Understanding organisational risk factors
for child maltreatment: a review of the literature

Lorraine R Beyer, Daryl J Higgins and Leah M Bromfield

Australian Institute of Family Studies, 2005. ISBN 0 642 39537 3.
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Table of Contents

Executive Summary

Scope

On behalf of the Community Services Ministers' Advisory Council Child Safe Organisations Working Group, the Australian Government Department of Families, Community Services and Indigenous Affairs commissioned the National Child Protection Clearinghouse at the Australian Institute of Family Studies to conduct this project. The aim of this report is to provide an evidence base for Australian jurisdictions to inform decision-making in the area of pre-employment screening checks for child-related employment.

In this project publicly available material (primarily published academic literature) was reviewed to form the material presented in this report. Material is presented to describe the evidence available in the core areas of:

In addition the report includes a discussion of theoretical frameworks for understanding and preventing organisational maltreatment and a consideration of legal issues that may arise in the course of developing policy and procedures for child-safe environments.

Key messages drawn from the research presented are identified throughout the report. Messages from research are clearly delineated in the body of the report.

Messages from research

This project comprised two key theoretical approaches to child-related employment screening: a developmental-ecological approach provided a systematic means of identifying risk factors associated with the occurrence of child maltreatment. The 'situational crime prevention' model provided a useful framework for extending the prevention of child maltreatment in an organisation setting beyond individual-based risk assessment and risk management strategies.

The broad findings from this report across the key areas of inquiry are described. All children are potential victims and as such protection efforts should consider the welfare of all children. However, child sex abuse offenders were found to be careful in their selection of victims preferring vulnerable groups of children. Perpetrators of intra- and extra-familial child maltreatment shared many similar risk factors, suggesting that there are some risk factors that increase the risk of maltreatment occurring regardless of environment or perpetrator type. However, there did not appear to be one 'type' of perpetrator of child sexual abuse the characteristics of whom could be assessed in a purpose designed risk assessment tool for organisational abuse potential.

The most common pre-employment screening method is a police record check. It is well established that persons who pose a risk to children are rarely convicted of a crime. Thus only limited assurance can be gained from screening methods that rely on criminal convictions.

The efficacy of a broader risk assessment tool based on a 'profile' of child maltreatment offenders for use in child related employment screening was explored. There is a paucity of literature specific to risk assessments of employees and volunteers. However, actuarial instruments were shown to weight risk patterns more consistently than professional judgement and guided professional judgement models in the field on intra-familial child maltreatment. There is no reliable profile available to help identify individuals likely to perpetrate maltreatment in an organisational setting. The absence of a reliable 'profile' describing the characteristics of individuals likely to perpetrate child maltreatment in an organisational or institutional environment mean that assessments are largely limited to screening out individuals with known problem behaviour.

No selection processes can guarantee exclusion from organisations of all individuals who pose a risk to children. Employment screening is one component of a broader approach to minimise the risk of child abuse. Environmental conditions play an influential role in facilitating child abuse. Child abuse and maltreatment can be minimised through appropriate organisational management. There is a greater risk of child maltreatment in the absence of clear guidelines and protocols for dealing with accused or convicted perpetrators.

Comprehensive child abuse prevention strategies seek to minimise the risk of child abuse occurring in organisational settings by targeting at least four distinct domains, including victims (and potential victims), offenders (and potential offenders), specific places and circumstances, and whole communities.