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{{short description|Protecting children from harm and neglect}} | |||
In the United States, the term ''child welfare'' is used to describe a set of government services designed to protect children and encourage family stability. These typically include investigation of alleged child abuse and neglect ("child protective services"); foster care; adoption services; and services aimed at supporting at-risk families so they can remain intact ("prevention services" or "family preservation services"). Though the Federal government sets rules which all States must follow and provides significant funding, it is the fifty states that have primary responsibility for establishing and operating child welfare systems. | |||
{{other uses}} | |||
{{distinguish|Child protective services}} | |||
{{Redirect|Child Welfare|the journal|Child Welfare (journal){{!}}''Child Welfare'' (journal)}} | |||
{{Multiple issues| | |||
{{more citations needed|date=September 2014}} | |||
{{Tone|date=April 2023}} | |||
}} | |||
{{Childcare}} | |||
'''Child protection''' (also called '''child welfare''') is the safeguarding of children from violence, exploitation, abuse, abandonment, and neglect.<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Katz |first1=Ilan |last2=Katz |first2=Carmit |last3=Andresen |first3=Sabine |last4=Bérubé |first4=Annie |last5=Collin-Vezina |first5=Delphine |last6=Fallon |first6=Barbara |last7=Fouché |first7=Ansie |last8=Haffejee |first8=Sadiyya |last9=Masrawa |first9=Nadia |last10=Muñoz |first10=Pablo |last11=Priolo Filho |first11=Sidnei R. |last12=Tarabulsy |first12=George |last13=Truter |first13=Elmien |last14=Varela |first14=Natalia |last15=Wekerle |first15=Christine |date=June 2021 |title=Child maltreatment reports and Child Protection Service responses during COVID-19: Knowledge exchange among Australia, Brazil, Canada, Colombia, Germany, Israel, and South Africa |url=|journal=Child Abuse & Neglect |volume=116 |issue=Pt 2 |pages=105078 |doi=10.1016/j.chiabu.2021.105078 |pmid=33931238 |pmc=8446926 |issn=0145-2134}}</ref><ref name="Oates 427–429">{{Cite journal |last=Oates |first=Kim |date=July 2013 |title=Medical dimensions of child abuse and neglect |url=|journal=Child Abuse & Neglect |volume=37 |issue=7 |pages=427–429 |doi=10.1016/j.chiabu.2013.05.004 |issn=0145-2134 |pmid=23790510}}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Southall |first1=David |last2=MacDonald |first2=Rhona |date=2013-11-01 |title=Protecting children from abuse: a neglected but crucial priority for the international child health agenda |journal=Paediatrics and International Child Health |volume=33 |issue=4 |pages=199–206 |doi=10.1179/2046905513Y.0000000097 |issn=2046-9047 |pmid=24070186 |s2cid=29250788|doi-access=free }}</ref><ref name=":1">{{Cite journal |last=Barth |first=R.P. |date=October 1999 |title=After Safety, What is the Goal of Child Welfare Services: Permanency, Family Continuity or Social Benefit? |journal=International Journal of Social Welfare |volume=8 |issue=4 |pages=244–252 |doi=10.1111/1468-2397.00091 |issn=1369-6866|doi-access=free }}</ref> It involves identifying signs of potential harm. This includes responding to allegations or suspicions of abuse, providing support and services to protect children, and holding those who have harmed them accountable.<ref>{{Cite book |url=|title=Child Custody & Domestic Violence: A Call for Safety and Accountability |date=2003 |publisher=SAGE Publications, Inc. |isbn=978-0-7619-1826-4 |location=Thousand Oaks, California |doi=10.4135/9781452231730}}</ref> | |||
Most children who come to the attention of child welfare ] do so because of any of the following situations, which are often collectively termed '''child maltreatment''': | |||
The primary goal of child protection is to ensure that all children are safe and free from harm or danger.<ref name=":1" /><ref>{{Cite journal |last=Editorial team |first=Collective |date=2008-09-11 |title=WHO Regional Office for Europe and UNAIDS report on progress since the Dublin Declaration |journal=Eurosurveillance |volume=13 |issue=37 |doi=10.2807/ese.13.37.18981-en |issn=1560-7917 |pmid=18801311|doi-access=free }}</ref> Child protection also works to prevent future harm by creating policies and systems that identify and respond to risks before they lead to harm.<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Nixon |first1=Kendra L. |last2=Tutty |first2=Leslie M. |last3=Weaver-Dunlop |first3=Gillian |last4=Walsh |first4=Christine A. |date=December 2007 |title=Do good intentions beget good policy? A review of child protection policies to address intimate partner violence |url=|journal=Children and Youth Services Review |volume=29 |issue=12 |pages=1469–1486 |doi=10.1016/j.childyouth.2007.09.007 |issn=0190-7409}}</ref> | |||
* Neglect (including the failure to take adequate measures to protect a child from harm) | |||
* Emotional abuse | |||
* ] | |||
* ] | |||
In order to achieve these goals, research suggests that child protection services should be provided in a ] way.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Holland |first=S. |date=2004-01-01 |title=Liberty and Respect in Child Protection |url=|journal=British Journal of Social Work |volume=34 |issue=1 |pages=21–36 |doi=10.1093/bjsw/bch003 |issn=0045-3102}}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Wulcyzn |first1=Fred |last2=Daro |first2=Deborah |last3=Fluke |first3=John |last4=Gregson |first4=Kendra |date=2010 |title=Adapting a Systems Approach to Child Protection in a Cultural Context: Key Concepts and Considerations |url=|website=PsycEXTRA Dataset |language=en |doi=10.1037/e516652013-176}}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Léveillé |first1=Sophie |last2=Chamberland |first2=Claire |date=2010-07-01 |title=Toward a general model for child welfare and protection services: A meta-evaluation of international experiences regarding the adoption of the Framework for the Assessment of Children in Need and Their Families (FACNF) |url= |journal=Children and Youth Services Review |language=en |volume=32 |issue=7 |pages=929–944 |doi=10.1016/j.childyouth.2010.03.009 |issn=0190-7409}}</ref> This means taking into account the social, economic, cultural, psychological, and environmental factors that can contribute to the risk of harm for individual children and their families. Collaboration across sectors and disciplines to create a comprehensive system of support and safety for children is required.<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Winkworth |first1=Gail |last2=White |first2=Michael |date=March 2011 |title=Australia's Children 'Safe and Well'?1 Collaborating with Purpose Across Commonwealth Family Relationship and State Child Protection Systems: Australia's Children 'Safe and Well' |url=|journal=Australian Journal of Public Administration |language=en |volume=70 |issue=1 |pages=1–14 |doi=10.1111/j.1467-8500.2010.00706.x}}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Wulcyzn |first1=Fred |last2=Daro |first2=Deborah |last3=Fluke |first3=John |last4=Gregson |first4=Kendra |date=2010 |title=Adapting a Systems Approach to Child Protection in a Cultural Context: Key Concepts and Considerations |url=|website=PsycEXTRA Dataset|doi=10.1037/e516652013-176 }}</ref> | |||
The Federal government's Administration for Children and Families reports that in 2004, approximately 3.5 million children were involved in investigations of alleged abuse or neglect, and an estimated 872,000 children were determined to have been abused or neglected. An estimated 1,490 children died that year because of abuse or neglect. As of September 30, 2004, there were 517,000 children in the United States in foster care. | |||
