In the Lancet: New Zealand child maltreatment trends and policies in the spotlight
Mon 12 Dec 2011
An article published in The Lancet (online 9 December 2011) cites New Zealand as one of six countries where there has been no clear evidence ...
An article published in The Lancet (online 9 December 2011) cites New Zealand as one of six countries where there has been no clear evidence of a decrease in child maltreatment over the past two decades. The research team, led by Professor Ruth Gilbert, University College London, used three indicators of indicators; violent deaths in children, injuries related to maltreatment, and involvement with child protection agencies to assess child maltreatment in New Zealand, England, Sweden, the USA, Western Australia and Manitoba in Canada.
In the Lancet article the authors state that “These analyses draw attention to the need for robust research to establish whether the high and rising rates of agency contacts and out-of-home care in some settings are effectively reducing child maltreatment”.
The research was summarised in the New Zealand Herald (9 December 2011) with comments from contributing author and University of Otago research fellow Dr Pauline Gulliver.
Gilbert, Ruth et al. Child maltreatment: variations in trends and policies in six developed countries. The Lancet, early online publication, 9 December 2011.
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