{"title":"A child-centered approach to trauma- and violence-informed interventions with children who have experienced sex trafficking: Qualitative findings from emergency department providers in Ontario, Canada","authors":"Rebecca Balasa , Momina Khan , Dionne Gesink , Lisa Forman , Corry Azzopardi , Amaya Perez-Brumer","doi":"10.1016/j.chipro.2025.100190","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.chipro.2025.100190","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>More than 60 % of people who have experienced sex trafficking access an emergency department (ED) for trafficking-related concerns while they are being exploited. Yet, tailored assessment, intervention, and referral practices in the ED remain underexplored. We conducted virtual, semi-structured interviews with 12 multidisciplinary healthcare providers at four pediatric EDs across Ontario to explore how they respond to presentations of child sex trafficking. Through an intersectional, reflexive thematic analysis, narratives illuminated how childhood is redefined in the context of child sex trafficking, with healthcare providers perceiving children who have experienced sex trafficking (CEST) as more mature and less innocent due to their exploitative experiences. These shifting perceptions highlighted the disparate power dynamics that produce and reproduce these children's exploitative vulnerabilities, both within the child-trafficker and child-provider relationships, prompting providers to tailor interventions that incorporate a child-centered approach to trauma- and violence-informed care. This approach considered both developmental needs and the socio-structural factors that implicitly impact children because of their age. In doing so, providers working in Ontario's pediatric EDs are paving the way for integrating a child-centered trauma- and violence-informed approach as a universal standard of practice.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":100237,"journal":{"name":"Child Protection and Practice","volume":"5 ","pages":"Article 100190"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2025-05-29","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144230528","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Scalable training for child sexual abuse interviews in Japan: Using AI-driven avatars to test multiple behavioral modeling interventions","authors":"Shumpei Haginoya , Tatsuro Ibe , Shota Yamamoto , Naruyo Yoshimoto , Hazuki Mizushi , Pekka Santtila","doi":"10.1016/j.chipro.2025.100188","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.chipro.2025.100188","url":null,"abstract":"<div><h3>Background</h3><div>Interviewer training using automated avatars and interventions has emerged as a potentially scalable approach to improving questioning skills in child sexual abuse interviews. Although behavioral modeling has been proven to be an effective part of this training, the efficacy of its individual components remains unexplored.</div></div><div><h3>Objective</h3><div>We aimed to demonstrate the scalability of an interviewer training approach using AI-driven avatars and to examine the effectiveness of different components of modeling in improving the use of open questions.</div></div><div><h3>Participants and setting</h3><div>1168 lay participants recruited via crowdsourcing platforms were randomly assigned to 28 conditions varying the combination of modeling components.</div></div><div><h3>Methods</h3><div>Each participant conducted one simulated child sexual abuse interview online after receiving one combination of the modeling components. The modeling components consisted of reading learning points regarding good and bad interview approaches, watching example videos of good and bad interviews, and reading the case outcomes (i.e. what had happened to the avatars interviewed in the example videos).</div></div><div><h3>Results</h3><div>Correlation and regression analyses found positive impact of videos showing good interview practices on the quality of the participants' subsequent interviews while little effect was found of the learning points and the case outcomes. Surprisingly, we found a negative impact of videos showing bad interview practices on the quality of the participants’ interviews.</div></div><div><h3>Conclusions</h3><div>The results demonstrated the scalability of interviewer training using automated avatars and the effectiveness of some modeling components in improving interviewer behavior. Overall, interviewers tended to follow the modeled behaviors regardless of whether these were positive or negative which resulted in improved interview skills through positive models but detrimental effects after negative models. However, the negative impact of bad modeling in the reproduction of learned behaviors in interview simulations should still be investigated in the context of transfer.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":100237,"journal":{"name":"Child Protection and Practice","volume":"5 ","pages":"Article 100188"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2025-05-28","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144253795","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Elinam D. Dellor , Jennifer Price Wolf , Tenesha Littleton , Juan Lorenzo Benavides , Bridget Freisthler
{"title":"The relationship between childhood emotional abuse and maladaptive parenting practices","authors":"Elinam D. Dellor , Jennifer Price Wolf , Tenesha Littleton , Juan Lorenzo Benavides , Bridget Freisthler","doi":"10.1016/j.chipro.2025.100187","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.chipro.2025.100187","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":100237,"journal":{"name":"Child Protection and Practice","volume":"5 ","pages":"Article 100187"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2025-05-28","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144212997","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Bringing solutions focused practice to frontline social care in England","authors":"Allegra Harrison","doi":"10.1016/j.chipro.2025.100177","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.chipro.2025.100177","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The Essex Solution Focused Centre (ESFC) was tasked with providing a wraparound Solution Focused (SF) training and support provision to a cohort of Newly Qualified social workers in Essex County Council Children's Social Care, UK. The project was led by experienced social work practitioner and solution focused trainer Allegra Harrison, who designed and implemented a robust programme in which weekly SF training and support was provided throughout the year to 20 Newly Qualified Social Workers (NQSW's) in frontline social care teams across Essex. Ongoing Solution Focused Supervision training and support was also provided to their Practice Educators and Team Managers. Ongoing review and evaluation of the SF provision was also implemented to ensure it was meeting the needs of the service, as well as to measure its impact on NQSW's practice and on the service as a whole. In this article we are given a tour of how this project came to be, what it looked like, how it was evaluated, the difference it made, and ponders the question of what it might lead to.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":100237,"journal":{"name":"Child Protection and Practice","volume":"5 ","pages":"Article 100177"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2025-05-25","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144178644","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Hannah McDowell , Julia Yates , Abbey Radford , Sarah Zak , Suzanne K. Robinson , Megan Cooney , Ashley Stewart-Tufescu , Tracie O. Afifi
