The Aspect of Working with Children - Essay Example

Children and Families Affiliation: Children and Families Theaspect of working with children has been a thorny issue that has over the past been addressed with the sensitivity it deserves. The current legal, practice and policy frameworks have impacted differently on work with families, children and the young people. The responsibility of securing and promoting the rights of all children and young people is an international concern. Furthermore, the concerns are addressed in the United Nations Conventions on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC) and are applied in all UK jurisdictions. The current legal structures require that all professionals and agencies should work in collaboration to protect and promote children’s welfare. The practice framework entails actions that are necessary to ensure that children fit within the family and society system. Certain processes should be followed to handle concerns carefully surrounding children. The processes should ensure that proper action is taken to protect children who are suffering and those who are either at risk of suffering or significant harm (County Borough Council, 2006). According to the Children Act of 2004, the role of safeguarding the young people and children within the families lies with the society. The general practices within the community should help enhance and promote the welfare of the young people and the children. Such practices should mind the needs of children and act when a concern about child welfare arises. The Act also provides a legislative backbone for creating more efficient and accessible services that are aimed at fulfilling the needs of young people, children, and their families. The Act outlines that every child and young person within the family and society needs to stay safe, be healthy, and make a positive contribution (County Borough Council, 2006). Additionally, the children and young people enjoy and achieve economic well-being. There have been other laws that have come up to protect the most vulnerable children. The passing of the Safeguarding Vulnerable Groups Act 2006 led to the creation of a sole agency tasked with the role of conducting background checks on all persons or organizations willing to partner with children and young adults. The above mentioned structures have brought a positive change in the way organizations and people work with children and young adults. Child development theories have come up to create an understanding of the children’s perspectives and behaviors. Among the significant children development theories include the ecological systems theory, attachment theory, maturation theory, and psychodynamic approach. Others include psychosocial approach, cognitive theory, behaviorist approach, and information processing theory. All these theories in one way or the other bring an understanding of a child’s perspective and behavior (The NSW Office of Child Care, 2006). The maturation theory stipulates that the growth and development of a child take place in a sequential manner. The theory relies on three major assumptions, namely: a child’s development has a biological backing; good and bad years of growth alternate, and body types affect behavioral development (The NSW Office of Child Care, 2006). The theory further states that most of the difficulties a child experiences during growth comes from within. The ecological systems theory seeks to explain how a child’s development is influenced by the various forms of environmental systems. The theory creates an understanding of how people behave differently in different environments. For instance, a child will display varying character while in the presence of the parents and while in the company of schoolmates. The theory places emphasis on the environment and heredity. Psychodynamic theory states that the development of behavior is controlled by the unconscious mind. The theory describes the two major components of the mind to be ego and superego. The cognitive approach considers the child to have qualitative changes during growth. The psychosocial theory posits that the personality development of a child takes place in eight steps throughout the child’s lifetime. In this approach, a child’s development is influenced by the family, culture and friends. All these form part of the social environment. Finally, the information processing theory explains that children are born with extraordinary information processing capabilities that play a significant role in their development. The theories discussed above are essential in understanding each child’s abilities, behaviors and personality (The NSW Office of Child Care, 2006). There are also safeguarding processes that include multi-professional working and partnership with families and their children. The multi-professional working relationship with children provides that the role of protecting the child is a collaborative effort between professionals and agencies. Each has a different role and expertise to bring on board in promoting the welfare of the children (The College of Social Work, 2006). Additionally, there should be effective assessment to identify the needs such children. Children together with their families may require support from a wide range of organization. Hence, it is vital to conduct assessments to determine the degree of need of the child. The Common Assessment Framework (CAF) is an effective tool that can be used to conduct the assessment (Department for Schools, Children and Families, 2009). The CAF is a structure meant to assist practitioners identifies the additional needs of children, young people and their families. The framework allows for earlier identification of the needs and understanding how to work together with the people in that category. The CAF consists of a pre-assessment checklist. The checklist helps in making a decision on whom to gain from a common assessment. CAF also provides a process that aids practitioners in making a joint assessment and then acting on the findings. Finally, a normal form to document the assessment and a delivery plan and review form also form part of the CAF checklist. The checklist provides a valid understanding of the additional needs that may be needed by children and young adults (Department for Schools, Children and Families, 2009). Furthermore, it is important to understand the social work practice when dealing with children, young people and their families from an anti-discriminatory perspective. Several developments have taken place to provide an understanding of the experiences of social work. Key among them is the emergence of AOP (Anti-Oppressive Practice), commonly known as anti-discriminatory practice (ADP). The aim of AOP/ADP is to ensure that there is no discrimination along race, sexuality, culture, gender, age and disability lines. Additionally, the frameworks seek to eliminate discrimination that is propagated by the social systems and structures (The College of Social Work, 2006). The major outcome of the practices has been an improved quality among the families that also impacts on the children and the young people. Finally, communication with young people and children may appear simple, but it also has its complexities. Proper communication skills are an integral part in working efficiently with young people, children, and families. First, good communication requires listening and building empathy. It entails establishing a rapport and using a clear language to communicate. Building a rapport creates trust, respect and honesty between the communicator and the child or the young people. Additionally, it is important to engage children and young people in activity-based communication. Activity-based communication entails using tools such as toys, flashcards among others. These tools when used enable a child to feel comfortable and express his or her emotions freely. Therefore, it is vital to develop good communication habits in order effectively to handle children, young adults, and their families. List of References County Borough Council (2006). Safeguarding Children: Working Together Under the Children Act 2004. [ONLINE] Available at: http://www.conwy.gov.uk/upload/public/attachments/328/safeguarding_children__english.pdf. [Last Accessed 10 December 2014]. Department for Schools, Children and Families (2009). Working Together to Safeguard Children . [ONLINE] Available at: https://www.education.gov.uk/consultations/downloadableDocs/Working%20Together%20to%20Safeguard%20ChildrenV2.pdf. [Last Accessed 10 December 2014]. The College of Social Work (2006). Return to Social Work: Learning Materials. Equality and Diversity. [ONLINE] Available at: http://www.tcsw.org.uk/uploadedFiles/TheCollege/Social_Work_Practice/RtSW%20Module%205%20Equality%20%20Diversity%20FINAL.pdf. [Last Accessed 10 December 2014]. The College of Social Work (2006). Return to Social Work: Learning Materials. Social Policy. [ONLINE] Available at: http://www.tcsw.org.uk/uploadedFiles/TheCollege/Social_Work_Practice/RtSW%20Module%206%20Social%20Policy%20FINAL.pdf. [Last Accessed 10 December 2014]. The NSW Office of Child Care (2006). A basic introduction to child development theories. [ONLINE] Available at: http://lrrpublic.cli.det.nsw.edu.au/lrrSecure/Sites/LRRView/7401/documents/theories_outline.pdf. [Last Accessed 10 December 2014]. Read More