The Nature and Scope of Reported Child Maltreatment in Euro-CAN Countries: Current Evidence and Future Opportunities

Andreas Jud; Lakshmi Neelakantan; Miroslav Rajter; Troels Græsholt-Knudsen; Andreas Witt; Athanasios Ntinapogias; Catherine Quantin; Laura Korhonen; Maria Roth; Ieva Daniunaite; Leonor Bettencourt Rodrigues; Sadhbh Whelan; Joanna Włodarczyk; Gabriel Otterman

doi:10.1007/s42448-024-00194-z

The Nature and Scope of Reported Child Maltreatment in Euro-CAN Countries: Current Evidence and Future Opportunities

Andreas Jud^*, Lakshmi Neelakantan, Miroslav Rajter, Troels Græsholt-Knudsen, Andreas Witt, Athanasios Ntinapogias, Catherine Quantin, Laura Korhonen, Maria Roth, Ieva Daniunaite, Leonor Bettencourt Rodrigues, Sadhbh Whelan, Joanna Włodarczyk, Gabriel Otterman

^*Corresponding author for this work

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Abstract

Most European Cooperation on Science and Technology (COST) affiliated countries aim to advance the goal of protecting children from maltreatment. However, despite the increasing numbers of population-based surveys, the development of administrative data systems has lagged. In this study, we aimed to examine the current state of development of administrative data systems in a sample of countries represented in the COST Action 19106 network, Multi-Sectoral Responses to Child Abuse and Neglect in Europe: Incidence and Trends (Euro-CAN). A structured questionnaire was distributed to researchers and professionals within Euro-CAN-affiliated countries, which captured economic, legislative, systemic, and data infrastructure characteristics. Thematic trends for 13 sampled countries were presented descriptively. The implementation of legislative measures such as banning corporal punishment varied substantially, with some countries decades apart. Almost all sampled countries mandate reports of suspected child maltreatment for all or some professionals in contact with children. In most countries, public child protection, health, or law enforcement systems are decentralized, and unsubstantiated/inconclusive incidents of suspected child maltreatment are not systematically collected at the national level. Child maltreatment data is not routinely collected in health sectors in all sampled countries. Where data is collected in different sectors, such as police and child protection agencies, different descriptions are often used. Systematic data linkage remains a seldom occurrence with only a few countries offering this capability. The call for Euro-CAN countries to develop multi-sectoral data systems to capture recorded instances of child maltreatment remains relevant.

Original language	English
Journal	International Journal on Child Maltreatment: Research, Policy and Practice
Volume	7
Issue	3
Pages (from-to)	387-408
Number of pages	22
ISSN	2524-5236
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1007/s42448-024-00194-z
Publication status	Published - Sept 2024

Keywords

Administrative data
Child maltreatment
Child protection
Euro-CAN countries
Surveillance

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Cite this

Jud, A., Neelakantan, L., Rajter, M., Græsholt-Knudsen, T., Witt, A., Ntinapogias, A., Quantin, C., Korhonen, L., Roth, M., Daniunaite, I., Bettencourt Rodrigues, L., Whelan, S., Włodarczyk, J., & Otterman, G. (2024). The Nature and Scope of Reported Child Maltreatment in Euro-CAN Countries: Current Evidence and Future Opportunities. International Journal on Child Maltreatment: Research, Policy and Practice, 7(3), 387-408. https://doi.org/10.1007/s42448-024-00194-z

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title = "The Nature and Scope of Reported Child Maltreatment in Euro-CAN Countries: Current Evidence and Future Opportunities",

abstract = "Most European Cooperation on Science and Technology (COST) affiliated countries aim to advance the goal of protecting children from maltreatment. However, despite the increasing numbers of population-based surveys, the development of administrative data systems has lagged. In this study, we aimed to examine the current state of development of administrative data systems in a sample of countries represented in the COST Action 19106 network, Multi-Sectoral Responses to Child Abuse and Neglect in Europe: Incidence and Trends (Euro-CAN). A structured questionnaire was distributed to researchers and professionals within Euro-CAN-affiliated countries, which captured economic, legislative, systemic, and data infrastructure characteristics. Thematic trends for 13 sampled countries were presented descriptively. The implementation of legislative measures such as banning corporal punishment varied substantially, with some countries decades apart. Almost all sampled countries mandate reports of suspected child maltreatment for all or some professionals in contact with children. In most countries, public child protection, health, or law enforcement systems are decentralized, and unsubstantiated/inconclusive incidents of suspected child maltreatment are not systematically collected at the national level. Child maltreatment data is not routinely collected in health sectors in all sampled countries. Where data is collected in different sectors, such as police and child protection agencies, different descriptions are often used. Systematic data linkage remains a seldom occurrence with only a few countries offering this capability. The call for Euro-CAN countries to develop multi-sectoral data systems to capture recorded instances of child maltreatment remains relevant.",

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Jud, A, Neelakantan, L, Rajter, M, Græsholt-Knudsen, T, Witt, A, Ntinapogias, A, Quantin, C, Korhonen, L, Roth, M, Daniunaite, I, Bettencourt Rodrigues, L, Whelan, S, Włodarczyk, J & Otterman, G 2024, 'The Nature and Scope of Reported Child Maltreatment in Euro-CAN Countries: Current Evidence and Future Opportunities', International Journal on Child Maltreatment: Research, Policy and Practice, vol. 7, no. 3, pp. 387-408. https://doi.org/10.1007/s42448-024-00194-z

The Nature and Scope of Reported Child Maltreatment in Euro-CAN Countries: Current Evidence and Future Opportunities. / Jud, Andreas; Neelakantan, Lakshmi; Rajter, Miroslav et al.
In: International Journal on Child Maltreatment: Research, Policy and Practice, Vol. 7, No. 3, 09.2024, p. 387-408.

Research output: Contribution to journal/Conference contribution in journal/Contribution to newspaper › Journal article › Research › peer-review

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AU - Jud, Andreas

AU - Neelakantan, Lakshmi

AU - Rajter, Miroslav

AU - Græsholt-Knudsen, Troels

AU - Witt, Andreas

AU - Ntinapogias, Athanasios

AU - Quantin, Catherine

AU - Korhonen, Laura

AU - Roth, Maria

AU - Daniunaite, Ieva

AU - Bettencourt Rodrigues, Leonor

AU - Whelan, Sadhbh

AU - Włodarczyk, Joanna

AU - Otterman, Gabriel

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The Nature and Scope of Reported Child Maltreatment in Euro-CAN Countries: Current Evidence and Future Opportunities

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