8 September 2009

Protecting Our Most Vulnerable:
Improving Knowledge In The Field Of Infant Neglect And Abuse

The Australian Institute of Family Studies, through the National Child Protection Clearinghouse, is putting the spotlight on the welfare and needs of infants aged 0 to 3 during National Child Protection Week.

The Institute has commissioned a paper by infant mental health experts that will help increase knowledge and awareness of infants' needs among child welfare professionals.

The paper was commissioned after an earlier study of almost 500 front-line professionals in the child and family welfare sector identified a need for a greater understanding of the complexities of development, attachment, trauma and children's best interests when they have been removed from their parents.

"Tragically, the most powerless, helpless and dependent children in our community are also those most likely to experience abuse and neglect," Institute Director Professor Alan Hayes said.

"Nearly half of all verified cases of child abuse and neglect in Australia involve a child under four," he said.

"And infants are more likely than children in any other age group to be fatally abused or neglected.

"The period from birth to 3 years is critical for a child's development, when change is rapid and trauma experienced at this age can have profound and lasting effects.

"Infancy is a period of great vulnerability, but evidence shows that it also provides us with the greatest opportunity for change and positive influence on development.

"While recognising that every case is different and there will be no single right response, we believe that decision-making by professionals will be aided by a good grasp of the issues," Prof Hayes said.

The paper's co-author, Royal Children's Hospital Associate Professor of Paediatric Social Work, Dr Brigid Jordan, said it explored:

"The paper aims to improve our understanding of what it feels like for an infant to experience trauma," Dr Jordan said.

"Babies and infants remember what is done to them, and this memory can have profound impacts.

"They might experience ongoing traumatic responses and a reduced ability to regulate their emotions. This can affect their developing brain, ability to learn, and lead to depression or anxiety, and problems in developing healthy relationships with other children and adults.

"A greater understanding of the infant's point of view among practitioners will help ensure that responses in the acute phase are appropriate, and that they alleviate immediate suffering and prevent longer term impacts.

"An infants' rights-based approach might help us better protect infants who have been harmed by abuse and neglect. It requires the social investment and commitment of all of us," Dr Jordan said.

Preventing and Responding to the Abuse and Neglect of Infants (Child Abuse Prevention Issues 30) was commissioned by the National Child Protection Clearinghouse. The authors are leading infant mental health experts.

The National Child Protection Clearinghouse aims to enhance policy and practice (and therefore services for children and families) by facilitating the use of research in decision-making.

Authors of the paper

Brigid Jordan, Associate Professor Paediatric Social Work (Infant and Family) at the Royal Children's Hospital and Department of Paediatrics, The University of Melbourne. Group Leader, Social and Mental Health Aspects of Serious Illness Research Group at the Murdoch Childrens Research Institute.

Robyn Sketchley, Royal Children's Hospital and Murdoch Children's Research Institute.

 

A stitch in time saves nine: Preventing and responding to the abuse and neglect of infants: Child Abuse Prevention Issues No. 30, 2009

 

Media contact

Email: Media inquiries