ABSTRACT Professional evaluations of parental verbal discipline play a role in child protection decision‐making. However, empirical evidence on how such evaluations differ by children's developmental disability status and contextual factors in Japan remains limited. A cross‐sectional survey of 1034 professionals from child welfare and developmental support services in Japan was conducted. The participants evaluated 11 parental verbal behaviour items directed toward hypothetical preschool children with and without developmental disabilities using a 4‐point ordinal scale. They assessed 22 parental verbal behaviour items directed toward children with developmental disabilities and related contextual factors. Across 11 items, identical verbal behaviours directed toward children with developmental disabilities were rated as more severe than those toward children without developmental disabilities, with small‐to‐moderate effect sizes ( r = 0.08–0.41). For several common verbal expressions, judgements depended on situational factors, such as urgency, voice tone, child understanding and the parent–child relationship. Professionals who endorsed the need for special consideration of children with developmental disabilities exhibited differentiated evaluative patterns for several behaviours. These findings suggest that professional judgements of parental verbal discipline might reflect consideration of developmental and situational information, highlighting the importance of structured training and shared evaluative frameworks for promoting consistent and equitable child protection practice.
ABSTRACT Adequate child supervision is widely recognised as essential to children's well‐being, yet much of the evidence informing policy and practice derives from high‐income countries. In Sub‐Saharan Africa, particularly in Ghana, empirical research on child supervision remains limited despite the widespread use of collective caregiving arrangements, including sibling caregiving (the assumption of caregiving responsibilities for younger brothers or sisters) and other forms of non‐adult supervision—that is, situations in which children are left alone or placed in the care of other children rather than adults. The present study helps address this gap by examining how children and caregivers in Ghana perceive and experience child supervision and sibling caregiving within their everyday lives. Data were collected through eight focus group discussions with 76 caregivers and eight participatory workshops involving 64 children aged 6–10 years across four sites in northern and southern Ghana. Participating children had experience of providing care for younger siblings, being cared for by older siblings or both. The findings indicate that child supervision is embedded within broader systems of collective caregiving in which responsibility for children extends beyond parents to include siblings, extended family members and other community actors. Caregivers generally viewed sibling caregiving as an important socialisation practice through which children learn responsibility, cooperation and independence. However, while some children recognised the value of caregiving responsibilities, many described sibling caregiving as burdensome and associated with conflict, frustration or neglect. Drawing on a sociology of childhood perspective, the findings demonstrate how children's accounts challenge adult‐centred understandings of sibling caregiving and reveal dimensions of caregiving that may remain obscured when children's voices are excluded.
ABSTRACT Child protection social work in England is increasingly associated with workforce instability, burnout and difficulties retaining experienced practitioners. Although previous research has highlighted the prevalence of threats, abuse, violence and intimidation directed towards child protection social workers, little comparative research has examined whether these experiences are unique to social work, shared across safeguarding professions or reflective of wider occupational experiences. This paper presents findings from a comparative study involving child protection social workers ( n = 207), other professionals working within child protection contexts ( n = 52), and workers employed outside child protection occupations ( n = 56). Drawing on data from three linked online surveys, the study examined exposure to 21 forms of threats, abuse, violence and intimidation, including harassment, physical violence, stalking, misinformation campaigns, malicious online communications and AI‐generated ‘deepfake’ content. Statistical analysis demonstrated that child protection social workers experienced significantly higher levels of exposure across most categories of abuse than both comparison groups. The findings suggest that occupational hostility towards child protection social workers represents a significant workforce and practitioner safety issue with important implications for recruitment, retention, wellbeing, organisational support and contemporary child protection policy and practice.
ABSTRACT This study evaluates parents' attitudes towards and awareness of children's rights in Türkiye and examines their associations with parental and household sociodemographic characteristics, including parental education, employment status and household income. Understanding parental perceptions is crucial, given families' key role in advocating for children's rights. This descriptive cross‐sectional study was conducted between May and October 2025. Parents were included in the research through online platforms, school parent groups and social media channels. Data from 828 parents were analysed using a sociodemographic information form and the Parental Attitude Scale for Children's Rights (PASCR), which assesses Care and Protection (CP), State Assurance and Support (SAS) and Self‐Determination (SD). The findings show strong parental support for CP but more limited support for SAS and SD. Mothers scored significantly higher than fathers on CP. Non‐working mothers scored higher than working mothers on SD. These results indicate that parents' understanding of children's rights is primarily focused on protection. To promote a more holistic, rights‐based approach, family‐centred educational programmes and social policies that raise awareness about child participation and autonomy are essential.
ABSTRACT Women raised in families affected by alcohol use disorder (AUD) may experience adverse childhood experiences, including emotional neglect and parent–child role reversals, which may leave lasting traces in their own parenting. Yet little is known about how female adult children of alcoholics (ACoAs) experience and understand parenting in this context. This qualitative study explored how female ACoAs' childhood experiences in AUD‐affected families are reflected in their current parenting practices and parent–child relationships. Sixteen mothers (aged 27–55) across Türkiye who self‐identified as ACoAs participated in semi‐structured interviews, analysed using Braun and Clarke's thematic analysis. Three themes emerged: (1) growing up with a parent with AUD: family‐of‐origin relationships, (2) parent–child relationships shaped by alcohol: the dark mirror and (3) constructing a new parenthood: differentiating from the past. Findings suggest that ACoAs' parenting reflects both continuities with family‐of‐origin patterns and deliberate efforts to parent differently from their own upbringing. These results underscore the need for trauma‐informed, culturally sensitive support services that recognize both the intergenerational continuity of adverse experiences and ACoAs' efforts to construct alternative parenting practices.
