Child Maltreatment Fatalities in the United States

1. Front Matter

   Pages i-xv

   PDF

2. Introduction to and Justification for the Book

   • Emily M. Douglas

   Pages 1-8

3. What Is Fatal Child Maltreatment?

   • Emily M. Douglas

   Pages 9-26

4. Risk Factors for Fatal Maltreatment Victimization and Perpetration

   • Emily M. Douglas

   Pages 27-46

5. The Intersection of the Child Welfare Profession and Maltreatment Fatalities

   • Emily M. Douglas

   Pages 47-70

6. Child Death Review Teams

   • Emily M. Douglas

   Pages 71-89

7. State Safe Haven Laws

   • Emily M. Douglas

   Pages 91-108

8. Criminal Justice and Legal Reforms in Response to Fatal Child Maltreatment

   • Emily M. Douglas

   Pages 109-126

9. Prevention of Fatal Child Maltreatment: What Are We Doing That Is Working?

   • Emily M. Douglas

   Pages 127-148

10. Conclusions and Recommendations Moving Forward in the Arena of Fatal Child Maltreatment

    • Emily M. Douglas

    Pages 149-166

11. Back Matter

    Pages 167-169

    PDF

This book focuses on the prevention of child abuse and neglect deaths in the U.S. In 2013 1,520 children died from maltreatment. This book defines child maltreatment fatalities (CMFs) and discusses the prevalence of deaths in the U.S. over the last several decades. It addresses the known risk factors for maltreatment deaths including child, parent, the parent-child relationship, and household risk factors. The main focus of the book addresses the responses and interventions that have been put in place in order to prevent CMFs: the child welfare profession, child death review teams, safe haven laws, criminal justice responses, public education, and new, federal efforts in the U.S. to reduce CMFs in the U.S. The book finishes by making recommendations for researchers, practitioners, and decision-makers about how to prevent fatal maltreatment among children in the U.S.

• CMF
• Child Welfare
• Child abuse and neglect
• Child and Family Policy
• Child Death
• Fatal Child Maltreatment
• Health Professionals
• Prevention of child maltreatment
• Social Services
• Child Maltreatment
• Child Maltreatment Fatalities
• maternal and child health

“Therapists and other professionals who work with families with open child welfare or domestic violence cases can learn about the risk factors for future child fatalities, such as the fact that many deaths occur in families already known to social service agencies. Graduate students, law students, or post docs in the fields of prevention science, family law, social policy, or family studies would also benefit from learning about the multidisciplinary work done in this field.” (Tasha R. Howe, PsycCRITIQUES, Vol. 62 (7), February, 2017)

• Bridgewater State University , Bridgewater, USA

  Emily M. Douglas

Emily M. Douglas, Ph.D. is an associate professor of social work at Bridgewater State University in Bridgewater, Massachusetts. Her areas of expertise address child and family well-being, and programs and policies that promote positive outcomes. Specifically, her areas of expertise include fatal child maltreatment, medical neglect, corporal punishment, partner violence, divorced families, and the connection between research and public policy. Dr. Douglas and her colleague, Dr. Denise Hines (Clark University), have been among the first researchers to conduct NIH-supported, large-scale research projects on men who sustain partner violence and seek help, and the potential effects on their children. Dr. Douglas has an undergraduate degree in psychology and graduate degrees in public policy; she also completed an NIMH-supported post-doctoral research fellowship under the mentorship of Dr. Murray Straus at the Family Research Laboratory at the University of New Hampshire and has served on alegislative committee in Maine concerned with father involvement. Dr. Douglas is the founder and director of the National Research Conference on Child and Family Programs and Policy which is held annually at Bridgewater State University. Finally, Dr. Douglas is the author of two books on family policy and authored or co-authored 30 peer-reviewed publications, and has presented at numerous national and international conferences. She is the co-author (with Drs. Murray Straus and Rose Medeiros) of a forthcoming book on corporal punishment entitled, The Primordial Violence. During the 2010-2011 academic year, Dr. Douglas was named the Presidential Fellow at her institution, allowing her a full academic year to focus on her research on maltreatment fatalities and the child welfare system.

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