The Analogy of Child Protection as Public Health: An Analysis of Utility, Fit, Awareness, and Need

2021 ◽  
Vol 95 (2) ◽  
pp. 210-246
Author(s):  
Brian Q. Jenkins
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Child Protection

scholarly journals Childhood detention during COVID-19 in Italy: building momentum for a comprehensive child protection agenda

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Silvia Logar ◽  
Maggie Leese
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Child Protection ◽  
State Responsibility ◽  
Infectious Agents ◽  
Public Health Response ◽  
The Public ◽  
Health Response ◽  
The Government ◽  
Detention Facilities

Abstract Childhood detention represents an integral part of the public health response to the COVID-19 emergency. Prison conditions in Italy put detained minors at grave risk of contracting sudden acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection. To date (29 April 2020), the Italian penitentiary system is housing 161 minors (147 males), most of them in pre-trial custody, as well as 50 children <3 y of age residing with their mothers in detention. Furthermore, the government reported 5265 unaccompanied minor migrants, mainly from Gambia and Egypt. The fundamental approach to be followed in childhood detention during COVID-19 is prevention of the introduction of infectious agents into detention facilities, limiting the spread within the prison and reducing the possibility of spread from the prison to the outside community. This appears challenging in countries like Italy with intense SARS-CoV-2 transmission. The current COVID-19 pandemic shows the need to provide a comprehensive childhood protection agenda, as the provision of healthcare for people in prisons and other places of detention is a state responsibility.

scholarly journals Violent children: a framework for assessment

2002 ◽  
Vol 8 (2) ◽  
pp. 97-106 ◽  
Author(s):  
Susan Bailey
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Mental Health ◽  
Young People ◽  
Child Protection ◽  
Social Care ◽  
Public Health Issue ◽  
Children And Families ◽  
Major Public Health Issue ◽  
Education Services ◽  
Violent Acts

Violence by and towards young people has become a major public health issue. Increased lethality, more random violence and fewer safe places largely account for the high levels of fear experienced by both children and adults. In the field of child protection and domestic violence, where traditionally the child is referred as the victim not the perpetrator, child psychiatrists are well versed, practised and skilled in the assessment of children and families. However, young people are increasingly being referred to child and adolescent mental health teams for assessment because of violent acts that they have carried out. This is reflected in heavy case-loads of children with conduct disorder who have multi-morbidity and complex need. In England and Wales, health (including mental health), social care and education services are mandated to assist youth offending teams.

scholarly journals Lessons Learned

2015 ◽  
Vol 2 ◽  
pp. 2333794X1557408
Author(s):  
Amanda Phelan ◽  
Michaela Davis
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Child Protection ◽  
Lessons Learned ◽  
Public Health Nurses ◽  
Contributing Factors ◽  
The Public ◽  
The Past ◽  
Comprehensive Service ◽  
The Republic ◽  
Interactional Processes

The public health nurses’ scope of practice explicitly includes child protection within their role, which places them in a prime position to identify child protection concerns. This role compliments that of other professions and voluntary agenices who work with children. Public health nurses are in a privileged position as they form a relationship with the child’s parent(s)/guardian(s) and are able to see the child in its own environment, which many professionals cannot. Child protection in Ireland, while influenced by other countries, has progressed through a distinct pathway that streamlined protocols and procedures. However, despite the above serious failures have occurred in the Irish system, and inquiries over the past 20 years persistently present similar contributing factors, namely, the lack of standardized and comprehensive service responses. Moreover, poor practice is compounded by the lack of recognition of the various interactional processes taking place within and between the different agencies of child protection, leading to psychological barriers in communication. This article will explore the lessons learned for public health nurses practice in safeguarding children in the Republic of Ireland.

Parental Alienation: In the child’s worst interest

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Teresa C. Silva
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Child Protection ◽  
Emotional Abuse ◽  
Developmental Stages ◽  
Public Health Problem ◽  
Primary Objective ◽  
The Other ◽  
Parental Alienation ◽  
Psychological Harm ◽  
Alienating Parent

Parental alienation (PA) is a form of childhood emotional abuse in which one parent instrumentally uses the child to inflict psychological harm on the other parent for revenge. The consequences of parental alienating behaviours range from mild (e.g., the child shows a certain resistance towards visiting the targeted parent but warm parenting is still possible) to severe, where the positive affective parent–child bond is severed and extremely difficult to reinstate under family therapy. In PA processes, parenting is disrupted with the targeted parent and dysfunctional with the alienating parent. Consequently, the child is at a high risk of developing internalising (e.g., depression, anxiety) and externalising (e.g., use of drugs/alcohol, violence) problems during later developmental stages and through the lifespan. Although the prevalence and severity of PA cases in our societies are largely unknown, in part because the construct is still an ongoing debate among academics, practitioners and family justice professionals, different authors defend that it should be treated as a public health problem. Early prevention should be the primary objective and family justice, child protection and mental health services must coordinate efforts to support the families and promote the best conditions for the development of affected children.

Child public health part 4: paramedics at the forefront of child protection

2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (11) ◽  
pp. 456-458
Author(s):  
Simon Robinson
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
At Risk ◽  
Child Protection ◽  
Child Public Health ◽  
Healthy Behaviour

Paramedics are ideally placed in communities to facilitate screening and promote healthy behaviour in children, as well as identify those who may at risk of abuse or neglect. This last instalment of this four-part series on child public health explores the position of paramedics in the larger picture of child protection.

scholarly journals Health and social needs of unprotected unaccompanied minors in Paris in the context of COVID-19

2020 ◽  
Vol 30 (Supplement_5) ◽  
Author(s):  
L Gautier ◽  
A Quesnel-Vallée
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Child Protection ◽  
Research Question ◽  
Healthcare Services ◽  
Unintended Consequences ◽  
Social Needs ◽  
Public Health Issue ◽  
Care Provision ◽  
Unaccompanied Minors ◽  
Healthcare Needs

Abstract Background Unaccompanied minors (UMs) are children under 18 settling in foreign countries without the care of a guardian. Host countries' governments are responsible for the care of UMs. In France, UMs theoretically receive child protection. However, assessment systems frequently deny their protection because of minority status rejection. As a result, they navigate through social precarity and have limited access to healthcare services. In Paris, the non-governmental organisation Médecins du Monde (MdM) offers them medico-psycho-social care. In March 2020, lockdown measures to contain COVID-19 further reduced unprotected UMs' access to social and healthcare services. This critical situation prompted MdM to adapt their care provision to the pandemic. In this research, we sought answers to the following research question: what were unprotected UMs' social and healthcare needs during lockdown and what was MdM's response? Methods First, we estimate the evolution of social and healthcare needs of a cohort of 58 unprotected UMs during the eight-week lockdown using secondary data. Second, using interview data with MdM volunteers and staff (n = 15) we further explore UMs' needs and document the experience of phone consultations with this cohort of UMs. Preliminary Results Time series show a constant increase of UMs' needs through time. MdM's new form of care provision may have contributed to alleviate their feeling of isolation. It also had unintended consequences. Conclusions In light of the alarming healthcare status of unprotected UMs, we recommend that France implements the public health authorities' recommendation to provide appropriate shelter to UMs regardless of their status, at least during health crises. Key messages This study fills a research gap related to a pressing political and public health issue. This study advances evidence-informed debates debates on the influence of models of care provision on UMs’ social and healthcare needs during health crises.

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