title: Dancing around families: neonatal nurses and their role in child protection.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To explore the processes neonatal intensive care nurses used in their child protection role with preterm infants.
  
  
  BACKGROUND
  Neonatal nurses' screening for family violence is important in identifying at-risk preterm infants requiring protection upon discharge from neonatal intensive care settings. We know little about neonatal nurses and their role in child protection.
  
  
  METHODS
  A qualitative research design using Glaserian grounded theory.
  
  
  METHODS
  Ten in-depth semi-structured interviews were conducted with New Zealand neonatal intensive care nurses. Data were simultaneously analysed using constant comparative analysis and theoretical sampling to develop a substantive grounded theory.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Dancing around families is the substantive grounded theory explaining how neonatal intensive care nurses respond to and manage an infant needing child protection. Knowing at-risk families is the process these nurses used, which draws on their personal and professional knowledge to identify an infant's child welfare requirements. A tension exists for neonatal nurses in shaping and framing the baby's safety and protection needs between their role of nurturing and protecting an at-risk infant and it belonging to the family.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Child protection is a source of conflict for neonatal intensive care nurses. A lack of education, dodgy families and lack of confidence in child welfare services all compromise effective child protection. Their reality is tension between wanting the best possible outcomes for the baby, but having little or no control over what happens following its discharge.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Neonatal intensive care nurses are ideally positioned to identify and respond to those preterm infants at risk of child maltreatment. They need education in child maltreatment, and protection focused on preterm infants, collegial support and clinical supervision.
authors.affiliation: Fisher & Paykel Healthcare, Auckland, New Zealand.
authors.forename: Tina
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Saltmarsh
authors.affiliation: Māori Health, School of Public Health & Psychosocial Studies, Auckland University of Technology, Auckland, New Zealand.
authors.forename: Denise
authors.identifier: http://orcid.org/0000-0001-9942-3561
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Wilson
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001291:Attitude of Health Personnel; D002649:Child Abuse / Q000517:prevention & control*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D007363:Intensive Care Units, Neonatal; D007407:Interviews as Topic; D000068101:Maternal-Child Health Services; D016294:Models, Nursing; D017283:Neonatal Nursing; D009520:New Zealand; D024802:Nurse's Role
keywords: child abuse; child protection; domestic violence; family care; family-centred care; grounded theory; infants