Child protective services during COVID-19 and doubly marginalized children: International perspectives

Carmit Katz¹, Natalia Varela², Jill E Korbin³, Afnan Attarsh Najjar⁴, Noa Cohen⁴, Annie Bérubé⁵, Ellen Bishop⁶, Delphine Collin-Vézina⁷, Alan Desmond⁸, Barbara Fallon⁹, Ansie Fouche¹⁰, Sadiyya Haffejee¹¹, David Kaawa-Mafigiri¹², Ilan Katz¹³, Genovefa Kefalidou¹⁴, Katie Maguire-Jack¹⁵, Nadia Massarweh¹⁶, Akhtar Munir¹⁷, Pablo Munoz¹⁸, Sidnei Priolo-Filho¹⁹, George M Tarabulsy²⁰, Diane Thembekile Levine²¹, Ashwini Tiwari²², Elmien Truter²³, Hayley Walker-Williams²⁴, Christine Wekerle²⁵

Affiliations

¹ Bob Shapell School of Social Work, Tel Aviv University, Ramat Aviv 69978, Israel. Electronic address: drckatz@gmail.com.
² Faculty of social and human sciences, Externado University, Calle 12 No. 1-17 Este, Bogotá, Colombia. Electronic address: natalia.varela@uexternado.edu.co.
³ Department of Anthropology, Case Western Reserve University, USA. Electronic address: jill.korbin@case.edu.
⁴ Bob Shapell School of Social Work, Tel Aviv University, Ramat Aviv 69978, Israel.
⁵ Department of Psycho-education and Psychology, Université du Québec en Outaouais, Canada. Electronic address: annie.berube@uqo.ca.
⁶ School of Geography, Geology and the Environment, University of Leicester, United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland. Electronic address: eb359@leicester.ac.uk.
⁷ Centre for Research on Children and Families, McGill University, Suite 106, Wilson Hall, 3506 University Street, Montreal, Quebec H3A 2A7, Canada. Electronic address: delphine.collin-vezina@mcgill.ca.
⁸ Leicester Law School and University of Leicester Migration, Mobility and Citizenship Network (MMCN), United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland. Electronic address: alan.desmond@leicester.ac.uk.
⁹ Factor-Inwentash Faculty of Social Work, the University of Toronto, Canada. Electronic address: barbara.fallon@utoronto.ca.
¹⁰ Department of Social Wellbeing, United Arab Emirates University, United Arab Emirates; Department of Child Protection Social Work, North-West University, South Africa. Electronic address: ansie.fouche@nwu.ac.za.
¹¹ University of Johannesburg, Cnr Kingsway & University Roads, Auckland Park, Johannesburg 2092, South Africa. Electronic address: sadiyyah@uj.ac.za.
¹² Department of Social Work and Social Administration, Makerere University, Uganda. Electronic address: dmk28@case.edu.
¹³ Social Policy Research Centre (SPRC), University of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW 2052, Australia. Electronic address: ilan.katz@unsw.edu.au.
¹⁴ School of Computing and Mathematical Sciences, University of Leicester, United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland. Electronic address: gk169@leicester.ac.uk.
¹⁵ University of Michigan, School of Social Work, 1080 S. University Ave., Ann Arbor, MI 48109, USA. Electronic address: kmjack@umich.edu.
¹⁶ Al-Qasemi Educational College of Education, Baqa-El-Gharbia, 3010000, P. O. Box 124, Israel.
¹⁷ Department of Social Work and Sociology, Kohat University of Science and Technology, Kohat, Pakistan.
¹⁸ Nacional Universidad de Colombia, Building 205 - Of. 117, Bogota, DC, Colombia. Electronic address: pmunozs@unal.edu.co.
¹⁹ Graduate Program of Psychology, the Universidade Tuiuti do Paraná, Rua Sydnei Antonio Rangel Santos 238, Curitiba, Paraná, Brazil.
²⁰ Faculty of Social Sciences, Pavillon Charles-De Koninck 1030, Avenue des Sciences-Humaines Suite 3456, Laval University, Quebec, Quebec G1V 0A6, Canada. Electronic address: George.Tarabulsy@psy.ulaval.ca.
²¹ Leicester Institute for Advanced Studies, University of Leicester/School of Media, Communications and Sociology, United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland; Centre for Social Development in Africa, University of Johannesburg. Electronic address: dtl6@leicester.ac.uk.
²² Institute of Public and Preventive Health, Augusta University, 1120 15th St, Augusta, GA 30912, USA. Electronic address: atiwari@augusta.edu.
²³ Social Work Department, Faculty of Health Sciences, North-West University, COMPRES research entity, Vanderbijlpark Campus, South Africa. Electronic address: Elmien.Truter@nwu.ac.za.
²⁴ COMPRES, North-West University, South Africa. Electronic address: Hayley.Williams@nwu.ac.za.
²⁵ Offord Centre for Child Studies, McMaster University, 1280 Main St. W. - MIP 201A, Hamilton, ON L8S 4K1, Canada.

PMID: 35525629
PMCID: PMC9013646
DOI: 10.1016/j.chiabu.2022.105634

Child protective services during COVID-19 and doubly marginalized children: International perspectives

Carmit Katz et al. Child Abuse Negl. 2022 Sep.

. 2022 Sep:131:105634.

doi: 10.1016/j.chiabu.2022.105634. Epub 2022 Apr 18.

