Child maltreatment data: A summary of progress, prospects and challenges.

BACKGROUND: In 1996, the ISPCAN Working Group on Child Maltreatment Data (ISPCAN-WGCMD) was established to provide an international forum in which individuals, who deal with child maltreatment data in their respective professional roles, can share concerns and solutions. OBJECTIVE: This commentary describes some of the key features and the status of child maltreatment related data collection addressed by the ISPCAN-WGCMD. METHODS: Different types of data collection methods including self-report, sentinel, and administrative data designs are described as well as how they address different needs for information to help understand child maltreatment and systems of prevention and intervention. RESULTS: While still lacking in many parts of the world, access to child maltreatment data has become much more widespread, and in many places a very sophisticated undertaking. CONCLUSION: The ISPCAN-WGCMD has been an important forum for supporting the continued development and improvement in the global effort to understand and combat child maltreatment thus contributing to the long term goals of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child. Nevertheless, based on what has been learned, even greater efforts are required to improve data in order to effectively combat child maltreatment.

Out of home care in France and Switzerland / Las medidas de protección a la infancia con separación familiar en Francia y Suiza

Este artículo se centra en las semejanzas y diferencias entre los sistemas de protección a la infancia de Francia y Suiza, de acuerdo con la evolución del último decenio. La falta de un sistema integrado, holístico, y la enorme diversidad de prácticas entre territorios en ambos países crea una realidad que plantea un desafío tanto para la investigación como para los profesionales. Además, la legislación y Francia y en Suiza es bastante parecida en el hecho de que no hay un apoyo definido ni un cuerpo de legislación sobre el bienestar en niños y jóvenes. En ambos países es la necesidad de una mejor comprensión de esta realidad lo que impulsa el desarrollo de mejores procesos de recogida de datos y una nueva investigación en profundidad en este campo (AU)

This article focuses on the structural similarities and dissimilarities that exist between child protection systems in France and Switzerland, as exemplified by the evolutions of the last decade. The absence of an integrated holistic system and the great diversity of practices between territories in both countries creates a reality that is a challenge for research and practitioners alike. Furthermore, legislation in France and Switzerland is quite similar in that there is no single defined support or welfare body of legislation for children and youth. In both countries, the need for a better understanding of this reality drives the development of better data collection processes and of new in-depth research on these issues (AU)