Beyond mom: promoting a public health perspective on meeting the needs of "neglected" children

The primary goals of this dissertation research were to explore the treatment of child neglect in current literature, and the perspectives of parents, living at and below poverty level, on the challenges of, and supports for, meeting the needs of children. A total of fifty-five parents from Early Head Start, Head Start and Childcare Partners in Pittsburgh, PA participated in six focus groups, discussing their perspectives, including on local Child Protective Services. The participants were recruited by Early Head Start and Head Start coordinators, and included fifteen men.\ud This dissertation is organized around the presentation of three manuscripts. The first manuscript presents a systematic review of the literature between 2000-2011 on interventions addressing child neglect. The second manuscript presents parental perspectives on the challenges to, and supports for, meeting the needs of children. Parents shared challenges within the home and outside of the home that increased the difficulty of meeting the needs of children, and the few supports available to assist. Research in the third manuscript reveals parental perspectives of Child Protective Services, indicating further challenges in creating helping partnerships for the benefit of families and their children.\ud This research has public health significance because there is only a relatively small body of literature exploring child neglect rather than abuse, although neglect is of greater prevalence, may have a greater impact on child development into adulthood, and arguably is largely preventable. This research also incorporates parental perspectives - including those of fathers - rarely included in child welfare literature, and a socioecological perspective to explore factors that impact child meeting the needs of children. Based on findings from this research, possibilities for future research, policy and program development are suggested, in order to prevent child neglect.\u