完善儿童权益保护之探析——以设立虐童罪为视角

少年之于国家的重要性是不言而喻的,我们理应保证未成年人有一个健康安全的成长环境,然而近年来越来越多虐待儿童事件的爆发,引起了人们对于儿童健康成长的强烈关注。目前,我国尚未设立虐童罪,然而调查表明90%的人支持设立虐童罪。随着虐童事件的发酵,关于虐童罪的讨论成为最受关注的话题之一。鉴此,分析虐童现象及其产生的原因,通过立法增设"虐童罪",无疑是遏制虐童现象的重要举措。     

A Statewide Study of the Public's Knowledge of Child Abuse Reporting Laws

This study conducted telephone interviews with a random sample of adults (N = 509) in a state with a universal child abuse reporting law. A substantial proportion of the interviewees (39%) were not aware of this law. Findings indicated that the public's understanding was mixed. Most respondents knew that reports could be made anonymously and that their identity could be kept private. However, most believed that children are automatically removed from the home if there is maltreatment and more than 50% were not aware they could be charged with a misdemeanor for failing to report a suspicion of child abuse. The respondents who had ever made a report (19%), had a greater knowledge of the laws than those who had not made a report. Older adults and those with less education had the least accurate perception of child abuse reporting policies. When asked about barriers to reporting, respondents cited worries that reporting would not help the child. Findings suggest that efforts to increase the public's comfort with reporting may require strategies to increase their confidence that the benefits will outweigh the risks for the child.     

Parental attitudes following exposure to child abuse prevention campaign materials: a randomized trial

The purpose of this study was to evaluate child abuse prevention campaign materials. Using a randomized posttest design, 600 parents from an online research panel were recruited and surveyed. Multiple regression results indicate that exposure to the campaign materials had a significant relationship with four of the five domains (effects of child maltreatment, the appropriateness of harsh parenting, the physical dangers and needs unique to childhood, and the power to prevent child maltreatment). These results have implications for the child abuse prevention practitioners who seek to design and distribute effective campaign materials.     

Intrafamilial Child Sexual Abuse in the Hispanic Community:

This paper outlines prevention strategies using mar keting techniques in the area of intrafamilial child sexual abuse for the Hispanic community. Data from a study of child sexual abuse in the hispanic community are presented. These data point out a few of the sociocultural similarities and differences between Hispanic and non-Hispanic cases. The paper suggests the use of broadcast media, Spanish language formats targeting audiences, and the use of spokespersons as factors in prevention program development.     

Predictive Risk Modelling to Prevent Child Maltreatment: Insights and Implications from Aotearoa/New Zealand

Predictive risk modeling to identify children at risk of maltreatment has attracted considerable interest internationally. Using the example of the development of the predictive risk model in Aotearoa/New Zealand, the potential of such approaches to provide new insights into the causes of child maltreatment is explored with reference to what were identified as the main predictors of child maltreatment. The implications of these main predictors are considered both for the reform of child protection services and the future use and development of predictive risk modeling.     

Service Outcomes Following Disclosure of Child Sexual Abuse During Forensic Interviews: An Exploratory Study

Few children disclose sexual abuse and participate in a formal investigation. Furthermore not all children that disclose abuse during a forensic interview receive services to address trauma or safety. Despite the importance of such outcomes little is known about which factors may influence when children will receive services. Through content analysis of 139 case records findings indicate that a child's race/ethnicity abuse-related factors and level of family support are all significant in predicting service and placement outcomes in child protection cases. Implications for social work practice include the need for ongoing engagement in culturally sensitive strengths-based practice with families     

Stopping the Cycle of Child Abuse and Neglect: A Call to Action to Focus on Pregnant and Parenting Youth in and Aging Out of the Foster Care System

Each year, a significant number of adolescents become pregnant in the United States, with more than half of these pregnancies resulting in live births. Adolescent parenting is associated with poor outcomes, including increased risk of child maltreatment. Youth “aging out” of the foster care system may be at greater risk of maltreating their children due to their experiences of child maltreatment, a lack of social support, and little preparation for parenthood. This article examines current programs and policies targeting pregnant and parenting youth aging out and presents a research agenda that focuses on pregnancy prevention and positive parenting.     

