NCJ Number
164201
Journal
Child Abuse Review Volume: 5 Issue: 1 Dated: (March 1996) Pages: 4-17
Date Published
1996
Length
14 pages
Annotation
This article traces the history and operations of police specialist units, working in cooperation with social workers, that investigate cases of alleged child abuse in Scotland.
Abstract
The study involved intensive periods of fieldwork in all eight Scottish police forces. Documentary material was also reviewed, including policy documents from police and social workers, operational instructions, training manuals, staffing criteria, and job descriptions. Specialist police officers throughout the eight Scottish police forces addressed 710 reports of violence against children over a 4-month period during the research. Child abuse accounted for 79 percent of these investigations; 63 percent of child abuse cases were categorized as sexual abuse, 27 percent as physical abuse, and 6 percent as neglect. The remaining 40 percent involved a combination of all three categories of abuse. The investigations by the specialist units typically encompassed interviews with the suspected child victims, the coordination of medical examinations, and possibly overnight accommodations for children and their nonabusive caretakers. There are three distinct types of joint police-social worker investigation: "separate," where unit staff and social workers work independently, with no organizational structure for joint investigations; "informal-joint," where police and social workers have devised a working coalition without a formal policy statement; and "formal-joint," where the two agencies have a stated procedure on joint investigations. Establishment of the joint units has led to increased knowledge among police and social workers about their respective roles in child abuse investigations. Although conflict remains, especially in relation to the timing and direction of an interview with a child, there have been improvements in the amount of information shared between the two agencies. 10 references