It is the responsibility of individuals, organizations, and governments to ensure that children are protected from harm and their rights are respected.<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Howe |first1=R. Brian |last2=Covell |first2=Katherine |date=July 2010 |title=Miseducating children about their rights |url=http://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/1746197910370724 |journal=Education, Citizenship and Social Justice |language=en |volume=5 |issue=2 |pages=91–102 |doi=10.1177/1746197910370724 |s2cid=145540907 |issn=1746-1979}}</ref> This includes providing a safe environment for children to grow and develop, protecting them from physical, emotional and sexual abuse, and ensuring they have access to education, healthcare, and resources to fulfill their basic needs.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Child protection |url=https://www.unicef.org/child-protection |access-date=2023-03-18 |website=www.unicef.org |language=en |archive-date=2023-03-07 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230307054418/https://www.unicef.org/child-protection |url-status=dead }}</ref> | |||
==Purpose of the Child Welfare System== | |||
The child welfare system generally operates to protect children. In the U.S. another purpose is to ensure a safe permanent home for children. The ] ] requires concurrent planning in all instances in which a child is removed from a home because of maltreatment. It also requires that a permanent placement be made or planned within fifteen months of removal. This is different that the Canadian and English child welfare systems in which the child can be mad a permanent ] and, therefore, not freed for adoption. In addition, in the U.S. child welfare system, when a child is freed for adoption, there are incentives to encourage families to adopt the child. For example, subsidies are provided until the child is eighteen in certain circumstances, such as an older child, special needs child, etc. The subsidy rate varies, depending on the needs of the child. | |||
'''Child protection systems''' are a set of services, usually government-run, designed to protect children and young people who are ] and to encourage family stability. ] defines<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.unicef.org/protection/CP_Strategy_English(1).pdf|title=Economic and Social Council|website=]|access-date=January 23, 2018|archive-date=January 23, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180123072805/https://www.unicef.org/protection/CP_Strategy_English(1).pdf|url-status=dead}}</ref> a 'child protection system' as: {{Blockquote|text="The set of laws, policies, regulations and services needed across all social sectors – especially social welfare, education, health, security and justice – to support prevention and response to protection-related risks. These systems are part of ], and extend beyond it. At the level of prevention, their aim includes supporting and strengthening families to reduce social exclusion, and to lower the risk of separation, violence and exploitation. Responsibilities are often spread across government agencies, with services delivered by local authorities, non-State providers, and community groups, making coordination between sectors and levels, including routine referral systems etc.., a necessary component of effective child protection systems."|author=United Nations Economic and Social Council (2008)|source=UNICEF Child Protection Strategy, E/ICEF/2008/5/Rev.1, par. 12–13.}}Under Article 19 of the ], a 'child protection system' provides for the protection of children in and out of the home. One of the ways this can be enabled is through the provision of ], the fourth of the United Nations ], in addition to other child protection systems. Some literature argues that child protection begins at conception; even how the conception took place can affect the child's development.<ref>{{Citation |title=Protecting Children from Violence: Historical Roots and Emerging Trends |date=2010-09-13 |url=|work=Protecting Children from Violence |pages=21–32 |publisher=Psychology Press |doi=10.4324/9780203852927-8 |isbn=978-0-203-85292-7}}</ref> | |||
==Effects of early maltreatment on children in child welfare== | |||
The National Adoption Center found that 52% of adoptable children (meaning those children in U.S. ] freed for ]) had symptoms of ]. A study by Dante Cicchetti found that 80% of abused and maltread infants exhibited attachment disorder symtoms (disorganized subtype). <ref name=Carlson, V., Cicchetti, D., Barnett, D., & Bruanwald, K., (1995)>Carlson, V., Cicchetti, D., Barnett, D., & Braunwald, K. (1995). Finding order in disorganization: Lessons from research on maltreated infants’ attachments to their caregivers. In D. Cicchetti & V. Carlson (Eds), Child Maltreatment: Theory and research on the causes and consequences of child abuse and neglect (pp. 135-157). NY: Cambridge University Press.</ref> <ref name=Cicchetti, D., Cummings, EM, Greengerg, MT, & Marvin, RS. (1990)>Cicchetti, D., Cummings, E.M., Greenberg, M.T., & Marvin, R.S. (1990). An organizational perspective on attachment beyond infancy. In M. Greenberg, D. Cicchetti, & M. Cummings (Eds), Attachment in the Preschool Years (pp. 3-50). Chicago: University of Chicago Press.</ref> | |||
== Safeguards against == | |||
Children with histories of maltreatment, such as physical and psychological neglect, physical abuse, and sexual abuse, are at risk of developing severe psychiatric problems <ref name=Gauthier, Stollak, Messe, & Arnoff, (1996)>Gauthier, L., Stollak, G., Messe, L., & Arnoff, J. (1996). Recall of childhood neglect and physical abuse as differential predictors of current psychological functioning. Child Abuse and Neglect 20, 549-559</ref> <ref name=Malinosky-Rummell & Hansen, (1993)>Malinosky-Rummell, R. & Hansen, D.J. (1993) Long term consequences of childhood physical abuse. Psychological Bulletin 114, 68-69</ref>. These children are likely to develop Reactive Attachment Disorder (RAD) <ref name=Lyons-Ruth & Jacobvitz, (1999)>Lyons-Ruth K. & Jacobvitz, D. (1999) Attachment disorganization: unresolved loss, relational violence and lapses in behavioral and attentional strategies. In J. Cassidy & P. Shaver (Eds.) Handbook of Attachment. (pp. 520-554). NY: Guilford Press</ref> <ref name=Greenberg, (1999)>Greenberg, M. (1999). Attachment and Psychopathology in Childhood. In J. Cassidy & P. Shaver (Eds.). Handbook of Attachment (pp.469-496). NY: Guilford Press</ref>. These children may be described as experiencing trauma-attachment problems. The trauma experienced is the result of abuse or neglect, inflicted by a primary caregiver, which disrupts the normal development of secure attachment. Such children are at risk of developing a disorganized attachment <ref name=Lyons-Ruth & Jacobvitz, (1999)>Lyons-Ruth K. & Jacobvitz, D. (1999) Attachment disorganization: unresolved loss, relational violence and lapses in behavioral and attentional strategies. In J. Cassidy & P. Shaver (Eds.) Handbook of Attachment. (pp. 520-554). NY: Guilford Press</ref> <ref name=Solomon & George, (1999)>Solomon, J. & George, C. (Eds.) (1999). Attachment Disorganization. NY: Guilford Press</ref> <ref name=Main & Hesse, (1990)>Main, M. & Hesse, E. (1990) Parents’ Unresolved Traumatic Experiences are related to infant disorganized attachment status. In M.T. Greenberg, D. Ciccehetti, & E.M. Cummings (Eds), Attachment in the Preschool Years: Theory, Research, and Intervention (pp161-184). Chicago: University of Chicago Press</ref>. Disorganized attachment is associated with a number of developmental problems, including dissociative symptoms <ref name=Carlson,E.A. (1988)>Carlson, E.A. (1988). A prospective longitudinal study of disorganized/disoriented attachment. Child Development 69, 1107-1128</ref>, as well as depressive, anxiety, and acting-out symptoms <ref name=Lyons-Ruth,K (1996)>Lyons-Ruth, K. (1996). Attachment relationships among children with aggressive behavior problems: The role of disorganized early attachment patterns. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology 64, 64-73</ref> <ref name=Lyons-Ruth, Alpern, & Pepacholi, (1993)>Lyons-Ruth, K., Alpern, L., & Repacholi, B. (1993). Disorganized infant attachment classification and maternal psychosocial problems as predictors of hostile-aggressive behavior in the preschool classroom. Child Development 64, 572-585</ref>. | |||
