Restoring Safety and Harm

Restoring Safety and HarmOur goalWhat we want to achieve is that the average child that is reported to our system, is better off. Research findings In the Netherlands in recent years research was done on the approach of... [ view full abstract ]

Restoring Safety and Harm

Our goal

What we want to achieve is that the average child that is reported to our system, is better off.

Research findings

In the Netherlands in recent years research was done on the approach of child abuse. In this study the self-reported quality of life of the children was measured at the moment of the first report and 18 months later. The conclusion of this study was that the quality of life significantly decreased over this period of time and that only 40 percent of the children got some kind of help.

Method

Analysis

In order to understand what makes our actual approach to fail we start with two interviews. One interview with children who were victims of maltreatment themselves and an interview with specialists on our national level. We ask them to identify factors that influence the outcome that was found in the studies we mentioned.

Re-design

The next step is that we will have to design new ways. We will do this in the region Haaglanden in cooperation with all professionals that are active in this field.

Results

Some of the results from the analysis are:

• Parents do or can not cooperate in offering their children the help that is necessary;

• Our system is divided in too many institutions that all play their own role;

• Because of the costs, we offer short term assistance;

• The assistance that is offered is in too many cases focused on one part of the problem, mostly the parents’ problem

Conclusion

We’re not ready for conclusions yet. We are at the beginning of a project that should make the difference for all children that are reported to our system.