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What Tools Do We Need To Improve Identification of Child Abuse?

NCJ Number
212941
Journal
Child Abuse Review Volume: 14 Issue: 6 Dated: November/December 2005 Pages: 374-388
Author(s)
Eileen Munro
Date Published
November 2005
Length
15 pages
Annotation
After arguing that recent changes in information and communication technology (ICT) and other tools used in identifying child abuse in Great Britain have not adequately considered the needs of frontline workers, this article suggests where frontline workers need help in assessing risk for child abuse.
Abstract
A common criticism of child protection services in Great Britain has been that information on suspected child abuse cases is not shared among staff and agencies. In responding to this criticism, the British Parliament enacted the Children Act 2004, which authorizes establishing a database that is now called "Information Sharing and Assessment" (ISA). This legislation envisions that all professionals with information on contacts with children suspected of being abused will enter into the ISA the details of their observations and contacts regarding the child. Such data are to be provided by and accessible to all personnel and agencies who interact with such children, that is, social service agencies, schools, hospitals, health-care workers, etc. This article questions whether the development and mandated use of the ISA is what is most needed at this time in efforts to improve the identification of child abuse. The information entered by a person into the ISA is necessarily a reflection of the knowledge, skill, and experience of the person in interpreting risk factors for child abuse in both children and their caregivers. What is most needed, argues the author, is an improvement in the expertise of the work force responsible for identifying child abuse. Although ICT tools and technology are important in child protection work, their development, design, and use can only be cost-effective when the data entered and shared come from professionals trained and experienced in the identification of risk factors for child abuse. 40 references