Child Sexual Abuse and the Multidisciplinary Team Approach

Abstract

This article uses the multidisciplinary team approach to child sexual abuse as a generative site for research and explores the ways in which shifting meanings of childhood and constructions of sexually abused children and the structuring of team practice poses problems for multidisciplinary team members. It argues that understanding child sexual abuse and developing community-based practice approaches must be informed by broader perspectives. Linkages are drawn between the multidisciplinary team approach and the `businessing' of human services. A model of critical practice is suggested as a framework for considering new translations of practice with sexually abused children.

Influences on registered nurses' decision‐making in cases of suspected child abuse

“…Emotional abuse and neglect can be difficult to define (O'Hagan, 1995), particularly when guidelines about acceptable family practices are open to different interpretations (Jacobson, 2001). These nurse participants believed emotional abuse and neglect were more likely to remain unreported, or that CPS response to reports of these forms of child abuse may not be useful.…”

Competing meanings of childhood and the social construction of child sexual abuse in the Caribbean

“…Yet, over the last three decades, responses to the sexual abuse of children has been 'more visible in North America and Europe, where research-based knowledge and resources have been available to address it ' (Mildred and Plummer, 2009: 601). By comparison to the rich studies about this phenomenon in the Western world and the considerable progress made in the areas of prevention, intervention and policy (Finkelhor, 2009;Jacobson, 2001), few empirical studies of CSA have been conducted in the Caribbean. Recently available evidence indicates that CSA is a significant social problem in the region with some estimates indicating a high prevalence of sexual victimisation (World Bank, 2003;Barrow and Ince, 2008).…”

Registered nurses' communication about abused children: rules, responsibilities and resistance

“…Therefore, while notification of suspected child abuse is required in most states in Australia and has contributed to the success of child protection, the process is not without its problems. Nevertheless, it has encouraged channels of communication that have become powerful elements in strategies for combating child abuse (Jacobson, 2001;Nayda, 1996).…”