The Child Abusers

The child protection controversy
Types of abuse: Incidence, overlap, psychiatric effects and prevention
Within-family abusers
Extra-family abusers
Some special problems for child protection teams
The societal abuser: Rediscovering the cycle of poverty
The extremes of child abuse: Who kills children and the psychiatric-child abuse interface
Professional iatrogenesis: The 'helping hand strikes again'
Strategies for reducing child abuse and sexual offending: Processing and therapy
Bibliography
Name index
Subject index.

* How can we improve child protection?
* What can we learn from recent child abuse cases and research?
* Who are the child abusers?
* Who kills children?

Child abuse horrifies the public, engenders fierce debate in the media, and creates anxiety in even the most experienced professionals. In this book, the author examines the available evidence base in order to challenge the myths and controversies.

Readers are offered up-to-date research and case material, to assist in the assessment of risk and physical danger. Emphasis is placed on the importance of the child protection-psychiatry interface and while no absolute answers are offered, the debates around the subject are clearly outlined and suggestions for effective intervention are offered.

The Child Abusers is essential reading for professionals and students in the field of child protection, including health and social workers, police, nurses, medics, teachers, psychologists and psychiatrists.