=== Child labor === | |||
Children who have experienced such early chronic trauma often experience ] and require extensive and specfic treatment to address multi-dimensional problems experienced by these children. | |||
{{Main|Child labour}}Child labor is the practice of having children engage in economic activity on a part-time or full-time basis.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=ANKER |first=Richard |date=September 2000 |title=The economics of child labour: A framework for measurement |url=|journal=International Labour Review |volume=139 |issue=3 |pages=257–280 |doi=10.1111/j.1564-913x.2000.tb00204.x |issn=0020-7780}}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal |last=Martin |first=Mervyn |date=June 2013 |title=Child labour: parameters, developmental implications, causes and consequences |url=|journal=Contemporary Social Science |volume=8 |issue=2 |pages=156–165 |doi=10.1080/21582041.2012.751501 |s2cid=167660954 |issn=2158-2041}}</ref> The practice is harmful to their physical and mental development. It is considered to be a form of exploitation and is illegal in many countries.<ref>{{Citation |title=UNICEF: Engaging Stakeholders on Children's Rights |date=2017-01-01 |url=|work=The United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child |pages=777–794 |publisher=Brill {{!}} Nijhoff|doi=10.1163/9789004295056_038 |isbn=9789004295049 |last1=Charrière |first1=Florence }}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Donnelly |first1=Peter |last2=Petherick |first2=Leanne |date=September 2004 |title=Workers' Playtime? Child Labour at the Extremes of the Sporting Spectrum |url=|journal=Sport in Society |volume=7 |issue=3 |pages=301–321 |doi=10.1080/1743043042000291659 |s2cid=145578897 |issn=1743-0437}}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal |date=2015-07-13 |title=''Child Maltreatment'' 2014 Best Article Award |url=|journal=Child Maltreatment |volume=20 |issue=3 |pages=221 |doi=10.1177/1077559515594086 |s2cid=220187852 |issn=1077-5595}}</ref> | |||
Due to economic reasons, especially in poor countries, children are forced to work in order to survive. Child labor often happens in difficult conditions, which are dangerous and impair the education of future citizens, and increase vulnerability to adults.<ref>{{Citation |last=Karavias |first=Markos |title=The Structural Framework for Corporate Obligations in the Context of Human Rights |date=2013-11-28 |url=|work=Corporate Obligations under International Law |pages=163–198 |publisher=Oxford University Press|doi=10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199674381.003.0006 |isbn=978-0-19-967438-1 }}</ref><ref>{{Citation |title=2 The Varying Requirements and Pathways for Completing High School |date=2011-12-31 |url=|work=Dropping Out |pages=20–46 |publisher=Harvard University Press|doi=10.4159/harvard.9780674063167.c3 |isbn=978-0-674-06316-7 }}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Grey |first1=Jeffrey |last2=Brett |first2=Rachel |last3=Specht |first3=Irma |date=2005 |title=Young Soldiers: Why They Choose to Fight |url=|journal=International Journal |volume=60 |issue=4 |pages=1181 |doi=10.2307/40204117 |jstor=40204117 |issn=0020-7020}}</ref> It is hard to know exactly the age and number of children<ref>{{Cite web |last=Digital |first=Swace |title=Save the Children's Definition of Child Protection |url=https://resourcecentre.savethechildren.net/document/save-childrens-definition-child-protection/ |date=2007 |access-date=2023-03-08 |website=Save the Children's Resource Centre |language=en}}</ref> who are affected. At least 152 million children under five years of age worked in 2016, but the figure is underestimated because domestic labor is not counted.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.ilo.org/wcmsp5/groups/public/---dgreports/---dcomm/documents/publication/wcms_575499.pdf|title=Global Estimates of Child Labour, Results and Trends, 2012–2016|website=International Labour Organization |date=2017 |language=en|access-date=2018-01-23}}</ref> The actual statistics cannot be counted exactly due to the many cases of child labor going unseen. | |||
===Attachment disorder=== | |||
{{main | Attachment disorder}} | |||
] refers to the failure to form normal attachments with caregivers during childhood. This can have adverse effects throughout the lifespan. Clinicians have identified several signs of attachment problems. Attachment problems can be resolved at older ages through appropriate therapeutic interventions. Reputable interventions include ] and ]. | |||
=== |
=== Endangerment === | ||
Child endangerment is the act of placing a child in a situation which neglects their health or life.<ref>{{cite web |date=2016-12-23 |title=10 U.S. Code § 919b – Art. 119b. Child endangerment |url=https://uscode.house.gov/view.xhtml?req=granuleid:USC-prelim-title10-section919b&num=0&edition=prelim |access-date=2023-09-30 |website=Office of the Law Revision Council United States Code}}</ref> Child endangerment can cause many negative physical and mental effects. This can stem from abusive parental care, child neglect, and a multitude of other reasons. | |||
{{main |Reactive attachment disorder}} | |||
], sometimes called "RAD", is a psychiatric diagnosis (DSM-IV 313.89, ICD-10 F94.1/2). The essential feature of ] is markedly disturbed and developmentally inappropriate social relatedness in most contexts that begins before age 5 years and is associated with gross pathological care. | |||
=== Infanticide (child murder) === | |||
=== Treatment for Children with early chronic maltreatment experiences === | |||
