Child Protection Assessment Following Serious Injuries to Infants

"This book is especially welcome because of the scholarship andthoughtfulness evident throughout."--Dr Peter Reder, Child Psychiatrist, LondonHow do child protection professionals and courts make judgmentson whether serious injuries to infants are due to abuse? Ifinjuries are considered to be the result of abuse, in whatcircumstances can it be considered safe for the infant to returnhome?Child Protection Assessment Following Serious Injuries toInfants is concerned with helping child protection professionalsand courts make the right decisions and avoid errors that can havedisastrous consequences for children and families.Drawing upon the extensive clinical and research experience ofthe authors, this authoritative text:* Reviews research on the causes of child abuse and problems indiagnosing abuse.* Examines the views of parents who consider that they have beenwrongly accused of child abuse.* Draws specific attention to the need to assess potential forchange in families and considers in detail how this can beachieved.* Highlights skills issues that are necessary for undertakingappropriate assessments.* Identifies key factors that are indicative of reunification insome cases, and factors that contraindicate reunification inothers.With its evidence-based approach, this book will be a valuableresource for all child protection professionals. It will also be ofuse to health professionals, legal professionals, researchers,lecturers and students of social work.

About the Authors.Foreword.Acknowledgements.1. Introduction.2. Child Abuse and Child Protection Errors.3. Child Abuse Research .4. Child Protection Research.5. The NSPCC Serious Injury-Discrepant ExplanationsResearch.6. Family Perceptions of Child Protection Interventions.7. Explanations for Injuries and the Thorny Issue of'Denial'.8. Child Protection Assessment Contexts.9. Potential for Change.10. Fine Judgments.References.Index.