Daryl J Higgins

Australian Catholic University | ACU · Institute of Child Protection Studies

Background: To establish national prevalence of child maltreatment, reliable, valid and contextually appropriate measurement is needed. This paper outlines the refinement, adaptation and testing of child maltreatment sections of the Juvenile Victimization Questionnaire (JVQ)-R2 for use in the Australian context. Methods: Three phases were undert...

Fostering the growth, development, health, and wellbeing of children is a global priority. The early childhood period presents a critical window to influence lifelong trajectories, however urgent multisectoral action is needed to ensure that families are adequately supported to nurture their children's growth and development. With a shared vision t...

Critics are raising serious questions about who is “served” by statutory child protection systems if they utilize an intervention model based on reporting, investigation, and removal. Public health approaches present an innovative alternative, but how to get the right support and interventions to the right people at the right time remains challengi...

Organizations that interact with children and young people have a duty of care to ensure the safety of those children and young people from any manner of abuse, particularly from child sexual abuse. Faith-based (“religious”) organizations are of particular interest due to the number of victims/survivors speaking out about their experiences of groom...

Objectives: Parenting is central to children's optimal development and accounts for a substantial proportion of the variance in child outcomes, including up to 40% of child mental health. Parenting is also one of the most modifiable, proximal, and direct factors for preventing and treating a range of children's problems and enhancing wellbeing. To...

This report presents findings from an exploratory study that examined broad-ranging, publicly available data to investigate emerging trends, issues and needs in the child welfare workforce and the educational profile of this workforce. The research project itself stemmed from an awareness of the multifaceted changes required for implementing a pub...

Parents can be essential change-agents in their children’s lives. To support parents in their parenting role, a range of programs have been developed and evaluated. In this paper, we provide an overview of the evidence for the effectiveness of parenting interventions for parents and children across a range of outcomes, including child and adolescen...

Epidemiological surveys measuring the prevalence of child maltreatment generate essential knowledge that is required to enhance human rights, promote gender equality, and reduce child abuse and neglect and its effects. Yet, evidence suggests Institutional Review Boards (IRBs) may assess the risk of these studies using higher than normal thresholds,...

Children and young people in out-of-home care are at a higher risk of suicide than young people not involved with child protection systems. Despite this, there is a lack of evidence of effective suicide prevention interventions for this vulnerable population. We reviewed the types of suicide prevention interventions that have been used and evaluate...

Parents can be essential change-agents in their children’s lives. To support parents in their parenting role, a range of programs have been developed and evaluated. In this paper, we provide an overview of the evidence for the effectiveness of parenting interventions for parents and children across a range of outcomes, including child and adolescen...

Introduction Child maltreatment (physical abuse, sexual abuse, emotional abuse, neglect and exposure to domestic violence) is widely understood to be associated with multiple mental health disorders, physical health problems and health risk behaviours throughout life. However, Australia lacks fundamental evidence about the prevalence and characteri...

The onset of the COVID-19 pandemic brings new worries about the welfare of children, particularly those of families living in poverty and impacted other risk factors. These children will struggle more during the pandemic because of financial pressures and stress placed on parents, as well as their limited access to services and systems of support....

Although there is a lack of data on experiences in other youth-serving organisations, past research on schools has found that transgender youth often perceive the school climate, as well as the physical aspects of the school environment, as less safe than their cisgender peers. Similarly, transgender students’ level of confidence in adults and staf...

In this article, we argue for a new approach to child welfare—one that replaces existing child protection systems beset by scandals and tragedies with broad-scale system re-alignment that places public health prevention and early intervention at the forefront of efforts to engage, support, and empower families. We explain that the ‘rescue and remov...

Background: Research on prevalence, risk factors, and prevention interventions for child sexual abuse has continued to focus on western and developed countries. Where country-level prevalence data or large-scale research exists, rates of child sexual abuse are consistently higher in developing and non-western countries than their western and devel...

Background: Unacceptably high staff turnover has plagued traditional approaches to child protection, seemingly forever. Around the globe, numerous studies, reports and inquiries have highlighted how statutory agencies, focusing on risk-oriented investigations of suspected maltreatment, experience significant issues with worker stress and its occup...

Media reports and government enquiries have shone a spotlight on institutional child sexual abuse (CSA) globally. With youth-serving organizations seeking to identify how to improve policies and procedures developed to protect children, a gap exists in research and organizational quality assurance procedures. A new tool is needed to measure the cap...

This volume provides readers around the globe with a focused and comprehensive examination of how to prevent and respond to child maltreatment using evidence-informed public health approaches and programs that meet the needs of vulnerable children, and struggling families and communities. It outlines the system failures of contemporary forensically...

