Risk and Protective Factors

Children are not directly responsible for any harm or abuse they experience; however, studies have shown there are factors consistent with being responsible for an increased risk of facing maltreatment. Factors including societal, individual, community, & relational factors contribute to the likelihood of experiencing or perpetrating abuse; although may not directly be the root cause.

Individual Risk Factors for Victimization

• Children aged 4 or younger,
• Children with disabilities or special needs inflict a burden on their parent(s), guardian(s), or caregiver(s).

(Risk and protective factors|child abuse and neglect|violence prevention|injury Center|CDC 2022)

Individual Risk Factors for Perpetration

• Caregivers with drug or alcohol issues
• Caregivers with mental health issues, including depression
• Caregivers who don’t understand children’s needs or development
• Caregivers who were abused or neglected as children
• Caregivers who are young or single parents or parents with many children
• Caregivers with low education or income
• Caregivers experiencing high levels of parenting stress or economic stress
• Caregivers who use spanking and other forms of corporal punishment for discipline
• Caregivers in the home who are not a biological parent
• Caregivers with attitudes accepting of or justifying violence or aggression

(Risk and protective factors|child abuse and neglect|violence prevention|injury Center|CDC 2022)

Family Risk Factors

• Families that have household members in jail or prison
• Families that are isolated from and not connected to other people (extended family, friends, neighbours)
• Families experiencing other types of violence, including relationship violence
• Families with high conflict and negative communication styles

(Risk and protective factors|child abuse and neglect|violence prevention|injury Center|CDC 2022)

Community Risk Factors

• Communities with high rates of violence and crime
• Communities with high rates of poverty and limited educational and economic opportunities
• Communities with high unemployment rates
• Communities with easy access to drugs and alcohol
• Communities where neighbours don’t know or look out for each other and there is low community involvement among residents
• Communities with few community activities for young people
• Communities with unstable housing and where residents move frequently
• Communities where families frequently experience food insecurity

(Risk and protective factors|child abuse and neglect|violence prevention|injury Center|CDC 2022)

Protective Factors

Protective factors are equally as important as risk factors. Protective factors when analyzed & understood, have the potential to lessen the likelihood of maltreatment.

Individual & Family Protective Factors

Both of these focus on both an individual caregiver, or the family whole, providing a safe & stable environment that allows for growth & success. Both must be able to provide basic needs such as food & housing, & provide positive emotional support & reinforcing behaviours, acting as positive role models.

Community Protective Factors

• Communities with access to safe, stable housing
• Communities where families have access to high-quality preschool
• Communities where families have access to nurturing and safe childcare
• Communities where families have access to safe, engaging after school programs and activities
• Communities where families have access to medical care and mental health services
• Communities where families have access to economic and financial help
• Communities where adults have work opportunities with family-friendly policies

(Risk and protective factors|child abuse and neglect|violence prevention|injury Center|CDC 2022)

Prevention Strategies

Inspire: Seven Strategies for Ending Violence Against Children

Inspire was designed by ten agencies including the Centres for Disease Control & Prevention and the World Health Organization. Inspire is an evidence-based approach to ending & preventing violence against children & youth. The Inspire tools are a resource to available to anyone looking to prevent violence against children & youth in all aspects of life.

Inspire: Seven Strategies Table:

Strategy	Approach
Implementation and enforcement of laws	Laws banning violent punishment of children by parents, teachers, or other caregiversLaws criminalizing sexual abuse and exploitation of childrenLaws that prevent alcohol misuse Laws limiting youth access to firearms and other weapons
Norms and Values	Changing adherence to restrictive and harmful gender and social norms Community mobilization programsBystander interventions
Safe Environments	Reducing violence by addressing “hotspots” Interrupting the spread of violenceImproving the built environment
Parent and caregiver support	Delivered through home visits Delivered in groups in community settings Delivered through comprehensive programs
Income and economic strengthening	Cash transfersGroup saving and loans combined with gender equity trainingMicrofinance combined with gender norm training
Response and support services	Counselling and therapeutic approach screening combined with intervention treatment programs for juvenile offenders in the criminal justice system foster care interventions involving social welfare services
Education and life skills	Increase enrolment in pre-school, primary, and secondary schools to establish a safe and enabling school environment improve children’s knowledge about sexual abuse and how to protect themselves against life and social skills training adolescent intimate partner violence prevention programs

How can understanding risk and protective factors predict chronic neglect for CPS-involved families?

This scholarly website showcases a conducted study for the purpose of specifically examining the ‘use of risk assessment tools in predicting subsequent chronic neglect’ (Logan-Greene & Semanchin Jones, 2022). The study grouped participants into groups (A) or (B). Group (A) consisted of families with no reported chronic neglect, whereas group (B) consisted of families who had at least four more neglect reports screened between 2009 & 2014.

