Child Maltreatment Research, Policy, and Practice for the Next Decade

Child Maltreatment Research, Policy, and Practice for the Next Decade

Author: National Research Council

Publisher: National Academies Press

Published: 2012-07-15

Total Pages: 218

ISBN-13: 0309254426

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In 1993 the National Research Council released its landmark report Understanding Child Abuse and Neglect (NRC, 1993). That report identified child maltreatment as a devastating social problem in American society. Nearly 20 years later, on January 30-31, 2012, the Institute of Medicine (IOM) and NRC's Board on Children, Youth and Families help a workshop, Child Maltreatment Research, Policy, and Practice for the Next Generation, to review the accomplishments of the past two decades of research related to child maltreatment and the remaining gaps. "There have been many exciting research discoveries since the '93 report, but we also want people to be thinking about what is missing," said Anne Petersen, research professor at the Center for Human Growth and Development at the University of Michigan and chair of the panel that produced the report. Child Maltreatment Research, Policy, and Practice for the Next Decade: Workshop Summary covers the workshop that brought together many leading U.S. child maltreatment researchers for a day and a half of presentations and discussions. Presenters reviewed research accomplishments, identified gaps that remain in knowledge, and consider potential research priorities. Child Maltreatment Research, Policy, and Practice for the Next Decade: Workshop Summary also covers participant suggestions for future research priorities, policy actions, and practices that would enhance understanding of child maltreatment and efforts to reduce and respond to it. A background paper highlighting major research advances since the publication of the 1993 NRC report was prepared by an independent consultant to inform the workshop discussions. This summary is an essential resource for any workshop attendees, policy makers, researchers, educators, healthcare providers, parents, and advocacy groups.


Book Synopsis Child Maltreatment Research, Policy, and Practice for the Next Decade by : National Research Council

Download or read book Child Maltreatment Research, Policy, and Practice for the Next Decade written by National Research Council and published by National Academies Press. This book was released on 2012-07-15 with total page 218 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In 1993 the National Research Council released its landmark report Understanding Child Abuse and Neglect (NRC, 1993). That report identified child maltreatment as a devastating social problem in American society. Nearly 20 years later, on January 30-31, 2012, the Institute of Medicine (IOM) and NRC's Board on Children, Youth and Families help a workshop, Child Maltreatment Research, Policy, and Practice for the Next Generation, to review the accomplishments of the past two decades of research related to child maltreatment and the remaining gaps. "There have been many exciting research discoveries since the '93 report, but we also want people to be thinking about what is missing," said Anne Petersen, research professor at the Center for Human Growth and Development at the University of Michigan and chair of the panel that produced the report. Child Maltreatment Research, Policy, and Practice for the Next Decade: Workshop Summary covers the workshop that brought together many leading U.S. child maltreatment researchers for a day and a half of presentations and discussions. Presenters reviewed research accomplishments, identified gaps that remain in knowledge, and consider potential research priorities. Child Maltreatment Research, Policy, and Practice for the Next Decade: Workshop Summary also covers participant suggestions for future research priorities, policy actions, and practices that would enhance understanding of child maltreatment and efforts to reduce and respond to it. A background paper highlighting major research advances since the publication of the 1993 NRC report was prepared by an independent consultant to inform the workshop discussions. This summary is an essential resource for any workshop attendees, policy makers, researchers, educators, healthcare providers, parents, and advocacy groups.

New Directions in Child Abuse and Neglect Research

New Directions in Child Abuse and Neglect Research

Author: National Research Council

Publisher: National Academies Press

Published: 2014-03-25

Total Pages: 442

ISBN-13: 0309285151

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Each year, child protective services receive reports of child abuse and neglect involving six million children, and many more go unreported. The long-term human and fiscal consequences of child abuse and neglect are not relegated to the victims themselves -- they also impact their families, future relationships, and society. In 1993, the National Research Council (NRC) issued the report, Under-standing Child Abuse and Neglect, which provided an overview of the research on child abuse and neglect. New Directions in Child Abuse and Neglect Research updates the 1993 report and provides new recommendations to respond to this public health challenge. According to this report, while there has been great progress in child abuse and neglect research, a coordinated, national research infrastructure with high-level federal support needs to be established and implemented immediately. New Directions in Child Abuse and Neglect Research recommends an actionable framework to guide and support future child abuse and neglect research. This report calls for a comprehensive, multidisciplinary approach to child abuse and neglect research that examines factors related to both children and adults across physical, mental, and behavioral health domains--including those in child welfare, economic support, criminal justice, education, and health care systems--and assesses the needs of a variety of subpopulations. It should also clarify the causal pathways related to child abuse and neglect and, more importantly, assess efforts to interrupt these pathways. New Directions in Child Abuse and Neglect Research identifies four areas to look to in developing a coordinated research enterprise: a national strategic plan, a national surveillance system, a new generation of researchers, and changes in the federal and state programmatic and policy response.


