Child Protection in Sweden: Are routine assesments reliable?

Cocozza, MadeleineLinköpings universitet,Barn- och ungdomspsykiatri,Hälsouniversitetet (författare)

Aim: To study the validity of the decision not to investigate mandatory reports of suspected child maltreatment. Methods: Written files of 220 reports indicating possible child maltreatment were analysed and re-evaluated. As a measure of the justification for the decisions, a 5-y follow-up study was done. Results: We determined that 76% of the reports still indicated child maltreatment after the initial assessment was done. In the follow-up study, 45% of the children had been investigated. The social worker used the family as the only source of information in 74% of the cases, in 6% someone outside the family was contacted, and in 11% no further information in addition to the report was collected. In 9%, data on information sources were missing. Conclusion: The findings are rather discouraging, as they challenge the belief that a report is a means of ensuring that maltreatment does not continue. The study shows that, depending upon the way in which the initial assessments are made, maltreated children may run a risk of not being identified, even though the maltreatment has been reported. This suggests that there may be a need for national guidelines concerning the reporting of maltreatment.

Gustafsson, PerLinköpings universitet,Barn- och ungdomspsykiatri,Hälsouniversitetet(Swepub:liu)pergu19 (författare)
Sydsjö, GunillaLinköpings universitet,Obstetrik och gynekologi,Hälsouniversitetet(Swepub:liu)gunsy68 (författare)
Linköpings universitetBarn- och ungdomspsykiatri (creator_code:org_t)

Av författaren/redakt...: Cocozza, Madelei ...; Gustafsson, Per; Sydsjö, Gunilla

Kungliga biblioteket hanterar dina personuppgifter i enlighet med EU:s dataskyddsförordning (2018), GDPR. Läs mer om hur det funkar här.
Så här hanterar KB dina uppgifter vid användning av denna tjänst.