This chapter acknowledges the successes in child protection as well as the weaknesses and limitations that need to be addressed through the development of public health approaches. The child protection intervention framework is problematized as not delivering well enough the aims it has espoused. Global perspectives and historical developments are...

Children and young people are served by a wide range of organisations. Internally, attention has turned to the harms that have occurred in these organisations that should have prioritised the safety and wellbeing the children and young people it serves. In this chapter, we identify some of the risk factors associated with sexual abuse of children i...

This chapter summarises the major themes and key messages presented in the book and explores the new and emerging opportunities described by contributing authors. It pulls together the critical issues that are likely to continue to beset the development and implementation of public health approaches and system reform processes. The major learnings...

Internationally, best practice in child abuse prevention is grounded in a public health approach – identifying risk factors (such as parental substance misuse, mental health problems, or family violence), and putting in place wide-reaching strategies to reduce the ‘burden of disease’ by altering the risk profile of the entire population (not just s...

Family life education is neither a formal discipline nor a formally recognized vocation in Australia. Rather, it comprises a loose amalgam of programs, services, and policies—with little reliable evaluation data to guide its activities. Education for family life in Australia has a complex disjointed story, characterized by a marked decline in coupl...

This article sets out how the prevention of child maltreatment can be enhanced by a multi-level population-based approach in providing evidence - based parenting and family support. Such an approach works by reducing the family-related risk factors associated not only with abuse and neglect but also with a broader array of adverse childhood outcome...

Adverse childhood experiences have wide-ranging impacts on population health but are inherently difficult to study. Retrospective self-report is commonly used to identify exposure but adult population samples may be biased by non-response and loss to follow-up. We explored the implications of missing data for research on child abuse and neglect, do...

This fact sheet highlights some of the key trends in same-sex couple families in Australia. While challenges still face same-sex families, it indicates there have been improvements in societal attitudes to same-sex relationships.

Child maltreatment and other adverse childhood experiences adversely influence population health and socioeconomic outcomes. Knowledge of the risk factors for child maltreatment can be used to identify children at risk and may represent opportunities for prevention. We examined a range of possible child, parent and family risk factors for child mal...

In January 2013, the Governor-General of Australia appointed a six-member Royal Commission to inquire into how institutions with a responsibility for children have managed and responded to allegations and instances of child sexual abuse. The Royal Commission is tasked with investigating where systems have failed to protect children, and making reco...

In this special issue, we invited contributors to explore the theoretical, conceptual, and empirical foundations of the public health model, as it applies to child maltreatment prevention, drawing on the most rigorous science and proposing integrated models of practice and policy that have the potential to make a difference at scale. Programs and f...

Contemporary approaches to child protection are dominated by individualized forensically focused interventions that provide limited scope for more holistic preventative responses to children at risk and the provision of support to struggling families and communities. However, in many jurisdictions, it is frequently shown, often through public inqui...

A correlation between socioeconomic disadvantage and child maltreatment has long been observed, but the drivers of this association are poorly understood. We sought to estimate the effects of economic factors on risk of child maltreatment after adjusting for other known influences using the Australian Temperament Project, a population-based birth c...

This paper aims to define and clarify what trauma-informed service delivery means in the context of delivering child/family welfare services in Australia. Exposure to traumatic life events such as child abuse, neglect and domestic violence is a driver of service need. Policies and service providers must respond appropriately to people who are deali...

Building on the growing consensus that communities are best served by a public health approach to child protection, this article demonstrates that it is possible to identify family environments at a population level that could be the subject of public health interventions. Though child maltreatment research has traditionally focused on 'problematic...

Primary prevention requires working outside existing systems.

This report presents a medium- to long-term evaluation of the Communities for Children (CfC) initiative. This Australian Government initiative aims to improve services for young children and their families and the communities they grow up in. The evaluation, known as the Stronger Families in Australia (SFIA) study, looks at the impact of CfC on chi...

The past practices of forced adoption have resulted in life-long consequences for the majority of those directly involved, particularly for mothers and adopted persons, but also for other family members (Higgins, 2010). This article distils recent research conducted by the Australian Institute of Family Studies (AIFS) and discusses the implications...

Families are the mainstay of safety and support for children. While most children live in safe and supportive environments, governments are aware that too many children are becoming known to child protection services. This has led to a shift in thinking away from solely concentrating on responding to ‘risk of harm’ reports towards a broader public...

