M.Cur.

Student Number: 9804661E Master of Arts: Social Work Faculty of Humanities / Given the high incidences of child abuse not only in informal settlements, but in South Africa as a whole. The present study looks at the social factors that contribute to child abuse in informal settlements. To identify specific social factors in an informal settlement i.e. Ivory Park, which make children in this community to be vulnerable to child abuse. The study aims to identify different forms of child abuse, which occur in Ivory Park, to develop an understanding of the family structure and the functioning of the families. The study further explored the perception of community members on child abuse, and their knowledge and awareness on children’s rights. The study also attempts to bring to our attention that concern about the problem of child abuse is not new. It acknowledges the historical context of this problem, that throughout history children world-wide have been subjected to domination, murder, abandonment, mutilations and forced labour. Practices that seem brutal and senseless today like infanticide and ritual sacrifices of children are actually recorded in the Bible. These were considered normal and acceptable practices at the time. The systematic study of child abuse is fairly a recent phenomenon, it’s only in the sixties that this issue has been discussed and debated in certain parts of the world. The study also points out that the problem of child abuse is not unique to South Africa, but it is a problem in many parts of the world. Also that the understanding of child abuse has shifted over time. The central force behind these changes has been the establishment of various organisations in North America and Europe. These organisations opposed violence against children and advocated for the rights of the children. In South Africa this change came about when the present South African government ratified the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Children in 1996 and also when the Rights of the Child were enshrined in Section 28 of the Bill of Rights of the Constitution of the Republic of South Africa. The study poses a question as to why child abuse cases and statistics seem to be on the rise and understanding why children are being abused when there are so many pieces of legislation and human rights documents, that aims to safeguard the interest and the protection of children particularly in South Africa. The study also looks at different theoretical perspective on child abuse to help us in terms of explaining and understanding as to why children are abuse. Finally, the study looks at different social factors specific to South Africa that might contribute to child abuse, and the history and location of Ivory Park. On the basis of the findings of this study, the researcher makes some recommendations through which professionals in the helping professions together with community members can address the problem of child abuse in informal settlement.

The aim of this study was to understand how teachers in Sweden act when they suspect child abuse. Eight semi-structured interviews were conducted with teachers from six different schools teaching at various grades. A qualitative method was applied in order to reach broader answers and enabling the possibility of follow-up questions. The collected data was analyzed with the new institutional theory and the theoretical concepts about street-level bureaucratsand discretion. Earlier studies within the area has been found by using the keywords: teacher, child abuse, report, mandatory report, consequence andneglect. The empirical data resulted in three large categories, which further contained several subcategories explaining why the teachers took action or not when suspecting child abuse. The results indicated that the teachers act in different ways within their discretion, and sometimes against the law. Furthermore, the majority of the teachers have knowledge about the notification requirements according to the social services act (SFS 2001:453), but that some schools use their own policies and guidelines that the teacher choose to apply instead. Concludingly, the current study aligns with the new institutional theory illustrating that the solution for some organizations is to detach practical actions from formal structures and thereby ignoring laws.

Röntgensjuksköterskan träffar i sin yrkesroll barn som skadat sig på olika sätt och är den första personen inom vården som träffar patienten och ser röntgenbilderna vid samma tillfälle. Socialtjänstlagen fastställer att anställda inom hälso- och sjukvård ska anmäla till socialnämnden om de får kännedom om eller misstänker barnmisshandel. Syftet med denna studie är att beskriva typiska fysiska tecken på barnmisshandel som röntgensjuksköterskan kan upptäcka i sin yrkesroll. Metoden som använts är en litteraturöversikt med ett systematiskt tillvägagångssätt. Två kategorier, med tillhörande subkategorier, skapades efter att artiklarna analyserats. De kategorier som presenteras är inre och yttre fysiska tecken på barnmisshandel. Subkategorierna är frakturer, hjärnskada och tillväxtlinjer samt brännskador och blåmärken. Det finns inga typiska fysiska tecken som på egen hand fastställer barnmisshandel men de är en del av en sammanvägd utredning när misstanke uppstår. Det finns typiska fysiska tecken som förekommer i hög grad hos misshandelsfall men som även förekommer vid olycksfall. Det finns även typiska fysiska tecken som har stark koppling till barnmisshandel men har låg prevalens generellt. / The radiographer meets children who are injured in different ways within the professional scope and is the first person within health care who meets the patient and see the radiographs simultaneously. The social service law states that employees within the health care system must report to the social services when getting knowledge about or suspect child abuse. The objective of this study is to describe typical physical signs of child abuse that a radiographer can discover within the professional scope. The method used is literature overview with a systematical approach. Two categories, each with subcategories, were created after the articles were analyzed. The categories presented are inner and outer physical signs of child abuse. The subcategories are fractures, brain damage, growth recovery lines and burns and bruises. There are no typical physical signs who single-handedly determines child abuse, but they are a part of a collected investigation when suspicion arise. There are typical physical signs which occur frequently in cases of child abuse but also occurs in accidents. There are also typical physical signs highly associated with child abuse but with a generally lower prevalence.