Infanticide is the intentional killing of infants and young children.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Higginbotham |date=2011 |title=<em>Reformers, Patrons and Philanthropists: The Cowper-Temples and High Politics in Victorian England</em>, by James Gregory |url=|journal=Victorian Studies |volume=53 |issue=3 |pages=536 |doi=10.2979/victorianstudies.53.3.536 |s2cid=142590142 |issn=0042-5222}}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Brookman |first1=Fiona |last2=Nolan |first2=Jane |date=July 2006 |title=The Dark Figure of Infanticide in England and Wales |url=|journal=Journal of Interpersonal Violence |volume=21 |issue=7 |pages=869–889 |doi=10.1177/0886260506288935 |pmid=16731989 |s2cid=11302352 |issn=0886-2605}}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Denham |first1=Aaron R. |last2=Adongo |first2=Philip B. |last3=Freydberg |first3=Nicole |last4=Hodgson |first4=Abraham |date=August 2010 |title=Chasing spirits: Clarifying the spirit child phenomenon and infanticide in Northern Ghana |url=|journal=Social Science & Medicine |volume=71 |issue=3 |pages=608–615 |doi=10.1016/j.socscimed.2010.04.022 |pmid=20605304 |issn=0277-9536}}</ref> This practice has been documented throughout history and still occurs in certain cultures today, usually as a result of poverty and/or other social pressures.<ref>{{Cite book |last1=LEE |first1=JAMES Z. |url=|title=One Quarter of Humanity |last2=FENG |first2=WANG |date=2009-06-30 |publisher=Harvard University Press |doi=10.2307/j.ctvjf9vt6 |isbn=978-0-674-04005-2}}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal |last=Patterson |first=Cynthia |date=1985 |title="Not Worth the Rearing": The Causes of Infant Exposure in Ancient Greece |url=|journal=Transactions of the American Philological Association |volume=115 |pages=103–123 |doi=10.2307/284192 |jstor=284192 |issn=0360-5949}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |last=Rose |first=Lionel |date=2015-08-27 |title=The Massacre of the Innocents |url=|doi=10.4324/9781315671604|isbn=978-1-315-67160-4 }}</ref> Infanticide can be carried out by parents, relatives, or strangers and is often seen as a form of gender-based violence, since female babies are more likely to be killed than male ones.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Bhatt |first=R.V. |date=December 1998 |title=Domestic violence and substance abuse |url=|journal=International Journal of Gynecology & Obstetrics |volume=63 |pages=S25–S31 |doi=10.1016/s0020-7292(98)00181-7 |pmid=10075209 |s2cid=25528652 |issn=0020-7292}}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal |last=Krantz |first=G. |date=2005-10-01 |title=Violence against women |url=|journal=Journal of Epidemiology & Community Health |volume=59 |issue=10 |pages=818–821 |doi=10.1136/jech.2004.022756 |pmid=16166351 |pmc=1732916 |s2cid=29376851 |issn=0143-005X}}</ref><ref>{{Citation |last=Murthy |first=Ranjani K. |title=7. Learning about Participation from Gender Relations of Female Infanticide |date=January 1998 |work=The Myth of Community |pages=78–92 |place=Rugby, Warwickshire, United Kingdom |publisher=Practical Action Publishing|doi=10.3362/9781780440309.007 |doi-broken-date=2024-11-13 |isbn=978-1-85339-421-8 }}</ref> In some cases, infanticide may also be used to conceal evidence of incest or rape. It is most commonly practiced in cultures where there is a preference for male children, or where resources are scarce. | |||
====Dyadic developmental psychotherapy==== | |||
{{main | Dyadic developmental psychotherapy}} | |||
] is an evidence-based treatment approach for the treatment of attachment disorder and ]. Children who have experienced pervasive and extensive trauma, neglect, loss, and/or other dysregulating experiences can benefit from this treatment. ] is based on principles derived from attachment theory. | |||
In some countries, children can be imprisoned for common crimes. In some countries, like Iran or China, criminals can even be sentenced to ] for crimes committed while they were children (the United States abandoned the practice in 2005).<ref>{{Cite book |last1=Johnson |first1=David T. |last2=Zimring |first2=Franklin E. |date=2009-05-01 |title=The Next Frontier |url=|doi=10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195337402.001.0001|isbn=978-0-19-533740-2 }}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal |last1=B. |first1=J. H. |last2=Young |first2=E. Hilton |date=November 1912 |title=Foreign Companies and Other Corporations |url=|journal=Harvard Law Review |volume=26 |issue=1 |pages=96 |doi=10.2307/1324306 |jstor=1324306 |hdl=2027/coo1.ark:/13960/t3ws97m00 |issn=0017-811X}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |last=Peters |first=Rudolph |url=|title=Crime and Punishment in Islamic Law |date=2006-02-13 |publisher=Cambridge University Press |doi=10.1017/cbo9780511610677 |isbn=978-0-521-79226-4}}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal |last=HOOD |first=ROGER |date=July 2001 |title=Capital Punishment |url=|journal=Punishment & Society |volume=3 |issue=3 |pages=331–354 |doi=10.1177/1462474501003003001 |s2cid=143875533 |issn=1462-4745}}</ref> In contexts where ] is made, they also risk becoming ]. Other children are forced into ], exploited by adults for illegal traffic in children, or endangered by poverty and hunger.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Ibarra |first=Peter R. |date=July 2007 |title=''Children in the Global Sex Trade''. By Julia O'Connell Davidson. Cambridge: Polity Press, 2005. Pp. viii+178. $62.95 (cloth); $24.95 (paper). |url=|journal=American Journal of Sociology |volume=113 |issue=1 |pages=292–294 |doi=10.1086/520904 |issn=0002-9602}}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal |last=Ojo |first=Matthias Olufemi Dada |date=2013-01-28 |title=A Sociological Investigation of Awareness and Causes of Intimate Partner Violence in Nigeria: A Survey of Agege, Lagos State |journal=Asian Social Science |volume=9 |issue=2 |doi=10.5539/ass.v9n2p231 |issn=1911-2025|doi-access=free }}</ref> ] today continues at a much higher rate in areas of extremely high poverty and overpopulation, such as parts of China and India. Female infants, then and even now, are particularly vulnerable, which is a factor in ].<ref>{{Cite book |date=2014-09-04 |title=Reproduction and Society: Interdisciplinary Readings |url=|doi=10.4324/9781315754222|isbn=978-1-315-75422-2 }}</ref><ref>{{Citation |last=Digby |first=Leslie |title=Infanticide by female mammals: implications for the evolution of social systems |date=2000-11-02 |url=|work=Infanticide by Males and its Implications |pages=423–446 |publisher=Cambridge University Press|doi=10.1017/cbo9780511542312.019 |isbn=978-0-521-77295-2 }}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Nandi |first1=Arindam |last2=Deolalikar |first2=Anil B. |date=July 2013 |title=Does a legal ban on sex-selective abortions improve child sex ratios? Evidence from a policy change in India |url=|journal=Journal of Development Economics |volume=103 |pages=216–228 |doi=10.1016/j.jdeveco.2013.02.007 |issn=0304-3878}}</ref> | |||
====Theraplay==== | |||
{{main | Theraplay}} | |||
Theraplay is a play therapy which has the intention of helping parents and children build better attachment relationships through attachment-based play. It was developed in 1967 by the Psychological Services staff of a Head Start program in Chicago. Theraplay is based on model of healthy parent-infant attachment and interactions. ] | |||
== |
=== Child abuse === | ||
{{Main|Child abuse}} | |||
<references/> | |||
Many children who come to the attention of the child welfare system do so because of situations which are often referred to as ]. Abuse typically involves abuse of power, or exercising power for an unintended purpose.<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Zimring |first1=Franklin E. |last2=Johnson |first2=David T. |date=2005-05-26 |title=On the Comparative Study of Corruption |url=|journal=The British Journal of Criminology |volume=45 |issue=6 |pages=793–809 |doi=10.1093/bjc/azi042 |issn=1464-3529}}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal |last=Orentlicher |first=Diane F. |date=1991 |title=Settling Accounts: The Duty to Prosecute Human Rights Violations of a Prior Regime |url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/796903 |journal=The Yale Law Journal |volume=100 |issue=8 |pages=2537–2615 |doi=10.2307/796903 |jstor=796903 |issn=0044-0094}}</ref> This includes willful neglect, knowingly not exercising a power for the purpose for which it was intended. This is why child abuse is defined as taking advantage of a position of trust having been invested with powers.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=World Health Organization |date=January 2002 |title=WHO/CONRAD Technical Consultation on Nonoxynol-9, World Health Organization, Geneva, 9–10 October 2001: Summary Report |journal=Reproductive Health Matters |volume=10 |issue=20 |pages=175–181 |doi=10.1016/s0968-8080(02)00085-x |pmid=12569895 |s2cid=23890301 |issn=0968-8080|doi-access=free }}</ref><ref>{{Citation |last=Malin |first=Nigel |title=Professional abuse of power: discreditation or a lowering of productivity? |date=2020-02-05 |url=|work=De-Professionalism and Austerity |pages=183–208 |publisher=Policy Press|doi=10.1332/policypress/9781447350163.003.0011 |isbn=978-1-4473-5016-3 |s2cid=243151818 }}</ref> | |||
