Child & Youth Fatalities Reviewed by the BC Children’s Commission: A Family Violence Perspective

Cooper, Mary

This report sets out to determine whether the Child and Youth Fatality Reviews published by the BC Children’s Commission contain information that is suitable for aggregation and that facilitates identification of patterns or trends in family violence experienced either during the deceased’s lifetime or in the circumstances leading to death.

38 pages / $10
FULL TEXT ONLINE

Communities Betrayed: Multiple Victim Child Sexual Abuse in Rural Communities

Andrea M. Kowaz & Carolyn A. Wright

This publication reports on an occurrence of multiple-victim child sexual abuse in a small rural community, perpetrated by an individual who had been a trusted community leader and teacher. Observations about the impact this had on the community and how the community coped form the focus of the report.

Distinct from other reports, A Community Betrayed provides an in-depth description of the impact of the abuse on the community, in addition to the individual victims. The authors believe the community as a whole needed to be counted among the victims, both because of the widespread nature of the abuse (the numbers of direct victims) and because of how this individual betrayed his trusted community position.

The study on which the book is based consisted of three phases: Phase 1 relied on measures of psycho-social adjustment administered to school children in the community; Phase 2 involved in-depth interviews with parents of directly involved children and parents of other children in the community; and Phase 3 investigated community resources and response through interviews with community workers and review of community files. The book ends with a section offering suggestions for communities dealing with similar situations. This book will be useful to researchers and service providers alike.

68 pages / $5
FULL TEXT ONLINE
Des collectivités trahies: click here for full text of French language version.

Identifying Those At Risk For Physically Abusing Children: Literature Review

Cooper, M.

The purpose of this literature review is to examine the current published knowledge base on assessing the risk of physical child abuse. The emphasis is on ways of detecting those at risk and assessing the degree of risk present. the review is not limited to children know to child protection services, but it does emphasize familial abuse by other types of caretakers (e.g., foster parents, educators, baby sitters, etc.), a topic which warrants separate review.

Starting with an exploration of definitional issues, the review describes what is known about the prevalence of physical child abuse. It then describes findings from current theoretical reviews of causal factors. Risk assessment schemes used to detect problem parenting, need for child protection, and severity of injury are summarized, with special attention paid to the strengths and limitations of these systems. The report concludes with suggestions for designing and evaluating risk assessment protocols.

48 pages/ $10
FULL TEXT AVAILABLE ONLINE (pdf)

Looking Back on Child Sexual Abuse: An Overview and Annotated Bibliography

Cooper, M.

The focus of this review is on adult survivors of child sexual abuse. The overview has been prepared for those who need a brief introduction to current issues, while the annotated bibliography is intended as a resource for those who wish to explore the topic in greater depth. Abstracts of over 100 books and journal articles are presented on the following topics: immediate effects, long term effects, male victims, ritual abuse, emotional trauma, diagnostic issues, post-traumatic stress disorder, borderline personality disorder, dissociative disorder, memory issues, treatment theories, behavioural techniques, family therapy, treatment-outcome studies, self-help publications and legal issues. Subject and author indices are provided.

79 pages/ $10
FULL TEXT ONLINE

The Person Within: Preventing Abuse of Children and Young People with Disabilities

[Video 28 min. with 48 pg. Handbook]

This video and handbook are invaluable instruments for educating and raising the awareness of parents, caregivers, friends, and family of children and youth with disabilities about the issues of abuse and neglect. It gives a voice to young people with disabilities, their parents, and their caregivers, and emphasizes recognizing individual abilities rather than disabilities. The production highlights the importance of emotionally responsible caregiving in family and group homes, schools, and treatment facilities.

Video with Handbook $50
Handbook only $7

Through the Looking Glass: Discipline vs. Abuse: A Multicultural Perspective

Staddon, N.

This manual presents information on parenting and discipline issues that arise with immigrant and refugee families living in British Columbia. Emphasis is placed on increasing understanding between service providers and the newcomer families they serve.

Contents of the manual are directed specifically to the information requirements of Ministry for Children and Families line workers in British Columbia. In addition, the manual seeks to set the information within a cultural context accurate about, and sensitive to, immigrant and refugee children and families.

The information brings together the work and observations of many practitioners and family members and places it within material elicited in more than 30 interviews with newcomer families from a variety of cultures in the Lower Mainland. Settlement workers also contributed to the information presented.

70 pages / $8
FULL TEXT ONLINE (pdf)

Under Scrutiny: Corporal Punishment and Section 43 of the Canadian Criminal Code

Tijerino, Adamira

This literature review looks at the non-legal issues relating to the corporal punishment of children, the lack of consistent and agreed-upon definitions of corporal punishment and/or child physical discipline, the religious roots of the practice of corporal punishment, effects and risk factors, legal analysis and implications of Section 43, and child abuse statistics.

39 pages / $10
FULL TEXT ONLINE (pdf)