Developmental Disabilities in Children Involved with Child Welfare: Correlates of Referrals for Service Provision

Using data from the National Survey of Child and Adolescent Well-being (NSCAW), this study explores the characteristics of child welfare involvement for children (N = 639; aged 3–17.5 years) with at least one developmental disability. In addition, a central focus of this exploration was to examine respective differences in how caregivers and caseworkers initiated referrals for services for children with disabilities. The sample was divided into three exclusive groups based on type of developmental disability: learning disability (weighted percentage 70.3%); Mental Retardation (now referred to as Intellectual Disability), Downs Syndrome, or; developmental delay (weighted percentage 1.8%); and presence of multiple types of disabilities, including autism (weighted percentage 27.9%). Results from the logistic regression analyses indicate children in this population who are placed in out-of-home care receive more referrals than those residing in-home with biological caregivers; older children and children with multiple disabilities are also more apt to obtain referrals to formal assessments. On the other hand, children who were considered in the “other” race category (includes children who identify as: multi-racial; Asian; Pacific Islander; Native American) were significantly less likely to be referred for a formal assessment. Regarding the association between specific maltreatment type and assessment referrals, children with reports of emotional maltreatment had significantly higher odds of being referred for formal assessments.     

Healthy Families America: ruminations on implementing a home visitation program to prevent child maltreatment

Following a 1990 federal report forecasting a national child abuse and neglect epidemic, Prevent Child Abuse America (PCA America) promoted a home visitation program known as Healthy Families America (HFA). HFA achieved rapid adoption and implementation across the nation going from 25 sites in 1992 to 430 in a decade. In this article, the authors describe PCA America's approach to develop, promote, oversee, and evaluate a national home visitation program. Despite its promising growth, HFA has been criticized for failing to achieve the goal of preventing child maltreatment. HFA's past and present are critiqued based on theory and implementation practice of home visitation and its future projected from the perspective of insiders. Developing a better understanding of HFA's history will advance existing models of home visitation and add to the emerging knowledge base of child maltreatment prevention.     

论校园“虐童”行为的法律规制——基于虐待儿童罪“不必说”的刑法立场

随着各地有关幼师“虐童”行为的报道不断地见诸报端,针对“虐童”行为法律规制的探讨亦如火如荼,但总体而言,论者们争议较大,莫衷一是。其中,有学者主张设立“虐待儿童罪”以之应对,但其是否妥当,有待进一步论证。不论怎样,鉴于“虐童”行为自身具有的危害性,即应从法律的视角探寻规制的路径。     

Father Involvement in Dependency Review Hearings

Understanding the impact of fathers in child maltreatment cases has been a neglected area of research. This study evaluated differences in child welfare hearings and children's perceptions of their situation where fathers were and were not present. Father attendance at hearings appeared to positively impact information-gathering. When fathers attended hearings, they lasted longer and covered case topics more thoroughly. Children reported more negative affect immediately after hearings where fathers were present; however, these differences were attenuated at subsequent interviews. Overall, the findings suggest that father involvement positively impacts case management, though more research must be conducted to support this finding.     

From Maltreatment to Delinquency: Service Trajectories After a First Intervention of Child Protection Services

The relationship between maltreatment in childhood and delinquency in adolescence is recognized. However, the data available do not reveal what proportion of children under the supervision of child protection services (CPS) later transfer to youth legal services, nor the sequence of services provided by these two systems. This study sketches a preliminary portrait of Youth Criminal Justice Act (YCJA) incidence among Quebec children and adolescents as a consequence of a first crime after initial CPS case closure (N = 14,252). It quantifies the scope of the phenomenon and identifies the best predictors of YCJA incidence from among the administrative data available. Survival analysis revealed a 15.4% YCJA incidence for the entire cohort in the five and a half years following termination of initial intervention; boys between 12 and 17 years old when their initial CPS cases were closed were at the greatest risk (27.2%).     

