A study on the depression levels of children who are brought to the forensic DNA laboratory for paternity testing

This study aims to identify the depression levels of children who were brought to the forensic DNA laboratory for paternity testing. A total of 35 such children were enrolled in the study. Data were gathered using the parent interview form, general information form for children, and the "Child Depression Scale" as it had been tested for validity and reliability in the 6-17 year age group in the country. Data were analyzed using one-way analysis of variance and Scheffe test. The results showed that the age of children who were brought in for paternity testing created a meaningful difference in their depression scores (p < 0.01) while gender did not. In addition, c. 63% of the children in this study did not know why they were in the laboratory, which also caused a meaningful difference in depression scores (p < 0.01).     

Safeguarding Vulnerable Groups Act 2006: the implications for employers in educational settings

Vetting those who work with children and vulnerable adults is an emotive topic and one which can prove a challenging area for employers. The legitimate interest that parents, carers and employers have in screening those charged with the care of others can be in direct conflict with the most fundamental principles of economic freedom and employees’ human rights. The desire to balance these conflicting objectives is at the heart of the Safeguarding Vulnerable Groups Act 2006, which introduces what is being heralded as the most inclusive and comprehensive vetting and barring system to date. The changes dramatically widen the scope of workers who are subject to vetting and barring processes, covering employees, volunteers and contractors in the education, care and health industries, and affecting some 11.3 million people in the UK. This new scheme is of particular relevance and importance to schools and other educational institutions, who will be directly affected by the changes. This article will examine the practical employment implications of the new regime and the new obligations that the Vetting and Barring Scheme creates for both employers and employees.     

The Role of Community in Facilitating Service Utilization

SUMMARY

Guided by an integrated theory of parent participation, this study examines the role community characteristics play in influencing a parent's decision to use voluntary child abuse prevention programs. Multiple regression techniques were used to determine if different community characteristics, such as neighborhood distress and the community's ratio of caregivers to those in need of care, predict service utilization levels in a widely available home visiting program. Our findings suggest that certain community characteristics are significant predictors of the extent to which families utilize voluntary family supports over and above the proportion of variance explained by personal characteristics and program experiences. Contrary to our initial assumptions, however, new parents living in the most disorganized communities received more home visits than program participants living in more organized communities. The article concludes with recommendations on how community capacity building might be used to improve participant retention.     

从“虐童事件”看儿童权益的法律保护

近段时间,＂虐童事件＂成为街头巷尾的热点话题,网上各种言论也是铺天盖地,针对这一热点话题从事实和法律两个角度探寻事件发生的原因,重新审视我国现有法律体系对儿童权益保护的缺失,并试图从现有法律体系框架下尝试性地探索加强儿童权益保护的补救措施。     

Research on the Difficult Questions Concerning the Judicial Determination of the Joint Crimes of Abduction of and Trafficking in Women or Children

Joint crimes of abduction of and trafficking in women or children are quite common and frequent in judicial practice. Fetching or sending, as well as transferring, of a woman or a child is, in essence, a kind of accessory behavior. Therefore, a person who commits such behaviors shall be punished as an accomplice, except, provided that there are certain judicial interpretations, being punished as a principal criminal in accordance with the law. A person who, for the purpose of buying the victim, instigates or helps others to abduct and traffic in a woman or a child shall be punished with the severer crime in accordance with the principles of implicated offences; a person who, in the process of committing the joint crime of abduction of and trafficking in a woman or a child, transforms his/her intention and buys the abducted woman or child shall be punished in accordance with the principles of inclusive offences. A person, who conducts the role of a broker in the process of buying and selling a woman or a child, shall be punished as an accessory in accordance with the principles of joint crimes. In addition, a person, who is a practioner in a particular industry, jointly, together with the buyer or seller, commits the crime of abduction of and trafficking in women or children shall be punished with a certain crime or combinedly punished with for several crimes in accordance with the specific circumstances.     

A Rush to Judgment?: The Origin of the 2001 Australian “Heroin Drought” and its Implications for the Future of Drug Law Enforcement

This paper reassesses the origins of what has been referred to as the Australian “heroin drought.” It looks at the theories that circulated in drug policy circles immediately after the supply shortage was discovered in 2001. It concludes that there may have been a ”rush to judgment” as these inferences were based on unsatisfactory data. As such, none of the theories that were advanced at the time hold true — the shortage was almost certain to have been the result of a Taliban- enforced reduction of Afghanistan grown opium. As interdiction strategies were one of the main theories for the shortage, this might seem disappointing, especially as supply reduction strategies struggle to maintain relevancy against a growing shift to demand reduction and harm reduction strategies. But this situation should not be the case — drug seizures should not be hailed as law enforcement's central strength in this or any other situation. Instead, the strong point of policing should be seen as the broad approach it takes to reduce crime through its attack on all criminal enterprises, not just its assault on a particular criminal sector — like the drug trade.     

Family Income Tests of Child Welfare in Canada and Australia and the Research Enlightenment

There is an increasing trend in western countries that income security is used as a tool to provide child welfare for low income families. As in Canada and Australia, where universal child welfare is turning to be more selective, family income tests set up the major thresholds for deciding the levels and the amount of child welfare that each family can enjoy. The experiences from both countries shed light on China’s development of a moderate general child welfare system, enhancing precise targeting for effective welfare distribution.