{"title":"A scoping review of sentinel injuries: Definitions, key indicators, and best practices for response and prevention","authors":"Hannah McDowell , Julia Yates , Abbey Radford , Sarah Zak , Suzanne K. Robinson , Megan Cooney , Ashley Stewart-Tufescu , Tracie O. Afifi","doi":"10.1016/j.chipro.2025.100185","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.chipro.2025.100185","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":100237,"journal":{"name":"Child Protection and Practice","volume":"5 ","pages":"Article 100185"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2025-05-25","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144178645","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"A child protection issue: Exploring the causes of school-based violence in South Africa from a bio-ecological systems perspective","authors":"Sipho Sibanda , Poppy Masinga","doi":"10.1016/j.chipro.2025.100186","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.chipro.2025.100186","url":null,"abstract":"<div><h3>Background</h3><div>School based violence in South Africa has severe consequences for learners, families, educators, and the entire community. Being aware of the complex causes of violence in schools enables social workers and other service providers to respond effectively through well targeted interventions and services.</div></div><div><h3>Objectives</h3><div>The article explores the causes of school-based violence in South Africa from a bio-ecological systems perspective.</div></div><div><h3>Participants</h3><div><em>and setting</em>: The study was conducted at nine high schools in South Africa. 47 grade 9 and 10 learners and 30 educators participated in the study.</div></div><div><h3>Methods</h3><div>Using a qualitative case-study design, data was collected from learners and educators through focus group discussions and analysed using thematic analysis. Measures were put in place to ensure the quality of data.</div></div><div><h3>Findings</h3><div>The findings indicate that school-based violence is caused by several intersecting factors which include individual-factors such as learner indiscipline; family-related factors such as poverty; inter-personal factors such as peer pressure and status; provocation and revenge; gambling; community-related factors such as the prevalence of gangsterism; alcohol and drugs in communities; school-related factors such as the unprofessional behaviour of educators; and structural factors such as racism and prejudice.</div></div><div><h3>Conclusions</h3><div>Violence in South African schools should be declared a child protection issue caused by multiple interacting individual, family, group, community, and socio-economic historical factors. The design of a comprehensive school-based violence prevention programme guided by the bio-ecological systems perspective is recommended to address the complex causes of school-based violence as a way of safeguarding the rights and wellbeing of school-going children.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":100237,"journal":{"name":"Child Protection and Practice","volume":"5 ","pages":"Article 100186"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2025-05-24","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144155009","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Robert M. Ortega , Olivia D. Chang , Mary B. Ortega , Lynn Teriberry , Richetta VanSickle , Kathleen Coulborn Faller
{"title":"What cultural humility teaches us about protecting children","authors":"Robert M. Ortega , Olivia D. Chang , Mary B. Ortega , Lynn Teriberry , Richetta VanSickle , Kathleen Coulborn Faller","doi":"10.1016/j.chipro.2025.100178","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.chipro.2025.100178","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Cultural humility challenges us to broaden our cultural perspectives and frames of reference – to be prepared and motivated to see what we do not see. In this paper, we offer a commentary that lifts the voices of maltreated children based on years of listening to children and their families tell their stories. These stories provide recurring themes and reveal the keys to their protection. These insights are framed as pillars of resilience and uphold the foundation of our call to protect children, namely, safety, trust, support, and hope. A cultural humility perspective suggests that these pillars are restored or established and maintained in variable ways predicated on the unique experiences of each child. Our primary work with maltreated children is to identify breaches in these pillars; and for all children, we are challenged to restore and maintain these pillars if our goal is to protect them.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":100237,"journal":{"name":"Child Protection and Practice","volume":"5 ","pages":"Article 100178"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2025-05-23","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144167671","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Supporting your colleagues: yes, but how? Exploring the positive and negative support offered by colleagues to child protection workers exposed to a potentially traumatic event at work","authors":"Steve Geoffrion , Gabrielle Lebrun , Valerie Arenzon , Florence Ménard , Stéphane Guay","doi":"10.1016/j.chipro.2025.100184","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.chipro.2025.100184","url":null,"abstract":"<div><h3>Background</h3><div>Child protection workers (CPWs) are frequently exposed to potentially traumatic events (PTE) at work. These events have many psychological and organizational consequences. Without adequate intervention, these effects can persist and worsen over time. Social support is known to be a determining factor in the recovery of individuals exposed to a PTE, particularly support from colleagues in the work setting. However, little is known about how this support from colleagues manifests itself after a PTE or how it is perceived by the individual involved.