Background: Although mandatory reporting has grown substantially in scope and geographical coverage, there is limited empirical evidence to support its effectiveness in preventing harm to children. In the absence of rigorous evaluations, comparing the perspectives of individuals who work in systems with and without mandatory reporting provides…

It has been said that one of the greatest failures in the education system has been a longstanding problem of public and private school educators failing to recognize victims of child abuse and neglect in their classrooms (Jennings, 1989). The maltreatment of children is a prevalent problem as we know that the number of child maltreatment cases…

Previous research documents that street-involved youth experience rates of trauma and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) that are significantly higher than their housed counterparts. Trauma and PTSD are of particular concern for homeless youth as they can negatively affect youths' ability to function adaptively and to transition off the streets.…

This study identified predictors of transience among homeless emerging adults in three cities. A total of 601 homeless emerging adults from Los Angeles, Austin, and Denver were recruited using purposive sampling. Ordinary least squares regression results revealed that significant predictors of greater transience include White ethnicity, high…

School personnel, particularly educators and school psychologists, are a first line of defense in protecting children from abuse. Teachers play an important role in the detection and reporting of child abuse. The relationship established between teachers and their students can facilitate the identification of child abuse. By virtue of their work,…

Fostering Healthy Futures (FHF) is a randomized controlled trial of an intervention for preadolescent youth placed in foster care because of maltreatment. As part of the FHF program, graduate students spend sixteen to twenty hours per week mentoring two youths in foster care and receiving intensive training and supervision. During summer and fall…

Objective: In Colorado, there has been a large increase in medical marijuana dispensaries and licenses for the use of medical marijuana over the past year. This is a retrospective case series of marijuana exposures that have presented to the emergency department (ED) in children less than 5 years of age. Methods: We performed a retrospective chart…

This study identified selected child factors (e.g., age, gender, race/ethnicity, disabilities, prior victimization, and relationship to perpetrator of abuse), family risk factors (e.g., substance abuse, domestic violence, inadequate housing, and financial problems), and services provided by child protective services that likely increased reports…

This qualitative study explored school social workers' relationships during instances of abuse and neglect reporting, focusing on reports made for children and adolescents already receiving school social work services. Although school social workers frequently file abuse and neglect reports, little is known about how they manage clinical and…

This study examined temporal-geographic patterns among 830 confirmed incidents of child abuse in 31 rural Colorado counties during 1986-90. Findings suggest that a first incident of abuse or neglect serves as a sentinel event, predicting a period of more frequent receipt and substantiation of maltreatment cases by child protection professionals in…

Examination of the cases of 24,507 children in Colorado's Child Abuse and Neglect Registry for evidence of revictimization found greater risk for young children, for females, and for physically neglected children. Although greatest risk of revictimization was immediately after the reported incident, the children remained at greater risk of…

This paper examines the role of Colorado's community-based child protection teams in the investigation and treatment of child abuse and neglect. The first section contains data from a survey of all Colorado counties as reported by team coordinators and members. It includes information on team composition, structure and operation, and training. The…

This report represents the first comprehensive summary of child abuse and neglect reporting in Colorado. Section I of this report presents an initial summary listing the number of confirmed and unconfirmed reports of abuse over a 14-year period and a look at key findings based on analysis of confirmed reports. Data and analyses are presented in…

A study involving 99 parents investigated results of a Colorado parenting and anger-management program. Results indicated that participants' anger-control level increased, and family conflict, anger, violence, and verbal aggression decreased. Participants also reported increased knowledge levels, improved attitudes, improved behaviors, and…