Against Child Abuse (Hong Kong)
Parent-Child Helpline Service
Mr. Arkin Lo
Service Manager (Remedial Service)
Against Child Abuse
2015/4/8
1
Parent-Child Helpline
• Service Introduction
• Service Statistics
• Follow-up Services
– Investigation
– Multidisciplinary Case Conference
2015/4/8
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Service introduction
• Service Hour:
– 9:00am-9:00pm (Weekdays)
– 9:00am-1:00pm (Saturdays)
• Service Target:
– Public
– Children and parents in need
– Professionals
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• Service Goals:
– Receive reporting of suspected child abuse cases through
telephone calls, emails, Facebook and drop-in to the service
centres
– Provide phone counseling to children in need of emotional
support and parents with child management difficulties
– Provide follow-up services, such as investigation and counseling
to abused children and their families.
– Train up volunteer mentors to provide emotional support to
children in need.
– Connect community social services for the children and parents
in need.
– Support professionals in handling suspected child abuse cases.
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Service Statistics
(Jan 12 - Jun 13)
Time of Call:
Time of call
No. of calls
%
9:00am-5:00pm
1,299
74%
5:00pm-9:00pm
457
26%
Total:
1,756
100%
2015/4/8
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Source of Referral :
Source of referral
Child’s mother
Public / Neighbor
Professional
Child’s relative /
friend
Child’s father
Child
Abuser
Others
Total:
2015/4/8
No. of calls
561
556
311
%
32%
31%
18%
136
8%
93
38
6%
2%
32
29
1,756
2%
1%
100%
6
• 40% callers were parents (mother: 32%;
father: 6%; parent as suspected abuser:
2%)
• From the statistics, fathers seemed to
have less motivation to seek help than
mothers.
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• 18% callers were professionals (teachers,
medical professionals, social workers, etc.)
• It reflects that the frontline professionals
are in need of support when handling
suspected child abuse cases.
• Thus, on-going training should be provided
for the professionals on risk assessment,
crisis intervention and multidisciplinary
collaboration in case handling.
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Nature of Call
Nature of call
No. of calls
%
Suspected child abuse
cases
587
33%
Child management cases
458
26%
Service enquiry/ Personal
problems
643
37%
Other problems
(Family violence,
extramarital affairs, etc.)
68
4%
Total:
1,756
100%
2015/4/8
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Suspected Child Abuse Cases
Suspected child
abuse cases
No. of reporting
cases
%
Physical abuse
254
43%
Neglect
108
18%
Sexual abuse
88
15%
Psychological
abuse
74
13%
Multiple abuse
63
11%
Total
587
100%
2015/4/8
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• 33% of the calls were calls reporting
suspected child abuse cases.
• Among these calls, 43% are related to
physical abuse.
• It reflects that resorting to corporal
punishment as a parenting method is still
prevalent in Hong Kong.
• We urge for a total ban against corporal
punishment in legislation of Hong Kong.
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Child Management Cases
Problem nature
No. of calls
%
Child’s emotional &
behavioral problems
127
28%
Parent’s emotional
problems
59
13%
Childcare management of
newborn baby
55
12%
Academic issues
46
10%
Puberty issues
40
9%
Parental conflicts on
parenting views
37
8%
Infant development
32
7%
In-law conflicts on
parenting views
7
1%
Other problems
55
12%
Total:
458
100%
2015/4/8
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• 26% of the calls were related to child
management.
• Among these calls, 41% are related to the
emotional problem of children and parents.
• It reflects that the emotional well-being of
children should be addressed.
• The mental health of parents is also a
concern.
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Age of Children involved:
Age of children
Suspected child
abuse cases
Child management
cases
0-2
47 ( 8%)
55 (12%)
3-5
100 ( 17%)
91 (20%)
6-8
141 (24%)
9-11
118 (20%)
78 (17%)
12-14
76 (13%)
54 (12%)
15-17
23 (4%)
27 (6%)
18 or above
6 (1%)
27 (6%)
No reveal
76 (13%)
32 (7%)
Total:
587 (100%)
458 (100%)
2015/4/8
61%
94 (20%)
57%
14
• 61% of the calls reporting suspected child abuse involve
children aged from 3 to 11.
• 57% of the calls with child management difficulties involve
children aged from 3 to 11.
