The Swedish social services' police reporting and children's access to protection and support in child abuse cases: A quantitative content analysis

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dc.contributor.authorvan Ufford, S. Q., Heimer, M., Schön, U. K., & Linell, H.
dc.date.accessioned2022-12-01T16:08:28Z
dc.date.available2022-12-01T16:08:28Z
dc.date.issued2022
dc.description.abstractBackground The UN Convention on the Rights of the Child prohibits all forms of violence against children. Sweden was early in introducing a ban on disciplinary violence; however, difficulties have been noted in identifying children in need of protection and providing help for children exposed to violence. Objectives The purpose of this study was to explore the social services' police reporting and children's access to protection and support in cases of physical and sexual child abuse. Methods The sample consisted of 291 child welfare reports from three Swedish municipalities. Data were collected from child welfare reports, investigations, and child social records and analyzed using quantitative content analysis. Results A majority of the cases, including cases with a high indication for police reporting, were not reported to the police by the social services. Although the child in 60.1 % of cases provided information about violence, 70.7 % of all child welfare investigations were completed without support measures, and only 8.2 % led to protection or support linked to violence. Children's participation was limited, suggesting inadequate conditions for children's access to protection and support. Conclusions Children's right to protection against violence requires the recognition of children as active participants with access to safe participation. Failure to report suspected crimes against children risks minimizing acts of violence or making violence invisible. Difficulties in handling conflicts of interest between children and parents risk neither protection nor support being provided for the child.en_US
dc.identifier.citationvan Ufford, S. Q., Heimer, M., Schön, U. K., & Linell, H. (2022). The Swedish social services' police reporting and children's access to protection and support in child abuse cases: A quantitative content analysis. Child Abuse & Neglect, 133, 105828.en_US
dc.identifier.urihttps://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0145213422003623
dc.identifier.urihttp://hdl.handle.net/11212/5647
dc.language.isoenen_US
dc.publisherChild Abuse & Neglecten_US
dc.subjectchild protectionen_US
dc.subjectchild sexual abuseen_US
dc.subjectlaw enforcementen_US
dc.subjectpolice reporten_US
dc.subjectSwedenen_US
dc.subjectInternational Resourcesen_US
dc.titleThe Swedish social services' police reporting and children's access to protection and support in child abuse cases: A quantitative content analysisen_US
dc.typeArticleen_US

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