Children suffer when professionals don't cooperate – lessons from the South African Child Abuse Tracking Study

South Africa has a comprehensive legal framework that defines a wide spectrum of abuse, and establishes a multi-agency child protection system. The legislation is based on a cooperative implementation model and obliges social... [ view full abstract ]

South Africa has a comprehensive legal framework that defines a wide spectrum of abuse, and establishes a multi-agency child protection system. The legislation is based on a cooperative implementation model and obliges social workers and police officers to cross-refer cases. The Children's Institute conducted the Child Abuse Tracking Study (CATS) in five sites to investigate the practices of child protection workers in relation to case management; and to compare practice with procedures outlined in law and policy, specifically in relation to interagency collaboration between the police and social services. It is a retrospective descriptive study using a combination of quantitative and qualitative methods. The quantitative component consisted of a review of 213 police and social work files involving 258 children; we used Stata (version 13) to conduct descriptive and bivariate analysis. Qualitative data were gathered through eight in-depth interviews and six focus group discussions with child protection social workers and agency managers and police commanders.

Only 8% of reported cases were cross-referred, and none were jointly managed. A quarter (26%) were referred within the required 24 hours from reporting; however, 31% of referrals were made over a month later. The lack of collaboration was based on a lack of trust and experience of poor service, for example one police unit referred 10 children to social services. The police files contained the social work case numbers and/or the names of social workers to whom the cases had been referred, but the social workers could not find one case file or even identify the children on their intake register. The lack of interagency collaboration stops children accessing critical therapeutic and support services; while perpetrators can continue to abuse children without any form of criminal investigation. Current practices are not meeting children’s needs, in short children suffer because professionals are not working together.