Authors

Affiliations

¹ Bob Shapell School of Social Work, Tel Aviv University, Ramat Aviv 69978, Israel. Electronic address: drckatz@gmail.com.
² Faculty of social and human sciences, Externado University, Calle 12 No. 1-17 Este, Bogotá, Colombia. Electronic address: natalia.varela@uexternado.edu.co.
³ Department of Anthropology, Case Western Reserve University, USA. Electronic address: jill.korbin@case.edu.
⁴ Bob Shapell School of Social Work, Tel Aviv University, Ramat Aviv 69978, Israel.
⁵ Department of Psycho-education and Psychology, Université du Québec en Outaouais, Canada. Electronic address: annie.berube@uqo.ca.
⁶ School of Geography, Geology and the Environment, University of Leicester, United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland. Electronic address: eb359@leicester.ac.uk.
⁷ Centre for Research on Children and Families, McGill University, Suite 106, Wilson Hall, 3506 University Street, Montreal, Quebec H3A 2A7, Canada. Electronic address: delphine.collin-vezina@mcgill.ca.
⁸ Leicester Law School and University of Leicester Migration, Mobility and Citizenship Network (MMCN), United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland. Electronic address: alan.desmond@leicester.ac.uk.
⁹ Factor-Inwentash Faculty of Social Work, the University of Toronto, Canada. Electronic address: barbara.fallon@utoronto.ca.
¹⁰ Department of Social Wellbeing, United Arab Emirates University, United Arab Emirates; Department of Child Protection Social Work, North-West University, South Africa. Electronic address: ansie.fouche@nwu.ac.za.
¹¹ University of Johannesburg, Cnr Kingsway & University Roads, Auckland Park, Johannesburg 2092, South Africa. Electronic address: sadiyyah@uj.ac.za.
¹² Department of Social Work and Social Administration, Makerere University, Uganda. Electronic address: dmk28@case.edu.
¹³ Social Policy Research Centre (SPRC), University of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW 2052, Australia. Electronic address: ilan.katz@unsw.edu.au.
¹⁴ School of Computing and Mathematical Sciences, University of Leicester, United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland. Electronic address: gk169@leicester.ac.uk.
¹⁵ University of Michigan, School of Social Work, 1080 S. University Ave., Ann Arbor, MI 48109, USA. Electronic address: kmjack@umich.edu.
¹⁶ Al-Qasemi Educational College of Education, Baqa-El-Gharbia, 3010000, P. O. Box 124, Israel.
¹⁷ Department of Social Work and Sociology, Kohat University of Science and Technology, Kohat, Pakistan.
¹⁸ Nacional Universidad de Colombia, Building 205 - Of. 117, Bogota, DC, Colombia. Electronic address: pmunozs@unal.edu.co.
¹⁹ Graduate Program of Psychology, the Universidade Tuiuti do Paraná, Rua Sydnei Antonio Rangel Santos 238, Curitiba, Paraná, Brazil.
²⁰ Faculty of Social Sciences, Pavillon Charles-De Koninck 1030, Avenue des Sciences-Humaines Suite 3456, Laval University, Quebec, Quebec G1V 0A6, Canada. Electronic address: George.Tarabulsy@psy.ulaval.ca.
²¹ Leicester Institute for Advanced Studies, University of Leicester/School of Media, Communications and Sociology, United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland; Centre for Social Development in Africa, University of Johannesburg. Electronic address: dtl6@leicester.ac.uk.
²² Institute of Public and Preventive Health, Augusta University, 1120 15th St, Augusta, GA 30912, USA. Electronic address: atiwari@augusta.edu.
²³ Social Work Department, Faculty of Health Sciences, North-West University, COMPRES research entity, Vanderbijlpark Campus, South Africa. Electronic address: Elmien.Truter@nwu.ac.za.
²⁴ COMPRES, North-West University, South Africa. Electronic address: Hayley.Williams@nwu.ac.za.
²⁵ Offord Centre for Child Studies, McMaster University, 1280 Main St. W. - MIP 201A, Hamilton, ON L8S 4K1, Canada.

PMID: 35525629
PMCID: PMC9013646
DOI: 10.1016/j.chiabu.2022.105634

Abstract

Background: Alongside deficits in children's wellbeing, the COVID-19 pandemic has created an elevated risk for child maltreatment and challenges for child protective services worldwide. Therefore, some children might be doubly marginalized, as prior inequalities become exacerbated and new risk factors arise.

Objective: To provide initial insight into international researchers' identification of children who might have been overlooked or excluded from services during the pandemic.

Participants and setting: This study was part of an international collaboration involving researchers from Brazil, Canada, Colombia, Israel, South Africa, Uganda, the UK and the USA. Researchers from each country provided a written narrative in response to the three research questions in focus, which integrated the available data from their countries.

Method: Three main questions were explored: 1) Who are the children that were doubly marginalized? 2) What possible mechanisms may be at the root? and 3) In what ways were children doubly marginalized? The international scholars provided information regarding the three questions. A thematic analysis was employed using the intersectional theoretical framework to highlight the impact of children's various identities.

Results: The analysis yielded three domains: (1) five categories of doubly marginalized children at increased risk of maltreatment, (2) mechanisms of neglect consisting of unplanned, discriminatory and inadequate actions, and (3) children were doubly marginalized through exclusion in policy and practice and the challenges faced by belonging to vulnerable groups.

Conclusion: The COVID-19 pandemic can be used as a case study to illustrate the protection of children from maltreatment during worldwide crises. Findings generated the understanding that child protective systems worldwide must adhere to an intersectionality framework to protect all children and promote quality child protection services.

Keywords: COVID-19; Child maltreatment; Child protection services; Discrimination; Inequality; Intersectionality; Racism.

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Figures

**Fig. 1**
Identified themes and sub themes.

**Fig. 2**
The social determinants of marginalization.

See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

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1. Bartholet E. Homeschooling: Parent rights absolutism vs. child rights to education & protection. Arizona Law Review. 2020;62:1–80.

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Child protective services during COVID-19 and doubly marginalized children: International perspectives

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Child protective services during COVID-19 and doubly marginalized children: International perspectives

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