Search results for ‘Subject term:"vulnerable children"’ Sort:
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Who cares?: children at risk and social services
- Authors:
- GLEDHILL Andreas, et al
- Publisher:
- Centre for Policy Studies
- Publication year:
- 1989
- Pagination:
- 44p., tables.
- Place of publication:
- London
Ending domestic violence: SafeLives Insights national briefing
- Author:
- SAFELIVES
- Publisher:
- SafeLives
- Publication year:
- 2017
- Pagination:
- 4
- Place of publication:
- London
This briefing draws on Insights data collected between April 2014 and March 2017, to explore the experiences of children exposed to domestic abuse, and the involvement of children’s social services in these cases. Insights is a ‘whole family’ outcomes measurement programme specifically designed for specialist domestic abuse services supporting adults and children who have experienced or are experiencing domestic abuse. The data reveals that two in five children (41%) in families where there is domestic abuse have been living with that abuse since they were born. For some children, this exposure to abuse does not only start early, but persists into later childhood. Of all the children in our dataset who had been living with abuse for their whole lives, over a third (37%) were more than five years old. The paper estimates that at the time they start school, at least one child in every class will have been living with domestic abuse since they were born. The paper makes a number of recommendations, including: ensuring that there is an effective referral pathway for children who are affected by domestic abuse, and that professionals who have concerns can access advise from a specialist; ensuring specialist training is available to practitioners working with children and young people in a variety of settings; and developing and testing interventions which focus on the perpetrator of abusive behaviour, including those who are parents. (Edited publisher abstract)
Childhood denied: ending the nightmare of child abuse and neglect
- Authors:
- REARDON Kathleen Kelley, NOBLET Christopher T.
- Publisher:
- Sage
- Publication year:
- 2009
- Pagination:
- 231p.
- Place of publication:
- Los Angeles, CA
This book was written with the aim of advancing the advocacy of those who work with children to protect them from abuse and neglect. It is an exposé of how America treats its most vulnerable children; achieving this not by reviewing the research and the many writings on the subject but by highlighting some of the efforts that articulate the nature of the problem, why it continues and what needs to be done to make significant changes. Examining the political, legal, and social factors of children at risk for abuse and neglect, the authors chronicle the plight of abused children across the country and provide a "report card" for each U.S. state. They explore solutions to mitigate child abuse, such as legislative changes; quality of child protection services and foster care; training and education within the judicial system; and developing national standards. They draw a clear distinction between questionable parenting practices and situations where children’s lives and health are consistently in jeopardy. A strong call to action is employed to inspire readers to help end the cycle of abuse and neglect and address the core of the problem. The work was produced in collaboration with First Star, an organisation that offers a nonpartisan, multidisciplinary approach, and provides a catalyst for change. The book is aimed at child welfare professionals, policymakers, lawyers and law enforcers as well as social work, government, politics, and law students.
Safeguarding children: a cross-departmental statement on the protection of children and young people by the Northern Ireland Executive
- Author:
- NORTHERN IRELAND. Office of the First Minister and Deputy First Minister
- Publisher:
- Northern Ireland. Office of the First Minister and Deputy First Minister
- Publication year:
- 2009
- Pagination:
- 70p.
- Place of publication:
- Belfast
This policy statement aims to take forward and develop the 'living in safety and with stability' outcome of the 10 Year Strategy for Children and Young People in Northern Ireland and, in particular, elements relating to the safeguarding of children and young people. Chapters include: the extent of the problem, including key safeguarding and child protection statistics; measures to keep all children protected; protecting vulnerable children and young people (such as looked after children, disabled children, those involved with the criminal justice system, and those with mental health problems); responding when children have been abused; and implementing safeguarding arrangements. The concept of 'safeguarding' incorporates all preventable harm that impacts on the lives of children, with a clear focus on children’s personal development and well-being and making children’s lives better.
Learning lessons, taking action: Ofsted's evaluations of serious case reviews 1 April 2007 to 31 March 2008
- Author:
- OFSTED
- Publisher:
- OFSTED
- Publication year:
- 2008
- Pagination:
- 49p.
