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Preventing Child Abuse and Neglect

History of Childhood Maltreatment Linked to Higher Rates of Unemployment, Poverty
Outcomes of Abuse and Neglect Impose Significant Costs to Individual and Society

Preventing Child Maltreatment
Volume 19 Number 2 Fall 2009
From www.futureofchildren.org.

The Report on Physical Punishment in the United States
What Research Tells Us About Its Effects on Children
Published 2008: Phoenix Children's Hospital endorses effective discipline for children which does not involve physical punishment, and is proud to make available a leading report on physical punishment of children in the U.S.

Time for Reform - Investing in Prevention:
Keeping Children Safe at Home
Published 2007: A Pew Charitable Trust report.

New Hope for Preventing Child Abuse and Neglect
Published 2003: FIGHT CRIME: INVEST IN KIDS has taken a hard-nosed look at what works—and what doesn’t work—to cut crime and violence. Exciting new research, combined with prior evidence, shows that most abuse and neglect in high-risk families can now be prevented.

Emerging Practices in the Prevention of Child Abuse and Neglect
Published 2003: Office of Child Abuse and Neglect, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Published as a component of the Child Abuse Prevention Initiative administered by the Office on Child Abuse and Neglect, this study identifies best practices in the field of child abuse prevention. The report provides an overview of child abuse prevention and describes each of the selected programs. Numerous references.

Strengthening Families Through Early Care and Education
A brochure and brief overview of the study done by the Center for the Study of Social Policy. Much more information may be found at www.strengtheningfamilies.net.

An Approach to Preventing Child Abuse
Prevent Child Abuse America. This 3-page fact sheet describes a continuum of prevention programs that provide educational, supportive, and therapeutic services to parents from the prenatal period through the school years.

Shaken Baby Syndrome
TEAM for West Virginia Children, 2002. These public awareness and engagement materials provide information about Shaken Baby Syndrome and its prevention.

Total Estimated Cost of Child Abuse and Neglect in the United States
Published 2001: From Prevent Child Abuse America: The costs of responding to the impact of child abuse and neglect are borne by the victims and their families but also by society. This brief updates an earlier publication documenting the nationwide costs as a result of child abuse and neglect.

Reporting Child Abuse and Neglect in West Virginia

In a Child’s Best Interest: A Guide for West Virginia School Personnel in Recognizing and Reporting Child Abuse and Neglect.
Revised 2007: TEAM for WV Children, 1998. This 40-page booklet helps teachers and other school personnel understand and carry out their role as people who are required to report child abuse and neglect under West Virginia law. It provides information about recognizing and reporting abuse and neglect, what happens after a report is made, and how to respond to and support the child victim.

It Shouldn’t Hurt to Be a Child: A Guide for Early Childhood Providers in Recognizing and Reporting Child Abuse and Neglect.
Revised 2007: TEAM for WV Children, 2001. This 43-page booklet helps staff of early childhood programs understand and carry out their role as people who are required to report child abuse and neglect under West Virginia law. It provides information about recognizing and reporting abuse and neglect, what happens after a report is made, and how to respond to and support the child victim.

One Child at a Time: A Guide for Professionals in Recognizing and Reporting the Abuse and Neglect of Children with Disabilities.
Revised 2007: TEAM for WV Children, 2002. This 62-page booklet is geared to all professionals who have contact with children who have disabilities. It provides information about recognizing abuse and neglect among children with disabilities, reporting suspected abuse and neglect, what happens after a report is made, and how to respond to and support the child victim. The booklet includes information on the relationship between child maltreatment and disabilities; the risk factors; the indicators of abuse or neglect that may be unique for children with disabilities; beliefs and misconceptions about children with disabilities; challenges in identifying abuse in children with disabilities; stress and its relationship to risk; the impact of a child's disability on family life; and obstacles to accessing community resources.

Legal Issues in Child Abuse and Neglect

Judicial Benchbook for Child Abuse and Neglect Proceedings
Published 2007: West Virginia Supreme Court of Appeals. This benchbook was produced by the West Virginia Court Improvement Oversight Board and the West Virginia Supreme Court of Appeals to provide guidance to judges in cases involving child abuse and neglect.

Juvenile Abuse and Neglect Information System (JANIS)
JANIS is an information system designed to facilitate and expedite the handling of child abuse and neglect court cases by efficiently generating case orders and motions. It was developed by the West Virginia Supreme Court of Appeals under the direction of the Court Improvement Program Oversight Board.

Other Issues in Child Abuse and Neglect

FROM FUTUREOFCHILDREN.ORG
Click here to view all the articles in the new issue of the Future of Children journal on Preventing Child Maltreatment.

FROM HEALTHDAY.COM:
Early Spankings Make for Aggressive Toddlers, Study Shows
By Jennifer Thomas
Click here to read this article.

FROM SLATE.COM:
Why you shouldn't hit your kids
By Alan E. Kazdin
Click here to read this article.

The Foundation for Child Development's Child Well-Being Index (CWI)
Published 2007: Measures 28 quality of life indicators in the areas of health, educational attainment, economic well-being, safety and behavioral concerns, social relationships, community connectedness, and emotional-spiritual well-being.

Is Kinship Care Good for Kids?
Published 2007: From CLASP/Center for Law and Social Policy: by Tiffany Conway and Rutledge Q. Hutson. A number of states have utilized subsidized guardianship programs as a way of supporting these “kinship families.” Some wonder whether kinship care is a good thing—and how we know this. This fact sheet addresses these often unasked but crucial questions.

Aging Out of the Foster Care System to Adulthood: Findings, Challenges, and Recommendations.
Published 2007: The Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies has released the report Aging Out of the Foster Care System to Adulthood: Findings, Challenges, and Recommendations.

Child Abuse and Neglect Fatalities: Statistics and Interventions
Published 2006: A report from Child Welfare Information Gateway. Despite the efforts of the child protection system, child maltreatment fatalities remain a serious problem. Intervention strategies targeted at solving this problem face complex challenges.

Centers for Disease Control’s report on the non-fatal maltreatment of infants

2006 Report on Child Maltreatment