Ferran CasasCarme Montserrat

Funded by the Catalan Government

http://www.udg.edu/eridiqv

Historical backgroundTheoretical frameworkDesign and productValidationLinked to other databases

Available at: https://infanciarespon.gencat.cat/rumi/AppJava/simulacio/simulacio.html

An issue of growing international interest

ChildOnEurope. European Network of National Observatories on Childhood

Review on national systems of statistics and registration on child abuse (2007).Guidelines on data collection and monitoring systems on child abuse (2009)

Report of the Independent Expert on violence against children. New York, United Nations, October 2006).

As a consequence of this and other reports, the General Secretary appointed a deputy in 2009 to take charge of these issues

to develop child-focused statistics and monitoring systems

to improve the data items collected in existing statistical systems

to develop new areas of research and data collection

to promote evidence-based plans of action and programs

to arrive at common definitions for types of child abuse and also process and outcome indicators for evaluations based on international norms and research.

According to guidelines published by ChildONEurope (2009), the following are required:A flexible system facilitating understanding between different sets of social agents capable of contributing different types of relevant dataAn open system that allows the involvement of all professionals who might contribute data from different areas.A system that guarantees the confidential treatment of children’s data.A system that allows the storage of individual pieces of data and the production of anonymous statistics, which are useful in analysing the child care and protection system in the region.A system that finds a balance between reliability and the usability of stored data.

Assessing abuse may require gathering a lot of information, whereas a monitoring system must be very agile and manage only certain basic information so as not to become too unwieldy for the professionals who use it.

A statistical system needs anonymous aggregate data, but in this case it must be based on very sensitive personal data subject to privacy laws, and which at the same time are used for monitoring.

The most relevant sources of data often depend on different public bodies, which are subject to differently functioning laws and processes.

Analytical data collection in the process of managing situations of risk for children and adolescents

The Register was created because of political pressure: Repeated child abuse raises media criticism to inefficiency of the system.

Not all regional governments agreed to facilitate the indicators requested.

Professionals saw the RUMI as more work and no practical advantage for them.

The system was designed top-down. Many practical aspects not taken into account.

Conclusion: It does not function in 15 of 17 regions

All professionals in contact with children may have interesting observations. All need to be involved.

All observations may be useful for experts. However, only experts have specialised knowledge regarding indicators of risk situations which may help decision making. They often only want to focus on “contrasted indicators” in order to make “grounded decisions”. Such data is not always easy to obtain, and may require too much time.

Additionally, all indicators need no be contextualized.

Society, politicians and researchers need systematic statistics which are not restricted to “contrasted indicators of risk situations”.

We decided to create a computer package to facilitate data collection based on observations rather than indicators.

The package should be informative for any user: inform how to select information, which other professionals to contact, what kind of child abuse could be faced, …

The package should provide information for experts who need to identify risk indicators in order to make decisions.

The package should be used to generate statistics anonymously.

Main social agents: Professionals in the welfare system, in the school system, in the citizen safety system (police) and in the health system.

Some systems already have their own data collection systems (health, police), which need to be “linked together” and governed by institutional agreements.

Any technical proposal by “experts” will need active “improvement” to be useful to all professionals in contact with children. “Languages” should be understood by all users.

Some premises to considerSome premises to consider

In order to deal with child abuse effectively, situations of risk must be managed appropriately.A system of risk management will only be effective if based on the premise of all its users wanting it and being convinced of its usefulness.A professional culture must be generated of sharing and coordinating information and analysing and communicating risk in order to achieve effective risk management among different groups.

