The problems of child abuse and how to help solve them

Our work is based on extensive international research which shows that what works is a commitment to:

• Work with families in their home – not in clinics or offices
• Support families for the long term – real change takes time
• Address family needs holistically (this might include post natal depression, drug and alcohol issues, parents’ own history of abuse, domestic violence, mental illness, social isolation, inability to access community resources, child or parent disability, cultural issues, multiple birth, child abuse and neglect, particularly emotional abuse and attachment disorders)
• Connect families to supports in their local community.

Our approach recognises that a range of programs are required to meet the needs of families, so our early intervention programs include:

• Intensive support for the most distressed families.
• Highly trained volunteer home visitors for families with additional stress around the birth of a new baby, due to social isolation, disability, multiple birth or difficulty using services because of a non-English speaking background.
• Short-term interventions with families and training and consultation to other professionals.

By visiting families at home, early intervention workers can offer counselling, information on child development and practical household advice. They can link families to community resources such as childcare, playgroups, early childhood nurses and community health services. They strengthen the relationships between children and parents, help with general parenting skills and nurture the children’s healthy development, including through play and art therapy. By visiting at home, workers and volunteers can more readily understand the family’s needs. They gain insight into families’ lifestyles, values and their inner worlds. They can reach families who would not otherwise engage with services.

Early intervention works

Measuring the outcomes of early intervention programs is challenging but qualitative and quantitative evaluation provides clear evidence that our approach is having a positive impact on the crucial parent-child attachment. This attachment is seen as pivotal in preventing child abuse and neglect. Evidence from clients, families and staff as well as the use of a number of professional tools to track progress over time, confirms that The Benevolent Society’s early intervention programs are making a difference. And the earlier the intervention takes place, the more effective the outcome.

Although some parents who experienced abuse or other trauma in childhood become abusive parents themselves, this is far from inevitable. With the right support and understanding provided early on in the life of their child, parents can work through these painful feelings. The past does not have to be repeated.

Not only does early intervention work, it’s cost effective. A study by the Rand Institute found that early intervention programs are cost-effective for governments (and hence the community) in the long term, compared with the costs of law enforcement, the justice system and prisons which are a consequence of child abuse and neglect. The savings are greatest when programs are targeted to vulnerable families, with the estimates being that for every dollar spent intervening to support these families with young children at risk, seven dollars are saved later on.

Child abuse, social capital and our collective responsibility

Our collective horror about child abuse is understandable – it’s a crime against the most vulnerable in our community and its negative impacts on the long-term wellbeing of children are horrifying. But just as our horror might be collective, so too should be our response to preventing abuse and neglect.

Social capital is a term used to describe the shared values, resources and connections that make a community a good place to live. To the extent that people know and trust each other, feel safe, understand what services are available and feel happy about the neighbourhood, they are rich in social capital. All families face stresses – we now know that how we support families to manage these stresses and help them connect with others in the community has a major impact on the wellbeing of the whole family.

Research with families of small children has found that mothers who enjoy a wide network of friendships and other connections have an easier time than those who are socially isolated. That is they are rich in social capital. They have access to friendship and affection, advice, information about parenting and child development and practical help such as informal child care. Further, a wide social network greatly increases a parent’s ability to provide small children with a stimulating and enjoyable home environment.

Statistical surveys show that child abuse is more prevalent in neighbourhoods where residents are suspicious of their neighbours, have no firm friends and would prefer to live somewhere else. In these neighbourhoods the stocks of social capital are low. A study by Professor Tony Vinson for the Australian Institute of Criminology showed that in the "hot-spot" clusters where child abuse was most prevalent, 41% of residents rated the neighbourhood as a poor or very poor place to bring up children. More than 84% of local residents wanted to leave the area to live somewhere else.

We now know that supporting families early in the life of their child is crucial for the healthy emotional, cognitive and psychological development of their child. It’s also crucial in preventing child abuse and neglect. That support needs to involve us taking collective responsibility for developing caring local neighbourhoods and communities. Building local social connections and informal support is fundamental to preventing child abuse and neglect and to building resilience in children and vulnerable families.

The prevention of child abuse and neglect is not just a job for the specialists - safety and happiness in early childhood depend on communities as well as on individual families. The Benevolent Society’s early intervention programs link people in their communities so they have better access to services, friendly advice and information. The most important connections for vulnerable families are with people – neighbours and the local community offering friendship, love and support. Supportive communities, rich in social capital, complemented by a range of early intervention programs, are the most effective ways of preventing child abuse and neglect.