ORCID Profile
0000-0002-4263-5878
Current Organisations
Deakin University
,
University of South Australia
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Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Date: 2010
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 04-2017
DOI: 10.1016/J.CHIABU.2017.01.025
Abstract: Although prevalence studies show girls are more frequently sexually abused than boys, a significant proportion of boys also experience child sexual abuse (CSA). The challenges for public policy are lified for boys due to less developed public and professional sensitisation to boys' experiences, conceptions of masculinity, and less research on boys including into reporting trends and outcomes. We conducted a 20-year longitudinal time-trend analysis of government data to identify reporting trends and report outcomes for CSA in Victoria, Australia from 1993 to 2012. We stratified by child gender and reporter status. Results indicate a new sensitisation to CSA, especially for boys, although this trend was not stable. Marked change occurred in the last five years, likely influenced by major social and political events. Comparison over time revealed that from 1993 to 2012, the rate of reporting of boys increased 2.6-fold whereas there was a 1.5-fold increase for girls. Comparing genders, with regards to rate of reporting, in 1993, the sex ratio of girls to boys was 2:1, while by 2012 this ratio changed to 1.14:1. Reports by police and other mandated reporters accounted for the majority of the increase in reports over the 20-year period, suggesting unequal sensitisation. Positive report outcomes (i.e. substantiations, findings of harm, and referral to services) increased twelve-fold for boys, and nearly five-fold for girls, indicating the increased levels of reports were based in actual clinical need. Most of this increase occurred from 2009 to 2012, influenced by a compound of social, political and agency-related factors.
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 2015
Publisher: Informa UK Limited
Date: 27-05-2010
Publisher: Bristol University Press
Date: 22-11-2010
Publisher: Springer Netherlands
Date: 2015
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 03-2009
Publisher: Oxford University Press (OUP)
Date: 09-10-2014
DOI: 10.1093/BJSW/BCU109
Publisher: SAGE Publications
Date: 06-03-2017
Abstract: Multi-Disciplinary teams (MDTs) have often been presented as the key to dealing with a number of intractable problems associated with responding to allegations of physical and sexual child abuse. While these approaches have proliferated internationally, researchers have complained of the lack of a specific evidence base identifying the processes and structures supporting multi-disciplinary work and how these contribute to high-level outcomes. This systematic search of the literature aims to synthesize the existing state of knowledge on the effectiveness of MDTs. This review found that overall there is reasonable evidence to support the idea that MDTs are effective in improving criminal justice and mental health responses compared to standard agency practices. The next step toward developing a viable evidence base to inform these types of approaches seems to be to more clearly identify the mechanisms associated with effective MDTs in order to better inform how they are planned and implemented.
Publisher: Bristol University Press
Date: 05-2009
Abstract: The need for policy and practice to be informed by a high-quality evidence base has been widely recognised. However, there are many barriers to overcome in order to realise this goal. This article describes a conceptual framework for understanding the drivers of policy and practice in the child and family welfare sectors, and profiles strategies being employed across Australia to facilitate evidence-informed practice.
Publisher: Informa UK Limited
Date: 11-02-2020
Publisher: AMPCo
Date: 12-2012
DOI: 10.5694/MJA12.10133
Abstract: To examine trends in reports of child maltreatment to the Northern Territory Department of Children and Families among Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal children. A historical cohort study using administrative data collections of notifications and substantiated cases of maltreatment among children aged from 0 to 17 years. Annual rates of notification and substantiation of different types of child maltreatment. From 1999 to 2010, the overall annual rates of notification for maltreatment of Aboriginal children showed an average increase of 21% (incidence rate ratio [IRR], 1.21 95% CI, 1.19-1.24). The greatest increases were in notifications for neglect and emotional abuse. There were parallel increases in rates of substantiated cases of maltreatment. Among non-Aboriginal children, the overall annual rates of notification also increased (IRR, 1.10 95% CI, 1.07-1.14) however, changes in annual rates of substantiated cases for all types of maltreatment were not statistically significant. There have been considerable increases in both notifications and substantiated cases of child maltreatment, most prominently among Aboriginal children. It is possible that the observed increases reflect increasing incidence of maltreatment however, they are also consistent with a mix of increased surveillance, improved service access, changes in policy and a shift in public attitudes.
Publisher: SAGE Publications
Date: 13-05-2015
Abstract: The Child Advocacy Center (CAC) model has been presented as the solution to many of the problems inherent in responses by authorities to child sexual abuse. The lack of referral to therapeutic services and support, procedurally flawed and potentially traumatic investigation practices, and conflict between the different statutory agencies involved are all thought to contribute to low conviction rates for abuse and poor outcomes for children. The CAC model aims to address these problems through a combination of multidisciplinary teams, joint investigations, and services, all provided in a single child friendly environment. Using a systematic search strategy, this research aimed to identify and review all studies that have evaluated the effectiveness of the approach as a whole, recognizing that a separate evidence base exists for parts of the approach (e.g., victim advocacy and therapeutic responses). The review found that while the criminal justice outcomes of the model have been well studied, there was a lack of research on the effect of the model on child and family outcomes. Although some modest outcomes were clear, the lack of empirical research, and overreliance on measuring program outputs, rather than outcomes, suggests that some clarification of the goals of the CAC model is needed.
Publisher: University Of South Australia
Date: 2017
Publisher: NSW Ombudsman's Office
Date: 2017
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 04-08-2003
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 24-01-2017
DOI: 10.1002/CAR.2442
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 23-02-2018
DOI: 10.1002/CAR.2453
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 05-2001
Start Date: 2013
End Date: 2016
Funder: Australian Research Council
View Funded ActivityStart Date: 2008
End Date: 2008
Funder: Australian Research Council
View Funded Activity