The Child Welfare System and Prevention Services to Children With a Risk of Abuse - Research Paper Example

 INTRODUCTION Child welfare system serves the nation’s most vulnerable and troubled children and families. The goal of child welfare services is to provide an array of prevention and intervention services to children and families who have been or are at risk of abuse or neglect. The child welfare system is designed to support families and to protect children from harm (NASW, 5). Historically, social workers have played a key role in the child welfare system by protecting children at risk and supporting families in need. The social work profession is strongly rooted in the tradition of social reform, much of which was directed toward alleviating the problems of children in the postindustrial society. Voluntary agencies and government services for children were created by concerned citizens and public officials during the past 70 years. The national association of social workers (NASW) led the field in the development of best practices for social workers in child welfare. The NASW standards for social work practice in child protection (NASW 1981) served as an initial effort to formulate standards in this important and continually evolving area of practice. Because it is essential that standards reflect and promote sound social work practice, they have been revised and expanded beyond child protection to reflect changing practices and policies for social work practice in a variety of child welfare settings. These standards can be regarded as a basic tool for practice in child welfare that might include family preservation and support, out-of-home care, family foster care, kinship care, residential group homes, adoption, independent living, child day care, adolescent pregnancy and parenting services, hospitals and nontraditional settings such as faith-based facilities,www.naswdc.org/practice/standard/naswchildwelfare standard 0905.pdf. Workforce issues Practitioners and researchers are continually challenged by difficulties agencies face in recruiting and retaining a competent child welfare workforce. Recent studies indicate that social work degrees are the most appropriate degrees for the field of practice. A social work-educated workforce has been directly linked to better outcomes for children and families and to lower staff turn-over in child welfare setting (NASW, 7). Standard for professional practice The code of ethics establishes the ethical responsibilities of social workers with respect to themselves, clients, colleagues, employees and employing organizations, the social work profession and society. Acceptance of these responsibilities guides and fosters competent social work practice in all child welfare tasks and activities. As an integral component of child welfare system, social workers have a responsibility to know and comply with local state and federal legislation, regulations and policies, legal and regulatory guidelines as well as administrative practices that may conflict with the best interests of the child and or family. In the event that conflicts arise, social workers are directed to the NASW code of ethics as a tool in their decision making. The code of ethics encompasses a wide variety of issues in the child welfare practice; they include qualifications of social workers, continuous training, areas of concern in child development and many other areas that are beneficial to the child well-being and the welfare system. It is very vital to understand how the child welfare system operates and for social workers to employ high standards in their profession. Continuous study and training can never be over-emphasized as they will help the social workers to understand the dynamics of child abuse and neglect and to be up-to-date with changes that take place world-wide, in the area of child abuse and neglect and also, the child welfare system. The following paragraphs will discuss child abuse and neglect, define them and also give applicable solutions in this area. Definition of child abuse Child abuse is when any purposeful action or failure to act results in physical, mental or emotional injury to a child. This includes sexual abuse, exposing a child to graphic pornographic material or sending a child a sexually explicit and obscene text message (Capegateway, 1). There are 3 common types of abuse that constantly mentioned in literature, they are; physical, emotional and sexual abuse. It is possible though that as time goes on that there might be some new forms of abuse. There is an argument that other types of child abuse go unnoticed by authorities, one of the most common types of child abuse that is allowed to go on is the fact that many parents smoke around their children (a 1 year old child for example cannot tell a parent not to smoke, and even they speak, the parent may still continue). This may cause a severe damage to the child’s lungs and they cannot do anything about it, www.childabusecharity.com. Types of abuse As mentioned earlier, the 3 common types of abuse are; physical, emotional and sexual. Physical abuse is physical injury (ranging from minor bruises to severe fractures or death) as a result of punching, beating, kicking, biting, shaking, throwing, stabbing, chocking, hitting, burning or otherwise harming a child. Such injury is considered abuse regardless of whether the caretaker intended to hurt the child or not, Emotional abuse includes activities of behavior that impairs a child’s emotional development or sense of self-worth. This may include constant criticism, threats or rejection, as well as withholding love, support and guidance. Emotional abuse is often difficult to prove and therefore it may not be easy for professionals to intervene without evidence of harm to the child. Emotional abuse is almost always present when other form of abuse are identifies Sexual abuse includes activities by a parent or caretaker such as fondling a child’s genitals, penetration, incest, rape, sodomy, indecent exposure and exploitation through prostitution or the production of pornographic material http://parentingteens.about.com/cs/childabuse/f/childabuse.2.htm Consequences of child abuse According to South African National Council for child and family welfare (1992, 16), very few children escape such a harmful experience without lasting scars. The severity of the consequences of child abuse depends on a variety of factors like, among others, age, frequency of abuse, severity of abuse, home environment, and emotional stability of the caretaker. Most physical consequences are of a short-term nature, while psychological consequences are mainly long-term and often have an influence which lasts into adulthood. The following are some of the consequences which may be found in the abused child. Physical Consequences Depending on the type of abuse the child suffered, s/he may be left with permanent physical scars. The following long-term conditions are possible: growth-abnormality, illness, neurological damage, visual damage, scars and deformities. Developmental consequences From literature it would appear that most abused children, who were tested, displayed some form of developmental delay. Tests include hand/eye coordination, personal and social behavior, IQ tests and mastery of language, among others, when compared to non-abused, abused children always show developmental delays