* ] is physical assault or battery on the child. Whilst an assault has some adverse consequence that the victim did not agree to (the difference between surgery and stabbing) the victim agrees to the consequences of battery but the agreement is fraudulent in some way (e.g. unnecessary surgery under false pretenses). Physical abuse is also harassment, a physical presence intended to provoke fear. | |||
* ] is sexual assault or battery on the child. The vast majority of physical assaults are a reaction to a situation involving a specific victim. Sexual assault is predominantly perpetrator gratification against any suitable target. Sexual abuse covers the range of direct and indirect assaults (e.g. imagery) and the means of facilitation such as stalking and internet offenses. | |||
* ] is defined as failure to take adequate measures to safeguard a child from harm, and gross negligence in providing for a child's basic needs. Needs are the actions to be taken to protect and provide for the child. Safeguarding is the duty of a person given the powers of responsibility for the child to take the necessary measures to protect the child. If a child is physically or sexually abused then there is an (abusive) person responsible for the assault and a (negligent) person responsible for failing to protect from the assault. In some cases they may be the same. | |||
* ] is when meeting the child's needs by taking the necessary steps to protect and provide for the child the child's wishes and feelings must be considered when deciding on delivery of the provision that best serves the child's needs. Willfully failing to provide in accordance with the child's wishes and feelings whilst it is in the child's best interests is emotional abuse (]) or negligently is emotional neglect (]). | |||
=== Parental responsibility === | |||
==See also== | |||
Parental responsibility is the legal obligation of a parent to provide for their child's physical, emotional, and financial needs. This includes providing food, shelter, clothing, education, medical care, and emotional support. It also includes protecting the child from harm and ensuring their safety. In 1984 the ], the body that supervises the European Convention on Human Rights, make Recommendation R(84) 4 on Parental Responsibilities.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.coe.int/en/web/cdcj|title=Council of Europe European Committee on Legal Co-operation – European Committee on Legal Co-operation – www.coe.int|website=European Committee on Legal Co-operation|accessdate=June 13, 2023}}</ref> These defined parental responsibility as a 'function' duties to be met and powers that can be exercised to meet those duties.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/1989/41/section/105|title=Children Act 1989|website=www.legislation.gov.uk|accessdate=June 13, 2023}}</ref> Child abuse and neglect is failure by a person with parental or any other protective responsibility to exercise the powers for the intended purpose, which is the benefit of the child. | |||
] | |||
Actions typically include services aimed at supporting at-risk families so they can remain intact to safeguard and promote the welfare of the child, investigation of alleged child abuse and, if necessary, assuming parental responsibility by ] and ] services. | |||
] | |||
=== Child maltreatment === | |||
] | |||
Child maltreatment refers to any type of harsh treatment or abuse which results in harm to a helpless child. Examples of ] include physical abuse, sexual abuse, emotional abuse, exploitation, deprivation and neglect.<ref>{{Cite web |title=ERIC – Education Resources Information Center |url=https://eric.ed.gov/ |access-date=2023-03-23 |website=eric.ed.gov}}</ref> The long-term impact of abuse on victims often includes physical injury, psychological and behavioral harm, and can potentially be carried across generations.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Home – Child Welfare Information Gateway |url=https://www.childwelfare.gov/ |access-date=2023-03-23 |website=www.childwelfare.gov}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://shifafoundation.org/health-nutrition-child-protection-integratd-flood-response-sindh/|title=Child Protection Integrated Flood Response|website=www.shifafoundation.org|date=15 April 2023 |accessdate=June 15, 2023}}</ref> | |||
Caregiver maltreatment of children is a global problem that can occur in adoption programs, regardless of social status and in cases of discrimination and early or unwanted pregnancy. Adopted children may be mistreated more than biological children. Additionally, children may suffer maltreatment due to their social status, and discrimination based on skin color has also been documented as a factor in child maltreatment. Unwanted pregnancies can also increase tension in the household, potentially leading to the mistreatment of a child.<ref>{{Cite web |title=National Center for Biotechnology Information |url=https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/ |access-date=2023-03-23 |website=www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov |language=en}}</ref> | |||
] | |||
Various services exist to address or prevent child maltreatment; these services can be provided by businesses or by government agencies. Where these services encounter cases of maltreatment, the state then creates a supportive family environment for the abused child. This entails the regulation of both public and private entities providing care for children and families.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.education.gov.uk/publications/eOrderingDownload/Framework%20for%20the%20assessment%20of%20children%20in%20need%20and%20their%20families.pdf|title=UK Government Web Archive|accessdate=June 13, 2023|archive-date=April 1, 2013|archive-url=http://webarchive.nationalarchives.gov.uk/20130401151715/https://www.education.gov.uk/publications/eOrderingDownload/Framework%20for%20the%20assessment%20of%20children%20in%20need%20and%20their%20families.pdf|url-status=bot: unknown}}</ref> | |||
] | |||
Child maltreatment can even occur in cases where state or other guardians take responsibility for a child's welfare. | |||
] | |||
=== Other === | |||
] | |||
A 2014 ] survey on child protection systems listed the following categories of children needing help:<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://ec.europa.eu/eusurvey/runner/EU-guidance-on-integrated-Child-Protection-Systems|title=EUSurvey – Survey unavailable|website=ec.europa.eu|accessdate=June 13, 2023}}</ref><!---♦♦♦ Please keep the list in alphabetical order ♦♦♦---> | |||
* Child victims of bullying or cyber-bullying | |||
* Child victims of female genital mutilation or forced marriage | |||
* Child victims of neglect or abuse | |||
* Child victims of sexual abuse/exploitation | |||
* Child victims of trafficking | |||
