Improving professional practice in the investigation and management of intrafamilial child sexual abuse: Qualitative analysis of serious child protection reviews

Garstang, Joanna; Dickens, Jonathan; Menka, Marivjena; Taylor, Julie

doi:10.1016/j.chiabu.2023.106053

Cited by 6 publications

(2 citation statements)

References 17 publications

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“…But there is another side to the normalisation of neglect: not only that it becomes routine and is missed, but also that it becomes routine and is so overwhelming that it stops practitioners seeing other forms of abuse that may be occurring. There were two striking examples of this in our qualitative sample (there is a separate paper that focuses on the learning about child sexual abuse from the SCRs: Garstang et al, 2023). In one of the families referred to earlier, the children were viewed as perpetrators of criminal activity, and not seen as vulnerable individuals.…”

Section: Qualitative Findings: Themes Around Neglectmentioning

confidence: 92%

Tackling the ‘normalisation of neglect’: Messages from child protection reviews in England

et al. 2023

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Despite a history of critique, concentrated discussion and improved assessment processes, neglect continues to be a major challenge for child protection services. This paper draws on findings from a government‐commissioned analysis of ‘serious case reviews’ (SCRs) in England, arising from incidents of serious child abuse in 2017–2019. There were 235 cases, for which 166 final reports were available. Alongside a quantitative analysis of the whole cohort, we undertook an in‐depth qualitative analysis of 12 cases involving neglect. A key challenge in responding to neglect in its different forms is that it can be so widespread amongst families that practitioners no longer notice its severity or chronicity – it becomes normalised. In this paper we explore two dimensions of the ‘paradox of neglect’ where it seems to be everywhere and nowhere simultaneously. The first is that neglect is so closely bound up with the prevalence of poverty that little action is taken to address it. The second is that the overwhelming nature of neglect can blind practitioners to other forms of maltreatment that may also be present within a family. Practitioners, now more than ever, need to recognise the dimensions of this paradox to protect children from neglect.

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Section: Qualitative Findings: Themes Around Neglectmentioning

confidence: 92%

Tackling the ‘normalisation of neglect’: Messages from child protection reviews in England

et al. 2023

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“…Furthermore, information exchange may be thwarted by technical factors, such as unreliable IT systems or systems that do not ‘speak’ to one another, or by individual factors (e.g., a practitioner who does not realise the potential significance of a piece of information for another agency, or who is feeling too overwhelmed to read a referral carefully and follow it up), or any combination of these. A regular theme is the importance of discussion, not relying solely on written/digital referrals, to ensure information is properly understood, and a common criticism is that practitioners did not show an appropriate level of ‘professional curiosity’ or ‘challenge’ to ask for more information, or clarification of the information they have been given from families or other professionals (Dickens et al 2022c, 2023; Garstang et al 2023). But an individual's practice is shaped by their organisational context and culture (e.g., workloads, responsibilities, supervision, support), and whilst such factors are often mentioned, they are rarely applied rigorously to the analysis of what ‘went wrong’.…”

Section: Looking Beneath ‘The Same Old Messages’: the Example Of Inte...mentioning

confidence: 99%

The multiple and competing functions of local reviews of serious child abuse cases in England

Dickens,

Cook,

Cossar

et al. 2023

Critical Social Policy

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When children are killed or seriously harmed from abuse or neglect, there is pressure to ‘learn the lessons’ to prevent similar events. England has a long-established system of locally-based multi-agency reviews for this, but the recurrence of tragedies and repetitive findings raise questions about its effectiveness. Reflecting and building on our research into reviews completed between 2017 and 2021, we analyse the complexity that routine criticisms of inter-agency working disguise, and argue that reviews are shaped by their multiple, competing functions. The stated purpose is to improve practice. Within this are other overt but ambiguous goals: establishing what happened, accountability, reassurance and commemoration. Then there are covert functions: to dissipate public outrage, deflect attention from underlying causes, and distort understandings of the work by making it seem straightforward. Reviews would benefit from paying more attention to the dynamics of frontline practice and the local actions to implement the lessons.

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“Nothing Was Done”: Experiences of continued sexual abuse after disclosing to a mandated reporter among youth in the United States

Kamke,

Kirkner,

Goodman

2024

Child Abuse & Neglect

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Improving professional practice in the investigation and management of intrafamilial child sexual abuse: Qualitative analysis of serious child protection reviews

Cited by 6 publications

References 17 publications

Tackling the ‘normalisation of neglect’: Messages from child protection reviews in England

Tackling the ‘normalisation of neglect’: Messages from child protection reviews in England

The multiple and competing functions of local reviews of serious child abuse cases in England

“Nothing Was Done”: Experiences of continued sexual abuse after disclosing to a mandated reporter among youth in the United States

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