Measuring informal social control in child maltreatment: From “whether” to “how,” from one-off to sustained, from individual to community

This chapter examines the rationale for the development of the informal social control of child maltreatment scale. It examines the strengths of the scale vis a vis the collective efficacy approach and points to limitations that require improvement. It argues that measurement of informal social control of maltreatment must be shifted into three dimensions: from whether informal social control occurs to how, from a single act to sustained intervention, and from a single individual or family to an entire community. The chapter concludes with a critique of the field’s neglect of the theoretical underpinning of the logic of informal social control and suggests remedies that can improve the theoretical coherence of the construct and fit with empirical findings.