NCJ Number
150517
Editor(s)
J E B Myers
Date Published
1994
Length
136 pages
Annotation
A number of major figures in the field of child protection examine the current backlash against the work of child protection services in the field of child abuse and offer recommendations for addressing it.
Abstract
The first chapter analyzes the backlash from the perspective of sociological theory of social movements. The strengths and weaknesses of the backlash are analyzed, and an outlook for the future is provided. The second paper identifies the origins of the backlash: the polarization fueled by the emotion associated with the issue, the tendency of society to ignore what is unpleasant, and flaws in the child protection system. A third paper examines the backlash from the perspective of a county child protective services administrator. It includes a discussion of the value conflicts and inconsistencies inherent in the laws that govern child protection. Steps are outlined for child protection service administrators to take in responding to criticism. Another paper voices the views of the president of the National Association of Victims of Child Abuse Laws (VOCAL), which has been one of the most persistent and outspoken critics of the policies of child protection services. The changes proposed are training, the provision of services to marginally dysfunctional families, and greater use of a coordinated interdisciplinary approach. A fifth paper describes the backlash from the perspective of State-level child protection services administrators. This includes a review of the common problems of child protection agencies. Remaining papers describe the backlash in Europe, analyze the literature of the backlash, and offer recommendations for responding to the backlash. 240 references and a subject index