There is a little rigorous research and evaluation evidence to show whether prevention and early intervention programs are working to reduce the over-representation of Indigenous young people in the criminal justice system. Few programs have been comprehensively evaluated and shown to be effective. Despite this, promising practices are identified f...

Engaging parents in their children’s education improves the children’s educational attainment and ongoing engagement in education. • A family’s level of ‘social capital’ and socio-economic position affects how they engage with their children’s school. • Risk factors associated with poor parental engagement include: – family problems such as poverty...

Diversion from the youth justice system is a critical goal for addressing the over-representation of Indigenous young people in the criminal justice system. In this report, we examine four programs that were already being implemented by states and territories and identified by them under the National Indigenous Law & Justice Framework as promising...

The collected essays in this book seek to explore some of the complexities that confront both those who frame social policy and those involved in the legal systems that intersect with child and family issues. This book narrates not only historical perspectives and current views, but points to some of the challenges for future directions in policy a...

In July 2013, the then Department of Families, Housing, Community Services and Indigenous Affairs (FaHCSIA) (now the Department of Social Services) commissioned the Australian Institute of Family Studies to undertake the Forced Adoption Support Services Scoping Study (the “Scoping Study”). The purpose of the Scoping Study is to develop options for...

One of the most recent major shifts in focus of child maltreatment research has been the recognition of the interrelatedness of childhood victimisation experiences. The purpose of this paper is to compare two of the main frameworks that have been developed to better understand and measure this interrelatedness: multi-type maltreatment and polyvicti...

Journal: Communities, Children and Families Australia : The National Research Study on the Service Response to Past Adoption Practices examined the extent and effects of closed adoptions in Australia, to strengthen the evidence available to governments and service providers in addressing the current needs of those affected. With over 1500 particip...

There is no universally accepted, all encompassing definition of the concept of "neglect", and consideration of supervisory neglect suggests that there is no "one size fits all" definition. „ Supervision can be a complex, resource-intensive activity when undertaken at its maximum effectiveness—understanding and evaluating what comprises "good enoug...

The All Children Being Safe (ACBS) program is an early primary school program designed to increase students’ awareness and skills about personal safety. A pilot of the program was conducted in schools between July 2011 and June 2012 in the Tamworth NSW region by Centacare New England North West. A total of 1950 children from 15 public primary schoo...

Strategies clearly demonstrated that organisations funded by the FSP were striving to meet the needs of vulnerable and disadvantaged families. Variations between strategies existed largely in the degree to which organisations were able to be flexible and/or collaborative in their service delivery. „ Offering existing programs/services to new client...

The practices in Australia around the permanent transfer of parental legal rights and responsibilities from a child’s birth parent(s) to adoptive parent(s) have varied over time. The Australian Senate noted in their report on the Commonwealth Contribution to Former Forced Adoption Policies and Practices (Senate Community Affairs References Committe...

This evaluation examines the Northern Territory Emergency Response (NTER), which was initiated in June 2007, from a whole-of-government perspective. The requirement for an independent, outcome-focused evaluation is a key feature of the National Partnership Agreement for Closing the Gap in the Northern Territory, which committed to a joint evaluatio...

Although reliable figures are not available, in the decades prior to the mid-1970s, it was common in Australia for babies of unwed mothers to be adopted. There is a wealth of material on adoption in Australia—including individual historical records, analyses of historical practices, case studies, expert opinions, personal testimony provided to two...

The link between living with a disability and an individual's risk of being disadvantaged or discriminated against is clear. However, the focus is often on issues of equity and access to employment and services and the physical health needs of individuals. When focusing broadly on rights, the gender and sexuality of people living with a disability...

Determining the veracity of allegations of child abuse raised in post-separation parenting disputes is difficult, because family courts in Australia do not have their own investigatory power or capacity. They rely on evidence brought before them from State/Territory child protection authorities, police, and other experts who may have interviewed an...

Governments across Australia are struggling to address escalating child protection notifications, a marked increase in the number of children in State care, a decrease in the number of foster carers and chronic workforce shortages in child welfare services. This paper explores the reform process that culminated in the proclamation of the Victorian...

In this resource sheet, Dr Higgins examines child abuse and neglect in Indigenous communities from a societal perspective: applying a community development framework to understand effective strategies for reducing risks and enhancing children’s safety and wellbeing. To be effective, strategies to address the problem of child abuse in Indigenous com...

To compare the mental health and vitality of people caring for a family member with a disability with those of the general population. Second, to identify factors experienced by carers that put them at risk of poor mental health and vitality. Cross-sectional design where logistic and multiple regression analyses were used to compare rates of mental...

