Supporting Evidence‐Informed Practice
In a helpful review article in the British Journal of Social Work some years ago, Nevo and Slonim‐Nevo[1] emphasised the importance of practitioners using findings from research ‘in an integrative manner, taking into consideration clinical experience and judgement, clients’ preferences and values, and context of intervention’ (p. 1193). Drawing on Sackett’s original definition of evidence‐based medicine[2], we could thus define evidence‐informed practice as
the conscientious, explicit and judicious use of current best evidence, integrated with relevant expertise and an understanding of the context and clients’ views, to guide decision‐making in relation to individual cases.
Such an approach takes us away from a very rigid and narrow concept of evidence‐based practice which does not sit well with the complexity of the world of child protection[3].
From Prevention through to Therapy
The papers in our latest issue of Child Abuse Review, now available online, explore some of the nuances of evidence‐informed practice across the spectrum of child maltreatment and safeguarding encompassing: issues of preventive work, recognition and intervention, through to therapy and rehabilitation; different forms of maltreatment, from infancy to adolescence, including neglect, physical abuse and complex issues such as trafficking; and the challenges for professionals within a range of agencies.
In my accompanying editorial, I review some of these issues and the content of the various papers. We include a reanalysis of a systematic review of parenting interventions to reduce physical child abuse recurrence; a literature review on the trafficking of children in the Greater Mekong Region; a qualitative study with focus groups of teachers and family support workers to explore their experiences of working with neglect; and an evidence‐informed approach to develop and implement a therapeutic service for children who have experienced abuse and neglect in Victoria, Australia. We have a CPD article looking at issues around adolescent neglect, a training update and two book reviews. The full contents are listed below and all are freely available to members of the Association of Child Protection Professionals, or those who have library access to Child Abuse Review.
Some key messages from this issue:
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teaching concrete parenting strategies such as alternatives to physical punishment is important in reducing recurrence of physical abuse
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child trafficking needs to be treated as a public health issue, recognising the huge adverse impacts on these children
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while professionals may recognise neglect quite early on, and want to intervene, they typically felt the need to gather evidence of multiple examples of neglectful behaviour and actual harm to the child in order for the maltreatment to be considered serious enough to cross a threshold for statutory intervention
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successful interventions in adolescent neglect require a sustained focus on the young person within the family and an agreed plan for improvements in parental care
Original Articles
Continuing Professional Development
Phil Raws. Adolescent Neglect: Messages from Research for Policy and Practice
Training Update
Lynn Davies. Signs of Radicalisation: Gamer Zak and Zak at University (online simulation resources) by The Centre for Child Protection, University of Kent, 2018, 2014, £199 including the training and teaching pack. Available: https://www.kent.ac.uk/sspssr/ccp/simulationsindex.html
Book Reviews
Qays Stetkevych. Responding to Domestic Violence: Emerging Challenges for Policy, Practice and Research in Europe edited by Stephanie Holt, Carolina Øverlien and John Devaney,. Jessica Kingsley Publishers, London and Philadelphia, 2018. 368pp. ISBN 978‐1‐78592‐261‐9 (Pbk). £30.00
Goodman Maddocks. The Short Guide to Social Policy (second edition) by John Hudson, Stefan Kühner and Stuart Lowe, Policy Press, Bristol, 2015. 216 pp. ISBN 978–1–44732‐568‐0 (Pbk). £12.99
[1] Nevo I, Slonim‐Nevo V. 2011. The myth of evidence‐based practice: Towards evidence‐informed practice. The British Journal of Social Work 41( 6): 1176– 1197. https://doi.org/10.1093/bjsw/bcq149
[2] Sackett DL, Rosenberg WM, Gray JA, Haynes RB, Richardson WS. 1996. Evidence based medicine: what it is and what it isn’t. BMJ 312( 7023): 71– 72. Available: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/8555924
[3] Stevens I, Hassett P. 2007. Applying complexity theory to risk in child protection practice. Childhood 14( 1): 128– 144. https://doi.org/10.1177/0907568207072535