Source document: https://docs-lawep.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/1697634594696.pdf (Australia)
Australian Government Australian Institute of Family Studies Child Family Community Australia Child Abuse and Neglect Prevention Resources from the Child Family Community Australia (CFCA) information exchange CFCA information exchange provides access to quality, evidence-based information, resources and interactive support to help professionals protect children, support families and strengthen communities in Australia.
CFCA Papers Safe and supportive families and communities for children: A synopsis and critique of Australian research This paper reviews the research on building safe and supportive families and communities for children in Australia.

Based on assessments of 22 research and evaluation reports, it examines the evidence base in the areas of: • community attitudes and awareness of child safety; • parenting and family support; and • child-friendly communities.
URL <bit.ly/cfca-paper-1> NATIONAL CHILD PROTECTION CLEARINGHOUSE PUBLISHED BY THE AUSTRALIAN INSTITUTE OF FAMILY STUDIES NO.
3030 2009 A stitch in time saves nine Preventing and responding to the abuse and neglect of infants Brigid Jordan and Robyn Sketchley In this paper, Brigid Jordan and Robyn Sketchley draw on research and their own extensive experience as practitioners in infant mental health to explore whether a public health approach together with a human rights perspective can provide a framework for service provision that better protects infants from experiencing the damaging effects of abuse and neglect.
Introduction My mother groan’d, my father wept; Into the dangerous world I leapt, Helpless, naked, piping loud, Like a fiend hid in a cloud.

(Blake, 1794/1982) The idealisation of infancy in our culture is in part a defence against recognising the intense powerlessness, helplessness and dependency of the human infant (Bradley, 1989).
Despite the fantasy of infancy as being a time of nirvana, the first 12 months of life pose the highest risk of death from homicide; the most frequent form being fatal abuse by a caregiver (Nielssen, Large, Westmore, & Lackersteen, 2009).
This paper addresses many of the issues confronting Australia at present: how to ensure the protection of individual infants (aged 0–3 years), how to respond to infants who have suffered neglect or abuse in ways that alleviate their suffering and heal and protect them from further harm, how to create a society that reduces the risks of infants and children becoming subject to neglect and abuse, and how to deal with the limits and failures of such endeavours.
The particular focus of this Issues paper is child abuse and neglect in infants aged 0–3 years.

Infants are a harbinger of hope within their individual families and at a societal level.

The public health model has particular appeal because of its focus on preventative efforts, the underpinning societal recognition in Australia that all new families need some support, and the wish of individual families and the wider society to prevent intergenerational transmission of vulnerability and disadvantage.
A children’s rights perspective can help keep the focus on the subjective experience of infants, and their rights to health, happiness, social participation and relief from pain and suffering.

Definition of an infant The term “infant” refers to a child between zero and three years of age.

During this period infants develop the capacity to experience, regulate and express emotions, to form close interpersonal relationships and to explore the environment and learn.
This is done in the context of family and community expectations for young children (Zero to Three, 2002).
A stitch in time saves nine: Preventing and responding to the abuse and neglect of infants This paper addresses issues relating to infant abuse and neglect: how to ensure the protection of individual infants (aged 1 A U S T R A L I A N I N S T I T U T E O F F A M I LY S T U D I E S 0-3 years), how to respond to infants who have suffered neglect or abuse in ways that alleviate their suffering and heal and protect them from further harm, how to create a society that reduces the risks of infants and children becoming subject to neglect and abuse, and how to deal with the limits and failures of such endeavours.
URL <bit.ly/NCPC-Issues-30> NCPCissues N at i oN a l C h i l d P r o t eC t i oN C l e a r iN g h o u s e no.

32 2010 Are social marketing campaigns effective in preventing child abuse and neglect?

Briony Horsfall, Leah Bromfield & Myfanwy McDonald Social marketing campaigns are a common strategy for raising awareness about social problems such as child abuse and neglect.
However, questions have been raised about the role social mar- keting campaigns could play, and their potential efficacy in the prevention of child abuse and neglect and in supporting vulnerable children and families.

In this NCPC Issues paper, evidence for the impact of media-based social marketing campaigns related to child protection, parenting and child abuse prevention are examined.

NCPC 1.
NCPC 1.

Introduction Child maltreatment continues to be a significant social problem in Australia and many other na- tions.