Book Synopsis New Directions in Child Abuse and Neglect Research by : National Research Council

Download or read book New Directions in Child Abuse and Neglect Research written by National Research Council and published by National Academies Press. This book was released on 2014-03-25 with total page 442 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Each year, child protective services receive reports of child abuse and neglect involving six million children, and many more go unreported. The long-term human and fiscal consequences of child abuse and neglect are not relegated to the victims themselves -- they also impact their families, future relationships, and society. In 1993, the National Research Council (NRC) issued the report, Under-standing Child Abuse and Neglect, which provided an overview of the research on child abuse and neglect. New Directions in Child Abuse and Neglect Research updates the 1993 report and provides new recommendations to respond to this public health challenge. According to this report, while there has been great progress in child abuse and neglect research, a coordinated, national research infrastructure with high-level federal support needs to be established and implemented immediately. New Directions in Child Abuse and Neglect Research recommends an actionable framework to guide and support future child abuse and neglect research. This report calls for a comprehensive, multidisciplinary approach to child abuse and neglect research that examines factors related to both children and adults across physical, mental, and behavioral health domains--including those in child welfare, economic support, criminal justice, education, and health care systems--and assesses the needs of a variety of subpopulations. It should also clarify the causal pathways related to child abuse and neglect and, more importantly, assess efforts to interrupt these pathways. New Directions in Child Abuse and Neglect Research identifies four areas to look to in developing a coordinated research enterprise: a national strategic plan, a national surveillance system, a new generation of researchers, and changes in the federal and state programmatic and policy response.

Neglected Children

Neglected Children

Author: Howard Dubowitz

Publisher: SAGE Publications

Published: 1999-01-20

Total Pages: 331

ISBN-13: 1452262209

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Although child neglect is the most common form of abuse, the extant research literature has mostly ignored this form of child maltreatment. Now editor Howard Dubowitz and an outstanding group of leaders in the field of child abuse and neglect offer perspectives on a range of important issues pertaining to the neglect of children. Neglected Children is the first book to focus on this most common type of child maltreatment, presenting a comprehensive and critical portrait of the phenomenon of neglect, based on theory, research, and clinical practice experience. This extensive work includes the following topics: -Causes and contributors -Definitions and measurement research -Cultural issues -Short and long-term outcomes -Evaluation and risk assessment -Prevention and intervention -Prenatal substance abuse -Fatal neglect -Policy issues Neglected Children conveniently captures much of what is known about child neglect and offers recommendations for future research. Researchers, clinicians, students, and policy makers in the fields of social work, child maltreatment, interpersonal violence, family studies, psychology, sociology, and public health will find this broad view of the subject essential to addressing the complex and pervasive underpinnings of child neglect.


Book Synopsis Neglected Children by : Howard Dubowitz

Download or read book Neglected Children written by Howard Dubowitz and published by SAGE Publications. This book was released on 1999-01-20 with total page 331 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Although child neglect is the most common form of abuse, the extant research literature has mostly ignored this form of child maltreatment. Now editor Howard Dubowitz and an outstanding group of leaders in the field of child abuse and neglect offer perspectives on a range of important issues pertaining to the neglect of children. Neglected Children is the first book to focus on this most common type of child maltreatment, presenting a comprehensive and critical portrait of the phenomenon of neglect, based on theory, research, and clinical practice experience. This extensive work includes the following topics: -Causes and contributors -Definitions and measurement research -Cultural issues -Short and long-term outcomes -Evaluation and risk assessment -Prevention and intervention -Prenatal substance abuse -Fatal neglect -Policy issues Neglected Children conveniently captures much of what is known about child neglect and offers recommendations for future research. Researchers, clinicians, students, and policy makers in the fields of social work, child maltreatment, interpersonal violence, family studies, psychology, sociology, and public health will find this broad view of the subject essential to addressing the complex and pervasive underpinnings of child neglect.