* Children affected by custody disputes, including parental child abduction | |||
* Children belonging to minority ethnic groups, e.g. Roma | |||
* Children left behind (by parents who move to another EU country for work) | |||
* Children in a situation of migration | |||
* Children in judicial proceedings | |||
* Children in or at risk of poverty | |||
* Children in police custody or detention | |||
* Children of parents in prison or custody | |||
* Children with disabilities | |||
* Children without parental care/in alternative care | |||
* Children who are not in compulsory education or training or working children below the legal age for work | |||
* Missing children (e.g. runaways, abducted children, unaccompanied children going missing) | |||
* Unaccompanied children in a situation of migration | |||
== International treaties == | |||
] | |||
The ] (ILO) is a United Nations agency dealing with labor issues, created in 1919. It takes care also of child labor issues, in particular with conventions 138 and 182. | |||
On 20 November 1959 the ] adopted a ] during the ]. | |||
] | |||
The United Nations Children's Fund (]) is a United Nations Program headquartered in New York City, that provides long-term humanitarian and developmental assistance to children and mothers in developing countries.{{citation needed|date=October 2023}} | |||
] | |||
In 2000, an agreement was reached among countries belonging to the ]{{ambiguous|date=March 2014}} countries about the military use of children. {{citation needed|date=October 2023}} | |||
] | |||
The effectiveness of these programs is contested and seems limited to some.{{vague|date=May 2014}} | |||
==References== | |||
== History == | |||
http://www.acf.hhs.gov/programs/cb/pubs/cm04 (accessed 8/4/06) | |||
Provincial or state governments' child protection<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.savethechildren.in/child-protection/|title=Child Protection Services|website=Save the Children|accessdate=June 13, 2023}}</ref> legislation empowers the government department or agency to provide services in the area and to intervene in families where child abuse or other problems are suspected. The agency that manages these services has various names in different provinces and states, e.g., Department of Children's Services, Children's Aid, Department of Child and Family Services. There is some consistency in the nature of laws, though the application of the laws varies across the country. | |||
http://www.acf.hhs.gov/programs/cb/stats_research/afcars/tar/report11.htm (accessed 8/4/06) | |||
The ] has addressed child abuse as a human rights issue, adding a section specifically to children in the ]: | |||
{{Socio-stub}} | |||
{{blockquote|Recognizing that the child, for the full and harmonious development of his or her personality, should grow up in a family environment, in an atmosphere of happiness, love and understanding should be afforded the right to survival; to develop to the fullest; to protection from harmful influences, abuse and exploitation; and to participate fully in family, cultural and social life.|sign=|source=}} | |||
== Child protection assessment == | |||
] | |||
A key part of child protection work is assessment. | |||
] | |||
A particular challenge arises where child protection professionals are assessing families where neglect is occurring. Professionals conducting assessments of families where neglect is taking place are said to sometimes make the following errors:<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://library.nspcc.org.uk/HeritageScripts/Hapi.dll/search2?CookieCheck=45090.5353539352&searchTerm0=C5727|title=Cookies Required|website=library.nspcc.org.uk|accessdate=June 13, 2023}}</ref> | |||
] | |||
* Failure to ask the right types of question, including | |||
] | |||
** Whether neglect is occurring? | |||
** Why neglect is occurring? | |||
** What the situation is like for the child? | |||
** Whether improvement in the family are likely to be sustained? | |||
** What needs to be done to ensure the long-term safety of the child? | |||
== See also == | |||
=== Prominent child protection organizations === | |||
*] | |||
*] | |||
*] | |||
*] | |||
*] | |||
*] | |||
*] | |||
*] | |||
*] | |||
*] | |||
*] | |||
===Topics===<!-- PLEASE RESPECT ALPHABETICAL ORDER --> | |||
* ] | |||
* ] | |||
* ] | |||
* ] | |||
* ] | |||
* ] | |||
* ] | |||
* ] | |||
* ] | |||
* ] | |||
* ] | |||
* ] | |||
* ] | |||
* '']'' | |||
* ] | |||
* ] | |||
* ] | |||
* ] | |||
* ] | |||
== References == | |||
{{reflist}} | |||
== Further reading == | |||
* Fieldston, Sara. ''Raising the World: Child Welfare in the American Century'' (Harvard University Press, 2015) 316 pp. | |||
* McCutcheon, James, 2010."Historical Analysis and Contemporary Assessment of Foster Care in Texas: Perceptions of Social Workers in a Private, Non-Profit Foster Care Agency". Applied Research Projects. ] Paper 332. {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120318021455/http://ecommons.txstate.edu/arp/332 |date=2012-03-18 }} | |||
* UNICEF, IPU, 2004 | |||
* Eileen Munro.2008. Effective Child Protection. Publisher-SAGE {{ISBN|1412946956}}, 9781412946957. | |||
* Jeff Fowler. 2003. A Practitioner's Tool for Child Protection and the Assessment of Parents. Publisher Jessica Kingsley Publishers. {{ISBN|1843100509}}, 9781843100508 | |||
* Eileen Munro. 2007. Child Protection: Sage Course Companions Series. Publisher- SAGE. {{ISBN|1412911796}}, 9781412911795 | |||
* Harries et al. 2008. Reforming Child Protection. Publisher- Taylor & Francis. {{ISBN|0415429056}}, 9780415429054 | |||
* Janet Polnay. 2001. Child Protection in Primary Care. Publisher-Radcliffe Publishing. {{ISBN|1857752244}}, 9781857752243 | |||
* Chris Beckett. 2007. Child Protection: An Introduction. Publisher-SAGE. {{ISBN|1412920922}}, 9781412920926 | |||
* Gerald Cradock. Risk, Morality, and Child Protection: Risk Calculation as Guides to Practice. Science, Technology, & Human Values, Vol. 29, No. 3, Special Issue: Reconstructing Order through Rhetorics of Risk (Summer, 2004), pp. 314–331 | |||
* Leigh A. Faulconer. In the Best Interests of Children? Family Relations, Vol. 43, No. 3 (Jul., 1994), pp. 261–263 | |||
* Eileen Munro. | |||
== External links == | |||
{{Commons category-inline}} | |||
* {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170829235411/https://www.unicef.org/protection/files/Progress_for_Children-No.8_EN_081309(1).pdf |date=2017-08-29 }}. (PDF-File, 991 KB) — ]: ''Progress for Children'', Number 8. September 2009. | |||
{{Social work}} | |||
{{Authority control}} | |||
{{DEFAULTSORT:Child Protection Rights}} | |||
] | |||
] | |||
] | |||
] |
Latest revision as of 21:07, 15 December 2024
Protecting children from harm and neglect For other uses, see Child protection (disambiguation). Not to be confused with Child protective services. "Child Welfare" redirects here. For the journal, see Child Welfare (journal).This article has multiple issues. Please help improve it or discuss these issues on the talk page. (Learn how and when to remove these messages)
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Childcare |
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At home |
Outside the home |
Educational settings |
Institutions and standards |
Related |
Child protection (also called child welfare) is the safeguarding of children from violence, exploitation, abuse, abandonment, and neglect. It involves identifying signs of potential harm. This includes responding to allegations or suspicions of abuse, providing support and services to protect children, and holding those who have harmed them accountable.
