PSYCHOPEDAGOGICAL INTERVENTION PROGRAM BY GREEK POLICE OFFICERS FOR THE DETECTION OF CHILD ABUSE
Abstract
Child abuse and neglect remain pressing issues in Greece, often underreported due to social taboos and institutional limitations. This study presents the design, theoretical justification, and the possibility of field testing of “INTOVIAN”—an early detection tool aimed at identifying high-risk families with infants and toddlers. Using a mixed-method approach, was examined whether the tool can be applied by frontline Greek police officers and assess their capacity to observe and report signs of abuse in domestic contexts. The results reveal that, despite limited training, officers are capable of recognizing complex indicators of child maltreatment when equipped with structured observation tools. These findings support the inclusion of the police as active agents in interdisciplinary child protection systems and highlight the need for tailored training and inter-agency protocols. The INTOVIAN program can represents an innovative, scalable model for integrating law enforcement into child welfare prevention strategies.
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DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.46827/ejse.v11i5.6198
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