Risk of Cumulative Harm for Children

The traditional child protection approach focused on families in crisis, who required temporary support, while a parent recovered from their crisis, to protect children from immediate, unacceptable harm. However, recent research has shown that some families use inadequate parenting practices that expose children to cumulative harm over time. This research has resulted in a change in policy to protect children from cumulative harm. This chapter discusses the concept of cumulative harm, risk factors for cumulative harm, and the need for early intervention therapies to reduce risk to children while supporting children to remain with their birth family.