Thesis (MA (Counselling Psychology))--University of Pretoria, 2005. / Includes bibliographical references.

Thesis--Columbia University. / Photocopy (positive). Includes bibliographical references.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Louisville, 2004. Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Kentucky, 2004. / University of Louisville, Kent School of Social Work. University of Kentucky, College of Social Work. Vita. "May 2004." Includes bibliographical references (leaves 169-183).

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Oregon, 2000. / Typescript. Includes vita and abstract. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 126-139). Also available for download via the World Wide Web; free to University of Oregon users. Address: http://wwwlib.umi.com/cr/uoregon/fullcit?p9978246.

[no abstract submitted] / Arts, Faculty of / Social Work, School of / Graduate

This research project concerns itself primarily with the social worker and his perceptions of child neglect and abuse. It is based on the premise that a meaningful study of neglect and abuse on a wider scale should be preceded by studies seeking to arrive at a more accurate definition of the problem. A comprehensive review of the literature focused on the stage which identifies the problem and the initial referral of neglect and abuse to a protective unit or agency. This review is found in chapter two and covers the areas of definitions, referral information, agency working relationships, family functioning of neglectful or abusive families, classifications of neglect and abuse, incidence and prevalence of the same, and worker decision making that results in a referral becoming a protective case. After reviewing each of these areas a critique was written. A measuring instrument was developed, drawing from prior studies done by Billingsley and Young, in the form of a questionnaire to test social workers' perception of neglect and abuse. A pretest was given to one hundred and thirty-two social workers in the Child Welfare field throughout the province of British Columbia. Respondents from fourteen offices in the Department of Social Welfare - all in different geographical locations, as well as the Vancouver Children's Aid Society, answered the questionnaire. Thus the data was obtained from a wide cross section of social workers presently working in the field of Child Welfare. The main hypothesis of the study, that there are differences in workers' perception of neglect and abuse was found to be valid. This research project did prove to be fruitful in making a start in obtaining data that gives clues as to how workers in the field do perceive neglect and abuse. It could also act as a stimulus for further research projects using some of the data from the questionnaires that was not included in this study and moving on to new research projects which focus on one aspect of the present study and examine it in more depth. / Arts, Faculty of / Social Work, School of / Graduate

The focus of this thesis is to assess the existing "machinery" of the Medical, Social Work and Legal professions in the Vancouver area, as they combine their services to cope with the recently identified problem of the Battered and Abused Child Syndrome. Knowledge of this social problem is of paramount importance in the field of child protection as the greater proportion of victims are babies of three months and younger. The swiftness and destructiveness of this syndrome, which sometimes results in death to the victim, makes early detection and immediate protection of the child imperative. Therefore the three affected professions in each community must devise a definite and cooperative pattern of response to the syndrome. Each profession must shoulder a share of the responsibility as the services of all three are necessary for the ultimate goal of protection for a helpless child. A three-pronged approach involving each discipline was selected. Piles of victims were provided for examination by a local hospital and child protection agency. Information was transferred to a predesigned schedule, and tables constructed depicting injuries and other characteristics of the victims and also common parental traits within the battering families. Due to the time element and difficulty in locating actual cases that had been before the courts, examination as to legal involvement was restricted to case studies. Results of the study indicate that present machinery is adequate and that each discipline has become more adept and thorough at, handling such situations within the last few years. Definite recognition must be given to the planned establishment of a Battered Child Registry in Victoria. The Protection of Children Act is, as it stands, a proper vehicle for bringing cases of battered children before the court. Individual professionals must be aware of any subjective emotional reaction that could prevent their objective handling of such cases. This is one social problem in which rehabilitation and treatment of the family must take a subordinate position to the absolute protection of a single family member. Medical evidence in court should be focused on establishing persistence of abuse, and social work evidence should portray the existence of an unsafe environment. More follow up work must be done with the families even after permanent removal of a child, in hopes of rendering the family safe for the care of future children. The emotional impact felt by the family on the removal of such a child is yet to be documented and resultant behavior noted. Care must be taken by Child Welfare authorities to follow the emotional development of the victims, documenting the resultant adult personality type and any treatment found necessary during the formative years and its degree of success. / Arts, Faculty of / Social Work, School of / Clark, Mary Nora; Lukas, Marjorie-Gay; Wickett, Garry Steeves Wright / Graduate

