Child Welfare Workers' Training, Knowledge, and Practice Concerns Regarding Child Maltreatment Fatalities: An Exploratory, Multi-State Analysis

TY - JOUR

T1 - Child Welfare Workers' Training, Knowledge, and Practice Concerns Regarding Child Maltreatment Fatalities

T2 - An Exploratory, Multi-State Analysis

AU - Douglas, Emily M.

N1 - Funding Information: Received: 05/18/11; revised: 02/03/12; accepted: 02/11/12 The author is grateful to Toni Chance and Sandra Hodge for their guidance and consultation on this project and to Sean McCarthy for his work in coding the data. The author also thanks the members of the Friday Seminar at the Family Research Laboratory/Crimes against Children Research Center at the University of New Hampshire for comments on a previous draft. This project was funded by the Bridgewater State University Presidential Fellows Program.

PY - 2012/11

Y1 - 2012/11

N2 - Research has rarely focused on child welfare professionals as agents of prevention for maltreatment fatalities. This study presents results on 426 child welfare workers' training, knowledge, and practice concerns regarding fatalities. Workers' knowledge of risk varied and revealed deficits in knowledge of parent and household risk factors. Receipt of training had a minor impact on knowledge. More than 25% of workers reported that a parent had disclosed potential intent to kill his/her child. Workers worried that a child will die on their caseloads; they reported assessing for risk, but wanting additional training. Implications are discussed for both research and practice communities.

AB - Research has rarely focused on child welfare professionals as agents of prevention for maltreatment fatalities. This study presents results on 426 child welfare workers' training, knowledge, and practice concerns regarding fatalities. Workers' knowledge of risk varied and revealed deficits in knowledge of parent and household risk factors. Receipt of training had a minor impact on knowledge. More than 25% of workers reported that a parent had disclosed potential intent to kill his/her child. Workers worried that a child will die on their caseloads; they reported assessing for risk, but wanting additional training. Implications are discussed for both research and practice communities.

KW - child welfare profession

KW - fatal child maltreatment

KW - professional knowledge

UR - https://www.scopus.com/pages/publications/84868266049

U2 - 10.1080/15548732.2012.723975

DO - 10.1080/15548732.2012.723975

M3 - Article

SN - 1554-8732

VL - 6

SP - 659

EP - 677

JO - Journal of Public Child Welfare

JF - Journal of Public Child Welfare

IS - 5

ER -