Assessing Child Maltreatment Reports: The Problem of False Allegations

This seminal book tackles the age-old problem of determining which reports of maltreatment from children--verbal or written--represent truth and which represent falsehood. Given the serious consequences of reports of maltreatment, this book deals effectively and practically with the everyday work of assessing the validity and reliability of maltreatment reports and guides professionals and parents with helpful research. Containing a range of chapters--authored by leading academic researchers and practitioners in child welfare services in the United States--which examine the policy and practice issues related to false allegations of child abuse and neglect, this volume provides guideposts for further research and discussion.