Children Health Care in Relation to the UK Health Legislations - Assignment Example

Children’s Health Care in Relation to the UK’s Health Legislations, Policies, and Researches Name Institution of affiliation Date Critically evaluate UK's Health legislations, policies and researches in relation to "Children's and Young People's right to be protected "in relation to Children's Health Care Introduction Literature on the rights of children is growing and also entails wider developments within policies, sociological debates, and legislation. The United Kingdom has a limitless number of laws protecting children and putting a guarantee for basic rights. These include in the areas of both entitlement and those that ensure protection such as education for the former and health and criminal justice system for the latter. Focusing on the rights of children in relation to health care through legislations, policies, and research is of ultimate importance and will be the key discussion in this essay. Having drawn from research evidence, policy papers identify that early experiences affect life chances, human capital development, and health in the long term (Fawcett, Featherstone, & Goddard, 2004). Ultimately, this calls for a general policy accentuation on prevention and early intervention at the ages of children and young people (Law, 2010). According to DH (June 2007), the government introduced a National Service Framework which provides for healthcare services that are tailored for children’s needs, hence services should be designed and delivered around the children and families’ needs. The following essay will look at children’s health care in relation to the UK’s health legislations, policies, and researches. The discussion implies that children and young people are a special population by which if policies, legislations, and research evidence are fostered in the practical sense, a lot can be achieved in terms of preventing health injustices and providing for them a better future. Health Issues Affecting Children and Young People in the UK A major challenge affecting access and delivery of health care to the population is health inequality (Pascall, 2006). Health is unequal in Britain and it is influenced by basic variables such as gender, race, and social class. Research provides strong evidence that public health inequality in the UK is the cause of poor access and delivery of health services (Pascall, 2006). For example, although infant mortality rated has declined in the 21st Century, people have not shared equally in this advancement. Pascall (2006) relying on data from the NHS asserts that life expectancy at birth for social class I or the professional class increased almost six years over the final quarter of the 20th century. On the other hand, the rise for unskilled manual labourers or social class V was less than two years. The gap between these two classes stood about ten years by the end of the twentieth century. According to DH (2007), there is a wide gap in infant mortality with the prevalence for the unskilled workers class double that of the professional class. These measures show that improving health over the population as a whole has been accompanied by gaping differences between experience of health, life, and death in different social groups. Children and young people exist in all these social groups and it therefore means that social inequality is affecting the health of many young ones especially from lower social class levels. The past years have entailed many changes in health matters for children and young people across the UK (Hendrick, 2005). Such changes have been influenced by advances in health innovation and intervention (Hendrick, 2005), societal alterations that influence lifestyles, and international influences that are modifying the needs of both the resident and migrant communities (Invernizzi &Williams, 2008). The changes are responsible for the way that services are currently being planned, managed, and delivered (Invernizzi &Williams, 2008). This expanse of need and service provision is expected to touch the lives of children and all young people in the UK despite their residence, community, or family that they are part of (Hendrick, 2005). Children and young people are very sensitive to the happenings in the environment, and with lack of right support, they can become distressed about situations which they find hard to deal with. According to Young Minds (2012), about 850,000 children and young people in the UK have been diagnosed with a mental health problem. At least one in twelve young people has been reported to self-harm as a result to a mental health problem such as depression. Depression in children and young people can be caused by losing a parent, loved-one or guardian through bereavement, or family break-up; school-related problems such as being bullied or fear of failure; having a depressed or anxious parent; witnessing repeated domestic violence/abuse; feeling isolated and lonely; death of a pet; a new step family; and emotional, sexual, and or physical abuse among others. Circumstances that are not outright traumatic such as moving house, losing a favourite toy, being left in care of a person they don’t know, and arrival of a new baby have also been shown to cause long-term distress in some cases. According to a study by Mears et al. (2002) mental health problems such as schizophrenia or personality