A change of paradigm: The needs of vulnerable children are best met by embedding the child protection system within the health service

For the past half-century, there has been a process of increasing co-operation between government services (Child Social Services, Police, Health) in regard to the management of child abuse and neglect - most commonly... [ view full abstract ]

For the past half-century, there has been a process of increasing co-operation between government services (Child Social Services, Police, Health) in regard to the management of child abuse and neglect - most commonly characterised as a 'multi-disciplinary' approach.

In most jurisdictions, Child Social Services in conjunction with Police have been the 'lead' government agencies in regard to the determination of the 'whole-of-government' response, with the Health System providing a more 'niche' service in regard to forensic expertise, specialised treatment, and some aspects of prevention (e.g. home-visitation).

'Commissions of Review' across multiple jurisdictions continue to demonstrate significant systemic shortfalls in this historical response to CAN - with recurrent themes articulated of: poor resourcing; insufficient staff training & supervision; inconsistent service delivery; inability to effectively incorporate evidence-based knowledge into practice; weak outcome evaluation; etc..

For all its shortfalls, the Health System generally during the same period has demonstrated to the community and to elected officials a broad and system-wide ability to combine the provision of health services with strong evaluative science - to delivery demonstrable positive outcomes at both the individual and the population level.

This presentation will explore the thesis that embedding CAN services within the Health Service will provide a clinical, administrative and evaluative environment most likely to produce real improvements in outcomes for vulnerable children.