Definitions of child abuse and neglect bibliography

This paper describes definitions and categories of fatal assault and neglect of children and young people, and the incidence of these different types of homicide in Queensland. Queensland statistics reflect international patterns, with the majority of fatalities occurring in the youngest age groups, followed by a significant decrease in middle childhood, then a subsequent increase in the 15-17 year age group.

In the past decade, there has been increasing acceptance by researchers that different types of childhood maltreatment do not occur in isolation - in fact, many children are subject to multiple types of abuse and neglect. Understanding the level of overlap, and the way they interact is critical to understanding the impact of maltreatment, and for thinking about the best ways to address therapeutically the needs of young people and adults who have experienced maltreatment during childhood. Not only do child maltreatment types co-occur, but the same person may also experience other forms of victimisation during childhood - such as bullying. In this seminar, the history of child maltreatment research is examined, focusing on the similarities and differences in the concepts of 'multi-type maltreatment' and 'polyvictimisation' which have recently emerged to understand the intersections between different forms of maltreatment and victimisation during childhood. The research is based on an international review of studies that have used the concepts of 'multi-type maltreatment' and 'polyvictimisation', as well as new Australian data on a sample of 1,000 young adults. Data on predictors, prevalence, and the impact on wellbeing are compared. Drawing together these two separate, yet conceptually similar research fields, highlights the issues of vulnerability of children and young people to traumatic experiences, and the factors that are associated with risk of maltreatment and victimisation, and its lasting impact.

There are definitional issues around child maltreatment in two main areas: those primarily of a conceptual nature, and those primarily related to implementation or measurement. This paper presents a set of conceptual definitions of abusive and neglectful behaviours: maltreatment, physically abusive behaviour, sexually abusive behaviour, neglectful behaviour, psychologically abusive or neglectful behaviour and witnessing family violence. It looks at the point when 'abusive and neglectful behaviours' become 'abuse' and 'neglect', the components of 'a child in need of protection', and legislative definitions of 'a child in need of protection' in the Australian Capital Territory, New South Wales, the Northern Territory, Queensland, South Australia, Tasmania, Victoria and Western Australia.

The Canadian Incidence Study of Reported Child Abuse and Neglect (CIS) collects data every five years on child maltreatment reported to, and investigated by, child welfare agencies in Canada. This report presents major findings from the 2008 data, and includes information on the number of child abuse investigations, single and multiple categories of maltreatment, the characteristics of children and families, and risk factors.

This briefing summarises the current research on child maltreatment. Drawing on studies from Great Britain, Australia, New Zealand, and the United States, it outlines information on the causes and consequences of child abuse. Sections include: What is child maltreatment?; How common is child maltreatment?; What are the causes of child maltreatment?; What are the consequences of child maltreatment?; Resilience; Child deaths; Who are the perpetrators?; What do children think of their abuse and abusers?; How can child abuse be stopped?; What works in stopping parents from abusing their children?; What works in preventing parents from abusing their children?; and Implications for policy and practice.

The Family Law Amendment (Family Violence) Bill 2010 aims to help protect children in the family law system in Australia, by prioritising children's safety, adjusting definitions of violence and abuse, and improving practices. This article describes the contents of the Bill and its rationale, and discusses some of the issues involved, in particular the new definitions.

The Family Law Amendment (Family Violence) Bill 2010 aims to improve the safety of children experiencing domestic violence. This exposure draft explains the issues involved, and details each of the proposed amendments. The Bill prioritises the safety of children by redefining domestic and family violence, redefining child abuse, strengthening the obligations of legal and court personnel, removing disincentives to disclosure, and other amendments.

In April 2009, the Standing Committee of Attorneys-General called for the Australian Law Reform Commission, working jointly with the NSW Law Reform Commission, to investigate the interpretation and application of laws relating to family violence, sexual assault, and child protection across the various states and territories in Australia. The final report of the Commission?s findings was released in October 2010. This report describes the background of the Inquiry and the framework for reform, and presents the final 187 recommendations put forward in the final report in the areas of jurisdiction, criminal law, police, bail, protection orders, sentencing, homicide defences, evidence, child protection, family dispute resolution, confidentiality, sexual assault, reporting and pre-trial processes in sexual offences, information sharing, integration, and specialisation.

In April 2009, the Standing Committee of Attorneys-General called for the Australian Law Reform Commission, working jointly with the NSW Law Reform Commission, to investigate the interpretation and application of laws relating to family violence, sexual assault, and child protection across the various states and territories in Australia. This summary report provides an overview of the final report, released in October 2010. It describes the background of the Inquiry and the framework for reform, and presents the final 187 recommendations put forward in the final report.

This article reviews recent research studies on the prevalence of child maltreatment in Australia. It examines methodological and measurement issues, explaining how estimates on child abuse can vary so significantly.

