NCJ Number
186922
Date Published
2001
Length
15 pages
Annotation
This chapter provides an overview of the nature and prevalence of child abuse in England and the response to it.
Abstract
A demographic profile of England, including the infant mortality rate and life expectancy, is followed by a brief case study of inadequate government-subsidized housing that contributes to child neglect. Next, a section reviews the history of socioeconomic concepts and practices that have contributed to child abuse in England. A profile of the legal system for child protection in England is followed by descriptions of the legal framework for child protection and the criminal prosecution of child abusers. Other sections of the chapter address official definitions of abuse, features of the child protection system, investigative procedures, and child-abuse prevention measures. In response to the growing public awareness of the various manifestations of child abuse, the law has broadened to target various kinds of child abuse and neglect. Due to severely limited resources, however, the child protection system has become overwhelmed with investigations, distorted by the pressure to collect evidence for criminal prosecutions, defensive in its practice and resource prioritization, and alienated from the people it is intended to serve. It is encouraging, however, that there is the will to change and an acknowledgment that the present system is not working. 16 references