The best available data suggest that between the ages of 0–18 years: 5–10% of children experi- ence physical abuse; around one-in-ten are emotionally maltreated; 12–23% witness family violence; and 4–8% experience serious (i.e., penetrative) sexual abuse (Price-Robertson, Bromfield, & Vassallo, 2010).
There were 55,000 cases of child abuse or neglect investigated and confirmed by child protec- tion services in Australia in 2008–09 (Australian Institute of Health and Welfare [AIHW], 2010).

Media-based social marketing campaigns have been identified by the World Health Organisation as having the potential to contribute to the prevention of child maltreatment (World Health Organization [WHO], 2006).
Social marketing involves the application of commercial marketing techniques and tech- nologies to “influence the voluntary behaviour of target audiences to improve their personal welfare and that of society” (Andreasen, 1994, p. 110).

A media-based social marketing campaign could con- tribute to the prevention of child maltreatment by raising public awareness of the issue and educating and fostering pro-social behaviours within families.
Are social marketing campaigns effective in preventing child abuse and neglect?

This paper examines the evidence for the impact of media-based social marketing campaigns related to child protection, parenting and child abuse prevention.
URL <bit.ly/NCPC-Issues-32> Find all resources listed in this flyer via the following links: Child abuse and neglect prevention <bit.ly/child-abuse-neglect-prevention-resources> Child abuse and neglect <bit.ly/child-abuse-neglect-resources> Meeting children’s needs when the family environment isn’t always “good enough”: A systems approach This paper provides a theoretical basis to using a systems approach to working with vulnerable and high-risk families where children’s needs are generally being met, but where parenting is at times not “good enough” or even unsafe.
URL <bit.ly/cfca-paper-14> The effectiveness of parent education and home visiting child maltreatment prevention programs FA M I LY S T U D I E S N 0 .
2424 A U T U M N 2 0 0 6 The effectiveness of parent education and home visiting child maltreatment prevention programs Prue J. Holzer, Jenny R. Higgins, Leah M. Bromfield, Nick Richardson and Daryl J. Higgins This paper investigates the effectiveness of child maltreatment prevention programs.

The paper begins with an overview of the different types of prevention programs (for example, primary/universal, secondary and tertiary interventions) and the way in which programs can be evaluated.
Different modes of evaluation are described (that is, process, impact and outcome evaluations) and the benefits and limitations of adopting certain methodological approaches are outlined.

Particular attention is given to two widely used prevention programs: parent education and home visiting programs.
Parent education and home visiting program evaluations are critiqued in order to determine whether these programs are effective in preventing child maltreatment and the degree of evidence that exists to support these claims.

The paper concludes by discussing the implications of the present findings and their applicability to practice.
I n an attempt to reduce the rates of child maltreatment, government bodies, For the period 2004-2005 there were 252,831 notifications to statutory child protection services in Australia (Australian Institute of Health and Welfare, 2006).

This is more than double the number of notifications for the period non-government organisations, and community alliances have implemented a variety of child maltreatment prevention programs (MacLeod & Nelson, 2000).
The aim of this paper was to investigate evaluations of two commonly used child maltreatment prevention programs: parent education and home visiting programs.

Prior to discussing the effectiveness of parent education and home visiting programs, we present an overview of the different types of child maltreatment prevention programs currently in operation.

Following this, key terms and research concepts (for example, elements of a rigorous evaluation) are defined in ‘plain language’.
In this way, we hope to provide readers who are unfamiliar with program evaluation and effectiveness research, the necessary information to determine whether or not an evaluation has been conducted appropriately.

The latter half of the paper specifically addresses the effectiveness of parent education and home visiting programs and the evidence that exists to support conclusions concerning their utility.

This paper investigates the effectiveness of child maltreatment prevention programs.
It begins with an overview of the different types of prevention programs and the way in which programs can be evaluated with particular attention given to parent education and home visiting programs.

URL <bit.ly/NCPC-Issues-24 Child abuse prevention: what works?
The effectiveness of home visiting programs for preventing child maltreatment Daryl J Higgins, Leah M Bromfield and Nick Richardson The purpose of each paper in the National Child Protection Clearinghouse’s Child Abuse Prevention: What Works?

project is to document research concerning the effectiveness of different types of child maltreatment prevention programs.

