Maltreated Children and Their Families in Juvenile Dependency Court II: Maltreatment Recidivism

The most serious maltreatment cases are referred to Juvenile Dependency Court. Eighty-eight court records were coded for factors related to maltreatment recidivism, including prior involvement histories, differential response, and placement changes. Seventy-two percent of caregivers had previous involvement, which correlated with family size and number of presenting concerns. When caregivers were offered voluntary services previously, 15% were completed. Children of substance-abusing caregivers were more likely to have prior involvement with the system. On average, children experienced four placement changes. Almost half of children reunified with caregivers had to be removed by the court. Recommendations and future directions are discussed.     

Making Choices: Adoption Seekers’ Preferences and Available Children with Special Needs

Most children available from public adoption agencies are children with special needs, such as disabilities. This pilot study on the child profile preferences of 5830 adults registered with province-wide adoption agency found that those who were most open to considering children with special needs had been formally seeking to adopt for some time and had completed government-required SAFE assessments and training. Most preferred younger children, and half would consider sibling groups. Between 43% to 60% indicated willingness to consider adopting children with degrees of learning disabilities, emotional behavioral disorders, and physical disabilities, although the willing proportion decreased as the level of each disability's specified impact progressed from “mild” to “moderate” to “severe.” Most preferred, among 20 categories of available children's possible exposures and health diagnoses, were past abuse exposures versus diagnosed disabilities or enduring conditions. Possible explanations for these findings and their implications are explored and ideas for further research proposed.     

Caregiver engagement in the behavioral health screening and assessment for child welfare-involved children: child welfare and behavioral health workers’ perspectives

Caregivers are frequent sources of information of their children’s behavioral health and other service needs. It is particularly challenging to engage child welfare-involved caregivers who risk losing custody of their children. This case study explores how caregivers who were about to lose custody of their children engage in their children’s behavioral health screening and assessment from the perspective of child welfare and behavioral health workers. Using qualitative data collected via focus groups from child welfare and behavioral health workers, themes were identified related to the process of engaging caregivers in child behavioral health screening and assessment, determinants (both internal and external) for the caregiver engagement process, and how this process affected screening and assessment outcomes. Findings have implications for screening and assessing behavioral health needs of children involved with the child welfare system and recommended strategies to better engage caregivers in the process.     

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.     

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.     

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%).     

Multidisciplinary Research on the Disability Rights——The More the Better

Studies on the rights of persons with disabilities are typical of multidisciplinary research In recent years,following the adoption of the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities in particular,studies of the rights of the disabled have presented the following trends and features:diverse research angles,the expanding of the depth and width of research; a focus on personal experience and cultural interpretation; a concern for the impacts of multiple identities on the realization of individual rights; and a stress on empirical,participatory and emancipatory research Multidisciplinary disability right research is now at a preliminary stage and it is worth further development so as to promote the disability cause in China     

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.     

Social and Environmental Predictors of Adjustment in Homeless Children

SUMMARY

Both the field of community psychology and the disability rights movement, including the field of disability studies, have been growing over the last 30 years. While common values, principles, and strategies have emerged within these two fields, they have often emerged independently and in ignorance of each other. Recognition of the value of community psychology perspectives on disabilities and community action is the motivation both for this special volume and for the disability interest group of the Society for Community Research and Action. In this article, we examine the action steps different authors have identified as important in responding effectively to community needs. We identify a general model and three settings which require an adaptation of this general model. These settings differ in the extent to which the recipients (consumers, people with disabilities) are already established as a community, and the extent to which providers (agencies, government) have established relationships with that community. We offer concluding comments regarding collaboration and knowledge sharing between the field of disability studies and community psychology.     

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.     

Understanding how foster families use humor within the resiliency process

Humor serves as a protective factor in the resiliency process for many, reducing stress and helping children and adults cope with difficult circumstances. Humor can lighten a situation and relieve tension but can also be misinterpreted in response to serious circumstances. Providing foster care can be a challenging process as families open up their homes to care for children who have experienced maltreatment. Despite challenges, many foster families are able to sustain fostering. The importance of humor was highlighted as a protective factor for foster families in the current study. Understanding the use of humor offers important implications.     

