Every Child Matters - Essay Example

and Section # of WHAT SHOULD THE HEALTH VISITOR DO AND WHY? The health visitor is responsible for ensuring that the family does well and that there is no alcohol over dosage, domestic violence and those children actually get a safe environment to live in. By a safe environment we mean that children should not be exposed to the vices in the society such as drugs, alcohol, violent behaviour and family feuds. Since, all health service organizations have a duty to safeguard and promote the Welfare of children the health officer should take action (Children Act, 2004).In response to a child protection concern the health visitor should conduct an assessment of the family. The visitor should conduct an assessment of the relationship in between the mother and the father. A detailed plan of action should be developed so as to inquire in detail about the current situation the family faces. In order to do this the health officer will have to search the history of the family and their documentation with the health department (Sussex Child protection and Safeguarding Procedures, 2008). The assessment should include growth profiling, developmental and special assessments. The information within the health agencies should be cross referenced with the children’s school and nursing clinics. After gathering the concerned information, the health officer should then conduct an interview with the mother about the problems the family has. He should then make a record of the problems highlighted in the interview. Then he should propose certain solutions for the problems. Since, in our case the primary concern is alcohol over dose the health officer should refer therapy to the mother and the father. The health officer should make it clear to the mother that if her alcohol consumption habits do not change over a certain period of time her family will be reported to the social services. This will incur a sense of fear amongst the mother and will also help to motivate her to join the alcohol protection and rehabilitation program. The officer should then specify a time for the re evaluation of the family. Consequent evaluations should then be conducted so as to monitor the progress of the parents. After each evaluation the parents should be told their progress and further suggestions to get their personal lives back on track. These evaluations should also include a report of the children, their school and health clinic attendance and any signs of neglect on behalf of the parents. The periodic results of these evaluations should then be considered for a final evaluation. If the parents show a significant improvement in their behaviour they should not be reported to the social services. But if they fail to show any signs of improvement the officer should report the family to the social services. Reporting a family is a serious task on the officer’s part but it has to be done to ensure that the children do not suffer because of the negligent attitude of their parents. Since every child has the right to a peaceful living, proper health care facilities and education. If these rights are being violated by the conduct of the parents then they should be punished for their careless behaviour. DUTIES OF CHILDREN SERVICES TOWARDS CHILDREN The children services are designed to facilitate the Common Assessment. The program works by children being referred to the system and analyzed and prompt actions are taken based on different situations. All children referred to the children’s services should have a CAF pre-assessment checklist by a professional known to them. The professional is required to assist the children in identifying and explaining to them the The children services provide a lot of different services such as education welfare, helping disabled children, psychologist services and hospital and home tuition services. Education Welfare In order to help children with education, each school has a named Education Welfare Officer who is responsible for the schools affairs. The officer can be contacted through the school or a locality team (Education Welfare, n.d ) . The services help students with school attendance issues, guide them for exclusions from school, help children get employment and education. They also help young girls with teenage pregnancy. They work by interacting with pupils to find the causes of low attendance in school, provide protection to the children with the collaboration of the law enforcement agencies, advising students for maintain school attendance and helping out girls and their parents in cases of teenage pregnancy. Hospital and Home Tuition Service The system provides temporary educational support for deserving youngsters who cannot attend school due to physical or medical reasons. The aim is to provide equal educational opportunities to children who are physically challenged, injured or have mental health problems. The program provided all the relevant study material for such individuals till their smooth return to normal school. The service also helps pregnant teenage girls to study during their pregnancy. Home tuition service is also available for young people who are absent from school due to medical needs or illness. Such students are taught at home by tutors or in nearby hospitals and other public places where a few such individuals can gather easily. The aim of this exercise is to provide high quality education for teenagers who cannot attend school. Psychologist Service The psychologist service is responsible for applying psychological theories to help solve problems and improve learning. It can be done on an individual level or at an institutional level. Individually qualified psychologists help young children on an individual basis while if students are facing difficulties in school the process can be institutionalized. The institutionalized approach is better than the individual approach as there are more students to cater too and also because of peers and their evaluation concerned students will not feel awkward or social outcasts. These services are offered in schools by training the schools and supporting their initiatives, placing consultants in different schools, observing and assessing the students and by helping students with Special Educational requirements. EVERY CHILD MATTERS In order to protect the rights of children and to help them in times of difficulties the Government has passed several laws. The government published the Every Child Matters green paper in September 2003. The paper focuses on achieving five objectives which are to help children to stay healthy, stay safe, enjoy life, make positive contributions to their environment and ensure their economic well being. REFERENCES (2004). The Children Act. Explanatory notes, S 11. (2008). Sussex Child protection and Safeguarding Procedures, 2008 (n.d). Education Welfare [Internet]. Available from < http://www.cumbria.gov.uk/childrensservices/childrenandfamilies/partnershipsandinitiatives/casemanagement/ews.asp > [29 April 2010] Read More