Therapy implications of child abuse in multi-risk families.

OBJECTIVES

Our aim is to critique Australian child maltreatment policy, outline abuse trends and provide data on family risk factors.

METHOD: We identified policy gaps and reviewed family profiles within selective child maltreatment databases. Data sources included international and Australian literature, Queensland Department of Child Safety reports and a research clinical database.

RESULTS

Data reviewed suggest that a pattern of co-occurring complex multiple system family problems characterize substantiated abuse cases.

CONCLUSIONS

The presence of multiple family problems suggests the need for a new treatment paradigm. Multisystemic Therapy for child physical abuse and neglect is an evidence-based intervention that matches the therapeutic needs of such families.