A Multi-Level Conceptual Model to Examine Child Welfare Worker Turnover and Retention Decisions

There is little disagreement about the importance of a healthy stable workforce in promoting effective provision of child welfare services. This review proposes a multi-level conceptual model of child welfare workforce turnover combining traditional individual and organizational impacts with factors associated with community context. Identified gaps in the literature along with a related research agenda are reviewed. Also presented is an overview of the Florida Study of Professionals for Safe Families, a longitudinal study of new hires into the child welfare workforce across Florida, providing opportunities to address gaps and test model characteristics regarding turnover decisions and related outcomes.     

Exploring Child Welfare Workers’ Experiences with Neglect Cases: A Qualitative Study

Child neglect continues to be a pressing concern in American society. However, child neglect is often found to be more difficult to assess than other forms of child maltreatment. This study explores how child welfare workers experience their day-to-day work with children and families, when neglect is the presenting concern. Convenience sampling was used to recruit former and current child welfare workers (N = 20). Three focus groups were conducted. The analyses identified four themes inherent in case workers' experiences in neglect cases: a dirty house isn't just a dirty house, dilemmas and professional judgment, different values, and ambivalence: compassion and frustration. Implications for practice and future research are discussed.     

We're All in This Together: Moving Toward an Interdisciplinary Model of Practice Between Child Protection and Substance Abuse Treatment Professionals

Many studies have documented the deleterious effect of substance abuse on the child protection system. The lack of collaboration between child protection and substance abuse treatment professionals has been identified as a contributing factor related to poor outcomes among parents with histories of addiction. The purpose of this study was to identify key components and conflicts of interdisciplinary practice between 21 child protection and substance abuse treatment professionals. The interdisciplinary components and conflicts were: having a shared vision, presenting as a unified team, having different goals, taking sides, and limited information sharing and involvement. Moving toward an interdisciplinary model of practice is vital to providing families with histories of addiction with the optimal chance for success.     

Prevention of Child Abuse

Abstract

The application of the ecological paradigm to the potential prevention of child abuse is discussed, using two examples of consultation services designed to increase social support. The examples illustrate the principle of designing different interventions according to the ecologies of different communities. Principles of the ecological paradigm that guided the interventions are discussed. A follow-up assessment of the interventions, based on interview and questionnaire results obtained from participants in the projects, is presented.     

PSYCHOSOCIAL CHANGE IN RISK GROUPS:

A consideration of psychosocial change in groups of infants and children at risk for schizophrenia, developmental retardation, delinquency, learning disability, substance abuse, child abuse, and hyperactivity leads to the conclusion that individuals are likely to move in and out of risk status as far as any given developmental phase is concerned. The frequency of review needed for disorders involving a long time span and major phases of development makes periodic developmental assessment by service providers more feasible than screening by an external screening team.     

Issues in Risk Assessment in Child Protective Services

ABSTRACT

Child welfare organizations throughout North America have expended millions of dollars to develop, implement, and institutionalize formal risk assessment models to improve decision making for maltreated children and their families. This article summarizes findings of the risk assessment literature and concludes that many risk assessment protocols currently in use may not improve either the consistency or the accuracy of protective service decisions for maltreated children. The article recommends strategies to improve decisions that promote child safety by utilizing a continuum of empirically supported decision making tools, each designed for a specific purpose during the life of the case.     

Potential Lessons from Public Health and Health Promotion for the Prevention of Child Abuse

SUMMARY

Two successful public health efforts of the last third of the twentieth century-tobacco control and automobile injury controlare reviewed for relevance to the problem of child abuse. Potential lessons for child abuse prevention are identified and the following approaches are suggested: Investigate varied logic models or conceptual frameworks to identify new opportunities for effective intervention. Use a multi-disciplinary, multi-sector approach. Normalize desired behaviors and denormalize undesirable behaviors. Balance efficacy, feasibility, and cultural appropriateness. Develop strategies for effective policy advocacy based upon who benefits and who shoulders most of the burden.