Masters Thesis

A metasynthesis: the experience of children with disabilities and their families in the child welfare system

Children with disabilities have an increased likelihood in experiencing child maltreatment including physical violence, neglect, emotional abuse, and sexual abuse (Hambry & Grych, 2013). The purpose of this study was to provide an overview of the existing literature on mistreated children with disabilities, their families, and their service professionals through a meta-synthesis framework. Using the Bronfenbrenner's ecological theory, this study assessed the micro-, meso-, exo-, and macro-level contexts to describe risk, political, cultural, and social factors that shape the dynamics of child maltreatment among children with disabilities, their families, and child welfare service providers. The results of this study indicated that while support services are offered to children with disabilities such as early intervention services, child welfare workers still lack the training necessary to understand how to work with children with disabilities.

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