Examining the Prospects for Developing a National Child Maltreatment Surveillance System in Ireland

Date

2021

Journal Title

Journal ISSN

Volume Title

Publisher

International Journal on Child Maltreatment: Research, Policy and Practice

Abstract

The Irish Government pledged to reducing the prevalence of child maltreatment under the WHO Regional Committee for Europe plan on reducing child maltreatment. As a first step towards a rights-based and public health approach to maltreatment prevention, the WHO plan recommends making child maltreatment more visible across the region, with better surveillance through the use of national surveys that use standardized, validated instruments. We review the policy context, present current Irish data holdings, and outline some of the complexities reported in the literature concerning various surveillance methods in the context of the proposal to establish and maintain a surveillance system for CM in Ireland. Conclusions highlight the need for Ireland to adopting an approach to surveillance as soon as it is feasible. The paper outlines how such a programme is necessary to address the current absence of evidence on which prevention policies can be developed and to compliment the current child protection system. Drawing on a review of current methods in use internationally, we outline options for an Irish child maltreatment surveillance programme.

Description

Keywords

child maltreatment, Ireland, International Resources, public health approach, prevention, research

Citation

Leary, D., & Lyons, O. M. (2021). Examining the Prospects for Developing a National Child Maltreatment Surveillance System in Ireland. International Journal on Child Maltreatment: Research, Policy and Practice, 1-23.

DOI