This study outlines some of the practical issues for practitioners in the use of a guideline-based treatment program: HEALTH (Connor & Higgins, 20082. Connor , P. K. and Higgins , D. J. 2008 . The “HEALTH” model – Part 1: treatment program guidelines for Complex PTSD . Sexual and Relationship Therapy , 23 ( 4 ) : 293 – 303 . [Taylor & Francis Onlin...

This paper outlines the development and piloting of the “HEALTH” model for treatment of Complex PTSD in clients who have experienced multiple traumas across childhood and adulthood – particularly child sexual abuse and sexual assault in adulthood. As a guideline-based treatment model, HEALTH outlines six stages of intervention: (1) having a support...

In this article, the authors argue that it is not sufficient to simply bolt on preventive programs to the current child protection processes. Rather it is important to completely rethink the role and function of the child protection system within the wider range of policies and programs aimed at promoting the wellbeing of children. This is of parti...

SRT put together a team of speakers to debate the motion that marriage is the best form of relationship recognition at the 18th WAS Congress in Sydney (April, 2007). The debate, sponsored by Taylor & Francis, aimed to address in an informative and fun way some of the key issues around a particular topic of relevance to sexual and relationship funct...

Magellan sits among a complex set of expectations, at the intersection of a range of agencies and systems involved in responding to issues of child abuse allegations in family law matters. It is important to understand the role of family courts - to resolve private law issues, such as parenting matters, in children's best interests - and how this d...

In this paper, cumulative harm is defined, past approaches that have contributed to conceptualising maltreatment as an isolated event are discussed. Possible indicators of chronic maltreatment are highlighted and the potential for chronic maltreatment to have a cumulative impact on children is demonstrated using a case example. The paper focuses on...

The purpose of this paper is to review the phenomenon of same-sex attraction in married men. As well as looking at a variety of reasons that gay and bisexual men provide for getting married, the author describes a model that incorporates a variety of possible theoretical explanations. Finally, practical implications for therapists are provided, foc...

This paper investigates recent literature on child maltreatment in organisational settings. The paper begins with a discussion of Senate inquiries investigating the history and current concerns of organisational child maltreatment in Australian institutions before outlining some risk factors for children. The problematic notion of seeking to profil...

A research-led reform strategy is urgently required in the field of child protection in Australia. While international research can be a valuable resource, a strong research base which is relevant to this country’s needs, legislation and service systems is essential. Two recent audits of Australian research completed over the past decade – one on o...

The aim of this report was to examine the recruitment, retention, training, assessment and support of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people caring for children removed from their parents. In Section 2, contextual issues are described in relation to -4- the placement of children into out-of-home care and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander-...

To examine the relationship between sexual abuse and academic achievement in an adolescent inpatient psychiatric population. Individual factors expected to influence this relationship were measured to explore the way they each interacted with sexual abuse and its relationship to academic achievement. Eighty-one adolescent psychiatric inpatients par...

A survey of parents/caregivers of a child with an autism spectrum disorder (ASD) was conducted to examine the relationship between ASD characteristics, family functioning and coping strategies. Having a child with ASD places considerable stress on the family. Primary caregivers of a child with ASD from a regional and rural area in Victoria, Austral...

Contact the Australian Institute of Family Studies for a copy of this publication. The report can also be downloaded in PDF (284K). You will need an Acrobat Reader which is free from the Adobe Systems Web site . ISBN 0 642 39525 X. ISSN 1446-9995 (Print); ISSN 1447-0004 (Online) ABSTRACT This paper is a national snapshot of Australian statutory chi...

No selection processes can guarantee exclusion from organisations of all individuals who pose a risk to children. Employment screening is one component of a broader approach to minimise the risk of child abuse. Environmental conditions play an influential role in facilitating child abuse. Child abuse and maltreatment can be minimised through approp...

Researchers and practitioners in the field of child maltreatment often consider child abuse and neglect as a single or repeated series of isolated events. However, such an approach fails to acknowledge that some children's development is characterised by repeated incidents of maltreatment over a prolonged period of time. It also fails to address th...

The author conducted secondary data analysis of 3 previously reported studies (D. J. Higgins & M.P. McCabe, 1998, 2000b, 2003) to examine whether respondents are best classified according to their experience of separate maltreatment types (sexual abuse, physical abuse, psychological maltreatment, neglect, and witnessing family violence) or whether...

Child protection legislation has undergone a number of changes since its inception, changes that have redefined the population of children in need of protection. However, child protection data on notifications and substantiations remain the most common source of data for statistics on the rate of maltreatment and the breakdown of specific maltreatm...