Child Maltreatment Research, Policy, and Practice

Child Maltreatment Research, Policy, and Practice

Author: Sonya Negriff

Publisher: Springer

Published: 2019-02-08

Total Pages: 108

ISBN-13: 3030045617

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The brief provides an overview of Dr. Penelope K. Trickett’s work and explores her innovations in the areas of theory, measurement, and methodology in the study of child maltreatment. It offers a summary of Dr. Trickett’s seminal longitudinal studies on child maltreatment, including their influence on understanding the impact of sexual abuse and child maltreatment on female and adolescent development. Chapters examine the impact of her work on policy and practice and offer present four new empirical studies that have been directly influenced by Dr. Trickett’s contributions. The brief concludes with further research recommendations to bridge the current policy and practice gaps. Topics featured in this brief include: Childhood sexual abuse and its effect on eating disorder development in females. The traumatic nature of reporting maltreatment in adolescents. Associations between adolescents’ community violence exposure (CVE) and the development of aggressive behavior problems. Child sexual abuse experiences in Korea. Child Maltreatment Research, Policy, and Practice is a must-have resource for policy makers and related professionals, graduate students, and researchers in child and school psychology, family studies, public health, social work, law/criminal justice, and sociology.


Book Synopsis Child Maltreatment Research, Policy, and Practice by : Sonya Negriff

Download or read book Child Maltreatment Research, Policy, and Practice written by Sonya Negriff and published by Springer. This book was released on 2019-02-08 with total page 108 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The brief provides an overview of Dr. Penelope K. Trickett’s work and explores her innovations in the areas of theory, measurement, and methodology in the study of child maltreatment. It offers a summary of Dr. Trickett’s seminal longitudinal studies on child maltreatment, including their influence on understanding the impact of sexual abuse and child maltreatment on female and adolescent development. Chapters examine the impact of her work on policy and practice and offer present four new empirical studies that have been directly influenced by Dr. Trickett’s contributions. The brief concludes with further research recommendations to bridge the current policy and practice gaps. Topics featured in this brief include: Childhood sexual abuse and its effect on eating disorder development in females. The traumatic nature of reporting maltreatment in adolescents. Associations between adolescents’ community violence exposure (CVE) and the development of aggressive behavior problems. Child sexual abuse experiences in Korea. Child Maltreatment Research, Policy, and Practice is a must-have resource for policy makers and related professionals, graduate students, and researchers in child and school psychology, family studies, public health, social work, law/criminal justice, and sociology.

Child Welfare Research

Child Welfare Research

Author: Aron Shlonsky

Publisher: Oxford University Press

Published: 2008-04-25

Total Pages: 416

ISBN-13: 0190294000

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Research has already been a significant factor in child welfare policy in recent years, but this essential new volume demonstrates that it has taken a leading role in the field to spur and guide change. In the incisive chapters gathered here, some of the field's top investigators present their work and assess its effect on the full spectrum of child welfare services. Future generations of researchers, as well as students, practitioners, and service providers, will find the resulting text indispensable. Edited by Duncan Lindsey and Aron Shlonsky, two of the discipline's most articulate voices, the book covers every base. The opening chapters situate child welfare research in the modern context; they are followed by discussions of evidence-based practice in the field, arguably its most pressing concern now. Recent years have seen historic rises in the number of children adopted through public agencies and, accordingly, permanent placement and family ties are critical topics that occupy the book's core, along with chapters broaching the thorny questions that surround decision-making and risk assessment. The urgent need for a more effective use of research and evidence is highlighted again with looks at the future of child protection and how concrete data can influence policy and help children. Finally, in recognition of the growing importance of a global view, closing chapters address international issues in child welfare research, including an examination of policies from abroad and a multinational comparison of the economic challenges facing single mothers and their children. With its insightful treatment of child welfare services in terms of the broader welfare system and acknowledgment of the myriad problems child welfare agencies face, this exceptional compendium offers a rich understanding of the social conditions that influence contemporary child welfare and enables the field to move ahead without losing sight of valuable lessons that have been learned.


