Understanding Child Abuse & Neglect: Policy, Research, and Practice for the Next Generation

This contract will establish a panel of independent experts under the National Academy of Sciences (Academy) to review and assess research on child abuse and neglect and identify potential research priorities for the next decade. The Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment Act (CAPTA), as amended by Pub. L. 111-320, the CAPTA Reauthorization Act of 2010, Section 104 (a)(4) requires the Secretary of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to publish proposed priorities for research activities for public comment not later than 1 year after the date of enactment and every 2 years thereafter. The proposed National Academies report will be used to determine the priorities for research activities at the Children's Bureau, other Federal agencies, and the field in general. Research on child maltreatment has proliferated in the last two decades demonstrated by the increase in the number of new journals and other periodicals on children and youth issues. In addition, the number of researchers focusing on child welfare issues but from other disciplines has also increased. Several Federal agencies such as the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the Substance Abuse Services Administration, the Office of Juvenile Justice, and Delinquency Prevention, and the Department of Defense all have programs and research that addresses child maltreatment. Nevertheless, there has not been a comprehensive national or Federal effort to bring findings from the research, practice and policy to develop a coherent national research agenda that can guide the work for the next several decades. Fortunately, the field is now better positioned to apply and integrate child maltreatment research with research from other disciplines to improve practice. The research points to the complex interplay of forces across the etiology and long-term consequences of child abuse and neglect on the overall health and socio-emotional well-being of children, families, and communities. More recent research has identified a few evidence-based prevention and intervention strategies that are effective. Unfortunately, we do not have comprehensive systems in place to bring these effective interventions to scale at the system level. Other new research questions are emerging and other research methods and measures will be needed to answer the next wave of inquiry. In 2000, the National Academy of Sciences released the landmark report, From Neurons to Neighborhoods, which became a catalyst for significant investment in policy, research and practice in the field of early childhood. A similar report is needed in the field of child maltreatment and the imprimatur of the National Academy of Sciences can provide leadership and direction for engaging a broad and multidisciplinary group of researchers, practitioners, and policy makers who are needed to address these issues.