Syftet var att utforska vad som är viktigt i ett krisstöd till barn efter ett barnförhör. Metodensom användes var semistrukturerade intervjuer med fyra krisstödjare ur kristeamet i en svenskkommun. Resultatet analyserades utifrån systemteori och salutogenes. Resultatet visade attden juridiska processen, som ska tillvarata barnens rättigheter, även bidrar till krisen, samt attdet är föräldrarna som behöver byggas upp för att kunna stötta sitt barn. Ett tredje resultat varatt krisstödjarna upplever att de gör stor nytta i den akuta krisen, men att den dörr som dåöppnas in till familjen ofta hinner stängas innan det sätts in fortsatta resurser som kan leda tillverklig förändring. Utifrån grundantagandet att barnen ska hamna i en bättre situation efteråtän de gjorde innan, diskuterades sedan om krisstödjarna kunde fullgöra denna uppgift medmetoden de använder. / The aim of this study was to explore what is considered important in a crisis supportintervention after child interrogation at a child advocacy center. The method used was semistructuredinterviews with four social workers in the crisis support team. The analysis wasbased on systems theory and salutogenesis. The result showed that the legal process,constructed to protect children’s rights, also contributes to the crisis. It showed that the parentsneed to be strengthened in order to support the child. The social workers feel that they help thefamilies in the first crisis, but a lack of resources prevent them from continuing the support,missing the chance to real change. We discusses how well the social workers could helpputting children in a better position than before, with the crisis support method.

Thesis advisor: Aimee Seiler / In the effort to take responsibly and effect positive change in the lives of our children, we must begin by identifying and applying the most effective methods to help them overcome obstacles to mental and emotional well-being. In conjunction with a limited number of quantitative studies, anecdotal evidence suggests that animal-assisted therapies and activities promote positive outcomes for children who have been physically abused and who have developed behavioral and emotional disorders. Chapter one will address the current state of the research on the impact of physical abuse on children's physical, social and emotional beings. Understanding what we know about what abused children must cope with, chapter two will examine service provision under the current system known as the continuum of care. Finally, chapter three will introduce animal assisted therapy and illustrate the ways in which it can strengthen and support services that are already in place for children who are struggling with behavioral and emotional disorders that result from physical abuse. Before the argument for including animal assisted programs as a supplement to services currently provided can be made, this therapeutic approach deserves to be appropriately standardized and evaluated. Allocating more resources to research that will develop the breath and depth of knowledge in the field of animal assisted therapy is a necessary step in improving the quality of care. / Thesis (BA) — Boston College, 2004. / Submitted to: Boston College. College of Arts and Sciences. / Discipline: Education, Lynch School of. / Discipline: College Honors Program.