Book Synopsis Child Welfare Research by : Aron Shlonsky

Download or read book Child Welfare Research written by Aron Shlonsky and published by Oxford University Press. This book was released on 2008-04-25 with total page 416 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Research has already been a significant factor in child welfare policy in recent years, but this essential new volume demonstrates that it has taken a leading role in the field to spur and guide change. In the incisive chapters gathered here, some of the field's top investigators present their work and assess its effect on the full spectrum of child welfare services. Future generations of researchers, as well as students, practitioners, and service providers, will find the resulting text indispensable. Edited by Duncan Lindsey and Aron Shlonsky, two of the discipline's most articulate voices, the book covers every base. The opening chapters situate child welfare research in the modern context; they are followed by discussions of evidence-based practice in the field, arguably its most pressing concern now. Recent years have seen historic rises in the number of children adopted through public agencies and, accordingly, permanent placement and family ties are critical topics that occupy the book's core, along with chapters broaching the thorny questions that surround decision-making and risk assessment. The urgent need for a more effective use of research and evidence is highlighted again with looks at the future of child protection and how concrete data can influence policy and help children. Finally, in recognition of the growing importance of a global view, closing chapters address international issues in child welfare research, including an examination of policies from abroad and a multinational comparison of the economic challenges facing single mothers and their children. With its insightful treatment of child welfare services in terms of the broader welfare system and acknowledgment of the myriad problems child welfare agencies face, this exceptional compendium offers a rich understanding of the social conditions that influence contemporary child welfare and enables the field to move ahead without losing sight of valuable lessons that have been learned.

Confronting Child Abuse

Confronting Child Abuse

Author: Deborah Daro

Publisher: Simon and Schuster

Published: 1988

Total Pages: 378

ISBN-13: 0029069319

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Describes the scope and causes of child abuse, examines current policies and laws, and offers a practical assessment of future strategies to end child abuse.


Book Synopsis Confronting Child Abuse by : Deborah Daro

Download or read book Confronting Child Abuse written by Deborah Daro and published by Simon and Schuster. This book was released on 1988 with total page 378 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Describes the scope and causes of child abuse, examines current policies and laws, and offers a practical assessment of future strategies to end child abuse.

Emerging Directions in Child Maltreatment Research

Emerging Directions in Child Maltreatment Research

Author: Bette L. Bottoms

Publisher: Wiley-Blackwell

Published: 2006-11-10

Total Pages: 228

ISBN-13: 9781405167239

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This volume addresses child maltreatment, one of the greatest social problems yet to be adequately addressed by social science. It showcases research on understanding, treating, and preventing child maltreatment, and illustrates how such research can be directly applied to practice, policy, and law. Specific topics covered include national trends in the incidence of child maltreatment, physiological consequences of child maltreatment, treatment for maltreatment victims, risks and opportunities associated with foster care placement following maltreatment, prevention and intervention strategies, cultural influences on the perpetration and treatment of child maltreatment, children's competencies in various abuse-related legal contexts and their eyewitness testimony abilities, and challenges and opportunities faced by psychologists working on all forms of child maltreatment within a multidisciplinary context. Several important themes weave throughout all of the articles, including attention to (a) all forms of child maltreatment, (b) new research theories and techniques, (c) multidisciplinarity, and (d) the applicability and practical significance of the scientific research for public policy and law. The volume has great potential to encourage better research, practice, law, and policy. It will inform scientists across various sub-fields of psychology about the most current knowledge in the discipline and the limits of that knowledge. It will encourage psychologists to think creatively about the issues from psychological, sociological, medical, and legal perspectives. It will bring balance within the current socio-political context of child maltreatment research, focusing research and policy on important issues that arise in actual child abuse cases rather than issues that surround controversial false child maltreatment allegations. This volume demonstrates how new research findings can (a) provide practitioners with information that can support treatment efforts, (b) spawn better future programs of research, and (c) directly aid new prevention efforts and better social policy and law. This information will advance psychologists' collective understanding of child maltreatment.


