How do nurses' suspicion of child abuse arise, how do they respond, and what are the barriers to responding?

Category

Health and Environmental Sciences

Description of research project

My name is Susan Platt and I am an RN and AUT staff member in the nursing department. I would like to invite you to participate in the research I am conducting on nurses’ suspicion of child abuse, how they respond to this and any barriers they encounter.
I am wanting to conduct this research because I am passionate about the care of children who may be experiencing abuse. Nurses see children and their families more often than any other health professional, and usually before any other health professional. NZ has the fifth worst child abuse rates out of 31 OECD countries and is therefore a significant concern. Therefore, their stories are important and may help inform early detection and preventive actions.
Participation in this research involves attending a focus group interview. The interviews will take place in person at an AUT campus (either North or South Campuses). However, if there are sufficient numbers of participants who prefer virtual attendance, I will organise a focus group interview to take place using MS Teams. The interviews will take between 1.5-2 hours duration. At the conclusion of each interview, each participant will receive a $30 gift voucher.

Inclusion and/or exclusion criteria

Registered nurses with at least one year practice experience who have worked with children whom they suspect are being abused are invited to participate in this research. Registered nurses who work in primary health and hospital settings are able to participate.

Statement of ethics approval

Approved by the Auckland University of Technology Ethics Committee on 2024-05-16 for Three years.

AUTEC approval number

24/76

Contact person

Dr Susan Platt, susan.platt@aut.ac.nz

Participant information sheet

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