La Renoncule à feuilles de lierre (Ranunculus hederaceus) en Hesse

Der Efeublättrige Hahnenfuß (Ranunculus hederaceus L.) ist eine Rarität in Mitteleuropa. Er wurde in Hessen in der Vergangenheit an rund 60 Orten beobachtet. Die Art ist inzwischen sehr selten geworden und wurde in den letzten 20 Jahren an nur elf Standorten gefunden. In den Jahren 2006 beziehungsweise 2007 konnte sie lediglich an sieben Stellen wiedergefunden werden. Der heutige Verbreitungsschwerpunkt in Hessen liegt im Reinhardswald. Als typische Standorte wurden zertretene Quellen in Viehweiden und vegetationsarme Gräben ermittelt. Die Kombination aus Offenböden und konstantem (Quell-)Wasserzufluss scheint ausschlaggebend für eine Besiedelung mit dem Efeublättrigen Hahnenfuß in Hessen zu sein. Bei ungestörter Sukzession verschwindet der konkurrenzschwache Schlammkriecher rasch. Mechanische Eingriffe wie Viehtritt und Grabenräumung erhalten die Standorte der Art. Neben diesen anthropo- und anthropozoogen beeinflussten Standorten wurde die Art in einer naturnahen Limnokrene erfasst. Zum Erhalt beziehungsweise der Förderung der Art werden die Wiederherstellung beziehungsweise Beibehaltung der Beweidung von Quellstandorten und die regelmäßige Räumung von Gräben, die der Efeublättrige Hahnenfuß besiedelte, als unbedingt erforderlich erachtet.The Ivy-leaved Crowfoot is rare in central Europe. In the past it has been observed at about 60 sites in Hesse but is currently extremely rare, having been found at only 11 sites in the last 20 years. In 2006 and 2007, it was found at only 7 sites. Its current distribution in Hesse is mainly in the Reinhardswald area. Typical sites are trampled springs in pastures and ditches with poor vegetation cover. In Hesse, the combination of open ground and a constant discharge of water appears to be a prerequisite for the Ivy-leaved Crowfoot to become established. It is a poor competitor and cannot withstand undisturbed succession. Physical disturbance, such as tramping by livestock or ditch clearance, is needed for the maintenance of suitable sites. In addition to sites that are impacted by animal and human activity, this species has also been observed in natural limnocrenes. To maintain and promote the distribution of the Ivy-leaved Crowfoot, it is strongly recommended that practices such as allowing livestock to graze around springs and regular clearance of ditches be reintroduced or retained in areas where this species occurs.Ranunculus hederaceus est une espèce rare en Europe centrale. Dans le passé sa présence avait été observée en Hesse sur environ 60 localités. A présent l’espèce s’est raréfiée considérablement et n’a été trouvée les 20 dernières années que dans 11 localités. En 2006–2007, elle n’a pu être constatée que 7 fois. L’aire de répartition la plus importante en Hesse se trouve dans le Reinhardswald. L’habitat typique est constitué par les surfaces piétinées aux abords des sources dans les pâturages et par les fossés pauvres en végétation. Des sols ouverts associés à la présence constante de l’eau des sources semblent déterminer la colonisation par le renoncule à feuille de lierre en Hesse. Lorsque la succession n’est pas troublée, l’espèce pionnière sur sols vaseux disparait rapidement. Des influences mécaniques telles que le piétinement par les troupeaux et le déblaiement des fossés satisfont les besoins de l’espèce. En plus des habitats anthropo- et anthropozoogènes, l’espèce a été répertoriée dans un limnocrène naturel. Pour favoriser la conservation de l’espèce ou l’accroissement des populations, il est absolument nécessaire de reconstituer ou de conserver le pâturage sur les sites des sources et de déblayer les fossés

Child abuse, child protection and disabled children : a review of recent research

This paper reports the results of a scoping study which reviewed research about child abuse, child protection and disabled children published in academic journals between 1996 - 2009. The review was conducted using a five stage method for scoping studies. Several studies have revealed a strong association between disability and child maltreatment, indicating that disabled children are significantly more likely to experience abuse than their non-disabled peers. Those with particular impairments are at increased risk. There is evidence that the interaction of age, gender and/or socio-cultural factors with impairment results in different patterns of abuse to those found among non-disabled children although the reasons for this require further examination. It appears that therapeutic services and criminal justice systems often fail to take account of disabled children's needs and heightened vulnerability. In Britain, little is known about what happens to disabled children who have been abused and how well safeguarding services address their needs. Very few studies have sought disabled children's own accounts of abuse or safeguarding. Considerable development is required, at both policy and practice level, to ensure that disabled children's right to protection is upheld. The paper concludes by identifying a number of aspects of the topic requiring further investigation

An examination of "don't know" responses in forensic interviews with children

Most experimental studies examining the use of pre-interview instructions (ground rules) show that children say “I don't know” more often when they have been encouraged to do so when appropriate. However, children's “don't know” responses have not been studied in more applied contexts, such as in investigative interviews. In the present study, 76 transcripts of investigative interviews with allegedly abused children revealed patterns of “don't know” responding, as well as interviewers’ reactions to these responses. Instructions to say “I don't know” when appropriate did not affect the frequency with which children gave these responses. Interviewers rejected “don't know” responses nearly 30% of the time, and typically continued to ask about the same topic using more risky questions. Children often answered these follow-up questions even though they had previously indicated that they lacked the requested information. There was no evidence that “don't know” responses indicated reluctance to talk about abuse. Implications for forensic interviewers are discussed

Do Children\u27s Advocacy Centers improve families’ experiences of child sexual abuse investigations?

Abstract Objective The Children\u27s Advocacy Center (CAC) model of child abuse investigation is designed to be more child and family-friendly than traditional methods, but there have been no rigorous studies of their effect on children\u27s and caregivers’ experience. Data collected as part of the Multi-Site Evaluation of Children\u27s Advocacy Centers were used to examine whether CACs improve caregivers’ and children\u27s satisfaction with investigations. Methods Nonoffending caregiver and child satisfaction were assessed during research interviews, including the administration of a 14-item Investigation Satisfaction Scale (ISS) for caregivers. Two hundred and twenty-nine sexual abuse cases investigated through a CAC were compared to 55 cases investigated in communities with no CAC. Results Hierarchical linear regression results indicated that caregivers in CAC cases were more satisfied with the investigation than those from comparison sites, even after controlling for a number of relevant variables. There were few differences between CAC and comparison samples on children\u27s satisfaction. Children described moderate to high satisfaction with the investigation, while a minority expressed concerns about their experience. Conclusions The CAC model shows promise for improving families’ experiences, but to build upon this promise, agencies will need to systematize procedures for refining and adapting the model as new research becomes available