 35 parents reported for CN in post-conflict northern Uganda, this paper explores the gendered triggers of CN and interventions directed at children under CN. The paper uses radical feminism and nested ecological theories to examine gendered perceptions often held about motherhood and fatherhood in relation to childcare and explains the risk factors for CN for caretakers from northern Uganda. Narrative responses were audio-recorded and transcribed. Qualitative content analysis was used to scrutinize parents' perceptions on CN. Parents highlighted triggers for CN as; spousal separation and custody of children, polygamy, disorientation of cultural and social norms and the burden of single parenting. Case reporting and community dialogues were identified as interventions. The paper argues for mainstreaming gender into family and child protection strategies for improved childcare while targeting both fathers and mothers to enhance safety of children. This paper contributes to the debate on CN by bringing out gender perspectives on parents' intentional CN in northern Uganda. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper will examine the relationship between social control of deviance, ethical principles and social work. I will address this issue by adopting a specific social work theoretical perspective, that of "critical social work". In this article a specific phase of social workers' control of deviance in social work will be examined: the phase in which they collect information through specific fact-finding modalities, in order to decide whether, and in what way, social services will intervene. I chose a specific aspect of social work with involuntary clients to develop my analysis: child protection. I will organize my analysis in two parts. In the first part I will tackle the issue of social control in social work. I will subsequently analyze two theoretical paradigms (Positivism and Constructionism) within which child neglect and abuse are conceptualized and operationalized. In the second part, I will examine a case study, the story of a drug-addicted mother who had one of her children removed, with the aim of highlighting how the paradigm that guides fact-finding activity on a given phenomenon can influence the forms in which social control is exercised, favoring or hindering anti-oppressive practices. The analysis of mother's story shows how the positivist framework applied by the social workers in the decision to remove her child, affected the form in which power and social control was exercised, favoring the transition from protective power to oppressive power. The categorization of clients, aimed at the identification of the risks children run in their family contexts, may reduce social workers' activity to pure control of family life in an "antagonistic role" to their clients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: Multiple, chronic and repeated trauma exposure in childhood is associated with adverse mental health outcomes in adulthood. In this paper we synthesise the literature on epigenetic modifications in childhood trauma (CT) and the mediating effects of differential epigenetic mechanisms on the association between CT and the later onset of psychiatric disorders. Methods: We reviewed the literature up to March 2018 in four databases: PubMed, Web of Science, EBSCOhost and SCOPUS. Non-human studies were excluded. All studies investigating CT exposure both in healthy adults (18years and older) and adults with psychiatric disorders were included. Results: Thirty-six publications were included. For mood disorders, methylation of the glucocorticoid receptor NR3C1 gene, specifically at the NGFI-A binding site in exon 1F, and correlation with CT was a robust finding. Several studies documented differential methylation of SLC6A4, BDNF, OXTR and FKBP5 in association with CT. Common pathways identified include neuronal functioning and maintenance, immune and inflammatory processes, chromatin and histone modification, and transcription factor binding. Conclusions: A variety of epigenetic mediators that lie on a common pathway between CT and psychiatric disorders have been identified, although longitudinal studies and consistency in methodological approach are needed to disentangle cause and effect associations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Australian Social Work is the property of Routledge and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

The act of addressing domestic violence in the context of Children Protective Service (CPS) work has been inconsistent at best. Generally, battered women and CPS workers collude in avoiding the subject for reasons ranging from fear of children's removal to anticipation of an emotional response to increasing caseload time restrictions. Recently some innovative programs and training efforts have begun to help CPS workers navigate these very complex intersections and assessments. This paper explores the historic background to these efforts. It then describes a sample of innovative CPS programs and explores the components of a specific training program. The latter was a Department of Health and Human Service funded program which was designed at UCLA liar the largest Public Child Welfare agency in the country. An assessment instrument was specifically developed for use in the training and agency; it is outlined here. The author examines the obstacles the training encountered as well as the resistance to the implementation of a comprehensive approach which follows the assessment instrument. This examination led to a consideration of policy issues that were addressed and those which require ongoing attention. