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Date: April 30, 2024 Tue
Time: 12:30 am
Time: 12:30 am
Results for fetal alcohol syndrome
1 results foundAuthor: Mutch, Raewyn Title: Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder: Knowledge, attitudes and practice within the Western Autralian justice system Summary: The aims of the project were to: assess justice professionals' awareness and knowledge of FASD; assess the perceived impact of FASD on practice within the justice system; and identify the information needs relating to FASD for the justice system in WA. A Reference Group was established to provide advice on study design and facilitate participant recruitment. A review of the literature was conducted to identify existing surveys or questionnaires that assessed FASD knowledge, attitudes and practice within justice systems that could be used as a basis for survey development. To enable the investigation of issues specific to each sector of the WA justice system, separate surveys were developed for people working in all four sectors of the justice system: judicial, legal, corrections and police. Each survey assessed socio-demographic characteristics, knowledge of FASD, sources of information about FASD, and information and training needs. Additional sector specific questionnaire items assessed participant experiences and practices using language particular to each sector. Surveys were pilot tested within each sector to ensure the questions were clear and easily understandable. The surveys were administered to 133 judicial officers, 90 lawyers, 650 Department of Corrective Services (DCS) staff and 1000 police officers. Results were summarised using descriptive statistics and qualitative content analysis. Response to the survey was low (23%) and relatively consistent across sectors. Over 90% of judicial officers, lawyers and DCS staff, and almost 75% of police officers were aware of FAS. Awareness of FASD was lower than for FAS across all sectors. Almost 80% of participants agreed that FASD is real, and that the negative effect of alcohol on fetal development has been proven. When participants were asked to describe their understanding of FASD, we found few differences in response between the judicial, legal and corrections sectors in the frequency of identification of the following four key aspects of FASD: identification of the cause as alcohol consumption during pregnancy, identification of potential impacts on physical and psychological development, and recognition that the damage is permanent. Across all four sectors of the justice system most participants reported only a basic understanding of FASD and how it affects individuals. Participants were most knowledgeable about the cause of FASD, and factors therefore important for prevention. Notably, some participants described FASD as caused by excessive alcohol use, alcohol abuse or dependence. More than 75% of judicial officers, 85% of lawyers and DCS staff, and almost 50% of police officers perceived FASD as relevant to their work. Consistent with the importance of formal training or professional development as a source of information on FASD among DCS staff, knowledge about FASD was highest among DCS staff, who were more likely to report a good understanding of how FASD affects children and adults (44%) than participants from the other sectors. Few DCS staff reported not being aware of how FASD affects children and adults (5%) compared with 30% or more among participants from other sectors. Participants across all sectors frequently reported recognition of suspected FASD among individuals they dealt with, and raised concerns about the management of these individuals within the justice system. Approximately 60% of participants from the judicial and legal sectors, 67% of staff from the corrections sector, and 43% from the police sector reported ever dealing with a person who may have been affected by FASD. Suspicion of FASD was most commonly based on identification of a poor attention span, low intelligence quotient (IQ), maternal history of alcoholism and physical appearance. We found widespread agreement among judicial officers (79%), lawyers (92%) and DCS staff (84%) that the assessment and diagnosis of FASD would improve the possibilities of appropriate consequences for unacceptable behaviour. Most participants (72%) also indicated a need for more information about FASD, including information to improve the identification of individuals in need of specialist assessment, and guidelines on how to deal with people with FASD. We also found strong support across all sectors for the development of appropriate alternative or diversionary sentencing options for people with FASD. Details: Perth: Telethon Institute for Child Health Research, Centre for Child Health Research, The University of Western Australia, 2013. 118p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed March 6, 2014 at: http://www.fare.org.au/wp-content/uploads/2011/07/Report-FASD-Justice-System.pdf Year: 2013 Country: Australia URL: http://www.fare.org.au/wp-content/uploads/2011/07/Report-FASD-Justice-System.pdf Shelf Number: 131844 Keywords: Alcohol AbuseCriminal Justice SystemFetal Alcohol Syndrome |