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Profiles of Families at High Risk of Child Maltreatment in Israeli Court Cases Dealing with the Termination of Parental Rights

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Abstract

The present study analyzes the characteristics of children and parents in court cases dealing with the termination of parental rights, in order to draw a profile of families at high risk of child maltreatment and shed light on the professional decision-making process. The analysis of a sample of 127 cases identified various child, parent and child–parent characteristics and inter-characteristics which served as a rich database for understanding the profiles of children at risk and their parents. On the basis of these profiles, the study was able to draw a prototype of a family at high risk of child maltreatment and identify the main factors considered by the courts when determining whether or not to terminate parental rights. This paper discusses the implications of these results on the need for early and extensive professional intervention in such families.

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Notes

  1. The present study was part of a larger study aimed at examining the decision-making process in involuntary adoption cases in Israel. For the purpose of this study a sample of 127 court decisions was selected.

  2. It should be noted that the sample does not contain duplication of cases, since a case that is discussed by several judiciary instances generally appears in the electronic database only under the category of the highest instance. Since most of the cases involved an appeal, either by the parents or the Attorney General, and were thus determined by the Supreme Court of Israel, the percentage of decisions given by this judiciary is the largest.

  3. It should be noted that the questionnaire was part of a longer, multi-item questionnaire developed for the content analysis of adoption decisions. Only relevant items were used in the present study.

  4. Cases of abuse could also include neglectful behavior by parents.

  5. Cases of neglect included only neglectful behavior by parents, but not abusive behavior.

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Ben-David, V. Profiles of Families at High Risk of Child Maltreatment in Israeli Court Cases Dealing with the Termination of Parental Rights. Child Adolesc Soc Work J 32, 359–373 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10560-015-0378-4

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