NCJ Number
165009
Journal
Child Abuse and Neglect Volume: 20 Issue: 10 Dated: (October 1996) Pages: 899-906
Date Published
1996
Length
8 pages
Annotation
Interviews with 38 of the 171 members of the interdisciplinary Area Child Protection Committees in Wales formed the basis of an analysis of these forums' effectiveness and the balance between three components of child protection policy: prevention, investigation, and treatment.
Abstract
The committees' membership includes senior representatives of local agencies involved in child protection, who meet four to six times per year to coordinate, plan, and monitor local child protection services. The research gathered information by means of structured interviews containing both open and closed questions. Results revealed a substantial emphasis on investigation procedures. Prevention strategies received little attention, and treatment services were virtually ignored. Findings suggested three actions that might address the current imbalance. These include giving agencies with less responsibility for investigation a more prominent role in the management of child protection services; inclusion of child protection services in an integrated, multidisciplinary child welfare service; and research into the availability of a broad spectrum of treatment for abused children. Tables and 33 references (Author abstract modified)