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Article: TO PREVENT CHILD ABUSE, AUTHORITIES MUST BE MORE HELPFUL, LESS PUNITIVE
- Article from:
- The Boston Globe (Boston, MA)
- Article date:
- April 11, 1998
- Author:
CopyrightCopyright 1998 The Boston Globe. Provided by ProQuest LLC. (Hide copyright information)
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April is Child Abuse Prevention Month. Most everyone agrees with
the importance of this mission, but there is great debate about how
to deal with it.
For some people, "prevention of child abuse" means uncovering
and investigating families in "at risk" situations at earlier
stages. The result will be more extensive and intrusive child abuse
reporting procedures. Others interpret "prevention" as finding ways
to encourage parents to get help for themselves and their children.
The child welfare system's approach to the investigation and
treatment of child abuse is often perceived as blaming and
quasi-judicial. This can have a chilling effect on prevention,
stifling parents' willingness to ask ...