The purpose of this investigation was to empirically test an ecological model of child abuse. The orientation of this model is to address the contexts in which individuals function. The three contexts pivotal to the current investigation are the ontogenic system, representing personality traits and the quality of care received by the mother in her childhood the microsystem, representing the dyadic relationships between the mother and her child, and the mother and the rest of her family; the microsystem, representing the relationship between the mother and her social network as well as the impact of life stress. A prospective method of investigation was used. One hundred seven women were selected from a larger pool of women previously identified as high risk. Half of these women were clearly abusing their children while the other half were providing adequate care. Discriminant function analyses were employed to determine the rates of prediction into abusing and nonabu-sing groups, first for individual systems, then for all three systems simultaneously. The hypotheses predicted a higher percentage of correct classification when all systems were considered together, rather than individually. These hypotheses were supported. An 86% rate of correct classification was obtained when ontogenic, microsystem and mesosystem variables were entered together. This is in contrast to a 76% rate of correct classification for ontogenic, 69% for microsystem and 76% for the mesosystem. The most powerful predictors were the quality of care the mother received in her own childhood, family continuity and life stress. Results from additional descriptive analyses suggest that women who abuse their children are not more socially isolated than those who do not abuse, nor are they more impulsive or hostile. Stress appeared to be an important variable only for those women who had, themselves, been victims of abuse. The results of this investigation suggest that multivariate methods are a fruitful direction for future inquiry into abuse etiology. / Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies / Graduate

Blood Brothers as a media project works as a diptych. There are two – seemingly identical – pieces of the project that must both be experienced to understand the project as a whole. The first piece of the project is the linear documentary. This part captures the experience as it exists in the past. It exists as a master copy of the original story of mine and my foster brother’s relationship. This version of the story will always exist in the past. The second part is the live-cinema documentary performance. In this version of the story, my foster brother and I are no longer only images on a screen; we are living, breathing, and emotional subjects in the present. Our presence alters how the audience consumes the material.

The problem: The study of child abuse in South Africa has concentrated on management issues, and the epidemiology of child abuse and neglect has yet to be determined. Child abuse intervention programmes are based on data from studies conducted in the United States and Europe. Over the past few years practitioners in the field have expressed the need for local information to be available in order to plan future child protection programmes. A review of the literature reveals that the medico-legal model developed in the United States and the United Kingdom, based on investigation, is under strain due to the large number of reported cases of child abuse. Aims: The study aims to compare the data collected with that reported in the literature. The specific research questions include: • Can the characteristics of abused children in Cape Town be determined? • Do the characteristics of child abuse and neglect in Cape Town differ from those reported in the literature? • Should and can a child abuse reporting system be developed and implemented? • Can prevention and intervention strategies be developed based on the epidemiological data that has been collected? • Can the study in Cape Town provide an impetus for further research in the field of child abuse and neglect? • Can the results provide the basis for a National Plan of Action on child abuse and neglect? Methodology Following extensive consultation in with professionals and practitioners in the field, a child abuse reporting system was established in Cape Town, South Africa. Clear definitions of child abuse and neglect were agreed upon, and for the period October 1993 to May 1995 practitioners in the field reported all cases of child abuse and neglect to a central reporting centre. The data was entered on to a computer and analysed by the researcher. Results • The overall picture of child protection in Cape Town: • Child abuse and neglect primarily affects females in the Cape Town area; • younger children are more likely to be physically abused or neglected; • older children are more likely to be sexually abused. • Characteristics of the children abused, in particular, the differences between male and female children: • Females are at a high risk of child sexual abuse, • Males are more prone to physical abuse. • There is an absence of reported fatal child abuse. • Profile of the alleged perpetrator: • most of the abuse is either intra-familial, or inflicted by a person known to the child. • The geographical distribution of child abuse: • the distribution of abuse is influenced by the reporting agencies. In this study the incidence of reported child abuse and neglect is predominantly from the Cape Flats areas, though this does not reflect the rate of reported child abuse and neglect. • Action is taken by child protection agencies: • the majority of reported child abuse and neglect is managed by social service agencies; • the police do not investigate child reported child abuse and neglect in the majority of cases. • Comparison with the literature: • The characteristics of reported child abuse differ from that in the literature. • Child physical abuse is under-reported in comparison to other countries. • Rates of reported child sexual abuse are higher than those reported in the literature. Conclusions and recommendations Child abuse is an important problem in Cape Town, and in South Africa as a whole. The required response to this phenomenon is the development of an appropriate Child Protection Service, based on the concept of the prevention of child abuse and neglect, rather than on a reaction to abuse already present. This involves consideration of the data in this study and other studies, as well as examination of the philosophy behind the Child Protection Service to be set up. This approach can be adapted in other countries.