disorder were commonly noted in patient subjects of 18 years and above, who were detained in the hospital facility. Mood and eating disorders were also noted among many adolescents who were informal patients at the setting. Children’s health has also been directly or indirectly affected by ongoing events in the environment. Law (2010) asserts that both observational and experimental studies have provided evidence for a link between early-life to adult cardiovascular disease. Prevalent early life experiences such as smoking during pregnancy and child poverty increase the risk of cardiovascular disease during adulthood (Law, 2010). This research provides insight that the global aspiration for a healthy generation in the future depends on early intervention. Another issue area that is affecting children and young people’s attitudes to the future include misrepresentation in the media. The young people have mostly been stereotyped as villains and trouble makers in the society and this contributes to the in-growth of violent attitudes (Franklin, 2002). By protecting the rights of children and young people early enough, the country provides an opportunity to prevent health burdens in the future. Policies, Legislations affecting health care of children and young people As seen from various researches, the subject of children health care incorporates several other influences rather than just physical ailments. As discussed above, social class demarcations are a major reason for health inequality and experience of health burdens in most groups in the population. Thus, approaches to comprehending health and health inequalities are linked to policy approaches. Since the mid 20th century, the governments of the UK have seemed to embrace strategies that first insist in the distribution of medical care and second, those that urge people to embrace healthy lifestyles. Nonetheless, the current UK government policy follows a third way-the need to strike a new balance, which links individuals and wider action (DH, 2007). It is still emphasized that individuals be on the lookout to maintain healthy lifestyles but governments have now acknowledged the challenges arising from poverty, improper housing, environmental pollution, low educational standards, unemployment, and low wages as a connection between health and social inequalities. Policies across these diverse agenda have in practice been uneven. Nevertheless, some of the most significant policy developments are seen in areas of child benefits and child tax credits as means aimed to reduce poverty, social inequality, and the foundations of health inequality (Pascall, 2006). Policies should have an integrated approach to ensure that the care and needs of children are considered at various levels of social, economic, and environmental dimensions. Neglected or abused needs for children and young people mostly result to mental health issues. Bartlett & Sandland (2007) use the subject of mental health to address how legislation interacts with the wider social policy and social theory. Thus there are legislations to oversee intervention in such circumstances. For example, the Children Act of 1989, and the Mental Health Act of 1983 have been incorporated in psychiatric settings for children and adolescents, for the purposes of detention and treatment of children and young people (Mears et. al, 2002). The Mental Health Act is still under review as it does not specify lower age limits in its use. On the other hand, the Children Act of 1989 gives specific statutory rights for children and young people in relation to their mental assessment and treatment. However, Mears et al (2002) found that psychiatrist’s knowledge of the Children Act and consent issues is lower as compared to that of the Mental Health Act. The likelihood of the law is to create categories such as dangerousness and competency in a field of mental health that defies such rigidity (Bartlett & Sandland, 2007).The UK government considered the United Nations Conventions on the Rights of Children (UNCRC) as aspirational rather than enforceable (Harvey, October 2012). However, Children’s Commissioners in the UK have come together in requesting for the embrace of the Convention into the domestic legislation as this will make children’s rights both recognized and legal binding. The children’s right movement also maintains that the government has a responsibility to uphold in regards to children’s rights and this call for working policy and legislation (Harvey, October 2012). The government has passed various legislations to ensure that needs of children relating to health care are met. For example, in 2002, the Care Standards Act was established to reform the law relating to regulation and inspection of various care institutions including children’s homes (Bartlett & Sandland, 2007). The post of Director of Children’s Rights was also created and was provided for power to investigate individual cases. This is the same year that the UK committee responsible for monitoring and implementation of the UNCRC in the UK availed its second concluding remarks on UK’s progress on the charter. There is also the Sexual Offences Act of 2003 which decreased the age of consent for certain sexual activities from age eighteen to sixteen (Bartlett & Sandland, 2007). According to Parton (2006) it is important to identify a preventive state geared to control problems before they occur. This