Book Synopsis Emerging Directions in Child Maltreatment Research by : Bette L. Bottoms

Download or read book Emerging Directions in Child Maltreatment Research written by Bette L. Bottoms and published by Wiley-Blackwell. This book was released on 2006-11-10 with total page 228 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This volume addresses child maltreatment, one of the greatest social problems yet to be adequately addressed by social science. It showcases research on understanding, treating, and preventing child maltreatment, and illustrates how such research can be directly applied to practice, policy, and law. Specific topics covered include national trends in the incidence of child maltreatment, physiological consequences of child maltreatment, treatment for maltreatment victims, risks and opportunities associated with foster care placement following maltreatment, prevention and intervention strategies, cultural influences on the perpetration and treatment of child maltreatment, children's competencies in various abuse-related legal contexts and their eyewitness testimony abilities, and challenges and opportunities faced by psychologists working on all forms of child maltreatment within a multidisciplinary context. Several important themes weave throughout all of the articles, including attention to (a) all forms of child maltreatment, (b) new research theories and techniques, (c) multidisciplinarity, and (d) the applicability and practical significance of the scientific research for public policy and law. The volume has great potential to encourage better research, practice, law, and policy. It will inform scientists across various sub-fields of psychology about the most current knowledge in the discipline and the limits of that knowledge. It will encourage psychologists to think creatively about the issues from psychological, sociological, medical, and legal perspectives. It will bring balance within the current socio-political context of child maltreatment research, focusing research and policy on important issues that arise in actual child abuse cases rather than issues that surround controversial false child maltreatment allegations. This volume demonstrates how new research findings can (a) provide practitioners with information that can support treatment efforts, (b) spawn better future programs of research, and (c) directly aid new prevention efforts and better social policy and law. This information will advance psychologists' collective understanding of child maltreatment.

New Directions in Child Abuse and Neglect Research

New Directions in Child Abuse and Neglect Research

Author: National Research Council

Publisher: National Academies Press

Published: 2014-04-25

Total Pages: 376

ISBN-13: 0309285127

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Each year, child protective services receive reports of child abuse and neglect involving six million children, and many more go unreported. The long-term human and fiscal consequences of child abuse and neglect are not relegated to the victims themselves-they also impact their families, future relationships, and society. In 1993, the National Research Council (NRC) issued the report, Under-standing Child Abuse and Neglect, which provided an overview of the research on child abuse and neglect. New Directions in Child Abuse and Neglect Research updates the 1993 report and provides new recommendations to respond to this public health challenge. According to this report, while there has been great progress in child abuse and neglect research, a coordinated, national research infrastructure with high-level federal support needs to be established and implemented immediately. New Directions in Child Abuse and Neglect Research recommends an actionable framework to guide and support future child abuse and neglect research. This report calls for a comprehensive, multidisciplinary approach to child abuse and neglect research that examines factors related to both children and adults across physical, mental, and behavioral health domains-including those in child welfare, economic support, criminal justice, education, and health care systems-and assesses the needs of a variety of subpopulations. It should also clarify the causal pathways related to child abuse and neglect and, more importantly, assess efforts to interrupt these pathways. New Directions in Child Abuse and Neglect Research identifies four areas to look to in developing a coordinated research enterprise: a national strategic plan, a national surveillance system, a new generation of researchers, and changes in the federal and state programmatic and policy response.


Book Synopsis New Directions in Child Abuse and Neglect Research by : National Research Council

Download or read book New Directions in Child Abuse and Neglect Research written by National Research Council and published by National Academies Press. This book was released on 2014-04-25 with total page 376 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Each year, child protective services receive reports of child abuse and neglect involving six million children, and many more go unreported. The long-term human and fiscal consequences of child abuse and neglect are not relegated to the victims themselves-they also impact their families, future relationships, and society. In 1993, the National Research Council (NRC) issued the report, Under-standing Child Abuse and Neglect, which provided an overview of the research on child abuse and neglect. New Directions in Child Abuse and Neglect Research updates the 1993 report and provides new recommendations to respond to this public health challenge. According to this report, while there has been great progress in child abuse and neglect research, a coordinated, national research infrastructure with high-level federal support needs to be established and implemented immediately. New Directions in Child Abuse and Neglect Research recommends an actionable framework to guide and support future child abuse and neglect research. This report calls for a comprehensive, multidisciplinary approach to child abuse and neglect research that examines factors related to both children and adults across physical, mental, and behavioral health domains-including those in child welfare, economic support, criminal justice, education, and health care systems-and assesses the needs of a variety of subpopulations. It should also clarify the causal pathways related to child abuse and neglect and, more importantly, assess efforts to interrupt these pathways. New Directions in Child Abuse and Neglect Research identifies four areas to look to in developing a coordinated research enterprise: a national strategic plan, a national surveillance system, a new generation of researchers, and changes in the federal and state programmatic and policy response.