in one or more of the areas tested – intellectual ability, communication, delayed gratification, responsibility, decision making and problem solving, trust, separation of feelings and action. Behavioral consequences Certain typical patterns have been observed which include; frozen watchfulness (frightened, withdraw, fear of failure, passive, aggressiveness, low self-esteem, impaired ability for enjoyment, difficult, attention-seeking behavior, self-destructive behavior including suicide, moving into sub-cultures where s/he can express wrath towards the circumstances. Drug/alcohol abuse and delinquency in adolescents are often results of various forms of abused. Social workers dealing with such cases need to be well aware of the dynamics of child abuse, be in control of their own feeling about the issue and be able to confront the situation with empathy. S/he will need all the support s/he can get in his or her field South African National Council for child and family welfare (1992, 17). Guidelines for treatment According to Lipovsky (5) the targets for treatment are determined to a large degree by the child's presenting symptomatology and will be individually defined following a thorough assessment. There are, however, certain overriding goals that should guide the treatment process. Treatment should be directive and focused on the abuse itself. Treatment approaches should: 1) Help and encourage the child to talk and think about the abuse/neglect without embarrassment or significant anxiety; 2) help the child to express feelings about the abuse; 3) reduce the intensity and frequency of behavioral and emotional symptoms; 4) Clarify and change distorted, inaccurate, or unhealthy thinking patterns that might negatively affect the child’s view of self and others; 5) Help the child develop healthier attachments; and 6) Educate the child regarding self-protective strategies. An additional goal, accomplished specifically through group therapy is to reduce the child’s sense of isolation or stigma through exposure to other victims of Abuse. Child neglect Child neglect is the willful or unintentional omission by a parent or caretaker to fulfill the basic physical and emotional needs of the child. The difference between neglect and abuse is the omission to act in the one instance and acting willfully to the detriment of the child in the other. Child neglect is a condition far more prevalent than child abuse. An estimated 10 cases of neglect to 1, 5 cases of abuse are reported in literature. However since it is not as dramatic to omit one’s duty as a parent, as it is to willfully act and abuse a child, neglect receives far less attention in the media (and even law) than is the case with abuse. There are also various types of neglect and their effects may be different. The most common ones are; Physical – failure to provide food or shelter or lack of appropriate supervision. Medical – failure to provide necessary medical health treatment Educational – failure to educate a child or to attend to special education needs. Emotional – inattention to a child’s emotional needs, failure to provide psychological care or permitting a child to use alcohol or other drugs Another aspect worth mentioning about neglect is the fact that it can be intentional – when those who are supposed to meet a child’s basic need fail to do so despite having the resources to do so and circumstantial – those who are supposed to meet a child’s basic need fail to do so because they do not have the necessary resources. Resources can be material, intellectual, and emotional, like child abuse, neglect has consequences which may also vary in severity, South African National Council for child and family welfare (1992, 17). Consequences of child neglect Child neglect impairs the total development of the child. All the levels of functioning are affected by neglect since the various components are interrelated with each other. Parents who do not feed a child deprive him/her of closeness and sensitivity to needs. On the other hand the baby who fails to thrive inspite of adequate feeding may not gain weight due to deprivation of motherly love. Physical consequences – include deficiency in brain cells, low weight, stunted growth or delayed development. Apart from long-term problems, the neglected child suffers physically due to being underfed, deprived of medical care and proper clothing. Emotional consequences – A child who grows in an emotionally deprived atmosphere tends to be apathetic, listless, withdrawn and depressed. No one is trusted and rejection is expected. The self-esteem is low and most important; the child is not equipped with life skills of love and affection which would make him or her better parent than those who are neglecting him or her. The child is deprived of cause-effect relationships; s/he never has any predictable idea of what will happen next and develops a suspicious attitude to life. Behavioral consequences – The neglected child tends to engage in unacceptable behavior, Polansky (7, 135) is of the opinion that at more or less 12 years of age, neglected children undergo a drastic reorganization of value and become hostile and defiant. Social consequences – the social responses of the neglected child are described as indifferent and apathetic due to deficiency in the sphere of feelings or affection. These children are not capable of forming deep, meaningful relationships. If the child experienced serious neglect, it can be expected that such a child will have long0term difficulties in formation of meaningful relationships. The neglected child reacts with ambivalence towards parental figures, while hoping for affection; s/he must protect him/herself against rejection. S/he becomes socially isolated. Guidelines for treatment The social work treatment process Should the social worker decide to engage in treating the neglecting family, in an attempt to keep the family together, a thorough study is to be made of parental characteristics and family dynamics. All the factors should be noted in order to establish the needs of a client. If a client experiences that a need is being met, s/he might respond positively and open him/herself to change. The problem with the neglecting parent is that, due to his/her deficient emotional development, s/he might function without being aware of his deficiencies. The social worker needs to establish in which of the following areas, an awareness of a deficiency could be created which can then be met through actions of the worker. Child neglect may not be a willful act by a parent, but this does not lessen the seriousness of the situation. The consequences are as harmful as that of child abuse. Since it is true that neglect tends to be concentrated in geographical areas, work at community level should be regarded as a method of dealing with neglectful parents. The importance of individual involvement can never be over-emphasized South African National Council for child and family welfare (1992, 18). SOURCES Lipovsky, J.A Treatment of child victims of child abuse and neglect < http://childlaw.sc.edu/frmPublications/treatment_114200441012.pdf>. National Association of Social Workers.2005. . South African National Council for child and welfare.” Child Abuse and Neglect”. 1992:11-15 Name: Laverne Johnson. Limestone College Social Worker Program, SW 299 Lecturer: Chuck Kuhn, PhD MSW,LISW AP&CP Read More