can be achieved through closer regulation and surveillance of all issues that are somehow related to the health of children. Early prevention has been suggested in various researches as a sure way of taking into account the health care need of children and young adults, all the way to adulthood (Franklin, 2002; Hendrick, 2005; Law, 2010; Parton, 2006). Recommendations The health of children and young people is dependent on factors affection individuals at individual, community and national levels. To ensure that children and young people gain access to better health care, the following should be considered: Early intervention at all levels is very important. Children should be protected from pregnancy stage and this measure includes introducing policies that enable pregnant women to have a decent lifestyle in the society (Law, 2010). These include decent shelter, food, education and awareness. Legislations can also be put to promote healthier lifestyles, for example, forbidding pregnant women from smoking and drinking to levels that can harm the developing child. Policies and legislations should also emphasize on the safety and protection from domestic abuse which includes violent attitudes towards pregnant women, or at family level where children are exposed to such violence (Law, 2010). It is important to encourage children to express their feelings and emotions freely without harsh judgments and also provide room for creative exposures (Freeman, 2004). These will help the children and young people from developing negative emotions that can be destructive to their emotional well-being. Policies and legislations around psychiatric care especially should provide guidelines in a way that the young person’s rights are observed and respected as well as a way to promote better and quicker interventions (Franklin, 2002). Legislations and policies should be enacted or modified to ensure that needs of children across individual and social dimensions are met. This will require a lot of interaction and cooperation among all stakeholders involved in agencies that somehow affect the needs of children. Conclusion The research has provided a critical analysis of legislations, policies, and researches that affect the health of children and young people. Findings have shown that although the UK has formulated a number of legislations pertaining to child health care, there are still immense problems regarding the situation in the practical sense. Children and young people have been faced with a number of health issues including cardiovascular diseases such as obesity and diabetes. Mental health problems including mood and eating disorders, depression, anxiety, fear, and personality disorders are also on the rise. It has been found that the health of children is affected by a number of factors within the society. A number of issued discussed in public policies including migration, poverty, domestic violence, education, employment, crime and justice, and food and nutrition have directly or indirectly affected how needs are delivered to children and young people thus impacting their health. National policies and legislations should be designed in such a way that the needs of children are put into consideration regardless of the family’s social status. Moreover, there is overwhelming research evidence that how children are treated in the early life greatly affects their well-being as adults. Thus, the policies and legislations should gear towards interventions that target early life and these can be enhanced through education and awareness. Healthy children in the present therefore means even healthier individuals as adults and thus greatly reducing health costs and health burdens of the country, thus promoting both individual and national development. References: Bartlett, P.& Sandland, R. (2007). Mental Health Law: Policy and Practice (3rd Edition): Oxford: OUP Department of Health (DH). (2007, June). National Service Framework documents, http://www.dh.gov.uk/en/Policyandguidance/Healthandsocialcaretopics/ChildrenServi ces/Childrenservicesinformation/DH_4089111 Fawcett, B., Featherstone, J.B. and Goddard, J. (2004). Contemporary child care policy and practice, London: Palgrave Franklin, B. (2002). The new handbook of children’s rights: Comparative policy and practice, London: Routledge. Freeman, M.D.A. (ed) (2004). Children’s rights, Aldershot, Hants, England: Ashgate. Harvey, R. (2012, October). “The UK before the UN committee on the rights of the child”, ChildRight, Is. 190. Hendrick, H. (2005). Child Welfare and Social Policy: An Essential Reader, Bristol, UK: The Policy Press Invernizzi, A. and Williams, J (2008). Children and citizenship, London: SAGE. Law, C. (2010). Will our children be healthy adults: Applying science to public health policy”, Clinical Medicine, 10(6), 595-599. Mears, A., White, R. Banerjee, S., Worrall, A., O’Herlihy, A., Jaffa, T.,Hill, P., Brook, H., Lelliott, P. (2002). “An evaluation of the use of the Children Act 1989 and the Mental Health Act 1983 in children and adolescents in psychiatric settings (CAMHA- CAPS)”, Report for NIMHE. Parton, N. (2006). Safeguarding childhood: Early intervention and surveillance in a late modern society, London: Palgrave. Pascall, G. (2006). Health and health policy, Chapter 14, 407-439 Young Minds. (2012). “The voice of young people’s mental health and wellbeing”. http://www.youngminds.org.uk/ Read More