The Child Abuse Prevention: What Works?


project is comprised of six individual papers, which are based on research undertaken for the Issues in Child Abuse Prevention Paper no.

24 (Holzer, Higgins, Bromfield, Richardson, & Higgins, 2006).

The types of programs detailed in the Child Abuse Prevention: What Works?

project are: parent education programs; home-visiting programs; personal safety programs; community- Child abuse prevention: what works?
The effectiveness of home visiting programs for preventing child maltreatment focused programs (for example, universal media campaigns); therapeutic 2006).

programs for children; and family preservation programs.

of the different types of child abuse prevention programs (primary, preventing child maltreatment.

The authors begin by providing a brief secondary, and tertiary) and their evaluation, see Issues in Child Abuse components of an effective home visiting program.
For a detailed discussion background to home visiting, followed by a more detailed exploration of the The following paper discusses the effectiveness of home visiting programs in Prevention Paper No.

24 (Holzer, Higgins, Bromfield, Richardson, & Higgins, This paper discusses the effectiveness of home visiting programs in preventing child maltreatment.

A brief background to home visiting is provided, followed by a more detailed exploration of the components of an effective home visiting program.
URL <bit.ly/NCPC-Brief-2> The term primary research refers to the original collection of data, whereas the term secondary research relates to the synthesis and analysis of data that have - 1 - Visit the CFCA information exchange website: <www.aifs.gov.au/cfca> Australian Government Australian Institute of Family Studies Child Family Community Australia Child abuse prevention: what works?
The effectiveness of parent education programs for preventing child maltreatment CFCA Event resources Recordings and presentation slides from past webinars and other events.

Child abuse prevention: what works?

The effectiveness of parent education programs for preventing child maltreatment Prue J Holzer, Leah M Bromfield and Nick Richardson The purpose of each paper in the National Child Protection Clearinghouse’s Child Abuse Prevention: What Works?
project is to document research concerning the effectiveness of different types of child maltreatment prevention programs.

The Child Abuse Prevention: What Works?

project is comprised of six individual papers, which are based on research undertaken for the Child Abuse Prevention Issues Paper No.

24 (Holzer, Higgins, Bromfield, Richardson, & Higgins, 2006).
The types of programs detailed in the project are: parent education programs; home-visiting programs; personal safety programs; community-focused programs (for example, universal media campaigns); therapeutic programs for children; and family preservation programs.

The following paper concerns the effectiveness of parent education programs in preventing child maltreatment.
The authors begin by providing a brief background to parent education, followed by a more detailed exploration of the Bromfield, Richardson, & Higgins, 2006).

specific parent education program evaluations conducted in local and abuse prevention programs (primary, secondary, and tertiary) and their evaluation, see Child Abuse Prevention Issues Paper No.

24 (Holzer, Higgins, international settings.


For a detailed discussion of the different types of child components of an effective parent education program.

The paper also includes This paper describes the effectiveness of parent education programs in preventing child maltreatment, including specific parent education program evaluations conducted in local and international settings.

URL <bit.ly/NCPC-Brief-1> NCPCresource sheet N at i oN a l C h i l d P r o t eC t i oN C l e a r iN g h o u s e no.
5 noVEMBER 2009 Evaluating child abuse prevention programs Evaluating child abuse and neglect intervention programs Sexual abuse and exploitation prevention: Effective responses The critical importance of supervision in child protection: Harnessing the energy of teams A practical approach to child protection and supervisory neglect This paper provides an overview of the current state of program evaluation as it is applied to the field of child abuse CFCA Bibliographies Alister Lamont Program evaluation is a key component to all child welfare and child protection intervention programs.
A rigorous evaluation assists in improving service delivery and enables policy- makers and service providers to determine the effectiveness of an intervention program.

This Resource Sheet provides an overview of the key aspects of program evaluation.

It outlines different evaluation types, identifies the key elements to developing a rigorous evaluation and highlights possible limitations in evaluating interventions in the child welfare sector.
Interventions in the child welfare and child protection system Broadly, interventions in the child welfare and child protection system aim to prevent the occurrence or reoccurrence of child abuse and neglect and/or to mitigate the negative impacts of trauma, abuse and neglect on interventions are generally children.

Such operated and funded by government and community welfare organisations.