To implement a new common and shared risk assessment model based on new technologies for prevention, early detection and immediate action in cases of abuse

To have a shared communications tool for the network and online

To introduce a single system for recording abuse in Catalonia

Making information available that allows prevention, protection and la prospection with shared assessment criteria for detected risk

To offer professionals an evaluation systemTo create a channel of communication with

citizensTo establish an access system for child

participation

Professionals disposed towards interdepartmental coordination

Shared leadership in the prevention of child abuseKnowledge shared between network professionals

with regard to the risk situations in which children and adolescents might find themselves

Proactive action in initial situations where there is risk of abuse and from the first stages of abuse

Reducing response time and effective intervention in cases where minors require protection

Risk Management Support Module (RMSM)

SIMULATOR TO REGISTER A CASE(without personal data) (with personal data)FOR ALL CITIZENS ONLY PROFESSIONALS-------------------------------------------------FORMSelect the Department (Health, Education, Social Services, The Police)

Select the age of the child (0-17)Select the Observations that you seeSelect the degree of riskSelect the protective factors

Observation 1

Observation 2

Observation 3

…

Observation

Indicator 1

…

Indicator n

Indicator n

Indicator 1

…

…

…

Blind computer algorithm for person notifying abuse

TRA

FFIC

LI

GH

T O

F R

ISK

Physical abuse

Negligence

Emotional abuse

Sexual abuse

Indicator 2

Indicator 2

Type

s of

abu

se w

ith n

otab

le ri

sk

Assessment algorithms

Assessing degree of riskAssociated types of abuseRisk of new episodes of abuseRecommended action

The RMSM also allows:

Monitoring of the caseDetecting background information for the

case

REDThe child or adolescent may find themselves in a situation of severe risk of abuse which may endanger their physical, mental and/or emotional integrity

Notify the Child Abuse Detection and Prevention

Unit

Directorate General for Child and

Adolescent Care adopts

precautionary measures

Refer case to child

protection team

No

Yes

Immediate

protection

required?

Situation of

neglect?

AMBERThe child or adolescent may find themselves in a situation of moderate or slight risk of abuse

Coordination with local Social

Services

Intervention by local Social

Services

Refer case to child

protection team

No

Yes

YELLOWThe child or adolescent may find themselves in a situation in which there is no guarantee that their basic needs are being sufficiently met but where there is no situation of abuse detected.

Networking within the

department

Communicate the new situation

Maintain departmental

support for the family

No

Yes

Does the situation

improve with the intervention of

services?

Technological aspect

Usability aspect

Content aspect

Aspect of Professional practice and social

environment

Validating all aspects of the entire system Validating all aspects of the entire system to verify its correct and reliable functioning.its correct and reliable functioning.

Participatory process

Designing the validation process

Applying the methodology of focus focus groupsgroups, through the selection of a sample sample group of professionals and expertsgroup of professionals and experts.

Focus group A: Professionals from the areas of health,

education, the security forces and social services

Focus group B: Professionals from the field of child

protection

Presentations (2010)

Participants in the meetings

Volunteers for the pilot

Barcelona 453 268

Girona 130 74

Lleida 93 8

Tarragona 105 39

Terres de l’Ebre 48 29

Castelló 9 9

TOTAL 838 427

Validation process carried out to date

FOCUS GROUP AFOCUS GROUP A: Professionals from the areas of health, education, the security forces and social services

Fields No.

professionals per field

Total cases in

department

Teachers, pedagogues, doctors, psychologists, police officers, social workers, social educators, nurses

67 141

Validation process carried out to date

FOCUS GROUP BFOCUS GROUP B: Professionals from the field of child protection

FieldsNo.

professionals per field

Total cases in

department

Experts in abuse, researchers 108 251

Criterion for validation

Response

Response from the system

90% 95.2%

Types of assessment 90% 90%

Observations, observation clusters and blocks

80% 80%

Personal data 75% 100%

Usability of the system 80% 80%

Validation process carried out to dateNo. of cases recorded in the

system: 392No. of professional validators:

175

Proposed changes and implemented changes

In a feedback session in November 2010, there was a presentation of the proposed changes to the participatory process and the changes that were ultimately introduced

Limitations of the RMSM

Aspects referring to protective factors:

Why do protective factors not alter the result?

Why have protective factors referring to parents not been added?

Aspects referring to the intervention process:

When parents do not fulfil the aims of the improvement plan

When the child is already in care and there has been no new incident

Changes in the content of RMSM blocks

Political will to link databases between different departments: health system, education system, security forces, social services system.

Standardised use of common language by professionals in each system.