This is the summary version of the full consultation paper. In April 2009, the Standing Committee of Attorneys-General called for the Australian Law Reform Commission, working jointly with the NSW Law Reform Commission, to investigate the interpretation and application of laws relating to family violence, sexual assault, and child protection across the various states and territories in Australia. A particular focus is definitions and evidence and their relationship to the Commonwealth Family Law Act. This consultation paper describes the terms of reference of the inquiry, the background issues and context, and calls for public submissions to the inquiry. Chapters include: Constitutional and International Settings; Purposes of Laws Relevant to Family Violence; Family Violence: A Common Interpretative Framework?; Family Violence Legislation and the Criminal Law; Protection Orders and the Criminal Law; Recognising Family Violence in Criminal Law; Family Violence Legislation and Parenting Orders; Family Violence Legislation and the Family Law Act; Improving Evidence and Information Sharing; Alternative Processes; Child Protection and the Criminal Law; Child Protection and the Family Law Act; Sexual Assault and Family Violence; Sexual Offences; Reporting, Prosecution and Pre-trial Processes; Trial Processes; Integrated Responses and Best Practice; and Court Specialisation.

In April 2009, the Standing Committee of Attorneys-General called for the Australian Law Reform Commission, working jointly with the NSW Law Reform Commission, to investigate the interpretation and application of laws relating to family violence, sexual assault, and child protection across the various states and territories in Australia. A particular focus is definitions and evidence and their relationship to the Commonwealth Family Law Act. This consultation paper describes the terms of reference of the inquiry, the background issues and context, and calls for public submissions to the inquiry. Chapters include: Constitutional and International Settings; Purposes of Laws Relevant to Family Violence; Family Violence: A Common Interpretative Framework?; Family Violence Legislation and the Criminal Law; Protection Orders and the Criminal Law; Recognising Family Violence in Criminal Law; Family Violence Legislation and Parenting Orders; Family Violence Legislation and the Family Law Act; Improving Evidence and Information Sharing; Alternative Processes; Child Protection and the Criminal Law; Child Protection and the Family Law Act; Sexual Assault and Family Violence; Sexual Offences; Reporting, Prosecution and Pre-trial Processes; Trial Processes; Integrated Responses and Best Practice; and Court Specialisation.

This article examines the intersection between intimate partner violence and child abuse from a child-centred point of view. With reference to the international literature, the authors first discuss the impact of intimate partner violence on children and the frequent coexistence of intimate partner violence and child abuse. They then examine the use of professional language in the experience of - and the framing of - child abuse, the inclusion of children's voices in understanding child abuse, and whether witnessing intimate partner violence should be defined as child abuse.

Age of consent laws are important measures for protecting children and young people from sexual exploitation. According to criminal law in Australia, the age of consent refers to the age a person is considered to be capable of legally giving informed consent to sexual acts with another person. When a person engages in sexual behaviour with someone below the age of consent, they are committing a criminal offence (child sexual abuse). This fact sheet outlines the principles behind this law, compares the age of consent across the different states and territories of Australia, and discusses legal defences against sexual interactions with persons under age, including 'normal' sexual exploration versus inappropriate and abusive sexual behaviour.

This resource sheet provides definitionsof the categories of child abuse, including physical abuse, sexual abuse, emotional and psychological abuse, and neglect. The document provides examples of each category and considers problems in arriving at clear definitions of types of abuse. This resource sheet updates and replaces an earlier version first published in December 2004.

Definitions of child abuse and domestic violence are generally based on physical harm or the risk of physical harm, and do not recognise the experience or consequences of non physical contact (NPC) abuse. This paper discusses forms of NPC abuse with the purpose of heightening awareness of the abuse and its effects on the victims, usually women and children. The paper first defines NPC abuse. It then presents a model, with case examples, for identifying different forms of NPC abuse within relationships and provides a framework to distinguish between relationship conflict and domestic violence.

"This book aims to critically evaluate the development of policy and legislative measures to control sex offenders. The last 15 years has seen increasing concern on the part of the government, criminal justice agencies, the media and the public, regarding child sexual abuse. This concern has been prompted by a series of events including cases inviting media attention and involving the abduction, sexual abuse and murder of young children. The response to this wave of child sexual abuse revelation has been to introduce increasingly punitive legislation regarding the punishment and control of sex offenders - the only group of offenders in British legal history to have their own act - both in custody and in the community. Against the backdrop of a crisis in public confidence regarding the behaviour of child protection professionals, it is argued here that legislation has developed in a reactionary way in response to media and public anxiety regarding the punishment and control of sex offenders, and the perceived threat of such offenders in the community."