Intervention programs are commonly classified into three main levels: primary, secondary and tertiary.
Primary interventions provide support and education before problems arise and are offered to everyone in the community (e.g., general media awareness campaigns and school-based education programs).

Secondary interventions are targeted at families deemed to be at risk of child maltreatment, and provide additional support to help alleviate identified problems and prevent further problems (e.g., home visiting programs and parent education programs).
Tertiary interventions target families in which child abuse or neglect has already occurred (e.g., statutory child protection services and clinical services such as sexual abuse counselling or attachment therapy) (Holzer, 2007).

Why are evaluations important?

an are evaluations Program important mechanism for quality assurance.

Without an evaluation, interventions are unable to measure their effectiveness.
Essentially, evaluations are important for determining whether or not an intervention is of benefit to participants (Holzer, Higgins, Bromfield, Richardson, & Higgins, 2006).

Evaluations may analyse how services are used, profile service users, assist in the ongoing improvement and refinement of program content and provide informed cost–benefit analyses (Tomison, 2000).
Evaluation findings are of use for those planning a new service, practitioners providing services and policy-makers making decisions about public policy and program funding.

Types of evaluations There are a number of evaluation types and methods.

The three main types of evaluations are: process, impact and outcome evaluations.

It should be noted that different types of evaluations are intrinsically linked and can be used either independently or together (Tomison, 2000).
prevention, the extent to which empirical evaluation has been used, and the degree to which programs have been shown to be effective.

URL <bit.ly/NCPC-Resource-Sheet-5 FA M I LY S T U D I E S N 0 .
2020 A U T U M N 2 0 0 4 Child welfare approaches for Indigenous communities: International perspectives Terri Libesman Many of the problems associated with child abuse and neglect in communities are directly related to experiences of colonisation.

Indigenous peoples in different countries and communities may have experienced colonial processes differently, but have experienced some common impacts.
This paper provides a review of legislation and services delivered to Indigenous communities in Canada, the United States and New Zealand.

While some of the issues and ideas may be useful and relevant in the Australian context, a key finding in the research is that a “one size fits all approach” does not work.
Particular attention is paid to new approaches to family and community wellbeing that focus work on community strengths and healing, and provide a less problem-focused picture of Indigenous communities.

There has been much interest in overseas legislative reform that transfers real authority for children and families’ wellbeing to Indigenous communities.
This is widely considered to be important to the long-term empowerment of Indigenous peoples and a basis for the development of more effective support systems.

The United States Indian Child Welfare Act currently represents the highest level of transfer of decision-making authority to Indigenous peoples.

The paper describes a range of service models that focus on Indigenous collaboration, community development, community participation and community control.
Although local solutions will need to be found for different Indigenous communities, there is a preference across Indigenous communities for holistic, multifaceted approaches that heal all sections of the community and address the underlying causes of health and social problems.

Some key policy and practice recommendations for the development of better child protection and child welfare/family support systems are described.
It is contended that statutory child protection services be based on an understanding of communal identity and a “whole-of-community” rather than individually-focused response.

Further, they require a more collaborative, community-based “grass-roots” approach.

This should be based in part on the development of comprehensive neighbourhood-based supports and services, which draw on family networks and other informal resources.
Child welfare approaches for Indigenous communities: International perspectives This paper provides a review of legislation and services delivered to Good partnerships and meaningful collaboration between government and Indigenous organisations are vital to the development of effective child protection and broader child welfare strategies.

Such partnerships must be founded upon inclusiveness and Indigenous communities in Canada, the United States and New Zealand.
URL <bit.ly/NCPC-Issues-20 CFCA Resource sheets CFCA resource sheets are shorter papers that focus on a specific issue in depth.

Risk assessment in child protection Risk and protective factors for child abuse and neglect Evaluating child abuse and neglect intervention programs Safe and Supportive Family Environments Who abuses children?
Community development approaches to safety and wellbeing of Indigenous children Real-time, annotated bibliographies across multiple topics curated by our specialist AIFS librarians.
Child abuse and neglect intervention Parenting in disadvantaged communities Risk factors for child maltreatment Early childhood interventions in disadvantaged communities Parents and child development Mandatory reporting Stay informed: CFCA Helpdesk We can help you with enquiries related to: the latest stats and facts, evaluation advice, research findings, and practice/policy pointers.
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