Negotiating to Prevent Child Abuse and Neglect
| Pages | 20-28 |
| Date | 01 February 2000 |
| Published date | 01 February 2000 |
| DOI | https://doi.org/10.1108/17465729200000013 |
| Author | Caterina Arcidiacono,Patrizia Palomba,Antonio Salzano |
| Subject Matter | Health & social care |
Negotiating to
Prevent Child Abuse and
Neglect
Caterina Arcidiacono
Professor of Community Psychology, SUN,
University of Naples, Italy – Director of Centro
per le Famiglie, Comune di Napoli- Asl Na 1
Patrizia Palomba
Antonio Salzano
Postgraduate students, SUN, University of Naples, Italy
FEATURE
In a multi-agency, multilevel and multisystem
scenario, the Provincial Education Office in
Naples promoted a training module for the
prevention of child neglect and abuse through
a successful partnership approach. A training
course, presented on a modular basis, was
directed at teachers and heads of the nursery
and primary schools throughout Naples. The
object was to raise awareness, competence
and coping skills when incidences of child
abuse and neglect were presented.
The aims of the module were:
■ to give participants the means to recognise
both the signs of hidden problems in the
child’s behaviour and the disguised signs
of maltreatment and abuse
■ to support the school representatives
and help them to acquire the necessary
competencies to enable them to become
a reference point for the child, so aiding
the child in the disclosure of information
and subsequent protection processes
■ to promote an effective working methodology,
through joint collaboration between school
workers, health and social services staff and
the magistracy
■ to enable the course participants to acquire
competence through acquiring appropriate
knowledge and skills by the assimilation of
relevant information.
A semi-structured questionnaire was drawn
up to evaluate the training module. A hundred
and seventy-nine school teachers and school
managers completed the questionnaire prior to
receiving the training, and a hundred and fifty-
four after; the results provided positive evidence
of the effectiveness of the programme. The
analysis of the data and comparison of the
results highlighted the interest in gaining more
knowledge of the subject, especially among the
younger participants. It is important to emphasise
that while they were on the course participants
welcomed the proposal for joint working
between the school, health and social services
and the legal authorities. However, no positive
changes were observed in relation to the
involvement of the judiciary, who have for some
time been considered with suspicion and reserve.
The course also encouraged the school workers
to develop a greater appreciation of the benefits
to be derived from a multidisciplinary approach
to this issue.
ABSTRACT
20 International Journal of Mental Health Promotion VOLUME 2 ISSUE 2 • MAY 2000 © Pavilion Publishing (Brighton) Limited.
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