Study Details

• “Population: 2,074 families that had a first-time report of neglect in 2009 or 2010.
• Data source: CPS administrative records in a large, diverse jurisdiction in the Northeast.
• Methodology: Longitudinal cohort study, bivariate tests and hierarchal logistic regression.
• Dates: 2009 or 2010 (first report) through 2014 (subsequent reports)” (Logan-Greene & Semanchin Jones, 2022).

Critical Findings

Parent Cognitive Impairment was the strongest factor predicted in this study towards chronic neglect. Other strong factors were histories of substitute care, parents suffering mental health illnesses, & in the first CPS report having stronger allegations.

“Other significant factors include:

• Younger parents
• Families with a higher number of children
• Families with a child under age 1
• Higher number of substantiated allegations in the first CPS report
• (Logan-Greene & Semanchin Jones, 2022).

• The risk assessment tool used in this study did not predict chronic neglect.

It is extremely important for child welfare systems to have access to these studies so that they can work precisely to develop effective systems to help families experiencing Domestic Violence. This is important for our work because “current risk assessment tools may not predict chronic neglect. Including a comprehensive assessment of cumulative harm in risk assessment processes may provide better screening for chronic neglect” (Logan-Greene & Semanchin Jones, 2022).

Psychoanalytic Interventions with Abusive Parents: An Opportunity for Children’s Mental Health

Studies have shown the truth that is “most people who experience maltreatment in their childhood develop mental disorders, psychosocial adjustment problems, &, in many cases, becoming maltreating adults themselves” (Rosso, 2022, p.2). A child’s environment will ultimately shape their future beliefs & morals, which is why having a healthy relationship between parent & child is crucial. In 1989, the Children Act stated that “striking a balance between protecting children & ensuring that they can remain with their families” (Rosso, 2022, p.2) should be a priority, and social service workers should seek help for the mental health of the parents before acting in removing the children from the environment. In many cases, children are removed from their homes & placed in foster homes or with adoptive families, but what is often overlooked are the long-term effects that the displacement of the child has on their future self. “While removal from the family protects the child from the risk of maltreatment, it also exposes him/her to permanently undermining the possibility of repairing the relationship with his/her parents, understood both as real persons and as his/her internal representations” (Rosso, 2022, p.2).

“A recent meta-analysis confirmed that sensitive, stable, and secure relationships can break the cycle of abuse” (Rosso, 2022, p.3). Being able to form positive & healthy relationships, and receiving both emotional & social support from adults can help children differentiate their experience with abuse from the healthy relationships between a child & parent or adult.

Child Protective Services Reports in the Context of Intimate Partner Violence: A Delphi Process Examining Best Practices

Intimate Partner Violence, also known as (IPV) is a health epidemic in the United States, studies have shown that 1 in every 5 children experience it. Child Protective Services, also known as (CPS), is used to report incidents of IPV, & CPS has the authority to do what is necessary to protect the children experiencing maltreatment by their parent, guardian or caregiver. Reporting maltreatment to CPS is not as straightforward as some assume, there are certain factors which make this complex. Pediatric healthcare providers face difficulty when supporting IPV survivors because of their role as reporters to CPS by the law of duty. The goal of reporting to CPS is so measures can be taken to protect the child; however, abusers are known to manipulate IPV survivors using Child Protective Services reports. They will manipulate survivors by threatening them with custody battles in court, or reports made also have the ability to increase the abuse the survivor is experiencing. This can be an issue for healthcare providers because IPV survivors may fear the obligation of the provider to file a CPS report, which then creates barriers for the family & healthcare practitioner. “Establishing clear recommendations for CPS reporting in the context of IPV would enable providers to consistently use best practices, ensuring IPV survivors and their children are safely supported and empowered throughout the filing process” (Eichman et al, 2022).

Delphi Approach

“A Delphi approach aims to facilitate structured group communication around a complex issue such that participants can confidentially and anonymously share ideas which may differ from the group” (Eichman et al, 2022). Extensive surveys & interviews were conducted to consolidate the best practices.

Results

“Study findings underscore the complexity of decision-making around CPS reporting in the context of IPV. While experts arrived at a consensus that filing should occur in situations of CAN or if a child is physically injured due to IPV, the consensus was not reached regarding filing for child exposure to IPV alone” (Eichman et al, 2022).

 “A study of IPV survivors, for example, found that over a quarter of participants were afraid to tell their healthcare provider about IPV due to potential reporting to CPS or other government institutions and 51% said reporting led to their situation being much worse than before” (Eichman et al, 2022).