@article{ref1,
title="Risk factors identified in prenatal child protection reports",
journal="Children and youth services review",
year="2021",
author="Meiksans, Jenna and Arney, Fiona and Flaherty, Rosemaria and Octoman, Olivia and Chong, Alwin and Ward, Fiona and Taylor, Cathy",
volume="122",
number="",
pages="e105905-e105905",
abstract="The prevalence of prenatal reporting to child protection is estimated to be 3% of Australian pregnancies. Understanding risk factors associated with prenatal child protection involvement is critical in identifying the needs of families who may benefit from early intervention. This paper reports findings of a case file review examining characteristics of families reported prenatally. Unit-record administrative data were extracted for unborn children reported to child protection in a single Australian jurisdiction during 2014. Intake reports relating to a 20% random sample (n = 131 unborn children) were coded using a tailored coding guide developed for this study. Most families were reported to be experiencing three or more risk factors, including current or previous intimate partner violence (70% of families), parental alcohol and other drug use (63%), parental mental health concerns (58%) or parent criminal activity (34%). Over one-third of parents in the sample had themselves experienced abuse and neglect as children. In families with more than one child, more than 90% of older siblings of unborn children had been the subject of a previous report. Supports must address multiple co-occurring problems, often in the context of personal and familial histories of child abuse and neglect, meaning that risks are intergenerational and enduring.<p /> <p>Language: en</p>",
language="en",
issn="0190-7409",
doi="10.1016/j.childyouth.2020.105905",
url="http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.childyouth.2020.105905"
}