NCJ Number
142293
Journal
Child Abuse and Neglect Volume: 17 Issue: 2 Dated: (March-April 1993) Pages: 227-232
Date Published
1993
Length
6 pages
Annotation
Information gathered from cases of 91 families involved in child abuse and neglect cases was used to describe the reporting practices of guardians ad litem in Florida. These cases came from 12 of 20 judicial circuits representing both urban and rural areas, although 73 percent of the subjects were city residents.
Abstract
In 36 of the cases, the allegations involved child neglect, while in the remaining 59 cases, the charges involved some combination of physical abuse, sexual abuse, and neglect. The data were examined by frequency of reporting and comparison of reporting rates by type of case. In Florida, guardians ad litem are trained to assess some family issues that are particularly pertinent to the case and the child's welfare. In 80 percent of these cases, guardians included in their reports to the presiding judge information both about the child's physical safety and the child's family, including parent-child interaction and the degree to which the child's emotional needs were being met. In the majority of cases, guardians reported information pertaining to the parents' personality traits. Slightly more than half the guardians provided judges with information regarding conflict in the home. There was no significant differences in the rates of reporting various types of information in neglect versus abuse cases. 2 tables and 10 references