Barriers Experienced by Kinship and Non-Relative Caregivers During the Foster and Adoptive Parent Licensure and Home Study Process

The shortage of foster/adoptive parents being licensed to care for children in the public welfare system prompted an evaluation of the Licensure and Home Study Process (LHSP). Ecological systems theory framed the barriers-to-resources interplay among kinship and non-relative caregivers who withdrew or completed the LHSP. This mixed-methods study examined differences in applicant characteristics and types of barriers experienced. Results indicated that applicants responsible for other children in the home paired with welfare system barriers served as a tipping point for withdrawal. Relatives encountered the most barriers and all grandparents withdrew from the LHSP prior to licensure.     

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.     

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.     

The UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities and China's Protection of the Right to Education of the Persons with Disabilities

The UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities effective in 2008 explicitly stipulates that Member States shall guarantee that people with disabilities enjoy the right to education free from discrimination and without prejudice to equal opportunities.The Chinese government made amendments to the Law of the People s Republic of China on the Protection of Persons with disabilities and the Regulation on the Education of the Persons with Disabilities and issued a series of rules on the Education of the Persons with Disabilities so as to actively implement the Convention. In recent years,the number and proportion of children with disabilities who receive education in China and the number of students with disabilities receiving high school and higher education have been on the rise annually.However, there is still a gap in the level of education on all stages between persons with disabilities and persons without, presenting a huge challenge for the achievement of the right to education of persons with disabilities. We should continue to actively fulfill the obligations prescribed by the Convention to protect the right to education, explore the construction of integrated education, support the maintenance system,strive to improve the quality of special education,allocate resources for the education of persons with disabilities, and emphasize the appraisal of the education of persons with disabilities.     

Reconstructing the “Monsters” and the “Failures”

SUMMARY

“Monsters” and “Failures” are becoming the words of choice by many teachers, parents, administrators, and other adults when describing children and their behaviors. Ascribing the label can be constricting to the child and does very little to promote solutions to situations. Adults working with children can develop ways to look past the behavior and see the child and the child's needs, and acquire expectations of children that are in line with their development. This article explores the notion that family therapists, specializing in systems theory and parent education, are professionals, who are suited to help parents and school personnel interact with children in constructive and meaningful ways that promote development and minimize negative labeling. Family therapists can help the parent/teacher/administrator view the interactions among the components of the child's support system as dynamically interacting with one another and the child, and thus, strengthen the school-parent-community triad. Therapists, working col-laboratively with early childhood developmental education professionals, can assist adults in aligning their assessment and expectations of children with developmental understandings, thereby modifying the behaviors on the part of the adults, and ultimately eliciting more appropriate responses on the part of the children. A family systems approach to the rearing and teaching of children allows adults to reinforce the constructive behaviors of the child in a supportive and positive manner, leading to the social and cognitive growth of the child. The case material offered in this article presents ways in which family therapists can collaborate with education professionals and families in fostering the strength of the family-school-community relationship, and ensuring situations that are more child-friendly and developmentally appropriate.     

中国残疾人体育事业发展和权利保障

前言体育对包括残疾人在内的每个人的生活都具有重要价值。残疾人体育是残疾人增强体质、康复身心、参与社会、实现全面发展的有效途径;是人们认识残疾人潜能与价值、促进社会和谐共进的独特渠道。发展残疾人体育,对于保障残疾人平等权利、促进残疾人融合发展、推动残疾人共享经济社会发展成果,具有重要意义。残疾人体育重在参与,这是残疾人的一-项重要权利,是人权保障的重要内容。     

The inner “I”

SUMMARY

Many community psychologists have the educational and professional backgrounds which make them potentially valuable resources for the disabilities field. The Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (ADA) and the reauthorized Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) call for greater community inclusion, empowerment, and self-determination for persons with disabilities. Community psychologists with interests in these concepts, as well as in interdisciplinary training, collaboration, community-driven research, and political action are needed as leaders in the disabilities field. This paper explores the development of one community psychologist's career working with persons who have disabilities and the institutions that support them.     

Introduction

SUMMARY

Previously homeless women (17) and men (12) were surveyed on their experience as a caregiver to physically challenged senior citizen clients (16 men, 13 women: age M= 64.7, SD = 16.8). Caregivers had training in service delivery and experience before the survey. More satisfaction than stress from providing care was reported by caregivers. Caregiving satisfaction was significantly positively related to global life satisfaction and a sense of personal vulnerability to being disabled. Caregiving stress was significantly negatively related to perceived knowledge of the disability. Overall, these previously homeless caregivers reported that providing care to the disabled was positive, and would be repeated and recommended to Others.     

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.