Public Opinions About What a Citizen Can Do to Help Abused and Neglected Children in Addictive Families

Federal and state child protection policies are calling for more substantial involvement by public citizens in the child welfare system. This statewide survey, focused on public opinions about how to help abused and neglected children in families where alcohol or other drug abuse is a problem, found that while most of the respondents said they are highly likely to help a family in such a situation, their probable actions were detached rather than involved. Qualitative analysis of open-ended questions revealed that respondents were likely to rely on authorities like child protection or law enforcement agencies; only a small minority was willing to befriend the family. These findings suggest that policies and programs need to focus on potential caregivers if the vision of more protective and competent communities is to be realized. Recommendations include a new generation of public awareness and education to emphasize social responsibility and effective ways to help, clarification of the respective roles of government, voluntary, and private sectors in protecting children and supporting families, and more research to assess the potential for care within communities and effective ways to motivate, train, and sustain caregivers

Addiction · Business · Child protection · Criminology · Enforcement · Focus group · Government (linguistics · Law enforcement · Political science · Psychiatry · Public relations · Child Abuse and Trauma · Child Welfare and Adoption · Homelessness and Social Issues · Law · Psychology

• Recognition of neglect and early response

  Open Access•Brigid Daniel, Julie Taylor et al.•Child & Family Social Work•2010

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