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Child maltreatment crosses all socioeconomic, ethnic, religious, and educational boundaries; however, studies focusing on demographic characteristics of these children in Greece are scarce. Despite recent effort there is no national registry and the response system remains fragmented. Since the existing response system often includes hospital admission, this study aims to describe the characteristics of children up to 16 years of age with suspected maltreatment admitted to a tertiary children's hospital in Greece, as well as to describe the case management procedure and to calculate the length and baseline cost of hospitalization for this population of children. The socioeconomic factor most often recorded in the study participants was parental unemployment within the nuclear family structure. The main reason for referral to Social Services was neglect. The mean hospitalization duration was 28.5 days. The most frequent outcome was discharge to parental home under Social Services' supervision. The analysis of associations between gender, age, residence status and the referral reasons showed significant differences. Quantitative and qualitative descriptors of children with suspected maltreatment offer potential insights on the social determinants of health. Our findings have the potential of offering assistance to future interventions that aim to develop effective system responses and preventive strategies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) program in the USA is designed to address poverty. Because of the link to poverty, it may indirectly affect child maltreatment outcomes. However, TANF spending by states, which differs by the state's racial composition, may moderate the effects. This study explores the relationship between states' TANF spending and child maltreatment outcomes with the states' Black population concentration as a moderator. The analysis used state-level data including TANF administrative data from the Office of Family Assistance (OFA), child maltreatment data from the National Child Abuse and Neglect Data System (NCANDS), and population data from the American Community Survey (ACS). The sample includes 50 states and District of Columbia from 2015 to 2017 (n = 153). The results from the multivariate regression models show that both TANF spending on family and marriage promotion and TANF spending on work activities were associated with decreases in neglect (7.5% decrease, p<.01 and 11% reduction, p<.05, respectively), but the size of the decreases depended on the states' Black population concentration. Findings suggest that TANF spending is linked to child maltreatment rates with consideration of states' Black population. This article has implications for anti-racist poverty policy and child abuse prevention. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

University students routinely participate in research, including research on trauma and adversity, but the unique implications of trauma and adversity for educational and developmental outcomes for this group have received less attention. This study surveyed first year undergraduate students at an urban university located in the most ethnically diverse district in England, with the second highest poverty rate. Of 7,110 students, 858 responded; a response rate of 12%. The survey included thirteen questions about adverse events and circumstances before age 18. Four in five students (79%) reported at least one adversity, 51% reported three or more, and 20% reported at least six. Female students reported a higher mean number of adversities than men, but men were significantly more likely to report having been "attacked, stabbed, shot or robbed by threat." Where comparisons were possible, rates were higher than for the general population or for the only other UK university survey. A Latent Class Analysis produced four groupings. Besides the 'No adversity' (36%) and "Intermediate" (46%) classes, there were two "High adversity" groups, differentiated by high (12%) or moderate (6%) adversities related to cohabitation (parental separation, lived with depressed person, lived with alcohol/drug user, and lived with incarcerated person). Higher rates of adversities, and latent class membership, were related to predictions that one would not complete one's degree. Implications and next steps are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Previous research has found women who experience eight or more Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) are 3.5 times as likely to be victims of adult IPV. This study examined the relationship between ACEs and IPV (physical violence, sexual violence, psychological violence, and stalking) among college students. This study was conducted among undergraduate students (N = 2,900) at two large, non-profit, public universities in the United States. Students completed a web-based survey addressing self-reported ACEs and violence that occurred within the current academic year. Chi-square tests and logistic regression models were used to evaluate the relationship between ACEs and violence. College students with higher ACE scores were more likely to experience violence. Students with ACE scores of four or higher were between 1.9-4.9 times more likely to experience violence. A dose response relationship was found between ACE score and experiences of violence. Campus violence prevention programs may benefit from incorporating discussion of ACEs into programing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The current study aims to present the prevalence of adverse childhood experiences and examine the healthcare costs associated with primary, allied, and specialist healthcare services. The Australian Longitudinal Study on Women's Health is a general health survey of four nationally representative age cohorts. The current study uses 20 years of survey and administrative data (1996–2015) from the cohort born 1973–1978. Overall, 41% of women indicated at least one category of childhood adversity. The most commonly reported type of childhood adversity was having a household member with a mental illness (16%), with the most commonly reported ACES category being psychological abuse (17%). Women who had experienced adversity in childhood had higher healthcare costs than women who had not experienced adversity. The healthcare costs associated with experiences of adversity in childhood fully justify a comprehensive policy and practice review. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article explores the political, religious, and ideological backdrop to psychology and pedagogy under Franco's dictatorship. To this end, it analyses the important research carried out between 1940 and 1944 by the psychologist and pedagogue José J. Jover y Piquer into the intelligence, mentality, and moral judgement of a large number of abandoned and vulnerable postwar children. The article demonstrates how, although the approach adopted by Piquer was a scientific one – with the usual aims, techniques, and methods – the research contents were subordinated to ideological and religious considerations and aimed to determine the extent to which these children could be re-educated and integrated into the new regime. Thus, psychology became the scientific packaging for studies that were eminently ideological and politically subservient, turning pedagogy into a key instrument of the biopolitics aimed at building Franco's New Spain. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Loss of market income to families is recognized as a major risk factor of child neglect. In the 2008 recession, some poor families replaced their market incomes with cash assistance from Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF). Using secondary data for 42 contiguous jurisdictions and DC, we examined the relationship between increases in TANF caseloads and changes in substantiated child neglect cases in each of the contiguous jurisdiction's 2008 recession. Key findings suggest that reductions in child neglect cases in the presence of increasing TANF caseloads were more profound in about half the states than any increases in child neglect cases found in the remainder of the states. Applying Exploratory Spatial Data Analysis tools, local spatial clusters were found in four neighboring states in the Midwest-South corridor suggesting that child neglect increases were similar and substantial across these four states. Our findings provide important information to stakeholders who may want to better target federal resources to specific geographic regions. Neighboring states experiencing large increases in child neglect during economic downturns may extend their collaborative efforts so they can develop strategies for improving services. Future research should explain the growth in child neglect with other variables aside from TANF caseloads. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Children around the world experience violence at the hands of their caregivers at alarming rates. A recent review estimates that a minimum of 50% of children in Asia, Africa, and North America experienced severe physical violence by caregivers in the past year, with large variations between countries. Identifying modifiable country-level factors driving these geographic variations has great potential for achieving population-level reductions in rates of child maltreatment. This study builds on previous research by focusing on caregiver-reported physical abuse and neglect victimisation, examining 22 societal factors representing 11 different constructs among 42 countries from 5 continents at different stages of development. Our findings suggest that gender inequity may be important for both child physical abuse and neglect. Indicators of literacy and development may also be important for child neglect. Given the limitations of the correlational findings and measurement issues, it is critical to continue to investigate societal-level factors of child maltreatment so that interventions and prevention efforts can incorporate strategies that have the greatest potential for population-level impact. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of European Journal of Social Work is the property of Routledge and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Child maltreatment remains a serious social problem, with neglect arguably the most pernicious manifestation. Neglect is characterised by a chronic failure to provide for a child's basic needs and often co-exists with other forms of maltreatment. It usually occurs in a complex social environment where socio-economic disadvantage is rife and the family experiences numerous concurrent risk factors. The consequences of child neglect are pervasive and profound. However, there is little research on child protection decision-making as it relates to child neglect. The aim of this study was to explore social workers’ decision-making and intervention levels according to type of maltreatment with a particular focus on neglect. The study involved secondary analysis of factorial survey data. Fictitious vignettes (n= 327) with randomly assigned variables were rated by social workers. Multiple regression was used to examine the effect that the type of harm had on decision-making about risk, service provision, home visits and family contact. Social workers responded differently when the harm was child neglect. The respondents attributed a lower level of risk, a less intense service provision and fewer contact hours compared with when the harm was physical abuse or sexual abuse. In conclusion, neglect is the most common form of substantiated maltreatment. Child protection workers responding to vignettes respond to the maltreatment of neglect less intensively despite the preponderance of knowledge about the harmful effects of child neglect. This research indicates that further examination of decision-making in cases of child neglect is warranted. