Child Abuse and Neglect Symposium PowerPoint
This Child Abuse and Neglect Symposium PowerPoint Presentation from NRCPFC reviews the role of legally mandated reporters, the moral and ethical obligations of social workers to report, definitions and dynamics of abuse and neglect, and signs of physical, sexual, and emotional abuse.
*Many of these resources were developed previously by the
National Resource Center for
Permanency and Family Connections (NRCPFC).
Informational & Practice Publications, Resources, & Tools
Leaving Your Child Home Alone
This resource from the Child Welfare Information Gateway outlines considerations for families before leaving their children home alone, provides tips for parents, and lists general and state-specific home-alone resources. (September 2013)
Infant Safe Haven Laws
This Child Welfare Information Gateway factsheet discusses State laws that provide safe places for parents to relinquish newborn infants. The purpose of these laws is to prevent babies from being abandoned at places where they may come to harm. The responsibilities of and immunity from liability for providers who accept the infants, legal protections from prosecution for the parents, and the effect of relinquishment on parental rights also are discussed. Summaries of laws for all States and U.S. territories are included. (February 2013)
Bilingual Safety Guides for Children and Teens
Every day, children and teenagers enter the United States unaccompanied by parents or other caring adults and without legal documentation. These unaccompanied children often come to reunite with family, work, or pursue an education. Some may be fleeing violence and abuse, avoiding gang persecution and recruitment, or escaping political and religious persecution. When unaccompanied immigrant children enter Federal custody, most are placed in the care of the Division of Children’s Services (DCS) within the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ Office of Refugee Resettlement (ORR). Residential care provided by ORR is based on child welfare principles and ranges from foster care to secure facilities, based on children’s needs. Bridging Refugee Youth and Children’s Services (BRYCS) has developed children’s and teenager’s guides to personal safety – the first publications created for the unaccompanied youth themselves. These personal guides are intended to assist young people in knowing their rights while they are in the United States, and to help keep them safe so they can thrive in their life journeys. Each guide provides information in both English and Spanish. (2013)
Tracking Child Abuse and Neglect: The Role of Multiple Data Sources in Improving Child Safety
PolicyLab at The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia has developed this Evidence to Action brief, which identifies strategies to improve the surveillance and tracking of child abuse and neglect. This brief provides tools and case examples to help agency administrators: 1) Compare aggregate results from multiple data sources, 2) Link case-based data from multiple sources, and 3) Establish uniform data definitions and data collection protocols. Recent data show U.S. rates of child abuse not declining as suggested by national reporting systems. Instead, hospital data indicate that rates of the most severe cases of abuse are increasing. To address this disconnect, the brief suggests the need for more comprehensive strategies to capture trends in maltreatment. (Fall 2012)
Q and A About Safety Intervention
This article from Action for Children explores why there are so few in-home safety plans among child welfare cases, the misconception that relative placements are in-home safety plans, and the need for supervisor approval of safety decisions. Examples of safety actions are given for behavior management, crisis management, social connection, separation, and resource support. (2011)
Child Safety: A Guide for Judges and Attorneys
This Guide is a collaboration of the National Resource Center for Child Protective Services and the National Child Welfare Resource Center on Legal and Judicial Issues. The Guide is written primarily for judges, but anyone in the legal community who participates in the child safety decision making process should find the content useful. This Guide does not contain a “model” for child safety decision making. Rather, it uses a framework that centers on the logical steps of decision making, emphasizing the need for a sequential process that is grounded in principles of critical thinking and rigorous and precise analysis. All portions of the Guide can be used to foster more constructive discussion between Child Welfare and the legal community, with the goal of reaching more meaningful solutions and greater innovation when making child safety decisions. (2009)
Making and Screening Reports of Child Abuse and Neglect
This publication by the Child Welfare Information Gateway will familiarize you with the procedures for making reports of suspected child abuse or neglect, the required content of reports, and special procedures for filing reports of suspicious deaths and substance-exposed newborns. It includes clear criteria for screening reports by child protective services, timeframes for initiating investigations, and differing methods of agency response. Additionally, this webpage links to information on this topic for all States and Territories. (2009)
Research & Reports
RISS Insights, no. 21: Understanding Suicide and Self-Harm Amongst Children in Care and Care Leavers
Self-harm and suicide are complex issues which arouse difficult and distressing emotions both within people who hurt themselves and those who love and care for them. When children hurt or try to kill themselves, adults responsible for them often feel confused, powerless and overwhelmed. If these children are looked after away from their families then all the professionals involved with them must be able to provide them with the understanding and support they require. Examining the research and literature about self-harm and suicide is an essential element in developing understanding. Many important studies reported in this paper are quantitative or have been undertaken from a medical perspective, but in reviewing them it is important to maintain a focus on the pain and emotional complexities for all involved. “Insights” evidence summaries are published by IRISS (Institute for Research and Innovation in Social Services) to support social services in Scotland. IRISS Insights no. 21 was written by Judy Furnivall. (June 2013)
Children's Exposure to Violence: A Comprehensive National Survey
Juvenile Justice Bulletin Presents findings from the National Survey of Children’s Exposure to Violence, the most comprehensive survey to date of children’s exposure to violence in the United States. The survey was conducted between January and May 2008, and surveyed more than 4,500 children or their parents or adult caregivers regarding their past-year and lifetime exposure to violence. This Bulletin discusses the survey’s findings regard children’s direct and indirect exposure to specific categories of violence, how exposure to violence changes as children grow up, and the prevalence and incidence of multiple and cumulative exposures to violence. It also discusses the implications of the survey findings for policymakers, researchers, and practitioners who work with juvenile victims of violence. (2009)
Child Maltreatment Reports
These annual publications present data on child maltreatment collected by the National Child Abuse and Neglect Data System (NCANDS) from state child protective services (CPS) agencies. Included in the reports are national- and state-level findings on perpetrators of maltreatment, CPS work force workload, and preventive and post-investigation services. The reports are intended for use by policymakers, child welfare practitioners, researchers, and others concerned with child well-being.
Training & Curricula
Dating Matters: Understanding Teen Dating Violence Prevention
Teen dating violence is a growing public health issue. In a nationwide survey of students in grades 9-12, nearly one in 10 students reported being hit or physically hurt on purpose by a boyfriend or girlfriend at least once in the past 12 months. Dating Matters: Understanding Teen Dating Violence Prevention is a 60-minute, web-based training designed to help educators, youth-serving organizations, and others working with teens understand the risk factors and warning signs associated with teen dating violence. Developed by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in partnership with Liz Claiborne Inc., Dating Matters also highlights the importance of promoting healthy relationships. (2010)
