Failures in Child Protection: A Case Study

Abstract

A case example is used to illustrate how powerful a child abuser may become; where a complex hostage-type relationship develops between family members and is then extended to include the child protection worker. One consequence of this is the increased risk of reabuse of the children. To establish this relationship the abuser uses a number of techniques such as violence, intimidation, isolation and unpredictability. In the case presented, the three children were subjected to ongoing severe abuse, although the child protection agency had known the family for 10 years. The children often denied and hid the abuse, and the child protection workers were left largely unsupported by other professionals and often appeared to comply with the wishes of the abusing parents.

The Effects of Client Violence on Child-Protection Networks

“…Reder, Duncan, and Gray (1993) also found that issues of control for, and from, the abuser were central in 35 cases of British child deaths concerning children who had been known to be at risk. Stanley and Goddard (1997) also formed the conclusion from their work in Australia that one explanation of failures in child-protection work lies in the nature of the interpersonal relationships between the workers and clients. The changed nature of assessment and interventions in child care and child-protection work means that these issues are important features of social work intervention from clients' perspectives.…”

“…Although there has started to be recognition of the general effects of violence against staff in social work and social care, there has not been a great deal of work that specifically relates to child-protection work or research that examines the experiences of practicing child-protection/ child care social workers that can aid planning in this area apart from, to some extent, the work of Balloch et al (1995Balloch et al ( , 1998 in England, Stanley and Goddard (1997) in Australia, and Horehsi et al (1994) in the United States.…”

The Effects of Client Violence on Child-Protection Networks

“…Reder, Duncan, and Gray (1993) also found that issues of control for, and from, the abuser were central in 35 cases of British child deaths concerning children who had been known to be at risk. Stanley and Goddard (1997) also formed the conclusion from their work in Australia that one explanation of failures in child-protection work lies in the nature of the interpersonal relationships between the workers and clients. The changed nature of assessment and interventions in child care and child-protection work means that these issues are important features of social work intervention from clients' perspectives.…”

“…Although there has started to be recognition of the general effects of violence against staff in social work and social care, there has not been a great deal of work that specifically relates to child-protection work or research that examines the experiences of practicing child-protection/ child care social workers that can aid planning in this area apart from, to some extent, the work of Balloch et al (1995Balloch et al ( , 1998 in England, Stanley and Goddard (1997) in Australia, and Horehsi et al (1994) in the United States.…”

The Effects of Violence and Aggression From Parents on Child Protection Workers’ Personal, Family, and Professional Lives

“…Littlechild's research also found that responses to parental use of threats and intimidation against child protection social workers can lead to victimization of workers, and subsequent avoidance of challenging these behaviors (Littlechild, 2009(Littlechild, , 2013. Stanley and Goddard (1997) identified how some workers can accommodate service user aggression as part of their defense mechanisms. The authors discuss how abusive families can use a complex set of dynamics within tactics to draw the worker into the role of victim, which means they are unable to challenge the abuse, or utilize procedures properly.…”

“…The authors discuss how abusive families can use a complex set of dynamics within tactics to draw the worker into the role of victim, which means they are unable to challenge the abuse, or utilize procedures properly. Stanley and Goddard (1997) also suggest that at times, workers appear to indulge in self-deception and denial of violence. The potential dangerousness to children where workers are severely stressed and unsupported is examined by Dale, Davies, Morrison, and Waters (1986); Reder, Duncan, and Gray (1993); and by Littlechild (2013).…”

Working with aggressive and violent parents in child protection social work

“……”

The Effects of Client Violence on Child-Protection Networks

“…Reder, Duncan, and Gray (1993) also found that issues of control for, and from, the abuser were central in 35 cases of British child deaths concerning children who had been known to be at risk. Stanley and Goddard (1997) also formed the conclusion from their work in Australia that one explanation of failures in child-protection work lies in the nature of the interpersonal relationships between the workers and clients. The changed nature of assessment and interventions in child care and child-protection work means that these issues are important features of social work intervention from clients' perspectives.…”

“…Although there has started to be recognition of the general effects of violence against staff in social work and social care, there has not been a great deal of work that specifically relates to child-protection work or research that examines the experiences of practicing child-protection/ child care social workers that can aid planning in this area apart from, to some extent, the work of Balloch et al (1995Balloch et al ( , 1998 in England, Stanley and Goddard (1997) in Australia, and Horehsi et al (1994) in the United States.…”

The Effects of Violence and Aggression From Parents on Child Protection Workers’ Personal, Family, and Professional Lives

“…Littlechild's research also found that responses to parental use of threats and intimidation against child protection social workers can lead to victimization of workers, and subsequent avoidance of challenging these behaviors (Littlechild, 2009(Littlechild, , 2013. Stanley and Goddard (1997) identified how some workers can accommodate service user aggression as part of their defense mechanisms. The authors discuss how abusive families can use a complex set of dynamics within tactics to draw the worker into the role of victim, which means they are unable to challenge the abuse, or utilize procedures properly.…”

“…The authors discuss how abusive families can use a complex set of dynamics within tactics to draw the worker into the role of victim, which means they are unable to challenge the abuse, or utilize procedures properly. Stanley and Goddard (1997) also suggest that at times, workers appear to indulge in self-deception and denial of violence. The potential dangerousness to children where workers are severely stressed and unsupported is examined by Dale, Davies, Morrison, and Waters (1986); Reder, Duncan, and Gray (1993); and by Littlechild (2013).…”

Working with aggressive and violent parents in child protection social work

“……”

The Effects of Client Violence on Child-Protection Networks

“…Reder, Duncan, and Gray (1993) also found that issues of control for, and from, the abuser were central in 35 cases of British child deaths concerning children who had been known to be at risk. Stanley and Goddard (1997) also formed the conclusion from their work in Australia that one explanation of failures in child-protection work lies in the nature of the interpersonal relationships between the workers and clients. The changed nature of assessment and interventions in child care and child-protection work means that these issues are important features of social work intervention from clients' perspectives.…”

“…Although there has started to be recognition of the general effects of violence against staff in social work and social care, there has not been a great deal of work that specifically relates to child-protection work or research that examines the experiences of practicing child-protection/ child care social workers that can aid planning in this area apart from, to some extent, the work of Balloch et al (1995Balloch et al ( , 1998 in England, Stanley and Goddard (1997) in Australia, and Horehsi et al (1994) in the United States.…”

The Effects of Violence and Aggression From Parents on Child Protection Workers’ Personal, Family, and Professional Lives

“…Littlechild's research also found that responses to parental use of threats and intimidation against child protection social workers can lead to victimization of workers, and subsequent avoidance of challenging these behaviors (Littlechild, 2009(Littlechild, , 2013. Stanley and Goddard (1997) identified how some workers can accommodate service user aggression as part of their defense mechanisms. The authors discuss how abusive families can use a complex set of dynamics within tactics to draw the worker into the role of victim, which means they are unable to challenge the abuse, or utilize procedures properly.…”

“…The authors discuss how abusive families can use a complex set of dynamics within tactics to draw the worker into the role of victim, which means they are unable to challenge the abuse, or utilize procedures properly. Stanley and Goddard (1997) also suggest that at times, workers appear to indulge in self-deception and denial of violence. The potential dangerousness to children where workers are severely stressed and unsupported is examined by Dale, Davies, Morrison, and Waters (1986); Reder, Duncan, and Gray (1993); and by Littlechild (2013).…”

Working with aggressive and violent parents in child protection social work

“……”