Innovative models for rural child protection teams

This paper describes child protection teams in rural Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada. The teams have developed an innovative model that encourages a community-based response to child abuse. Child protection teams usually follow the case consultation model, which is a group of professionals dealing with specific cases of child abuse. In Newfoundland and Labrador, child protection teams evolved away from this type of approach. Communities in the province face unique social and economic conditions and as a result child protection teams now mainly focus on prevention through public education and awareness, advocacy, and professional development. Many of the child protection teams have developed a two-tiered model. The first tier of the team includes community representatives who participate in the activities listed above. The second tier is involved with case conferences and is composed only of professionals dealing directly with the cases of child abuse. This paper discusses the child protection team model emerging in Newfoundland and Labrador in contrast to those described in the literature.