Susanne Witte
German Youth Institute
Susanne Witte is a psychologist. She is working in child protection in various research projects. Her work includes training and ecucation of professionals to prevent child maltreatment as well as international aspects of child protection and comparative research on child protection systems. Her Phd thesis is about siblings in the context of abuse and neglect, specifically risk constellations, the impact on the sibling relationship, and psychological well-being.
In contrast to increasing research on child protection within each country, little is known about differences between countries. However, based on the complex nature of child protection comparative research provides a valuable... [ view full abstract ]
In contrast to increasing research on child protection within each country, little is known about differences between countries. However, based on the complex nature of child protection comparative research provides a valuable opportunity to link policies and practices to cultural and structural backgrounds of countries and hence to detect blind spots in service provision. This information can be used to improve the situation of children and families.
The symposium consists of presentations based on the results of HESTIA, a NORFACE Welfare State Future project, including researchers from England, the Netherlands and Germany. HESTIA focuses on the way child protection systems respond to child maltreatment.
The first presentation will provide an overview over the differences and similarities in the three countries. It will link key concepts to the cultural background of each country and highlight key issues in child protection investigations, such as thresholds for intervention and child or family orientation.
The second and third talk will focus on the practice of child protection based on the results of an analysis of about 1,200 case files about investigations in cases of suspected child maltreatment. The sample was drawn from institutions from four sites in each country. The two presentations will focus on differences and similarities in types of reported cases, handling of the investigations, and outcomes at the end of the investigation in relation to severity of the child maltreatment.
The final two presentations will explore important issues in child protection in depth based on the case file analysis. The first is about substance misusing parents in child protection cases in England in relation to the other two countries, and the second will focus on participation of parents and children in the Netherlands.
Child Protection Systems and Strategies at local, national and international levels
