Child maltreatment is a broad term encompassing child neglect and abuse. It has been identified at the national and international levels as a tragedy of drastic proportions, drastic in the number of people it affects and drastic in the costs it exacts from the individual, the family, and society. Concern about the problem of child
The No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 (NCLB) is a pivotal legislative landmark in the American educational landscape. This article delves into the historical context that led to the enactment of NCLB, illuminates its key provisions, and scrutinizes its profound educational and psychological implications. It traces the legislative history and bipartisan support that shaped
Divorce is exceedingly common in the United States, and it can have long-ranging effects on all parties involved, particularly children. In those relatively rare circumstances in which child custody issues cannot be resolved by the parents, the process can become even more contentious and emotional and ultimately end up in the court system. To inform
Child custody evaluation (also known as evaluation of parental responsibility) refers to the use of the legal system to resolve questions of the distribution of decision-making responsibility and time with children, often but not always in the context of marital dissolution. This process exists to resolve disputes between two or more adults who have an
Psychologists are often asked to evaluate and to provide testimony about parental capacity. The Child Abuse Potential (CAP) Inventory, a measure originally designed to screen parents for child physical abuse risk, is frequently used as a measure of general parental capacity. The CAP Inventory is a 160-item, forced-choice (agree/disagree) self-report questionnaire. It contains a 77-item
Child maltreatment extends across class, culture, ethnicity, and nationality. In the United States alone, upward of 3 million cases of child abuse are reported annually, and more than 1,000 children die each year as a result of abuse. However, these numbers are likely underestimates of the scope of the problem because, as most experts agree
Although definitions can vary across legal, clinical, and research contexts, child sexual abuse is commonly defined as sexual acts between a youth and an older person (e.g., by 5 years or more) in which the dominance of the older person is used to exploit or coerce the youth. Behaviors may include noncontact (e.g., exposure) and
The role of a clinical forensic psychologist is not limited to criminal cases. They are often asked to serve in less sexy, civil matters. One such example is in the role of a mental health professional in a child custody evaluation. With the divorce rate in the United States hovering at about 50 percent, the
Quality child care/day care for families is an important aspect of daily life. At its best, child care provides positive socialization, enriches development, and improves social/familial/labor concerns. Child care/ day care can simply be described as any service involving care of others’ children, but child care is also complex in that it includes a variety
The term child custody employed here refers to child consequences and parental responsibilities following separation and divorce. Child custody may also refer to legal terminology related to guardianship and legal authority in the care of a minor child following adoption, loss of parental rights due to abuse or neglect, or other situations. In each case