Publicação
Social work practices: The prevention of child sexual abuse in Portugal
| Resumo: | Child sexual abuse presents a global challenge with profound, lasting effects, necessitating a comprehensive approach to effective intervention. This requires a holistic approach and collaboration among social workers, psychologists, jurists, mental health experts, forensic doctors, and others. For this reason, there is an absolute necessity for more studies in that field. Despite the urgency, there is a dearth of evidence-based research guiding prevention efforts and risk mitigation for children in Portugal. The study aims to examine the social work practices implemented by multidisciplinary team members regarding child sexual abuse prevention in Portugal. The study used a qualitative research design, including a sample group of 9 specialists from different fields. Through snowball sampling, the participants were recruited and invited to semi-structured interviews. A thematic analysis was used in the study for further investigations. The study revealed that regardless of their distinct roles, multidisciplinary team members shared a comprehensive understanding of child sexual abuse. The findings underscored a collective effort among teams from different organisations, emphasising the significance of collaboration in establishing a unified approach to mitigate risks and protect children from further harm sustainably. Despite their endeavours, challenges persist, particularly concerning the enhancement of specialist training programs and the development of new prevention initiatives targeting child sexual abuse. It was found that participants proposed strategies to address these challenges, including comprehensive and mandatory specialist training, increased parental engagement, and expanding educational programs. These significant conclusions drawn from the findings directly affect policy and practice. The recommendations, which are grounded in the research's robust findings, offer practical and actionable steps for child sexual abuse prevention in Portugal. |
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| Autores principais: | Mammadaliyeva, Shovkat |
| Assunto: | Child sexual abuse Social Work practices Multidisciplinary team Prevention Práticas de serviço social Abuso sexual infantil Equipe multidisciplinar Prevenção |
| Ano: | 2024 |
| País: | Portugal |
| Tipo de documento: | dissertação de mestrado |
| Tipo de acesso: | acesso restrito |
| Instituição associada: | ISCTE |
| Idioma: | inglês |
| Origem: | Repositório ISCTE |
| Resumo: | Child sexual abuse presents a global challenge with profound, lasting effects, necessitating a comprehensive approach to effective intervention. This requires a holistic approach and collaboration among social workers, psychologists, jurists, mental health experts, forensic doctors, and others. For this reason, there is an absolute necessity for more studies in that field. Despite the urgency, there is a dearth of evidence-based research guiding prevention efforts and risk mitigation for children in Portugal. The study aims to examine the social work practices implemented by multidisciplinary team members regarding child sexual abuse prevention in Portugal. The study used a qualitative research design, including a sample group of 9 specialists from different fields. Through snowball sampling, the participants were recruited and invited to semi-structured interviews. A thematic analysis was used in the study for further investigations. The study revealed that regardless of their distinct roles, multidisciplinary team members shared a comprehensive understanding of child sexual abuse. The findings underscored a collective effort among teams from different organisations, emphasising the significance of collaboration in establishing a unified approach to mitigate risks and protect children from further harm sustainably. Despite their endeavours, challenges persist, particularly concerning the enhancement of specialist training programs and the development of new prevention initiatives targeting child sexual abuse. It was found that participants proposed strategies to address these challenges, including comprehensive and mandatory specialist training, increased parental engagement, and expanding educational programs. These significant conclusions drawn from the findings directly affect policy and practice. The recommendations, which are grounded in the research's robust findings, offer practical and actionable steps for child sexual abuse prevention in Portugal. |
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