"Public policy responses to child sexual abuse are dominated by interventions designed to take effect only after offenders have already begun offending, and after children have already been sexually abused. Comparatively little attention has been given to alternative prevention strategies - particularly to those aimed at preventing sexual abuse before it might otherwise occur. Considerable knowledge has been accumulated on the characteristics, modus operandi and persistence of offenders, the characteristics, circumstances and outcomes for victims, and the physical and social settings in which sexual abuse occurs, but little work has been done to systematically apply this knowledge to prevention. This book aims to fulfill this objective through integrating clinical and criminological concepts and knowledge to inform a more comprehensive and effective public policy approach to preventing child sexual abuse. Empirical and theoretical knowledge concerning child sexual abuse is integrated with broader developments in evidence-based crime and child maltreatment prevention, leading to new ideas about understanding and preventing child sexual abuse."

Wangmann (22(2) AJFL) recently expressed a number of concerns about the Australian Institute of Family Studies report examining allegations of family violence and child abuse in family law children's proceedings - most notably, that the authors' call for the need to differentiate between different kinds of intimate partner violence 'does not flow from the data'. In this article, the authors respond to these various concerns. Specifically they identify and seek to correct a number of misinterpretations and misrepresentations made by Wangmann. In moving the debate forward in this complex field of inquiry, the authors note an ongoing need on the part of all researchers and commentators for clarity, precision and balance.

A number of court cases in Australia in recent years has brought to attention the fact that females are capable of committing sexual crimes against children and adolescents. This article discusses attitudes towards women's sexual offending against minors. It considers the difficulties in, and approaches to, defining female-perpetrated sexual abuse, and investigates ways in which such offenders may be categorised.

The term 'incest' is used to describe both consensual sex and sexual abuse or rape. This article explains why the term is inappropriate and misleading, and the implications of its continued use, particularly within a legal context. The legal view of incest is that it is consensual and therefore cannot be rape. The article describes the recent case of John and Jennifer Deaves, and comments on its coverage in the Australian media. It then discusses the attitudes of legal professionals towards intrafamilial sexual abuse, and the effects of those attitudes in undermining or negating the experiences of victims of intrafamilial sexual abuse.

This booklet was developed by the staff of SideStreet Counselling Service to assist service providers working with young people who have disclosed sexual abuse. SideStreet is a service of UnitingCare Wesley Adelaide for young people aged 12-25 who are homeless and who have been subjected to sexual abuse. The booklet outlines: definitions of sexual abuse; how young people may disclose; creating opportunities for disclosure; myths; tactics of abusers; effects; worries and concerns young people may have about disclosing; ways to support a young person who has experienced sexual abuse; mandatory notification; worker issues, and consultancy.

This book dicusses theory, policy and research developments in the areas of child neglect, assessment of parenting capacity, the detection of neglect, and social work with neglected children. The definition and framework of neglect is considered, as well as reviewing what is known about best practice in intervention. This text is illustrated with examples from British social services.

This textbook for undergraduate and graduare students helps explain more fully the etiology, prevalence, treatment, policy issues, and prevention of child maltreatment. It includes discussions on bullying, family violence, and child exploitation via the internet. This text also includes material to help prepare students for careers in child welfare, with interviews with professionals in the field, case studies, practice and policy considerations, and the psychological impact on professionals.

In this editorial on vulnerability, the author discusses varying definitions and differentiates the concepts of 'risk' and 'vulnerability'. He argues that the public health approach to child protection and abuse prevention addresses the multiple facets of vulnerability through the recognition that abuse and maltreatment is situated within a societal framework.

Under Section 229B of the Queensland Criminal Code, it is a crime for an adult to maintain an unlawful sexual relationship with a child under the prescribed age. This article discusses what is meant by 'maintaining' a 'relationship' in terms of the Code.

This article comments on the research report, 'Allegations of family violence and child abuse in child-related disputes in family law proceedings', published by the Australian Institute of Family Studies in 2007. The author discusses problems with the judicial definitions and comprehension of domestic violence, and how the responsibility for male violence - its allegations and evidence - is placed on mothers.

The Australian Capital Territory's Children and Young People Act 1999 supports the legal requirement of certain professional groups to report non accidental physical injury and/or sexual abuse of children and young people. This paper provides information to mandated reporters and other professionals concerning the making of a report. It covers: definitions of child abuse and neglect; how child abuse can be identified; types of abuse; non accidental physical injury; sexual abuse; emotional abuse; neglect; legislative context; legislative principles; reporting requirements; voluntary reporting; mandatory reporting; reasonable grounds; penalties; making a report to Family Services; interstate issues; what to do if you are not sure whether what you are seeing constitutes abuse or neglect; information required when making a report; protection for reporters; confidentiality provisions; action following a report; responding to a disclosure made by a child or young person; frequently asked questions and contact numbers.