NCJ Number
205759
Journal
Child Abuse Review Volume: 13 Issue: 2 Dated: March-April 2004 Pages: 95-114
Date Published
March 2004
Length
20 pages
Annotation
This paper argues that previous official inquiries into failed child abuse/neglect cases in Great Britain have identified the need for significant training, practice, and resourcing improvements that have not been adequately implemented; these themes can be inferred from the most recent inquiry into the child abuse/neglect death of Victoria Climbie.
Abstract
Lord Laming's Inquiry Report (2003) into Victoria Climbie's death from hypothermia, malnutrition, and physical abuse at the hands of her caretakers (a great aunt and her cohabitee) stated that of greatest concern in the review of the case was for the "widespread organizational malaise" apparent throughout the involved services; it concluded that "nobody in any of the key agencies had the presence of mind to follow what are relatively straightforward procedures on how to respond to a child about whom there are concerns of deliberate harm." Principal recommendations from Lord Laming's Report were in the areas of structure, managerial/resourcing, procedures, practice, and training. When the authors of this current paper analyzed the case, they concluded that the most frequently recurring practice problems clustered around the referral and assessment process, interprofessional communications, the professionals' skill base, and their working conditions. This paper considers each of these areas. Training and resources are the keys to improved practice. Training must impart to all professionals a mindset that enables them to conduct and analyze an assessment and appreciate the psychology of communication. One final recommendation is that no further public inquiries into child abuse/neglect cases be commissioned until all the training and resource deficiencies identified over the last 30 years have been remedied. 36 references