Authors: Carolyn Davies and Harriet Ward Presenter: Jenny Gray 6 February 2012

1. Safeguarding Children Across Services: Messages from Research on Identifying and Responding to Child Maltreatment Authors: Carolyn Davies and Harriet Ward Presenter: Jenny Gray 6 February 2012

2. Scope Response to Victoria Climbié and (later) Peter Connelly Themes: • Identification and initial response • Effective interventions (systematic reviews and empirical studies) • Inter-agency and interdisciplinary working • Highlight in particular neglect and emotional abuse 15 studies (Joint DH/ DfE initiative of 11 studies)

3. Report Structure Chapter One: Chapter Two: Chapter Three: Chapter Four: Chapter Five: Chapter Six: Chapter Seven: Introduction Identification and initial response Universal and targeted services to prevent occurrence of maltreatment. Social work interventions to keep children safe Specific Interventions for children and families with additional or complex needs Providing a context for effective inter-agency practice Overview: principal messages and their implications

4. Framework for Intervention and Prevention of Child Maltreatment(after Barlow and Schrader McMillan, 2010)

5. Rationale • Key issues relevant to practice and service delivery • Themes traced through stages of the system and topic areas • Structured to enable those with different interests to read the text selectively • Text signposts sections relevant to different disciplines and materials/ texts for further reading • Supported by briefings for selected disciplinary groups

6. Chapter One: Introduction • The evolving policy context within which messages need to be implemented • The prevalence of abuse and its consequences • Issues concerning how maltreatment should be defined • The nature of the studies • The strengths and weaknesses of the evidence base they provide

7. Chapter Two: Identification and initial response • Risk factors and indicators, recognition, assessment, referrals • Key points: • Difficulties in identifying neglect and emotional abuse • Differences in thresholds between general public and professionals/ practitioners (and courts) • Public and private neglect of adolescents • Paucity of evidence concerning effective role for schools • Reluctance to refer (front line staff in health/ mental health)

8. Chapter Three: Universal and targeted services to prevent occurrence of maltreatment • Framework for intervention; primary and secondary interventions, evaluated universal/population and targeted approaches; tools to assist targeting • Key points • Availability of well-designed interventions at both primary and secondary level • Public education programmes for parents of adolescents need developing and evaluating • Home visiting programmes and parenting programmes have been imported from USA and are being tested in UK • Issues concerning implementation at time of economic stringency

9. Chapter Four: Social work interventions to keep children safe • Action following referral; who can be safeguarded at home; return home and re-admission; outcomes of care • Key points • Maltreated children left too long in damaging situations • Focus on safeguarding the family rather than the individual children • Importance of rigorous assessment and planning • Social work interventions are often too short and end too abruptly • Care works for abused and neglected children

10. Chapter Five: Specific Interventions for children and families with additional or complex needs • Focussed programmes to prevent recurrence of abuse and address/mitigate the consequences • Key points: • Issues for commissioners • Many programmes developed outside UK: issues concerning transferability • Better evidenced programmes to address domestic violence • Ten examples: specialist interventions (child/parent or family focus) to prevent further abuse/ address its consequences • Potential of a common elements approach • The need for continued support from a range of professionals after programme completion

11. Chapter Six: Providing a context for effective inter-agency practice • Emerging policy context; evidence from studies about how inter-agency practice is/is not working; how structures support this, including training • Key points: • Tensions around referral: speed of response/high threshold/ shared responsibility after referral • Evidence of risks to children of slow response and lack of follow up after time limited interventions. • Impact of training • Impact of new structures

12. Chapter Seven: Overview: principal messages and their implications All practitioners should : • Have a thorough understanding child development and the impact of abuse and neglect on children’s life chances • Be aware of the impact of delay and the need for early intervention • Be familiar with the evidence of what works in primary, secondary and tertiary care • Be aware that care works for maltreated children In the context of Munro: • Social workers and social care agencies should: • ensure that feedback to referrals is given a higher priority • be aware families and children will need ongoing multi-disciplinary support following specific interventions which are often short.

13. Chapter Seven: Overview: principal messages and their implications In the context of the Family Justice Review: • The research lays out strong evidence to support principal recommendations on: • Delay: • Accountability and Outcomes; • Workforce Development; • Expert Witnesses; • Focus on the Child

14. Chapter Seven: Overview: principal messages and their implications In context of health and education reforms • Early intervention is crucial. Health professionals need to refer quickly to targeted services; • Better links are required between adult services and children’s services • More services needed for adult alcohol; substance abuse; intimate partner violence: to improve aspects of parenting and address the needs of children. • Strong action is needed to prevent the loss of emerging improvements in: shared responsibility; mutual understanding; and inter-disciplinary working. • Research is needed on the impact of new structures and policies

15. Dissemination • DfE website(holding Executive Summary; details of all projects; training materials and e-Overview) www.education.gov.uk/researchandstatistics/research/scri • 2,000 copies of Research Overview distributed to key local statutory, voluntary and independent agencies • Briefing notes tailored to professionals in child health; adult services; children’s social care; family justice system; and education (forthcoming) • Conferences and presentations