The primary goal of child protection is to ensure that all children are safe and free from harm or danger. Child protection also works to prevent future harm by creating policies and systems that identify and respond to risks before they lead to harm.
In order to achieve these goals, research suggests that child protection services should be provided in a holistic way. This means taking into account the social, economic, cultural, psychological, and environmental factors that can contribute to the risk of harm for individual children and their families. Collaboration across sectors and disciplines to create a comprehensive system of support and safety for children is required.
It is the responsibility of individuals, organizations, and governments to ensure that children are protected from harm and their rights are respected. This includes providing a safe environment for children to grow and develop, protecting them from physical, emotional and sexual abuse, and ensuring they have access to education, healthcare, and resources to fulfill their basic needs.
Child protection systems are a set of services, usually government-run, designed to protect children and young people who are underage and to encourage family stability. UNICEF defines a 'child protection system' as:
"The set of laws, policies, regulations and services needed across all social sectors – especially social welfare, education, health, security and justice – to support prevention and response to protection-related risks. These systems are part of social protection, and extend beyond it. At the level of prevention, their aim includes supporting and strengthening families to reduce social exclusion, and to lower the risk of separation, violence and exploitation. Responsibilities are often spread across government agencies, with services delivered by local authorities, non-State providers, and community groups, making coordination between sectors and levels, including routine referral systems etc.., a necessary component of effective child protection systems."
— United Nations Economic and Social Council (2008), UNICEF Child Protection Strategy, E/ICEF/2008/5/Rev.1, par. 12–13.
Under Article 19 of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, a 'child protection system' provides for the protection of children in and out of the home. One of the ways this can be enabled is through the provision of quality education, the fourth of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, in addition to other child protection systems. Some literature argues that child protection begins at conception; even how the conception took place can affect the child's development.
Safeguards against
Child labor
Main article: Child labourChild labor is the practice of having children engage in economic activity on a part-time or full-time basis. The practice is harmful to their physical and mental development. It is considered to be a form of exploitation and is illegal in many countries.
Due to economic reasons, especially in poor countries, children are forced to work in order to survive. Child labor often happens in difficult conditions, which are dangerous and impair the education of future citizens, and increase vulnerability to adults. It is hard to know exactly the age and number of children who are affected. At least 152 million children under five years of age worked in 2016, but the figure is underestimated because domestic labor is not counted. The actual statistics cannot be counted exactly due to the many cases of child labor going unseen.
Endangerment
Child endangerment is the act of placing a child in a situation which neglects their health or life. Child endangerment can cause many negative physical and mental effects. This can stem from abusive parental care, child neglect, and a multitude of other reasons.
Infanticide (child murder)
Infanticide is the intentional killing of infants and young children. This practice has been documented throughout history and still occurs in certain cultures today, usually as a result of poverty and/or other social pressures. Infanticide can be carried out by parents, relatives, or strangers and is often seen as a form of gender-based violence, since female babies are more likely to be killed than male ones. In some cases, infanticide may also be used to conceal evidence of incest or rape. It is most commonly practiced in cultures where there is a preference for male children, or where resources are scarce.
In some countries, children can be imprisoned for common crimes. In some countries, like Iran or China, criminals can even be sentenced to capital punishment for crimes committed while they were children (the United States abandoned the practice in 2005). In contexts where military use of children is made, they also risk becoming prisoners of war. Other children are forced into prostitution, exploited by adults for illegal traffic in children, or endangered by poverty and hunger. Infanticide today continues at a much higher rate in areas of extremely high poverty and overpopulation, such as parts of China and India. Female infants, then and even now, are particularly vulnerable, which is a factor in sex-selective infanticide.
Child abuse
Main article: Child abuseMany children who come to the attention of the child welfare system do so because of situations which are often referred to as child abuse. Abuse typically involves abuse of power, or exercising power for an unintended purpose. This includes willful neglect, knowingly not exercising a power for the purpose for which it was intended. This is why child abuse is defined as taking advantage of a position of trust having been invested with powers.
- Physical abuse is physical assault or battery on the child. Whilst an assault has some adverse consequence that the victim did not agree to (the difference between surgery and stabbing) the victim agrees to the consequences of battery but the agreement is fraudulent in some way (e.g. unnecessary surgery under false pretenses). Physical abuse is also harassment, a physical presence intended to provoke fear.
- Child sexual abuse is sexual assault or battery on the child. The vast majority of physical assaults are a reaction to a situation involving a specific victim. Sexual assault is predominantly perpetrator gratification against any suitable target. Sexual abuse covers the range of direct and indirect assaults (e.g. imagery) and the means of facilitation such as stalking and internet offenses.
- Child neglect is defined as failure to take adequate measures to safeguard a child from harm, and gross negligence in providing for a child's basic needs. Needs are the actions to be taken to protect and provide for the child. Safeguarding is the duty of a person given the powers of responsibility for the child to take the necessary measures to protect the child. If a child is physically or sexually abused then there is an (abusive) person responsible for the assault and a (negligent) person responsible for failing to protect from the assault. In some cases they may be the same.
- Psychological abuse is when meeting the child's needs by taking the necessary steps to protect and provide for the child the child's wishes and feelings must be considered when deciding on delivery of the provision that best serves the child's needs. Willfully failing to provide in accordance with the child's wishes and feelings whilst it is in the child's best interests is emotional abuse (intentional infliction of emotional distress) or negligently is emotional neglect (negligent infliction of emotional distress).
Parental responsibility
Parental responsibility is the legal obligation of a parent to provide for their child's physical, emotional, and financial needs. This includes providing food, shelter, clothing, education, medical care, and emotional support. It also includes protecting the child from harm and ensuring their safety. In 1984 the Council of Europe, the body that supervises the European Convention on Human Rights, make Recommendation R(84) 4 on Parental Responsibilities. These defined parental responsibility as a 'function' duties to be met and powers that can be exercised to meet those duties. Child abuse and neglect is failure by a person with parental or any other protective responsibility to exercise the powers for the intended purpose, which is the benefit of the child.
