Exploring the Use of the Public Health Approach in Child Protection in Ghana

Child maltreatment (CM) is a global phenomenon that can leave the child victim with emotional, psychological, and physical scars across their lifespan. In Ghana, there has been some traction in efforts to recognize the debilitating impacts of CM on a child’s physical, emotional, and psychological health. Child protection workers, medical practitioners, public health workers, law enforcement officers, and other professionals who work with children in various capacities, especially recognize the magnitude of the problem. These professionals, who predominantly work in the public sector and with non-governmental agencies, play various roles in identifying and intervening in CM cases. While global CM interventions overwhelmingly take the form of treatment (intervening after the maltreatment has occurred), this study sought to understand the extent to which the public health approach, if any, has been integrated into CM intervention practices in Ghana. This exploratory, Institutional Review Board (IRB) and Ghana Health Service Ethics Review Committee (GHS-ERC) approved mixed-methods study collected quantitative and qualitative data from 113 child protection workers and healthcare workers across four regions of Ghana. Participants responded to survey and interview questions about their awareness, knowledge, and utilization of the public health approach in tackling CM in Ghana. Policy, practice, and research implications and/or recommendations are provided.