O uso de punição corporal é altamente frequente e repousa sobre grande aceitabilidade social. As investigações e a discussão sobre no que consiste essa prática e se essa se diferencia do abuso físico ainda são incipientes. A presente investigação pretende contribuir nesta direção ampliando o conhecimento sobre as variações existentes, relativas ao comportamento de castigar fisicamente uma criança/adolescente. Essa foi dividida em dois estudos e os referenciais teóricos adotados foram o Ecológico-transacional proposto por Jay Belsky e o Modelo do Processamento da Informação proposto por Joel Milner. Adotou-se a abordagem quantitativa, com delineamento transversal. Os dados foram coletados utilizando-se os seguintes instrumentos: Questionário de Caracterização Sociodemográfica, Roteiro de Entrevista Semi-estruturada sobre a Prática de Punição Corporal, Child Abuse Potential Inventory (CAP), Family Adaptability and Cohesion Evaluation Scales IV (FACES-IV) e o Questionário de Apoio Social (QAS). O objetivo geral do estudo 1 foi o de verificar se grupos de pais, com e sem histórico de notificação ao Sistema de Proteção Infantil, por abuso físico, se diferenciariam quanto à forma de se aplicar a punição corporal e no plano de variáveis apontadas pela literatura científica como fatores de risco para o abuso físico. A amostra do estudo 1 foi formada por dois grupos de pais/responsáveis: o A (n=47), composto por pais sem histórico de notificação por maus-tratos e o B (n=40), composto por cuidadores assinalados ao Sistema de Proteção. Empreenderam-se análises estatísticas descritivas e comparações. Os resultados indicaram que os pais do grupo B teriam prática de castigo corporal mais grave, em termos de modalidade, partes do corpo da criança sob as quais essa incidiria, frequência e presença de sentimento de irritação ou raiva durante a ação. Ainda, estariam mais expostos aos diversos fatores de risco pesquisados: maior desconforto psicológico maior instabilidade emocional, sentimentos de inadequação, baixa autoestima, tristeza, ansiedade, confusão e maior rigidez quanto ao padrão de funcionamento cognitivo; menor satisfação conjugal, laços familiares mais frágeis e família como menor capacidade de fazer mudanças em papéis e em regras; maior vulnerabilidade econômica e menor apoio social. O objetivo geral do estudo 2 foi verificar se na amostra como um todo existiriam subgrupos que se diferenciariam quanto ao comportamento de castigar fisicamente e, em caso positivo, analisar as características de cada subgrupo quanto aos fatores de risco mencionados. Empreenderam-se procedimentos estatísticos de clusterização. Identificou-se, assim, a existência de três subgrupos de pais que se discriminariam tanto em relação ao nível de gravidade da punição corporal empregada, quanto em relação a variáveis psicossociais. Notou-se agravamento do comportamento de punição corporal do agrupamento 1 para o 2, e deste para o 3. Quanto aos fatores de risco, os agrupamentos 1 e 2 apresentaram mais semelhanças do que dissemelhanças, sendo que o 3 mostrou-se o mais vulnerável de todos. A análise pormenorizada dos padrões de punição e dos fatores associados denota a natureza heterogênea do fenômeno, o que oferece subsídios importantes para o planejamento de intervenções que sejam específicas às necessidades de cada subgrupo. Apesar dos limites metodológicos da investigação, essa, além da contribuição, colocou novas questões para pesquisas futuras / The use of corporal punishment is highly frequent and it lies on great social approval. The investigations and discussions about what this practice consists of and if it differs from physical abuse are still incipient. The present investigation aims to contribute to these discussions, broadening the knowledge on the existent variations, related to the behavior of physically punishing a child/adolescent. This investigation was divided into two studies and the adopted theoretical references were the Ecological-transactional model proposed by Jay Belsky and the Information Processing Model proposed by Joel Milner. A quantitative approach was adopted, with a transverse delineation. The data were collected with the use of the following instruments: Questionnaire of Social-Demographic Characterization, Semi-Structured Interview Protocol on the Practice of Corporal Punishment, Child Abuse Potential Inventory (CAP), Family Adaptability and Cohesion Evaluation Scales IV (FACES-IV) and the Questionnaire of Social Support (QAS). The general objective of study 1 was to verify if groups of parents with a record of physical abuse in the Child Protection Service would differ from groups of parents without the same background, regarding the corporal punishment application and the variables signaled by the scientific literature as risk factors for physical abuse. The sample of the study consisted of two groups: A (n=47), of parents without a record for maltreatments and B (n=40), of caregivers reported to Child Protection. Descriptive statistical analyses and comparisons were made. The results indicated that parents from group B