Title: Risk and protective factors for child abuse and neglect | Child Family Community Australia
Headings: Risk and protective factors for child abuse and neglect
Risk and protective factors for child abuse and neglect
Why discuss risk and protective factors?
Definitions
The interaction of risk and protective factors
Limitations of the research
Common risk factors for child abuse and neglect
Table 1: Commonly cited risk factors for child abuse and neglect
Common protective factors for child abuse and neglect
Table 2: Protective factors for reducing the incidence of child abuse and neglect
Practice applications of skills and protective factors
Conclusion
Additional CFCA readings
References
Endnotes
Authors and Acknowledgements
Publication details

Content: Why discuss risk and protective factors? Understanding the risk and protective factors for child abuse and neglect [1] is useful when developing effective prevention and early intervention strategies, and identifying families who are most likely to benefit from additional support. Child protection authorities use specific risk assessment instruments to determine if a child is at risk of maltreatment but all professionals who work with families can benefit from a broad understanding of the factors that may place children at risk of harm, the factors that can protect them from harm, and the ways in which these risk and protective factors interact. Having an understanding of the risk and protective factors that contribute to child abuse and neglect enables practitioners to have a more holistic view of family experience and to engage with other services in a multi-service system response (Bromfield, Sutherland, & Parker, 2012). It is essential to keep in mind that while certain risk factors may exist among families where child abuse and neglect occur, this does not mean that the presence of these factors necessarily leads to child abuse and neglect (Goldman, Salus, Wolcott, & Kennedy, 2003). Risk factors are not causes of child abuse or neglect, and the presence of one or more risk factors will not necessarily result in child abuse and neglect, just as the presence of protective factors does not guarantee that children will be kept safe. For instance, one risk factor identified in Table 1 is a large family size. This should never be interpreted as meaning that all children in large families are at high risk of maltreatment. It simply means that at the population level there is a statistical association between family size and child maltreatment. Child maltreatment occurs in a minority of families, and most people, even those experiencing many risk factors, do not abuse or neglect their children.