Child Abuse Research Today is a free monthly online journal that collates and summarizes the latest research about Child Abuse, including details on family violence, examinations, long-term effects, psychiatrics disorders.

Development of a policy-relevant child maltreatment research strategy.

MacMillan HL, Jamieson E, Wathen CN, Boyle MH, Walsh CA, Omura J, Walker JM, Lodenquai G

McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada. macmilnh@mcmaster.ca

Child maltreatment is associated with a huge burden of suffering, yet there are serious gaps in knowledge about its epidemiology and approaches to intervention. This article describes the development of a proposed national research framework in child maltreatment, as requested by the Department of Justice, Canada, based on (1) a review of the literature, (2) consultation with experts, and (3) application of evaluation criteria for considering research priorities. The article identifies gaps in knowledge about child maltreatment in Canada and proposes a research agenda to make evidence-based policy decisions more likely. Although this work was driven by gaps in Canada's knowledge about child maltreatment, the international scope of the review and consultation process could make the findings useful to broader research and policy audiences.

Published 22 May 2007 in Milbank Q, 85(2): 337-74.
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