would practice more severe corporal punishment, in terms of modalities, inflicted parts of the body of the child, frequency and presence of irritation or anger feelings during the action. Moreover, they would be more exposed to several researched risk factors: greater psychological discomfort higher emotional instability, inadequacy feelings, low self-esteem, sadness, anxiety, confusion and more stiffness in the cognitive functioning pattern; lower marital satisfaction, more fragile family bonds and a family less capable of making changes in roles and rules; more economic vulnerability and lower social support. The general objective of study 2 was to verify in the whole sample if there were subgroups that would differ according to the behavior of physically punishing, and if so, to analyze the characteristics of each subgroup regarding the mentioned risk factors. Statistical cluster analyses were accomplished. It was identified the existence of three subgroups of parents who would differ according to the severity of the applied corporal punishment and to the psychosocial variables. It was noted an aggravation on the behavior of corporal punishing in group 1, in relation to group 2, and from group 2 in relation to group 3. Regarding the risk factors, groups 1 and 2 presented more similarities than differences, and group 3 was shown as the most vulnerable one. The detailed analysis of the punishment patterns and the associated risks indicates the heterogeneous nature of the phenomenon, which offers important data to intervention plans that are specific to each groups need. Although there were methodological limitations in this investigation, it contributed to the issue and posed new questions to future researches

A violência tem imposto uma sobrecarga na qualidade de vida da população e nos serviços de saúde. Apesar de terem ocorrido avanços na saúde pública com relação ao reconhecimento da violência como um problema de saúde, os profissionais têm encontrado dificuldades para oferecer repostas à violência. Assim, o objetivo deste estudo foi investigar quais os sentidos atribuídos à violência intrafamiliar contra crianças e adolescentes pelos profissionais da Estratégia Saúde da Família e os desafios e potencialidades que encontram na assistência. Trata-se de um estudo de natureza descritiva, com análise qualitativa dos dados, realizado com cinco profissionais de Saúde da Família. Utilizamos neste estudo como procedimento de coleta de dados a entrevista semiestruturada, analisada pela técnica de Análise de Conteúdo Temática. A complexidade da violência intrafamiliar se manteve nos discursos dos profissionais de saúde da família, atribuindo-lhes diferentes explicações para sua ocorrência. Sendo assim, ela não aparece como algo naturalizado, pois, recorrem às explicações históricas, culturais, políticas e econômicas. Além disso, por estarem atuando na Política de Saúde da Família, também, apontaram para as violências que ocorrem nos arredores, no território onde moram as famílias e trabalham os profissionais. Entre as potencialidades apontadas pela equipe com relação à violência intrafamiliar e outras violências, esteve a fácil identificação dos casos e também, a possibilidade de compreendê-la a partir do contexto em que ela ocorre. Sendo assim, o trabalho em equipe, a intersetorialidade, o apoio de equipes de matriciamento e as tecnologias leves de cuidado aparecem como recursos para acolher a violência intrafamiliar na Estratégia Saúde da Família. Quanto aos desafios, estes começam com a falta de preparo desde a graduação para lidar com a questão da violência, as capacitações profissionais para a qualificação que não incluem o tema de maneira que leve à reflexão e à mudança nos processos de trabalho e a falta de apoio de uma equipe ampliada e outros setores para dialogar com a equipe. A notificação embora seja um desafio, se configura como uma potência para analisar e transformar o processo de trabalho. O estudo apontou que apesar do profissional de saúde da família reconhecer a violência como questão de saúde, ainda é necessário formular e programar políticas que melhorem a gestão e ampliem a oferta de serviços e a resolubilidade das ações, buscando com isso, promover visibilidade à violência / Violence has imposed a burden on quality of life and health services. Although there have been advances in public health with respect to the recognition of violence as a health problem, professionals have found it difficult to provide responses to violence. So, the objective of this study was to investigate what are the meanings attributed to family violence against children and adolescents by professional of Family Health Strategy and the challenges and possibilities they find in attendance. This was a descriptive study with qualitative data analysis, performed with 05 professional of Family Health. We use this study, as a data collection procedure, semi-structured interviews, analyzed by the Thematic Content Analysis. The complexity of family violence has remained in the discourse of family health professional by assigning different