- Place of publication:
- London
The report underlines the key role that ‘universal’ services play in ensuring that children are kept safe. Although many of the children who were the focus of these reviews were known to social care agencies, all were known to universal services such as education and health. The report highlights continuing weaknesses in record keeping and communication in universal services that allow children to fall into the gaps between services, and the lack of training for staff to help them identify and report the signs and symptoms of abuse and neglect that they witness in their different roles. The report also makes some suggestions for remedying the weaknesses still apparent in the serious case review process such as: adhering to the timescales for completion; improving the quality of individual management reviews; ensuring more independent representation on serious case review panels; better involvement of families in the process; and an improvement in the way in which issues of race language, culture, religion and disability are addressed both in practice and in serious case reviews. However, the most important issue highlighted in this report is the need for all reviews to focus much more closely on the child concerned – and not, as is the case at the moment, predominantly on the agencies involved.
Where next for social work?
- Author:
- DAVIES Liz
- Journal article citation:
- Professional Social Work, December 2008, pp.10-11.
- Publisher:
- British Association of Social Workers
The author draws on the case of Baby P and Victoria Climbie to explain what she sees as the failings of the family support model in child protection, and what she feels must happen to better protect vulnerable children from harm.
A literature review into children abused and/or neglected prior to custody
- Authors:
- DAY Caroline, HIBBERT Pam, CADMAN Spike
- Publisher:
- Youth Justice Board
- Publication year:
- 2008
- Pagination:
- 60p., bibliog.
- Place of publication:
- London
The review indicates that past maltreatment is present in the life histories of a greater proportion of children in custody than in the general population. While it does not establish any causal link between past maltreatment and offending behaviour, its configuration with other risk facts is of clear and great significance. The existence of past maltreatment in a child’s life does not have absolute predictive value in terms of the individual entering custody. However, this review suggests that the indications are that it is a factor in a greater proportion of those in custody than in the youth justice system or wider society, and should be regarded as a critical and primary pre-disposing risk factor in relation to offending behaviour.
On the safeguarding frontline
- Author:
- LEPPER Joe
- Journal article citation:
- Children and Young People Now, 12.03.08, 2008, pp.22-23.
- Publisher:
- Haymarket Business Publications Ltd
The author talks to the professionals on Gloucestershire's Local Safeguarding Children's Boards who are working together to protect vulnerable young children.
Methamphetamine and the changing face of child welfare: practice principles for child welfare workers
- Author:
- CONNELL-CARRICK Kelli
- Journal article citation:
- Child Welfare Journal, 86(3), May 2007, pp.125-144.
- Publisher:
- Child Welfare League of America
The manufacturing of methamphetamine is a serious problem for the child welfare system in the United States, yet child welfare has not addressed the needs of children living in homes where methamphetamine is manufactured. This article presents key issues for child welfare workers related to the use, production and effects of methamphetamine on children and families, and identifies practice principles for child welfare workers in order to ensure safety for victims, parents, and workers themselves.
The health and well-being of neglected, abused and exploited children: the Kyiv Street Children Project
- Authors:
- KERFOOT Michael, et al
- Journal article citation:
- Child Abuse and Neglect, 31(1), January 2007, pp.27-37.
- Publisher:
- Elsevier
Reports on the backgrounds and physical and emotional well-being of street children using two street shelters in Kyiv, Ukraine. This study is important because personal accounts of street children may highlight individual or family factors that are associated with vulnerability for and risk of poor mental health, and these could have serious repercussions for the future. This study also poses a challenge to research because street children are a highly elusive population that services find hard to reach. Ninety-seven children were recruited and interviewed using a semi-structured, psychosocial interview schedule; psychopathology was measured using the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ) and the Mood and Feelings Questionnaire (MFQ). Seventy percent of street children scored for behavioural and emotional difficulties on the SDQ, and 74% scored for depression on the MFQ. Current health problems were reported by 78%, with 43% described as persistent or severe. Two thirds of the children in this sample were not homeless but had chosen life on the streets in preference to permanent residence with their families. Their “survival” history on the streets contributed to the development of three different profiles of vulnerability. High rates of physical and emotional problems in a population of street children, many of whom were still connected to their families, emphasize the importance of developing different approaches for children with different vulnerabilities. This study also demonstrates the feasibility of embedding on-going field research into the service dimension of “front-line” social care agencies.