Child Maltreatment in Residential Care ― History, Research, and Current Practice

This data-rich volume reviews short- and long-term consequences of residential or institutional care for children across the globe as well as approaches to reducing maltreatment. Up-to-date findings from a wide range of developing and developed countries identify forms of abuse and neglect associated with institutionalization and their effects on development and pathology in younger children, adolescents, and alumni. The sections on intervention strategies highlight the often-conflicting objectives facing professionals and policymakers balancing the interests of children, families, and facilities. But despite many national and regional variations, two themes stand out: the universal right of children to live in safety, and the ongoing need for professionals and community to ensure this safety.

Included among the topics:

• Maltreatment and living conditions in long-term residential institutions for children
  
• Outcomes from institutional rearing
• Recommendations to improve institutional living
• Historical, political, socio-economic, and cultural influences on Child Welfare Systems
• Latin American and the Caribbean, African, Asian, Middle-Eastern, Western and Eastern European countries and the United States of America are presented.

Child Maltreatment in Residential Care will inform psychology professionals interested in the role of residential care in the lives of children, and possibilities for improved outcomes. It will also interest social workers and mental health practitioners and researchers seeking evidence-based interventions for families adopting children from residential care.

Adrian V. Rus, Ph.D., received his doctorate in Psychology in 2012 with an emphasis in experimental psychology from Texas Christian University. Dr. Rus currently teaches for Southwestern Christian University in Bethany, Oklahoma. Much of his research is focused on abuse and neglect of Romanian institutionalized children, although he also has a scientific interest in topics such as children and mother’s health, parenting, and personality. His studies have been published in high quality peer-reviewed journals such as Child Abuse and Neglect, Child Abuse Review, European Journal of Contraception and Reproductive Health Care, and European Journal of Public Health, among others.

Sheri R. Parris, Ph.D., is a Research Scientist at Texas Christian University with extensive writing and editing experience, as well as research experience in the fields of psychology and education. She has previously co-edited three educational textbooks, co-authored many book chapters, and has published articles in peer-reviewed journals such as Child Abuse Review, Child Abuse & Neglect, Child Welfare, Child and Youth Services, Children and Youth Services Review, Contemporary School Psychology, Journal of Educational Psychology, Journal of Evidence-Informed Social Work, among others.

Ecaterina Stativa, Ph.D., is a senior Research Scientist, sociologist, at the National Institute for Mother and Child Health “Alessandrescu-Rusescu” in Bucharest, Romania. She has extensive research experience on many aspects of child abandonment, institutionalization, neglect, and maltreatment. She has also led a large number of the national representative studies on different public health topics regarding mother and child health, for the Romanian Government and International Agencies. Her studies have been published as research reports and articles in prestigious peer-reviewed journals.