</div></div><div><h3>Objective</h3><div>The current study sought to explore the support offered by colleagues after a PTE and identify supportive actions perceived as either positive or negative by the victims.</div></div><div><h3>Method</h3><div>Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 30 CPWs in the Montreal area of Canada, all of whom had been exposed to a PTE within the previous 0–30 days. The interviews were analyzed using thematic analysis.</div></div><div><h3>Results</h3><div>Supportive actions reported by participants fell into four categories: emotional, instrumental, informational or evaluation support. Regardless of whether participants received one or multiple types of support, emotional support emerged as the most appreciated according to the participants’ experiences. Positive support offered by colleagues aligned with the key principles of early post-traumatic intervention, while negative support was mainly explained by a lack of organizational resources and a work-culture that trivialized violence.</div></div><div><h3>Conclusion</h3><div>The study suggests that organizations should prioritize approaches that recognize and validate emotions before introducing other types of support.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":100237,"journal":{"name":"Child Protection and Practice","volume":"5 ","pages":"Article 100184"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2025-05-21","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144212999","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Lesley-anne Ey , Neil Tippett , Elspeth McInnes , Lewis Cockram , Anissa Ostovar-Ravare
{"title":"Australian catholic teachers’ preparedness in identifying and responding to harmful sexual behavior and their training and resource needs","authors":"Lesley-anne Ey , Neil Tippett , Elspeth McInnes , Lewis Cockram , Anissa Ostovar-Ravare","doi":"10.1016/j.chipro.2025.100181","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.chipro.2025.100181","url":null,"abstract":"<div><h3>Background</h3><div>Schools are often at the forefront of needing to identify and respond to harmful sexual behavior (HSB). However, there is limited understanding about what training and resources Australian teachers receive on HSB or what they need.</div></div><div><h3>Objective</h3><div>To explore Catholic Education staff's preparedness and their training and resource needs for identifying and responding to HSB in education settings.</div></div><div><h3>Participants</h3><div>and Setting: Seventy-four Catholic education staff answered an online survey, and a further 14 Catholic education pastoral care and leadership staff engaged in single.</div></div><div><h3>Method</h3><div>Online survey and single interviews.</div></div><div><h3>Findings</h3><div>Overall, participants felt most prepared to identify HSB and provide an immediate response to HSB, while they felt least prepared to respond to the parental community and to the families of children affected by HSB. Notably, teachers felt the least prepared to provide ongoing support to children affected by HSB and to respond to families and the parental community in matters concerning HSB. Participants called for training and resources to better support education staff in identifying and responding to HSB.</div></div><div><h3>Conclusion</h3><div>This research has demonstrated that Catholic Education staff feel better prepared in identifying and responding to several elements of HSB than previous research with teachers has indicated, however they still feel inadequate in ongoing responses to children affected by HSB and in responding to parents.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":100237,"journal":{"name":"Child Protection and Practice","volume":"5 ","pages":"Article 100181"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2025-05-21","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144189944","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Behind closed doors: Public and private views on child domestic work in urban Myanmar","authors":"Aye Myat Thi , Cathy Zimmerman , Meghna Ranganathan","doi":"10.1016/j.chipro.2025.100183","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.chipro.2025.100183","url":null,"abstract":"<div><h3>Background</h3><div>There has been little evidence on how public perceptions of child domestic work influence work conditions, employment and living arrangements for young workers.</div></div><div><h3>Objective</h3><div>This study in urban Myanmar explores public views and attitudes on child domestic work to consider the implicit and explicit work arrangements between households and child domestic workers.</div></div><div><h3>Participants and Setting</h3><div>We conducted a cross-sectional survey with 1072 adult participants from Yangon and Mandalay urban townships.</div></div><div><h3>Methods</h3><div>We analysed attitudes estimates toward child domestic work among different subgroups. We conducted bivariable and multivariable regressions to examine factors associated with perceptions about responsibilities of host households towards child domestic workers in urban Myanmar.</div></div><div><h3>Results</h3><div>Sixty per cent of study participants reported knowing households with child domestic workers. When asked about working conditions, most participants stated that they themselves endorsed aspects of safe, decent work and young workers’ engagement in education and training, but suggested that community beliefs are much less liberal. Many participants believed that child domestic workers are subjected to harmful conditions, including that these children are not likely to participate in educational activities, receive holiday breaks, or have their safety and well-being prioritized. These beliefs were associated with: older age (≥30 years), being female, belonging to the host household, having awareness of child domestic work, having higher education, and having a lower household income.</div></div><div><h3>Conclusion</h3><div>Our findings underscore the need to promote child-centred work and private work arrangements, combined with interventions that foster the safety, well-being and promising futures for youth in domestic work situations.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":100237,"journal":{"name":"Child Protection and Practice","volume":"5 ","pages":"Article 100183"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2025-05-19","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144134217","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}