Abstract:
One of the greatest challenges for field professionals is ready access to research,
guidelines, protocols and best practices that contribute to evidence-based practice. This is
particularly true for professionals working in agencies that provide social services, without
access to academic or organizational collections. The problem is further exacerbated when the
professionals are located in local organizations throughout the U.S. and abroad.
The Child Abuse Library Online (CALiO™) was launched over a decade ago by the
National Children’s Advocacy Center to specifically address this problem.
The National Children’s Advocacy Center, a non-profit organization funded primarily
through federal grants and other contributions was first established more than 30 years ago, and
remains the primary center for training and information dissemination.
Over 900 Children’s Advocacy Centers, structured as formal working collaborations
between law enforcement, district attorney offices, and health and victim services agencies
combat child maltreatment.
This paper offers an overview of the unique needs of widely dispersed field professionals
working with allied goals but varied expertise, the fundamental principles guiding the policies
and services of CALiO™, and an overview of usage patterns by these professionals.
In addition to the targeted services of CALiO™ for the professionals affiliated with
Children’s Advocacy Centers, CALiOTM has expanded its purview to include all professionals in
fields related to child abuse and neglect, domestic and globally. These professionals include
employees of Child Welfare Services and other social agencies, law enforcement, and the courts,
and medical and mental health professionals who are not allied with Children’s Advocacy
Centers.
This paper also discusses CALiO™Collections, the open access repository of multilingual
scholarly and research publications, practice guidelines and international documents.
CALiO™ Collections contains over 2,700 open access publications, videos, and materials related
to child maltreatment, trafficking, and commercial exploitation. The unusual strategy for
populating CALiO™Collections and its usage are briefly examined.