Child Maltreatment

Words: 944
Pages: 4
Open Document
REATMENT AND MALTREATMENT OF CHILDREN
– A MAJOR PUBLIC HEALTH ISSUE
Background
Whenever researchers have studied child maltreatment in different societies and communities across the world, it has been found to be alarmingly common (WHO, 2006).
Maltreatment of children by adults within the family is one of the least visible forms, much taking place in the privacy of domestic life, but has been found to be prevalent in all societies that have been studied (WHO, 2006).
While the nature and severity of maltreatment and its consequences vary widely, child maltreatment is associated with significant ill health (Felitti et al,
1998), and occasionally the death of a child.
The consequences of child maltreatment today will have a great impact both
socially …show more content…
Public Health model to prevent child maltreatment
The Public Health approach involves considering host factors (in this case children), agents of the disease (e.g. parental or carer behaviour) and interventions to tackle the problem (e.g. parenting or welfare programmes); in the case of child maltreatment, both agent factors and interventions are complex and multi-layered as will be discussed later.
Definitions
In a Public Health approach, definitions of the problem are essential to be able to describe the problem, monitor progress and plan and deliver strategy; they also enable valid comparison of changes over time and with other jurisdictions. Until recently, attempts to control child maltreatment have been hampered by lack of a Public Health definition, so that terms have been used in different ways and different terms have been used to describe the same acts; not surprisingly, this has contributed to varied conclusions about the size of the child abuse and neglect issue.
Child maltreatment is defined as any act or series of acts of commission or omission by a parent or other care-giver that results in harm, potential …show more content…
Acts of commission are deliberate and intentional; however, harm to a child may or may not be the intended consequence. Intentionality only applies to the care-givers' acts, not the consequences of those acts.
For example, a care-giver may intend to hit a child as punishment (i.e. hitting the child is not accidental or unintentional), but not intend to cause the child to have a head injury, break a bone or develop conduct and emotional problems.
The following types of maltreatment involve acts of commission:
• Physical abuse
• Sexual abuse
• Psychological abuse
Acts of Omission (Child Neglect)
The failure to provide for a child's basic physical, emotional or educational needs or the failure to protect a child from harm or potential harm.
Like acts of commission, harm to a child may or may not be the intended consequence. The following types of maltreatment involve acts of omission:
• Failure to provide
− Physical neglect
− Emotional neglect
− Medical/dental neglect
− Educational neglect
• Failure to supervise
− Inadequate supervision
− Exposure to violent environments
The World Health Organisation consider that one definition of child
Show More

Related Documents: Child Maltreatment

Child Maltreatment Analysis

Sadly, the fact remains that suffering maltreatment in childhood is correlated with a significantly increased likelihood for perpetuating it. One study found that if a woman suffered abuse as a child, she was 19% more likely to have a child who was mistreated by the age of only 26 months, whether by the mother herself or by a family member (Berlin, Appleyard, & Dodge, 2011). They concluded that experiencing abuse in childhood increases the risk of ending up in relationship with a person who abuses…

Words 1472 - Pages 6

Child Maltreatment Essay

Effects of Maltreatment Introduction We wondered if child maltreatment affects the growth and development of school-age children. “The broad term child maltreatment includes intentional physical abuse or neglect, emotional abuse and neglect, and sexual abuse of children, usually by adults” (Perry, Hockenberry, Lowdermilk & Wilson, 2010). Child Protective Services agencies in the United States estimated that there were 900,000 children who were victims of child maltreatment…

Words 2461 - Pages 10

Child Abuse and Maltreatment Essay

abuse and neglect," according to Every Child Matters Education Fund (as cited by The National Children's Alliance, 2009). This goes to show that child abuse is a major issue in today’s modern society. In fact, statistics show that there are over 3 million reports of child abuse each year in the United States alone (“National Child Abuse Statistics,” n.d.). While the definition of child abuse and neglect changes from state to state, it is defined by The Federal Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment Act…

Words 1878 - Pages 8

Child Maltreatment Research Paper

Child maltreatment has 4 forms. They are, physical abuse, sexual abuse, neglect, and emotional abuse. Physical abuse occurs through assaults that will inflict any kind of physical harm to the child. Sexual abuse is present if a child must experience fondling, intercourse, etc. Neglect is when the parents don’t supply a child’s needs for food, education etc. and finally the emotional abuse occurs when the child goes through situations that will make its self – esteem low. Even though child treatment…

Words 1026 - Pages 5

Impact of child maltreatment on young adult substance abusers Essay

C. Wilson Psy1462 Professor Petra Elliot March 21, 2014 The Impact of Childhood Maltreatment on Young Adults’ Substance Abuse: A Reaction. This article contains information regarding a study carried out between 1976 and 1987 about individuals who were subject to different types of abuse between the ages of 10 and 17. The research seemed eager to show what the correlation was between type of abuse the child suffered through and what type of addiction, if any, that the victims acquired over the…

Words 619 - Pages 3

My Passion Essay

My Passion Child Maltreatment Child maltreatment is a widespread issue that affects thousands of children every year. Statics show 1,560 children died in the United States in 2010 from abuse and neglect 695,000 children were found to be victims of maltreatment by child protective services in 2010. There are four common types of child maltreatment; sexual abuse, physical abuse, emotional abuse and neglect. All of these types of abuse are…

Words 486 - Pages 2

Child Abuse In Canada

Child abuse is a topic that is portrayed in society and also media. The protection of the rights of children from violence has been recognized in international and national laws. (Marie Sinha,2012) The youth have full access to human rights in Canada. The data on child abuse is somewhat limited to official sources due to legal and privacy rights of a person. Some children are not capable to report victimization because of their own mental stage or age. (Marrie Sinhs,2012) 1 in 8 children are abused…

Words 830 - Pages 4

Foster Home Abuse

an upper hand of being abused. Understanding the contributing factors helps the professional caregivers to identify the forms of child abuse practiced in the institution and high-risk situations linked to the maltreatment to enable them to intervene properly (Kempe, Silverman, Steele, Droegemueller, & Silver, 2013). The common contributing factors of child maltreatment in foster homes include lack of supervision in the institution, psychological disorders among caregivers, substance abuse and…

Words 1609 - Pages 7

Child Protective Services (CPS) Analysis

Child Protective Services (CPS) is a service designed to help children who have been or are at risk of becoming victims of abuse or neglect. In 2013, 52 states reported 702,000 victims of child abuse and neglect (Children’s Bureau, 2014). This is an increase of over 20,000 children abused from the previous year. “Child maltreatment is defined by Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment Act (CAPTA) as serious harm (neglect, physical abuse, sexual abuse, and emotional abuse or neglect) caused to children…

Words 227 - Pages 1

P3 P4 Essay

Types of maltreatment ‘’Any act or series of acts of commission or omission by a parent or other care giver (e.g., mothers, families, teachers) that results in harm, potential for harm, or threat of harm to a child.’’[1] There are many types of maltreatment that children and young people could face. These types of maltreatment are abuse (Physical, emotional, intellectual and sexual) neglect, bullying and harassment. Physical Abuse - Physical abuse is when someone deliberately hurts or injures you…

Words 2985 - Pages 12