• It reflects that parents in Hong Kong have high stress when
looking after children of this age range. These children may
encounter adjustment difficulty after promotion to primary
school, higher school or in their puberty. Parents are in need
of knowledge about the child development and the skills of
emotional management, especially when facing parenting
and parent-child relationship difficulties.
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Follow-up Services for Suspected Child Abuse Cases
Follow-up services
No. of follow-up
services
%
Direct phone contact
1,977
70%
Collateral phone
contact
273
10%
Investigation
195
7%
Office interview
186
6%
Refer to community
services
133
4%
Follow-up letter
52
2%
Total:
2,816
100%
2015/4/8
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Follow-up Service for Child Management Cases
Follow-up services
No. of follow-up
services
%
Phone counseling
209
46%
Parenting education
96
21%
Introduce to community
services
69
15%
Phone follow-up
38
8%
Refer to community services
23
5%
Home visit
23
5%
Total:
458
100%
2015/4/8
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• 46% of the calls with child management
difficulties were in need of counseling and
emotional support
• 21% were in need of advice on parenting.
• Our social workers conducted a preliminary
assessment on the cases and provide
corresponding follow-up services, such as
phone counseling, home visits and referrals to
community services.
• It reflects that the helpline service can provide
instant support and advice to parents in need.
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Follow-up Services
– Investigation
– Involvement of multidiscipline, such as
pediatricians and police
– Multidisciplinary Case Conference
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Reporting Channels: helpline,
drop-in, Facebook, email & fax
to ACA
Calls from
helpline
Source of Referral: Child victims,
neighbors, relatives, school
parties, child care workers, etc.
Investigation: To conduct
risk assessment for abused
child and significant family
members
No child abuse
elements identified
ACA follow-up
services/
No follow-up
needs
Chart 1: Handling Procedures on
Child abuse
identified
•Medical Examination
•Police Involvement
Multidisciplinary
Case Conference:
Welfare plan
Is formulated
ACA follow-up
services: Case
management &
counseling
services
Suspected Child Abuse Cases
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Investigation
• Service Targets: Abused children and children at
potential risk of abuse.
• Service Goal: To protect children from various
types of child abuse.
• Definition of Child Abuse: Any acts of
commission /omission that endangers or impairs
the physical /psychological health and
development of a child.
• Types of Child Abuse: physical abuse, sexual
abuse, neglect, psychological abuse and
multiple abuse.
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Investigation
Overall case-handling procedures
+ Initial risk assessment (helpline level)
+ Comprehensive risk assessment (Investigation level)
+ Instant removal of child from risk
+ Medical examination / treatment
+ Police prosecution (if appropriate)
+ Multidisciplinary case conference
+ Follow-up: case management and counseling services
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Investigation
Investigation procedures
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
2015/4/8
Basic information gathering from the caller
Protection of caller’s confidentiality
Information gathering of the abusive incidents and
abusive history through home visits and collateral
contacts
Comprehensive risk assessment
Interview child victims, suspected abusers and
significant others
Removal / safety plan for child victims and cooperative
non-abusive parents (e.g. out-of-home care)
Escort child victims to hospitals for medical examination
Liaise with police when necessary
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Medical Examination
• Tactfully inform parents of the possible
hospitalization when escorting child victims to
nearby hospitals for medical examination.
• Child victims may need to stay in hospital until
welfare plan is formulated after the multidisciplinary
case conference.
• Police involvement of handling uncooperative
parents and severe abuse cases.
• Emphasis of multidisciplinary involvement
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Multidisciplinary Case Conference
1. Conference held within 10 days after first
interview to the child victim
2. Parties involved in the child’s family:
pediatricians, psychologists, nurses, police
officers, teachers, school social workers,
medical social workers, social workers from
governmental child protection unit and our
social workers.
3. Family participation in case conference: nonabusive parent and child victim.
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Multidisciplinary Case Conference
Conference agenda:
1. Information sharing of different parties
2. Discussion of case nature
3. Formulation of welfare plan for the child and the family
–
–
–
Removal / safety plan for child victim
Child/Protection Order (when necessary)
Determination of follow-up agency
4. Child Protection Registry
–
A database with information of all child victims
warranting protection
5. Inform the parents about the collective
decisions of the conference and seek their
cooperation to implement the welfare plan.
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The END
Thank you!
2015/4/8
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