Chronic Neglect of Family Violence: More Than a Decade of Reports to Guide U.S. Policy

• NCJ Number: 208492
• Journal: Child Abuse & Neglect Volume: 26 Issue: 6/7 Dated: June 2002 Pages: 569-586
• Author(s): Gary B. Melton
• Date Published: June 2002
• Length: 18 pages
• Publication Format: Article
• Publication Type: Legislation/Policy Analysis
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America

Annotation

This article presents the findings and policy recommendations of the U.S. Advisory Board on Child Abuse and Neglect (the Board) as well as the Committee on the Training Needs of Health Professionals on Family Violence of the Institute of Medicine (IoM), followed by an assessment of the response of politicians and policymakers in implementing the recommendations.

Abstract

One of the emphases of the Board's first report in 1990 was that the most serious flaw in the Nation's system of services for children is its focus on reporting, an investigative response, and punitive interventions when allegations are substantiated. Generally, State and county child welfare programs have not been designed to deliver immediate help to families based on voluntary requests for assistance and high risk for child abuse and neglect. The IoM committee presented its findings and recommendations in "Confronting Chronic Neglect" (Cohn, Salmon, and Stobo, 2002). The author of this article offers his conclusions about the principal findings of the IoM committee, which include the following: contemporary evidence continues to show that family violence in the United States is an overwhelming problem; policies and research on family violence continue to be driven by thoughtless and conflicting ideologies, with little effort to address key empirical assumptions; the primary failure in child protection is the lack of a comprehensive safety system for families who need help; training of professionals for child protection and family services does not prepare them adequately for designing and implementing such a safety system; and regardless of the type of family violence being considered, the development of effective policies and programs in the United States has been impeded by an over-reliance on solutions based in the legal system. Although there has been incremental positive change in child protection policies and services, the author concludes there has been little change in the basic system for meeting the needs of children and families in America. 54 references