Child protection

Child protection comprises policies, services, and legal measures intended to prevent or respond to abuse, neglect, exploitation, and other harm to children.

Mandatory reporting: Legal duties requiring specified people to report suspected abuse or neglect to designated authorities. Reports often initiate formal child-protection assessment.
Child abuse: Acts or omissions by caregivers or others that cause, or risk causing, harm to a child. Abuse is one of the principal harms child-protection systems address.
Child welfare: Public and community systems that support children's safety, development, and family well-being. Child protection is one part of the broader child-welfare system.
Family separation: The loss or disruption of a child's co-residence with parents or other family members. Protective removal can prevent harm while also creating serious relational and developmental costs.
Child protection investigation: An official inquiry into suspected child maltreatment and the child's safety and needs. Investigations gather evidence and assess immediate danger after a concern is reported.
Child neglect: A caregiver's failure to meet a child's basic needs, with resulting or likely harm. Neglect concerns often require distinguishing unmet needs from deliberate abuse.
Child advocacy center: A coordinated center where children affected by abuse can receive forensic interviews and linked services. These centers reduce fragmented responses to suspected abuse.
Kinship care: Care for a child by relatives or other adults with a pre-existing relationship to the child. When placement is necessary, familiar caregivers can offer an alternative to unrelated foster care.
Risk assessment: A structured judgment of the likelihood and severity of future harm under specified conditions. Authorities use risk assessment to decide what intervention and monitoring are warranted.
Child exploitation: The use of children for another person's benefit through coercion, abuse of power, or vulnerability. Protection must address exploitation as well as harm within caregiving relationships.

Linked from 25 pages