Assessing Child Maltreatment Reports: The Problem of False Allegations

by Beker; Jerome

• ISBN13: 9780866569316
• ISBN10: 0866569316
• Edition: 1st
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 1991-09-01
• Publisher: Routledge

Summary

This seminal book tackles the age-old problem of determining which reports of maltreatment from children--verbal or written--represent truth and which represent falsehood. Given the serious consequences of reports of maltreatment, this book deals effectively and practically with the everyday work of assessing the validity and reliability of maltreatment reports and guides professionals and parents with helpful research. Containing a range of chapters--authored by leading academic researchers and practitioners in child welfare services in the United States--which examine the policy and practice issues related to false allegations of child abuse and neglect, this volume provides guideposts for further research and discussion.

Table of Contents

Preface
Acknowledgements
Historical Overview
The Social Construction of Child Abuse and "False Allegations"	p. 1
Policy Issues
Child Abuse and Neglect Reporting and Investigation: Policy Guidelines for Decision Making	p. 35
Unsubstantiated Reports: Perspectives of Child Protection Workers	p. 51
Responding to Reports of Child Abuse and Neglect	p. 63
Investigating Allegations of Child Maltreatment: The Strengths and Limitations of Current Risk Assessment Systems	p. 73
Clinical Evaluations of Sexual Abuse
Beyond Validation Interviews: An Assessment Approach to Evaluating Sexual Abuse Allegations	p. 93
Was There Really Child Sexual Abuse or Is There Another Explanation?	p. 115
Is It (or Is It Not) Sexual Abuse? The Medical Examiner's Dilemma	p. 129
False and Unsubstantiated Sexual Abuse Allegations: Clinical Issues	p. 145
Sexual Abuse Allegations in Custody/Visitation Disputes
Multiple Perspectives: Factors Related to Differential Diagnosis of Sex Abuse and Divorce Trauma in Children Under Six	p. 159
Factors Contributing to False Allegations of Child Sexual Abuse in Custody Disputes	p. 177
Alleging Psychological Impairment of the Accuser to Defend Oneself Against a Child Abuse Allegation: A Manifestation of Wife Battering and False Accusation	p. 191
Allegations of Maltreatment in Family Foster Homes
Maltreatment in Family Foster Homes: Dynamics and Dimensions	p. 209
Child Abuse and Neglect Reports in Foster Care: The Issue for Foster Families of "False" Allegations	p. 233
Unfounded Allegations of Child Abuse in the United Kingdom: A Survey of Foster Parents' Reactions to Investigative Procedures	p. 249
Index	p. 261
Table of Contents provided by Blackwell. All Rights Reserved.