When the child gets in the news? A case study on the national written media in Turkey

The main purpose of this study is to analyze news stories regarding children in the national print media in the last five years using top eight newspapers in terms of circulation and evaluate these news stories based on the Convention on the Rights of the Child, which was issued by the UN and signed by Turkey. The research was undertaken as a case study. The study data were collected from top eight newspapers in terms of circulation between 2010 and 2014 in order to reveal when and how newspapers at national level represent children and the scientific content of impressions in the national media. Results show that children appear in the national media in mostly negative cases. In conclusion, it was observed in this study, children’s rights to life, development, protection, and participation were violated at both national and international levels. In this sense, news reflects the truth about “children’s rights violations”. However, the way that children appear in news and reflection in media constitute a secondary children’s rights violation.     

A changing child welfare workforce: What worker characteristics are valued in child welfare?

A child welfare system is responsible for making difficult decisions. Child welfare workers are charged with assessing and determining when a child is in need of protection, including when it is necessary to intervene on behalf of children when their caregivers’ abilities and/or situation is deemed to put them at risk of abuse or neglect. Although the child welfare workforce in Ontario attended to an estimated 125,281 child maltreatment investigations in 2013, little is known about the skills, education, and experiences of these investigating workers. Notwithstanding assumptions about the qualifications and characteristics necessary for effective child welfare practice, few studies explicitly link the specific characteristics of workers to children, youth, and families achieving positive case outcomes. These assumptions have been shaped by a multitude of factors including knowledge of human resources, professional standards, and educational requriements. This study examined data from five cycles over twenty years of Ontario Incidence Studies (-1993, -1998, -2003, -2008, -2013) to provide a profile of child welfare workers. This is the first study to examine the changing profile of child welfare workers in any province in Canada and provides a foundation for developing effective recruitment and professional development strategies, and promoting a positive work environment. Policy and practice implications for the changing needs of these families are discussed.     

Clout or doubt? Perspectives on an infant mental health service for young children placed in foster care due to abuse and neglect

Despite knowledge about the profound effects of child abuse and neglect, we know little about how best to assess whether maltreated children should return home. The effectiveness of the New Orleans Intervention Model (NIM) is being tested in a randomized controlled trial where the comparison is social work ‘services as usual.’ The future trial results will tell us which approach produces the best outcomes for children; meanwhile qualitative process evaluation is generating intriguing findings about the perceived impact of NIM on decision-making about childrens’ futures. Interviews and focus groups were conducted with social workers, foster carers, legal decision-makers and the NIM team (n = 63). Data were analysed thematically. Findings suggest that NIM is seen as bringing greater influence (‘clout’) to decision-making due to its depth of focus, provision of treatment for the family, health professional input and perceived objectivity. Simultaneously, the NIM approach and the detailed information it produces potentially throws judgments into doubt in the legal system. Clout/doubt perceptions permeate opinions about NIM and are inter-related with a historical discourse about ‘health versus social’ models of information gathering, with implications for assessment of child abuse and neglect that extend beyond the study context. The juxtaposition of ‘clout versus doubt’ both highlights and is strengthened by an intense focus among social workers and legal professionals on how evidence will be regarded within legal fora when making decisions about children. There is continuing uncertainty in the child welfare system about the best ways of assessing maltreated children, underscoring a continued need for the trial.     

Does a paradox exist in child well-being risks among foreign-born Latinos,U.S.-born Latinos,and Whites? Findings from 50 California cities

Past research has identified “paradoxes” in infant health and child welfare services involvement, whereby children of Latinos and immigrants often demonstrate better health and decreased risk for child protective services involvement when compared to whites of similar socioeconomic position. This population-based study examined whether a paradox exists among immigrant and U.S.-born Latino caregivers in the prevalence and magnitude of risks to child well-being when compared to whites of similar socioeconomic position. Data were drawn from a random, general population telephone survey of parenting practices in 50 California cities (n = 2,259), which was administered in English and Spanish. The sample included 1,625 U.S.-born whites (72.0%), 351 U.S.-born Latinos (15.5%) and 283 foreign-born Latino respondents (12.5%). After adjusting for covariates in logistic regression models stratified by household income, immigrant caregivers in lower income households reported odds of insufficient food for the child that were 12 times as large as those for whites (OR 11.97, 95% CI 2.87, 49.86); odds of reported inability to take the child to the doctor and leaving a child in a place of questionable safety were nearly eight times as large (OR 7.92, 95% CI 2.38, 26.36 and OR 7.93, 95% CI 1.73, 36.46 respectively). These relationships were attenuated or insignificant for immigrant caregivers in households with greater resources. Therefore, a paradoxical relationship between socioeconomic position and risks to child well-being was not identified. Further research is needed to better understand the complex relationships between such risks, child health, and child protective services involvement.