explanations for its occurrence. Thus, it does not appear as something adopted, once they resort to historical, cultural, political and economic explanations. Moreover, once they act at the Family Health Policy, also pointed to the violence occurring in the surroundings, the territory inhabited by families and working professionals. Among the strengths identified by the staff in relation to domestic violence and other kinds of violence, was the easy identification of cases and also the possibility to understand it from the context in which it occurs. Thus, teamwork, intersectoral coordination, matricial supporting teams and light technologies of care appear as resources to accommodate family violence in the Family Health Strategy. As for challenges, they start with the lack of preparation from college to deal with the issue of violence, the professional training for qualification that does not include the issue of violence which leads to reflection and change in work processes and the lack of supporting expanded team and other sectors to dialogue with the staff. Notification, although challenging, is configured as an output to analyze and transform the labor process. The study found that despite the health professional to recognize family violence as a health issue, it is still necessary to formulate and program policies which improve the management, expanding the range of services and resoluteness of actions, seeking thereby promote more visibility to violence

This dissertation includes three papers that examine the role of antipoverty policies and programs in preventing child maltreatment. Paper one examines how access to Medicaid impacts child maltreatment as characterized by Child Protective Services (CPS) reports. Paper two considers how access to Early Childhood Education and Care (ECEC) programs affects child welfare involvement. Paper three assesses the relationship between temperature and CPS reporting, looking to air conditioning and state LIHEAP cooling policies as a potential source of mitigation.

Bérgamo, L. P. D. (2011). Trajetória dos maus-tratos infantis: um estudo na perspectiva da Psicopatologia do Desenvolvimento. Tese de Doutorado, Departamento de Psicologia e Educação, Universidade de São Paulo, Ribeirão Preto - SP. Esta pesquisa teve por objeto de estudo o fenômeno dos maus-tratos contra crianças, norteando-se pela hipótese da existência de uma trajetória dessa problemática, caracterizada por sua continuidade no tempo, baseando-se numa articulação entre fase desenvolvimental - tipo de maltrato - tipo de consequência para a criança. Adotou-se como referencial a Psicopatologia Desenvolvimental, onde fenômeno ocorreria por problemas no sistema cuidador(es)-criançaambiente, associados a fatores de risco nos contextos \"desenvolvimental\" (características do cuidador e da criança), \"interacional\" (características da relação cuidador-criança e na família) e o \"mais amplo\" (características do entorno e percepção do apoio social). O objetivo geral foi verificar a existência de uma trajetória dos maus-tratos, buscando compreender sua constituição e manutenção no tempo. Especificamente, objetivou-se conhecer como os maustratos se manifestam em diferentes fases do desenvolvimento infantil e identificar as variáveis associadas, funcionando como risco ou proteção, nos três contextos. Trata-se de uma pesquisa de abordagem qualitativa, com delineamento transversal. Três grupos de participantes/mães foram constituídos, cujos casos foram notificados aos Conselhos Tutelares de Ribeirão Preto/SP, considerando as seguintes faixas etárias: 0-3, 4-6 ou 7-11 anos. Realizou-se um levantamento nos prontuários dos Conselhos, seguindo o critério de amostragem utilizado em estudos de casos múltiplos. Na coleta de dados, utilizou-se: (a) Questionário de Caracterização Sócio-Demográfica, visando caracterizar o cuidador, a criança, a família e o contexto em que se encontram; (b) Roteiros de Entrevista sobre o Desenvolvimento Infantil e da Interação Cuidador-Criança, visando informações sobre o desenvolvimento infantil, a interação mãe-criança e as práticas parentais adotadas, assim como sobre as situações de maus-tratos; (c) Child Behavior Checklist - CBCL, visando a obtenção de dados sobre o comportamento da criança. Referente à análise dos dados, o conjunto de informações concernente a cada caso foi estudado e analisado, observandose padrões de repetição no interior de cada um, de modo a compreender sua dinâmica e, dentro disso, os maus-tratos. Numa segunda etapa, procedeu-se à comparação dos \"casos\", visualizandose convergências e divergências, possibilitando a constituição de três agrupamentos, por meio dos quais chegou-se a diferentes categorias analíticas sobre o fenômeno. Uma das categorias descreve uma Trajetória persistente de dificuldades no sistema mãe-criança-ambiente - maustratos recorrentes, refletindo a continuidade dos maus-tratos no tempo e dos elementos associados à sua manutenção. Nesse sentido, encontrou-se fatores de risco estáveis nos três contextos analisados, além das crianças apresentarem problemas