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Child neglect is a persistent social issue in Australia, with factors that hinder efforts to intervene. Of particular concern are difficulties that have been raised regarding building working relationships with parents where child neglect is a concern. This article draws on findings of an Australian qualitative study that explored in depth multiple perspectives on the development of relationships between family workers and parents where neglect is a concern. It was found that the process of building trust, which was central to the establishment of the working relationship and increased parent willingness to engage in child-welfare related interventions, was something the parents in the study engaged in actively. They did this through testing workers' trustworthiness and by attempting to reduce perceived power inequities between workers and themselves. It is argued that resistance to workers' attempts to build relationships are a healthy protective response by parents to challenge the professional expectation they submissively build relationships with strangers who wield great influence over their lives, and the lives of others in their family. Implications for professionals include developing greater understanding of why parents might resist attempts to build working relationships, and using this knowledge to accommodate parents' resistance where it arises. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Child neglect has negative effects throughout the life span. Although an argument for a link between intellectual disabilities and neglectful parenting can be made, this article argues for a more fine-grained view of the cognitive problems that underlie child neglect perpetration and provides evidence for a social information processing model of it's etiology. Based on this model and what is known about the efficacy of behaviorally based interventions, implications for enhancements to the social service system to adapt to the needs of parents with intellectual disabilities are presented. The areas covered include improvements to screening and assessment of parents, provision of adapted services, and changes in selection processes and training of staff. Future directions for integrating social information processing elements into interventions are discussed with examples from empirically supported treatment and prevention programs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The relationship between childhood abuse and adult mental and physical health problems is well documented. Over the lifespan of victims of child abuse, social, psychological and biological consequences of abuse interact in complex ways. A biopsychosocial model is applied to the experiences of adult victims of child abuse to make sense of the complex and varied impacts of child abuse. The long-term difficulties experienced by adult victims of child abuse are discussed in relation to the neuro-biological impacts of child abuse on the child's developing brain. The impact of child abuse on neuro-endocrine functioning and the structure of the brain, in particular on the amygdala, hippocampus, left hemisphere, and corpus callosum are explored. A number of implications for social work practice are outlined. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aims: The primary aim of the study was to confirm the five-factor structure of Tedeschi and Calhoun's (1996) Posttraumatic Growth Inventory (PTGI). A secondary aim of this study was to explore the potential usefulness of the PTGI among populations that experience parentification - a common form of childhood neglect and adversity. Method: The PTGI was administered to a sample of 143 college students with a history of various levels of parentification. Results: The resulting data were subjected to confirmatory factor analysis. The goodness-of-fit indices for the five-factor model indicated a moderate fit with the current sample. However, a five-factor, 18-item model produced a more optimal fit than Tedeschi and Calhoun's five-factor, 21-item PTGI. Conclusions: The study's findings suggest that the PTGI appears to be a useful assessment inventory for mental health practitioners in measuring globally the resources an individual might have following the adversity of parentification. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Parent education programs may be offered or mandated at various stages of the child welfare services continuum. However, little is known regarding their efficacy in addressing the parenting problems that bring families to the attention of child welfare services. This article synthesizes outcome data generated from 58 parenting programs with families determined to be at-risk of child maltreatment and/or abusive or neglectful. It places parent education programs within the broader context of research on effective parenting as well as the leading etiological models of child maltreatment to assess the evaluations of these programs with regard to methodological rigor as well as theoretical salience. Practical and theoretical implications are presented along with recommendations for future research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]