Actions typically include services aimed at supporting at-risk families so they can remain intact to safeguard and promote the welfare of the child, investigation of alleged child abuse and, if necessary, assuming parental responsibility by foster care and adoption services.
Child maltreatment
Child maltreatment refers to any type of harsh treatment or abuse which results in harm to a helpless child. Examples of child maltreatment include physical abuse, sexual abuse, emotional abuse, exploitation, deprivation and neglect. The long-term impact of abuse on victims often includes physical injury, psychological and behavioral harm, and can potentially be carried across generations.
Caregiver maltreatment of children is a global problem that can occur in adoption programs, regardless of social status and in cases of discrimination and early or unwanted pregnancy. Adopted children may be mistreated more than biological children. Additionally, children may suffer maltreatment due to their social status, and discrimination based on skin color has also been documented as a factor in child maltreatment. Unwanted pregnancies can also increase tension in the household, potentially leading to the mistreatment of a child.
Various services exist to address or prevent child maltreatment; these services can be provided by businesses or by government agencies. Where these services encounter cases of maltreatment, the state then creates a supportive family environment for the abused child. This entails the regulation of both public and private entities providing care for children and families.
Child maltreatment can even occur in cases where state or other guardians take responsibility for a child's welfare.
Other
A 2014 European Commission survey on child protection systems listed the following categories of children needing help:
- Child victims of bullying or cyber-bullying
- Child victims of female genital mutilation or forced marriage
- Child victims of neglect or abuse
- Child victims of sexual abuse/exploitation
- Child victims of trafficking
- Children affected by custody disputes, including parental child abduction
- Children belonging to minority ethnic groups, e.g. Roma
- Children left behind (by parents who move to another EU country for work)
- Children in a situation of migration
- Children in judicial proceedings
- Children in or at risk of poverty
- Children in police custody or detention
- Children of parents in prison or custody
- Children with disabilities
- Children without parental care/in alternative care
- Children who are not in compulsory education or training or working children below the legal age for work
- Missing children (e.g. runaways, abducted children, unaccompanied children going missing)
- Unaccompanied children in a situation of migration
International treaties
The International Labor Organization (ILO) is a United Nations agency dealing with labor issues, created in 1919. It takes care also of child labor issues, in particular with conventions 138 and 182.
On 20 November 1959 the United Nations General Assembly adopted a Declaration of the Rights of the Child during the Convention on the Rights of the Child.
The United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) is a United Nations Program headquartered in New York City, that provides long-term humanitarian and developmental assistance to children and mothers in developing countries.
In 2000, an agreement was reached among countries belonging to the United Nations countries about the military use of children.
The effectiveness of these programs is contested and seems limited to some.
History
Provincial or state governments' child protection legislation empowers the government department or agency to provide services in the area and to intervene in families where child abuse or other problems are suspected. The agency that manages these services has various names in different provinces and states, e.g., Department of Children's Services, Children's Aid, Department of Child and Family Services. There is some consistency in the nature of laws, though the application of the laws varies across the country.
The United Nations has addressed child abuse as a human rights issue, adding a section specifically to children in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights:
Recognizing that the child, for the full and harmonious development of his or her personality, should grow up in a family environment, in an atmosphere of happiness, love and understanding should be afforded the right to survival; to develop to the fullest; to protection from harmful influences, abuse and exploitation; and to participate fully in family, cultural and social life.
Child protection assessment
A key part of child protection work is assessment.
A particular challenge arises where child protection professionals are assessing families where neglect is occurring. Professionals conducting assessments of families where neglect is taking place are said to sometimes make the following errors:
- Failure to ask the right types of question, including
- Whether neglect is occurring?
- Why neglect is occurring?
- What the situation is like for the child?
- Whether improvement in the family are likely to be sustained?
- What needs to be done to ensure the long-term safety of the child?
See also
Prominent child protection organizations
- Defense for Children International
- ECPAT International
- Free the Children
- Friends-International
- Mannerheim League for Child Welfare
- Odisha State Child Protection Society
- Save the Children
- UNICEF
- War Child
- WE Charity
- World Vision
Topics
- Aboriginal child protection
- Adoption and Safe Families Act
- Child abandonment
- Child abuse
- Child harvesting
- Child marriage
- Child Protection and Obscenity Enforcement Act
- Child Protective Services
- Child sexual abuse
- Complex post traumatic stress disorder
- For the children (politics)
- Hague Convention on Parental Responsibility and Protection of Children
- Independent Safeguarding Authority
- Landeros v. Flood
- Minimum Standards for Child Protection in Humanitarian Action
- Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act
- Reactive attachment disorder
- School social work in Hungary
- Transnational child protection
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Further reading
- Fieldston, Sara. Raising the World: Child Welfare in the American Century (Harvard University Press, 2015) 316 pp.
- McCutcheon, James, 2010."Historical Analysis and Contemporary Assessment of Foster Care in Texas: Perceptions of Social Workers in a Private, Non-Profit Foster Care Agency". Applied Research Projects. Texas State University Paper 332. TXstate.edu Archived 2012-03-18 at the Wayback Machine
- Handbook: Child protection UNICEF, IPU, 2004
- Eileen Munro.2008. Effective Child Protection. Publisher-SAGE ISBN 1412946956, 9781412946957.
- Jeff Fowler. 2003. A Practitioner's Tool for Child Protection and the Assessment of Parents. Publisher Jessica Kingsley Publishers. ISBN 1843100509, 9781843100508
- Eileen Munro. 2007. Child Protection: Sage Course Companions Series. Publisher- SAGE. ISBN 1412911796, 9781412911795
- Harries et al. 2008. Reforming Child Protection. Publisher- Taylor & Francis. ISBN 0415429056, 9780415429054
- Janet Polnay. 2001. Child Protection in Primary Care. Publisher-Radcliffe Publishing. ISBN 1857752244, 9781857752243
- Chris Beckett. 2007. Child Protection: An Introduction. Publisher-SAGE. ISBN 1412920922, 9781412920926
- Gerald Cradock. Risk, Morality, and Child Protection: Risk Calculation as Guides to Practice. Science, Technology, & Human Values, Vol. 29, No. 3, Special Issue: Reconstructing Order through Rhetorics of Risk (Summer, 2004), pp. 314–331
- Leigh A. Faulconer. In the Best Interests of Children? Family Relations, Vol. 43, No. 3 (Jul., 1994), pp. 261–263
- Eileen Munro. Common errors of reasoning in child protection work
External links
Media related to Child welfare at Wikimedia Commons
- A Report Card on Child Protection Archived 2017-08-29 at the Wayback Machine. (PDF-File, 991 KB) — United Nations Children's Fund: Progress for Children, Number 8. September 2009.