Case conceptualization in child welfare: an underused resource to improve child, family, and provider outcomes.

Case conceptualization, formally known as case formulation, is one tool that assists in determining the best course of action for children and families experiencing family violence that has been under-utilized in child welfare. In this article we present a step-by-step case conceptualization process that considers the child welfare context. We then present a hypothetical case example of a 10-year-old child referred by a child welfare worker to evidence-based treatment for mental health and behavioural concerns.

Child Maltreatment and Intimate Partner Violence in Mental Health Settings.

Intimate partner violence (IPV) and child maltreatment (physical, emotional, sexual abuse, neglect, and children's exposure to IPV) are two of the most common types of family violence; they are associated with a broad range of health consequences. We summarize evidence addressing the need for safe and culturally-informed clinical responses to child maltreatment and IPV, focusing on mental health settings. This considers clinical features of child maltreatment and IPV; applications of rights-based and trauma- and violence-informed care; how to ask about potential experiences of violence; safe responses to disclosures; assessment and interventions that include referral networks and resources developed in partnership with multidisciplinary and community actors; and the need for policy and practice frameworks, appropriate training and continuing professional development provisions and resources for mental health providers.

Child Welfare Reform: A Scoping Review.

While there have been ongoing calls to reform child welfare so that it better meets children's and families' needs, to date there have been no comprehensive summaries of child welfare reform strategies. For this systematic scoping review, we summarized authors' recommendations for improving child welfare. We conducted a systematic search (2010 to 2021) and included published reviews that addressed authors' recommendations for improving child welfare for children, youth, and families coming into contact with child welfare in high-income countries.

Foster children's perspectives on participation in child welfare processes: A meta-synthesis of qualitative studies.

The objective of this meta-synthesis was to systematically synthesise qualitative research that explores foster children's perspectives on participation in child welfare processes. Searches were conducted in Medline (OVID), Embase, PsycINFO, and Social Science Citation Index. Children in non-kinship foster care in any setting (high-income, middle-income, low-income countries) who self-reported their experiences of care (removal from home, foster family processes, placement breakdown) were eligible for inclusion.

Child maltreatment online education for healthcare and social service providers: Implications for the COVID-19 context and beyond.

Evidence indicates that healthcare and social service providers (HSSPs) receive inadequate education related to recognizing and responding to child maltreatment. This is despite the fact HSSPs are identified as an important factor in the primary, secondary, and tertiary prevention of this childhood exposure. The need for online education for HSSPs' is highlighted during the COVID-19 pandemic restrictions and will continue to be relevant afterward.

Identifying children exposed to maltreatment: a systematic review update.

Background: Child maltreatment affects a significant number of children globally. Strategies have been developed to identify children suspected of having been exposed to maltreatment with the aim of reducing further maltreatment and impairment. This systematic review evaluates the accuracy of strategies for identifying children exposed to maltreatment.

Psychosocial interventions for responding to child sexual abuse: A systematic review.

Background: In this manuscript, we summarize the findings of a systematic review that informed the development of the World Health Organization's recommendations related to psychosocial interventions for child and adolescent sexual abuse.

Method: Systematic searches across 14 databases were conducted to retrieve any published randomized controlled trials of psychosocial interventions addressing mental health outcomes among children and adolescents exposed to sexual abuse who have experienced symptoms. We assessed study risk of bias using the Cochrane Risk of Bias tool and certainty of the evidence using GRADE (Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development and Evaluation) criteria.

Child sexual abuse, disclosure and PTSD: A systematic and critical review.

Background: Child sexual abuse (CSA) is a prevalent exposure with potentially serious, negative health consequences, including post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and its symptomatology.

Objective: To conduct a systematic and critical review in order to investigate the relationship between CSA disclosure patterns and PTSD.

Participants And Setting: Studies included clinical, college and community-based samples of adults' and children's experiences of CSA.

Children's and caregivers' perspectives about mandatory reporting of child maltreatment: a meta-synthesis of qualitative studies.

Objective: To systematically synthesise qualitative research that explores children's and caregivers' perceptions of mandatory reporting.

Design: We conducted a meta-synthesis of qualitative studies.

Data Sources: Searches were conducted in Medline, Embase, PsycINFO, Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature, Criminal Justice Abstracts, Education Resources Information Center, Sociological Abstracts and Cochrane Libraries.

Identifying and responding to child maltreatment when delivering family-based treatment-A qualitative study.

Introduction: This study describes practitioner strategies, perceptions, experiences with identifying and responding to child emotional abuse (CEA) and child exposure to intimate partner violence (CEIPV) when providing Family-Based Treatment (FBT) to children and adolescents with eating disorders.

Method: Using qualitative interpretive description, this study recruited a purposeful sample of practitioners (N = 30, 90% female) implementing FBT for adolescent eating disorders. Semi-structured interviews focused on eliciting their perspectives regarding identifying and responding to CEA and CEIPV in practice.

Mandatory reporting of child maltreatment when delivering family-based treatment for eating disorders: A framework analysis of practitioner experiences.

Background: Increasingly, evidence-based treatment guidelines emphasize the role of parents in first-line treatment approaches for child and adolescent psychiatric disorders. Yet there are no best practice guidelines for practitioners on the identification and reporting of suspicions and disclosures of child maltreatment to child protection services (CPS) in these circumstances. This is particularly concerning given that undetected and unreported child maltreatment may exacerbate the vulnerabilities of youth with mental illness.

Identification and initial response to children's exposure to intimate partner violence: a qualitative synthesis of the perspectives of children, mothers and professionals.

Objectives: To synthesise evidence on the acceptable identification and initial response to children's exposure to intimate partner violence (IPV) from the perspectives of providers and recipients of healthcare and social services.

Design: We conducted a thematic synthesis of qualitative research, appraised the included studies with the modified Critical Appraisal Skills Programme checklist and undertook a sensitivity analysis of the studies scored above 15.

Data Sources: We searched eight electronic databases, checked references and citations and contacted authors of the included studies.

Mandated reporters' experiences with reporting child maltreatment: a meta-synthesis of qualitative studies.

Objective: To systematically search for research about the effectiveness of mandatory reporting of child maltreatment and to synthesise qualitative research that explores mandated reporters' (MRs) experiences with reporting.

Design: As no studies assessing the effectiveness of mandatory reporting were retrieved from our systematic search, we conducted a meta-synthesis of retrieved qualitative research. Searches in Medline (Ovid), Embase, PsycINFO, Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature, Sociological Abstracts, Education Resources Information Center, Criminal Justice Abstracts and Cochrane Library yielded over 6000 citations, which were deduplicated and then screened by two independent reviewers.

Consequences of child emotional abuse, emotional neglect and exposure to intimate partner violence for eating disorders: a systematic critical review.

Background: Child maltreatment and eating disorders are significant public health problems. Yet, to date, research has focused on the role of child physical and sexual abuse in eating-related pathology. This is despite the fact that globally, exposure to emotional abuse, emotional neglect and intimate partner violence are the three of the most common forms of child maltreatment.

Children's exposure to intimate partner violence: an overview.

Children's exposure to intimate partner violence (IPV) is associated with significant emotional impairment and other harmful effects. It is increasingly recognized as a type of child maltreatment, with outcomes similar to other types of abuse and neglect. Children can experience harm from exposure to IPV, even when not directly involved in, or a witness to, the violence between caregivers.