Safeguarding Children Across Services: Messages from Research on Identifying and Responding to

Child Maltreatment

Authors: Carolyn Davies and Harriet Ward

Presenter: Jenny Gray

6 February 2012

Scope

Response to Victoria Climbié and (later) Peter Connelly

Themes: Identification and initial response

Effective interventions (systematic reviews and empirical studies)

Inter-agency and interdisciplinary working

Highlight in particular neglect and emotional abuse

15 studies (Joint DH/ DfE initiative of 11 studies)

Report Structure

Chapter One:

Chapter Two:

Chapter Three:

Chapter Four:

Chapter Five:

Chapter Six:

Chapter Seven:

Introduction

Identification and initial response

Universal and targeted services to prevent occurrence of maltreatment.

Social work interventions to keep children safe

Specific Interventions for children and families with additional or complex needs

Providing a context for effective inter-agency practice

Overview: principal messages and their implications

Framework for Intervention and Prevention of Child Maltreatment

(after Barlow and Schrader McMillan, 2010)

Rationale

• Key issues relevant to practice and service delivery• Themes traced through stages of the system and topic

areas• Structured to enable those with different interests to read

the text selectively• Text signposts sections relevant to different disciplines

and materials/ texts for further reading• Supported by briefings for selected disciplinary groups

Chapter One: Introduction

• The evolving policy context within which messages need to be implemented

• The prevalence of abuse and its consequences

• Issues concerning how maltreatment should be defined

• The nature of the studies

• The strengths and weaknesses of the evidence base

they provide

Chapter Two: Identification and initial response

• Risk factors and indicators, recognition, assessment, referrals

• Key points:– Difficulties in identifying neglect and emotional abuse – Differences in thresholds between general public and

professionals/ practitioners (and courts)– Public and private neglect of adolescents– Paucity of evidence concerning effective role for

schools– Reluctance to refer (front line staff in health/ mental

health)

Chapter Three: Universal and targeted services to prevent occurrence of maltreatment

• Framework for intervention; primary and secondary interventions, evaluated universal/population and targeted approaches; tools to assist targeting

• Key points– Availability of well-designed interventions at both primary and

secondary level– Public education programmes for parents of adolescents need

developing and evaluating– Home visiting programmes and parenting programmes have

been imported from USA and are being tested in UK– Issues concerning implementation at time of economic

stringency

Chapter Four: Social work interventions to keep children safe

• Action following referral; who can be safeguarded at home; return home and re-admission; outcomes of care

• Key points–Maltreated children left too long in damaging situations–Focus on safeguarding the family rather than the individual children–Importance of rigorous assessment and planning–Social work interventions are often too short and end too abruptly–Care works for abused and neglected children

Chapter Five: Specific Interventions for children and families with additional or

complex needs• Focussed programmes to prevent recurrence of abuse and address/mitigate

the consequences• Key points:

– Issues for commissioners– Many programmes developed outside UK: issues concerning

transferability– Better evidenced programmes to address domestic violence – Ten examples: specialist interventions (child/parent or family focus) to

prevent further abuse/ address its consequences– Potential of a common elements approach– The need for continued support from a range of professionals after

programme completion

• Emerging policy context; evidence from studies about how inter-agency practice is/is not working; how structures support this, including training

• Key points:– Tensions around referral: speed of response/high threshold/

shared responsibility after referral– Evidence of risks to children of slow response and lack of follow

up after time limited interventions.– Impact of training– Impact of new structures

Chapter Six: Providing a context for effective inter-agency practice

Chapter Seven: Overview: principal messages and their implications

All practitioners should :– Have a thorough understanding child development and the

impact of abuse and neglect on children’s life chances– Be aware of the impact of delay and the need for early

intervention– Be familiar with the evidence of what works in primary,

secondary and tertiary care– Be aware that care works for maltreated children

In the context of Munro: •Social workers and social care agencies should:

– ensure that feedback to referrals is given a higher priority– be aware families and children will need ongoing multi-

disciplinary support following specific interventions which are often short.

Chapter Seven: Overview: principal messages and their implications

In the context of the Family Justice Review:

•The research lays out strong evidence to support principal recommendations on:

–Delay: –Accountability and Outcomes; –Workforce Development; –Expert Witnesses; –Focus on the Child

Chapter Seven: Overview: principal messages and their implications

In context of health and education reforms •Early intervention is crucial. Health professionals need to refer quickly to targeted services; •Better links are required between adult services and children’s services •More services needed for adult alcohol; substance abuse; intimate partner violence: to improve aspects of parenting and address the needs of children. •Strong action is needed to prevent the loss of emerging improvements in: shared responsibility; mutual understanding; and inter-disciplinary working.•Research is needed on the impact of new structures and policies

Dissemination

• DfE website (holding Executive Summary; details of all projects; training materials and e-Overview) www.education.gov.uk/researchandstatistics/research/scri

• 2,000 copies of Research Overview distributed to key local statutory, voluntary and independent agencies

• Briefing notes tailored to professionals in child health; adult services; children’s social care; family justice system; and education (forthcoming)

• Conferences and presentations