Helen Buckley

The impact of exposure to domestic violence on children and young people: A review of the literature

OBJECTIVE This article reviews the literature concerning the impact of exposure to domestic violence on the health and developmental well-being of children and young people. Impact is explored across four separate yet inter-related domains (domestic violence exposure and child abuse; impact on parental capacity; impact on child and adolescent development; and exposure to additional adversities), with potential outcomes and key messages concerning best practice responses to childrens needs highlighted. METHOD A comprehensive search of identified databases was conducted within an 11-year framework (1995-2006). This yielded a vast literature which was selectively organized and analyzed according to the four domains identified above. RESULTS This review finds that children and adolescents living with domestic violence are at increased risk of experiencing emotional, physical and sexual abuse, of developing emotional and behavioral problems and of increased exposure to the presence of other adversities in their lives. It also highlights a range of protective factors that can mitigate against this impact, in particular a strong relationship with and attachment to a caring adult, usually the mother. CONCLUSION Children and young people may be significantly affected by living with domestic violence, and impact can endure even after measures have been taken to secure their safety. It also concludes that there is rarely a direct causal pathway leading to a particular outcome and that children are active in constructing their own social world. Implications for interventions suggest that timely, appropriate and individually tailored responses need to build on the resilient blocks in the childs life. PRACTICE IMPLICATIONS This study illustrate the links between exposure to domestic violence, various forms of child abuse and other related adversities, concluding that such exposure may have a differential yet potentially deleterious impact for children and young people. From a resilient perspective this review also highlights range of protective factors that influence the extent of the impact of exposure and the subsequent outcomes for the child. This review advocates for a holistic and child-centered approach to service delivery, derived from an informed assessment, designed to capture a picture of the individual childs experience, and responsive to their individual needs.

Child protection in primary schools: a contradiction in terms or a potential opportunity?

This paper deals with the topic of child protection in Irish primary schools, and reports on a recently completed survey of newly qualified teachers’ knowledge of and familiarity with their schools child protection policies and procedures. The study was undertaken by means of a questionnaire survey, and conducted with 103 teachers from different schools. The child protection roles and responsibilities of schools are clearly spelt out in national guidelines. However, the findings from this research indicate that compliance with the requirement to inform new staff about the guidelines and ensure that they have read them is weak. This is evidenced by the data concerning the teachers’ reported knowledge of, and familiarity with, their schools child protection policies. Half of the respondents did not know if their school had a child protection policy or not. Of those who were aware of their schools child protection policy, only just over half had read it. Well under half of the respondents knew if there was a Designated Liaison Person (DLP) with responsibility for child protection in their school. Furthermore, nearly two-thirds of respondents reported uncertainty or lack of confidence in being able to identify suspected child abuse. The paper draws on international research on child protection in education to provide the context for a discussion on the factors that influence schools’ motivation and willingness to collaborate as key protectors of childrens safety and welfare, and makes recommendations for policy makers, school managers and frontline staff.

Using an assessment framework: outcomes from a pilot study

This article reports on the evaluation of a pilot project which tested the utility of a framework for the Assessment of Vulnerable Children and their Families in five health board (local authority) areas in the Republic of Ireland. The framework had been developed following a consultancy process with practitioners and managers from a number of disciplines. The evaluation sought to establish whether (1) use of the framework helped to standardise practice across a range of organisational environments, (2) the framework was effective in a range of family situations and circumstances, (3) the process of assessment was transparent, (4) the framework advanced collaboration between disciplines and (5) the materials were user‐friendly. The methods used for evaluation were: semi‐structured interviews, a review of case records, a postal survey of practitioners, an action learning set and consultation with an expert group. Findings indicated that the framework was largely successful in its aims, with weaknesses demonstrated principally in two areas, namely inadequate use of evidence for decision‐making and deficiencies in documented information about children.

Using Intelligence to Shape Reforms in Child Protection

The Ryan Report, published in 2009, was not the first review of child welfare services to raise disquiet. Nevertheless it was unique in that its recommendations went beyond the deficits exposed by the report to comment on the entire child protection system. It is generally acknowledged that the model of child welfare that was the object of the Ryan Report no longer operates, and has been replaced by community based services and a system of regulated out of home care. However, on publication of the report, the government appeared to question whether, with what we now know, we can be assured that today’s services are fit for purpose. A number of reforms are underway as a result of the report, but the degree to which they are likely to achieve better outcomes for children and families is open to challenge. This paper will draw on existing sources of knowledge about the state of child protection in Ireland, including statistical data, empirical research, reviews and policy papers. It will also look at how other jurisdictions have used comparable data sources to tackle similar issues and consider how we can benefit from international experience.

The Sins of the (Irish) Fathers: Is Mandatory Reporting the Best Response?

The impact of soon-to-be introduced legislation on mandatory reporting in Ireland is considered in this chapter. It is argued that the political impetus for the legislation was largely determined by revelations about the historical abuse in the Catholic Church and the ensuing public anger. It shows, however, that whilst the Church displayed indifference to misdemeanours committed by its members in the past, it is now subject to greater scrutiny of its safeguarding practices than any other institution in the state. Using statistical data and the findings from an empirical research study, the chapter goes on to demonstrate that the main weakness in the Irish child protection system is not under-reporting, but the compromised capacity of services to respond to reports. It is contended that introducing a measure likely to put the services under further pressure without attending to the factors that currently challenge it is likely to be counterproductive.