CHILD MALTREATMENT
RESEARCH, POLICY, AND PRACTICE
FOR THE NEXT DECADE

WORKSHOP SUMMARY

Steve Olson and Clare Stroud, Rapporteurs

Board on Children, Youth, and Families

THE NATIONAL ACADEMIES PRESS     500 Fifth Street, N.W.     Washington, DC 20001

NOTICE: The project that is the subject of this report was approved by the Governing Board of the National Research Council, whose members are drawn from the councils of the National Academy of Sciences, the National Academy of Engineering, and the Institute of Medicine.

This study was supported by Contract No. HHSP23320110010YC between the National Academy of Sciences and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. The views presented in this publication do not necessarily reflect the view of the organizations or agencies that provided support for this project.

International Standard Book Number-13: 978-0-309-25442-7
International Standard Book Number-10: 0-309-25442-6

Additional copies of this report are available from the National Academies Press, 500 Fifth Street, NW, Keck 360, Washington, DC 20001; (800) 624-6242 or (202) 334-3313; http://www.nap.edu.

For more information about the Institute of Medicine, visit the IOM home page at: www.iom.edu.

Copyright 2011 by the National Academy of Sciences. All rights reserved.

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Suggested citation: IOM (Institute of Medicine) and NRC (National Research Council). 2012. Child maltreatment research, policy, and practice for the next decade: Workshop summary. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press.

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PLANNING COMMITTEE ON CHILD MALTREATMENT RESEARCH, POLICY, AND PRACTICE FOR THE NEXT GENERATION¹

ANNE C. PETERSEN (Chair), Research Professor at Center for Human Growth and Development, University of Michigan, and Founder and President of Global Philanthropy Alliance

RICHARD P. BARTH, Dean, School of Social Work, University of Maryland, Baltimore

LUCY BERLINER, Director of Harborview Center for Sexual Assault and Traumatic Stress, Clinical Professor at School of Social Work and Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, University of Washington, Seattle

LINDA M. BURTON, James B. Duke Professor of Sociology, Duke University, Durham, North Carolina

MARK J. CHAFFIN, Professor of Pediatrics, Clinical Professor of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center, Oklahoma City

MARY DOZIER, Amy E. du Pont Chair of Child Development, Professor of Psychology, University of Delaware, Newark

PHILIP A. FISHER, Professor of Psychology, University of Oregon, Eugene

JOHN M. LEVENTHAL, Professor of Pediatrics, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, Connecticut

JOY D. OSOFSKY, Barbara Lemann Professor of Pediatrics and Psychiatry, Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center, New Orleans

Project Staff

MELISSA WELCH-ROSS, Project Director (through January 2012)

CLARE STROUD, Project Director (from February 2012)

ROSEMARY CHALK, Consultant

YEONWOO LEBOVITZ, Research Associate

CHRISTINA FEDAK, Senior Program Assistant

______________________

¹Institute of Medicine and National Research Council planning committees are solely responsible for organizing the workshop, identifying topics, and choosing speakers. The responsibility for the published workshop summary rests with the workshop rapporteurs and the institution.

Board on Children, Youth, and Families Staff

KIMBER BOGARD, Director, Board on Children, Youth, and Families

PATRICK BURKE, Financial Associate

WENDY KEENAN, Program Associate

Reviewers

This report has been reviewed in draft form by individuals chosen for their diverse perspectives and technical expertise, in accordance with procedures approved by the National Research Council’s Report Review Committee. The purpose of this independent review is to provide candid and critical comments that will assist the institution in making its published report as sound as possible and to ensure that the report meets institutional standards for objectivity, evidence, and responsiveness to the study charge. The review comments and draft manuscript remain confidential to protect the integrity of the process. We wish to thank the following individuals for their review of this report:

Lucy Berliner, University of Washington

Mark Chaffin, University of Oklahoma Health Science Center

Rob Geen, The Annie E. Casey Foundation

Sarah (Sally) M. Horwitz, Stanford University

Frank Putnam, Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center

David Sanders, Casey Family Programs

Charles H. Zeanah, Jr., Tulane University

Although the reviewers listed above have provided many constructive comments and suggestions, they did not see the final draft of the report before its release. The review of this report was overseen by Elena O. Nightingale, Institute of Medicine. Appointed by the Institute of Medicine, she was responsible for making certain that an independent examination of this report was carried out in accordance with institutional procedures and that all review comments were carefully considered. Responsibility for the final content of this report rests entirely with the rapporteurs and the institution.

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Contents

ACRONYMS

1  INTRODUCTION AND OVERVIEW

  Research, Policy, and Practice for the Next Decade

  A Vision for the Future

  About This Summary

2  REFLECTIONS ON THE 1993 NRC REPORT UNDERSTANDING CHILD ABUSE AND NEGLECT

  Expansion of Research

  Nature and Scope of Child Maltreatment

  Definitions of Child Abuse and Neglect

  Consequences of Child Maltreatment

  Ethical Issues

  Science Policy for Child Maltreatment Research

  From Analysis to Action

3  RECOGNIZING AND ASSESSING CHILD MALTREATMENT

  Medical and Psychosocial Assessment and Diagnosis of Child Abuse and Neglect

  Assessment for Mental Health Services Planning

4  SOCIAL TRENDS AND CHILD MALTREATMENT TRENDS

  Social Trends and Their Implications for Understanding Rates of Child Maltreatment

  Data Sources for Understanding Child Maltreatment

  Child Maltreatment Reporting Practices and Patterns

5  CAUSES AND CONSEQUENCES OF CHILD MALTREATMENT

  Influence of Neighborhood on Child Maltreatment Behaviors and Reports

  Neurobiology of Neglect

  Neurobiology of Trauma and Stress Associated with Adverse Early Experience

6  PREVENTING CHILD MALTREATMENT

  Universal Preventive Interventions

  Secondary Preventive Interventions with High-Risk Populations

  Prevention of Recurrences and Adverse Outcomes

7  DESIGN AND DELIVERY OF SERVICES

  Parent-Focused Interventions

  Child-Focused Interventions

  Families Dealing with Multiple Problems

  Implementation of Evidence-Based Practice

8  SYSTEMS-LEVEL ISSUES

  A Cross-National View of Child Protective Systems

  Alternative Child Welfare Services Approaches

  Role of Class-Action Suits in Building Evidence-Based Child Welfare Systems

  Leadership and Management in Child Welfare Agencies

9  CLOSING REMARKS AND RESEARCH OPPORTUNITIES

  Closing Remarks

  Future Research and Other Opportunities Suggested by Individual Participants

APPENDIXES

A   REFERENCES

B   WORKSHOP AGENDA

C   REGISTERED WORKSHOP ATTENDEES

D  BACKGROUND PAPER: MAJOR RESEARCH ADVANCES SINCE THE PUBLICATION OF THE 1993 NRC REPORT UNDERSTANDING CHILD ABUSE AND NEGLECT: HIGHLIGHTS FROM THE LITERATURE

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Acronyms