The child welfare response to serious nonaccidental head trauma.
Serious nonaccidental head trauma (NHT) can leave permanent neurological damage in children who survive abuse. This study reports on child welfare's handling of NHT cases compared with cases of physical abuse and head trauma due to neglect with regard to placement in foster care, reunification with family, and safety issues. The results show that workers placed children with NHT in foster care immediately after the abuse but treated them no differently than other physically abused children regarding reunification.
University of Chicago, Chicago, IL, USA.
Paula Kienberger
PK
Jaudes
Lucy A
LA
Bilaver
D002649:Child Abuse / Q000208:ethnology / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D002655:Child Custody / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D002675:Child, Preschool; D006259:Craniocerebral Trauma / Q000208:ethnology / Q000209:etiology* / Q000401:mortality; D016208:Databases, Factual; D005260:Female; D005581:Foster Home Care / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006630:Hispanic or Latino; D006801:Humans; D007087:Illinois / Q000453:epidemiology; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D008297:Male; D008484:Medicaid; D010287:Parent-Child Relations; D016016:Proportional Hazards Models; D012947:Social Work / Q000379:methods*