Child Welfare Professionals and Incest Families

by Thompson-Cooper, Ingrid K.

• ISBN13: 9781856288804
• ISBN10: 1856288803
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2001-10-01
• Publisher: Avebury

Summary

Based on a comparative study of Canada and the UK, this book describes the often inappropriate or inadequate interventions made by child welfare and legal professionals with incest families. Because of the relative newness of the problem and the difficult emotions the tabooed behaviour arouses, professionals faced with making decisions regarding interventions with incest families tend to fail to intervene, leaving the child at risk, or over-intervene, with the result that the family members, including the victim, experience trauma. The book examines the iatrogenic effects on the family of coercive and punitive measures and refutes the current belief that the only way that an incest perpetrator will accept responsibility for his/her incestuous acts is if there is criminal prosecution.

Table of Contents

Figures and Tables	viii
Preface	xi
Table of Statutes	xiii
List of Abbreviations	xiv
Development of Child Welfare Responses to Child Sexual Abuse	1	(22)
Introduction	1	(3)
The `punishment vs. treatment' controversy - child physical abuse	4	(4)
Iatrogenesis in the child welfare system	8	(1)
Legal and clinical responses to child sexual abuse	9	(2)
Rationale for use of criminal justice system	11	(2)
Lack of debate	13	(3)
Emotional reactions to child sexual abuse	16	(7)
The Research	23	(8)
Summary of issues	23	(1)
Focus of research	24	(1)
Methodology	25	(4)
Limitations of study	29	(2)
Child Welfare System - England and Canada	31	(20)
Child protection system in England	31	(7)
Child protection system in Quebec, Canada	38	(6)
Criminal justice system	44	(7)
Description of Samples - England and Canada	51	(30)
General description of the samples	52	(4)
Sexual behaviour	56	(11)
Characteristics of the victim's family	67	(5)
Victim characteristics	72	(3)
Characteristics of victim's mother	75	(1)
Characteristics of the perpetrator	75	(6)
Disclosure of Sexual Abuse and Initial Professional Responses	81	(16)
Professional involvement with the families prior to present disclosure of sexual abuse	81	(1)
Disclosure of present perpetrator's sexual abuse of victim and initial professional responses	82	(10)
Police and medical investigation	92	(5)
Major Professional Interventions Following Disclosure of Sexual Abuse	97	(58)
Criminal proceedings - English sample	97	(8)
Criminal proceedings - Canadian sample	105	(2)
Comparison of the Canadian and English legal decisions	107	(1)
Child abuse team decisions - English sample	107	(24)
Child abuse team decisions - Canadian sample	131	(12)
Summary of child protection decisions - England and Canada	143	(12)
Follow-up of Victim, Perpetrator and Family - England and Canada	155	(14)
Major changes	155	(3)
Symptoms of victim/s	158	(3)
Recidivism of sexual abuse by same perpetrator	161	(2)
Sexual abuse of victim by others	163	(1)
Recidivism of perpetrator with other victims	164	(1)
Other circumstances noted at follow-up	164	(5)
Path Analysis of the Combined Samples	169	(14)
Introduction	169	(4)
Differences between Britain and Canada	173	(10)
Conclusions and Implications of the Study	183	(50)
Description of samples	183	(3)
Different professional responses in two samples and their impact on the families	186	(28)
Factors contributing to the different professional responses in the two samples	214	(4)
Implications of study for social responses to incest	218	(5)
Developments in child welfare services post research	223	(3)
Summary and conclusions	226	(7)
Appendix 1	233	(3)
Roles of the Organisations Chiefly Concerned in Cases of Non-accidental Injury to Children {LASSL(76)26}
Appendix 2	236	(2)
Guidelines for Workers re Voluntary Measures - Quebec, Canada - Article 54
List of Abbreviations - Appendix 3 and 4	238	(26)
Appendix 3
Cases in English Sample	239	(14)
Appendix 4
Cases in Canadian Sample	253	(11)
Bibliography	264