Serious child mistreatment in Massachusetts: The course of 206 children through the courts

• Published in: Child abuse & neglect 1992, Vol.16 (2), p.179-185
• Main Authors: Jellinek, Michael S., Murphy, J.Michael, Poitrast, Francis, Quinn, Dorothy, Bishop, Sandra J., Goshko, Marilyn
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Adjudication; Adoption - legislation & jurisprudence; Biological and medical sciences; Care and protection petitions; Case Studies; Child Abuse; Child abuse & neglect; Child Abuse - legislation & jurisprudence; Child Abuse - prevention & control; Child abuse and neglect; Child Advocacy; Child Advocacy - legislation & jurisprudence; Child Advocacy - statistics & numerical data; Child Neglect; Child, Preschool; Children & youth; Compliance (Legal); Court decisions; Court Litigation; Family Problems; Female; Follow-Up Studies; Forensic psychiatry; Foster Care; Foster Home Care; Humans; Incidence; Legal Responsibility; Male; Massachusetts; Medical sciences; Mental Disorders; Parent-Child Relations; Parenting - psychology; Parents & parenting; Poverty; Program Effectiveness; Program Evaluation; Prospective Studies; Psychology. Psychoanalysis. Psychiatry; Psychopathology. Psychiatry; Social Services; United States; Young Children
• ISSN: 0145-2134; 1873-7757
• DOI: 10.1016/0145-2134(92)90026-N

Two hundred and six severely abused and/or neglected children brought before the Boston Juvenile Court on care and protection petitions were followed prospectively for 4 years. Two thirds of all parents were found to be poor, 84% had one or more psychiatric disorders, and 81% had been known to the Department of Social Services prior to their court appearance. The average age of children at the start of the court process was 4.2 years, and the average length of temporary foster care was 2.3 years. Judges' decisions to return children to parental custody or to order permanent removal were most strongly predicted by parental compliance with court-order services. Of the 63 cases dismissed from court and thus returned to biological parents, 18 (29%) had substantiated reports of new mistreatment over an approximately 3-year follow-up period. We concluded that children are often poorly served by the current delays in the social service/legal system, and that further clinical research would provide needed empirical data on how best to protect mistreated children. Une étude prospective a suivi 206 enfants gravement maltraités qui avaient paru devant la cour juvénile de Boston. Dans les deux tiers des cas, il était question de familles pauvres; 84% des familles avaient eu des difficultés d'ordre psychiatrique et 81 % étaient connues des services de protection avant leur parution en cour. Au moment de la parution, l'ĝe moyen des enfants était de 4.2 ans et la durée moyenne de leur stage en foyer d'accueil était de 2.3 années. Les juges étaient plus aptes à remettre aux parents la garde de leurs enfants ou la leur enlever de façon permanente, selon que les parents étaient prêts à se plier aux exigences de la cour. Parmi les 63 cas où la cour a retourné les enfant dans leurs familles, 18 (29%) ont fait l'objet de signalements pour maltraitance dans les trois ans qui suiviernt. Il est à conclure que les enfants sont souvent très mal desservis à cause des délais au niveau de la cour et des services sociaux. De nouvelles études cliniques assureraient des données empiriques, lesquelles sont nécessaires pour mieux protéger les enfants maltraités. Doscientos seis niños severamente abusados y/o víctimas de negligencia que fueron llevados ante la Corte Juvenil de Boston bajo peticiones de cuidado y protectión fueron objeto de un estudio longitudinal por 4 anõs. Dos tercios de los padres eran pobres, el 84% tenía uno o más desórdenes psiquiátricos, y el 81% ya eran conocidos po