Child Protection

Child Protection

Author: Ron Haskins

Publisher: Rowman & Littlefield

Published: 2007-10-01

Total Pages: 282

ISBN-13: 0815735103

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The National Survey of Child and Adolescent Well-Being (NSCAW) is the first nationally representative study of children who have been reported to authorities as suspected victims of abuse or neglect and the public programs that protect them. Child Protection is the first book that reports the results of NSCAW, interprets the findings, and puts them into a broader policy context. The authors, all experts in child welfare issues, address a range of issues made apparent by the survey results, including which types of personal and familial problems the programs are meant to address, the range of services and interventions that the child protection system can make available, and an assessment of these programs. Each chapter discusses the survey's implications and suggests new alternatives for designing and implementing future programs that not only protect at-risk children from further harm but also provide them with security and support. The practical lessons included in this volume make it an essential reference for all professionals working in the child protection field as well as anyone studying in the field of child welfare.


Book Synopsis Child Protection by : Ron Haskins

Download or read book Child Protection written by Ron Haskins and published by Rowman & Littlefield. This book was released on 2007-10-01 with total page 282 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The National Survey of Child and Adolescent Well-Being (NSCAW) is the first nationally representative study of children who have been reported to authorities as suspected victims of abuse or neglect and the public programs that protect them. Child Protection is the first book that reports the results of NSCAW, interprets the findings, and puts them into a broader policy context. The authors, all experts in child welfare issues, address a range of issues made apparent by the survey results, including which types of personal and familial problems the programs are meant to address, the range of services and interventions that the child protection system can make available, and an assessment of these programs. Each chapter discusses the survey's implications and suggests new alternatives for designing and implementing future programs that not only protect at-risk children from further harm but also provide them with security and support. The practical lessons included in this volume make it an essential reference for all professionals working in the child protection field as well as anyone studying in the field of child welfare.

Handbook of Child Maltreatment

Handbook of Child Maltreatment

Author: Richard D. Krugman

Publisher: Springer Nature

Published: 2022-02-22

Total Pages: 767

ISBN-13: 3030824799

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The second edition of this successful handbook, edited by well-known experts in this field, includes core questions in the field of child abuse and neglect. It addresses major challenges in child maltreatment work, starting with “What is child abuse and neglect?” and then examines why maltreatment occurs and what are its consequences. The handbook also addresses prevention, intervention, investigation, treatment as well as civil and criminal legal perspectives. It comprehensively studies the issue from the perspective of a broader, international and cross-cultural human experience. Apart from a thorough revision of existing chapters, this edition includes many new chapters covering recent developments in this area and other issues not covered in the first edition. There is more focus on substance abuse, psychological abuse, and on social and community involvement and public health provisions in the prevention of child maltreatment. The handbook examines what is known now and more importantly what remains to be researched in the coming decades to help abused and neglected children, their families and their communities, thereby taking the field forward.


Book Synopsis Handbook of Child Maltreatment by : Richard D. Krugman

Download or read book Handbook of Child Maltreatment written by Richard D. Krugman and published by Springer Nature. This book was released on 2022-02-22 with total page 767 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The second edition of this successful handbook, edited by well-known experts in this field, includes core questions in the field of child abuse and neglect. It addresses major challenges in child maltreatment work, starting with “What is child abuse and neglect?” and then examines why maltreatment occurs and what are its consequences. The handbook also addresses prevention, intervention, investigation, treatment as well as civil and criminal legal perspectives. It comprehensively studies the issue from the perspective of a broader, international and cross-cultural human experience. Apart from a thorough revision of existing chapters, this edition includes many new chapters covering recent developments in this area and other issues not covered in the first edition. There is more focus on substance abuse, psychological abuse, and on social and community involvement and public health provisions in the prevention of child maltreatment. The handbook examines what is known now and more importantly what remains to be researched in the coming decades to help abused and neglected children, their families and their communities, thereby taking the field forward.