Guidelines are offered for child protection workers who are appearing in court as expert witnesses. Guidelines include be objective, be accurate, stick to the area of expertise, don't get manipulated by lawyers, don't be greedy, and maintain one's expert witness work as a minor part of one's professional activities. (JDD)

The history of social attitudes toward childhood and concepts of children since ancient times is reviewed as background for a discussion of ethics and society's role in child protection. (MSE)

Background:: Child maltreatment is prevalent in Canadian society, and medical professionals are frequently required to provide care in these cases. Physician knowledge and training in child protection have been questioned. This study examined the experience, perceived adequacy of training, and perceived competency of Canadian pediatric residents…

Objective:: To assess the predictive validity of continuous measures of problem recognition (PR), intentions to change (ITC), and overall readiness for change (RFC) among primary caregivers who received in-home services following substantiated reports of child abuse or neglect. Method:: A modified version of the University of Rhode Island Change…

Objective: Cultural and familial ties are crucial for the overall well-being of children. Extant research and permanency planning practices support the reunification of children with their families when possible. In 1978, the Indian Child Welfare Act (ICWA) was enacted to promote cultural and familial preservation for Indian children, but sparse…

A survey of 295 child protection workers, law enforcement officers, mental health practitioners, and physicians found that the use of anatomical dolls in child sexual abuse evaluations was widespread although few professionals had specific training in their use. (Author/DB)

The study investigated the ability of child protective service workers to distinguish videotaped interactions of physically abusive parent-child dyads from interactions of nonabuse dyads during a teaching task. Child protection workers achieved a 76 percent rate of accuracy in identify the abuse status of dyads after only three minutes of observed…

Proposed is a system of flexible options for the mandated reporting of child abuse and neglect, to improve compliance with and reduce burdens on the child protective system. Potential benefits and drawbacks of the plan, which would identify and train "registered reporters" and offer the option of explicit deferred investigation, are…

The article details statements of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child, addressing respect for dignity; the "children first" principle; protection of personal integrity; protection from exploitation; consideration of cultural heritage; and rights to a family environment, to assistance when in the state's care, to…

Five models of children's rights are described, with special emphasis on a model supporting the position that children's rights are a necessary condition for national development. The need to offer legislative protection for children and enable them to practice making responsible choices is discussed. (JDD)

The article responds to a previous one addressing child welfare practice and legislation in Australia. It maintains that child protection services in Victoria are inadequate, lacking in accountability and good working relations between the police and community services, and fail to meet standards of practice. (DB)

Two cases of suspected sexual abuse of five-year-old children with syphilis are reported. Lack of confirmation of abuse by either child or in parental interviews led to closing of the cases by Child Protection Services and continued residence by the children in their original homes. (DB)

This paper operationally defines a set of indicators for the decision to separate the child and family in child abuse cases. Application of the indicators to 152 cases of suspected child abuse in Australia found that severity of abuse, parenting, and the family social system were most predictive of a final separation outcome. (Author/DB)

This article reviews child protection research policy in the United States and identifies needs. It considers the current state of knowledge; examines the allocation of responsibility (federal, state, private, and community foundations); summarizes federal support for research on child maltreatment; and considers structural and technical issues…

This review examines factors impacting on substantiation rates for central registries of child abuse and neglect cases. Technical factors were not found to affect substantiation rates, though certain legal factors were somewhat associated with lower substantiation rates. The use of risk assessment models is recommended to improve rates without…