comportamentais significativos. A outra categoria a que se chegou é Dificuldades no sistema mãe-criança-ambiente condicionadas a determinadas circunstâncias / circunscritas no tempo - maus-tratos ocasionais, na qual os maus-tratos se manifestam devido a fatores no contexto interacional, além das crianças apresentarem alguns problemas comportamentais, geralmente internalizantes. A última categoria - Ausência de dificuldades significativas no sistema mãe-criançaambiente - ausência de maus-tratos - sintetiza as características de um grupo no qual não se identificou fatores de risco específicos, mas sim, diversos fatores de proteção. Assim, podese dizer que a hipótese estabelecida para o estudo foi comprovada. Os resultados, entretanto, trouxeram informações adicionais, indicando haver situações de maus-tratos que parecem mais circunscritas no tempo. Ainda, apresenta-se um modelo descritivo envolvendo os elementos associados à manutenção do fenômeno no tempo, bem como das características mais proeminentes em cada faixa etária, dando pistas sobre as variáveis que estão atreladas à origem dos maus-tratos e das que podem mantê-lo no tempo. / Bérgamo, L. P. D. (2011). Trajectory of child abuse: a study on Development Psychopathology perspective. Tese de Doutorado, Departamento de Psicologia e Educação, Universidade de São Paulo, Ribeirão Preto - SP. This research had as object of study the occurrence of child abuse, guided by the hypothesis of the existence of a trajectory to this problem, characterized by its continuity in time, based on an articulation between the development phase - type of abuse - type of consequence to the child. Developmental psychopathology was adopted as referential , in which the phenomena would occur due to problems in the system caregiver - child - environment, associated to risk factors in the context of \"development\" (characteristics of the caregiver and the child), \"interaction\" (characteristics of the relation caregiver - child and in family) and the \"broader\" (characteristics of the surrounding and perception of social support). The general goal was to verify the existence of a trajectory of the abuse, seeking to understand its constitution and maintenance in time. Specifically, the goal was to know how the abuse manifests in different phases of child development and identify the variables associated to them, working as risk or protection, in the three contexts. It is a research with a qualitative approach, and transversal delineation. Three groups of participants/mothers were formed, whose cases were notified to the child protection service of Ribeirão Preto/SP, considering the following ages: 0-3, 4-6 or 7-11 years old. A study of the child protection´s Record books was performed, following the sample criteria used in multiple case studies. It was used for data collection: (a) Social-demographic characterization questionnaire, to characterize the caregiver, the child, the family and the context they are in; (b) Interview routines about child development and caregiver - child interaction, to obtain information about child development, mother - child interaction and parental practices adopted, as well as abuse situations; (c) Child Behavior Checklist - CBCL, to obtain data about child behavior. Concerning data analysis, the information referring to each case was studied and analyzed, observing repetition patterns in each one, in order to understand their dynamics and the abuse in them. In a second phase a case comparison was carried out, observing divergences and convergences, enabling the constitution of three groups, by which three different analytical categories of the event were found. One of the categories describes a persistent trajectory of difficulties in the mother-child-environment - recurrent abuse, reflecting the continuity of the abuse in time and the elements associated to its maintenance. In that sense, stable risk factors were found in the three analyzed contexts, in addition, the children presented significant behavior problems. The other category found is difficulties in the mother-child-environment system conditioned to certain circumstances / limited in time - occasional abuse, in which the abuse manifests due to factors in the interactional context, in addition, the children presented some behavior problems, generally internalizing ones. The last category - Absence of significant difficulties in the mother-child-environment system - absence of abuse - summarizes the characteristics of a group in which no specific risk factors were found, but protection factors were. Therefore one may say that the hypothesis established for the study was proved. The results, however, brought additional information, indicating the existence of abuse situations that seem to be limited in time. Also, it presents a descriptive model involving the elements associated to the maintenance of the occurrence in time, as well as the most prominent characteristics of each age range, giving clues about the variables that are connected to the origin of the abuse and the ones that may sustain it in time.