Child Welfare Professionals and Incest Families: A Difficult Encounter (Welfare and Society)

Little research has been done on the nature of decision-making by child welfare professionals in child abuse cases, or on the impact of the different approaches on victims and their families. This text compares a system which relies heavily on criminal prosecution to handle child abuse cases (England) with a system that is more treatment orientated and depends primarily on child welfare and clinical services (Canada). The study examines the extent and nature of the incestuous abuse, how it was disclosed and the initial reponse from the professionals. It then looks at how the cases are processed through child welfare and criminal justice systems with attention paid to the decisions made throughout. The nature of the social service contacts with the family are also examined as are the type and length of treatment. It attempts to determine what factors influence the legal and clinical decisions that are made by various professionals throughout the whole process.