Public Authority - Essay Example

 Table of Contents Introduction 3 What Steps the Local Authority Can and Should Take 5 Short-Term Measures That Can be Taken By the Local Authority 6 Long-Term Measures That Can Be Taken By the Local Authority 8 Conclusion 9 References 10 Introduction The provided case study reveals about the two prime protagonists i.e. Barrett family and their neighbour Mrs. Smith. It depicts that the Barrett family had shifted to a rented house in St. Albans. The family comprises 5 members which include a lady named Shirley and her 3 children along with her boyfriend Donald. Shirley’s three young children named Danni, Charlie and Emily aged 5, 7 and 14 years respectively. The adjacent neighbour of the family in St. Albans was Mrs. Smith, who was a practice nurse by profession in a local surgical department. In relation certain critical scenarios that have been recognised in the case, it is observed that two younger children of Shirley, Charlie and Danni used to play together in the street all day long. Both of them seemed to be quite unwashed and untidy. According to Mrs. Smith, Charlie is particularly aggressive in nature and acts violently towards other young children playing in the street. On the other hand, the speaking habit of Danni was very offensive for a girl of her age and the other girl Emily looked to be pregnant at such a tender age. These children appeared to not attend their school on a regular basis. Moreover, as Mr. Smith heard some noises and cries from the house and also did not see the mother of the children for few weeks, she decided get into the matter more precisely by inviting one of the children i.e. Danni to her daughter’s birthday party. This was not accepted by Shirley, the mother of three children replying that Danni was unwell and cannot attend the party. During the conversation Mrs. Smith asked Shirley, about her arm which was on a sling. In the mean time, Donald arrived at the door and aggressively shut the door in front of Mrs. Smith by telling that she should distance herself from the activities undergoing in the Barrett family. This attitude was not taken kindly by Mrs. Smith, as she decided to discuss the matter with her colleagues in her workplace. According to her, something was quite wrong in the Barrett family. In this regard, it was decided that the Local Authority is to be informed for revealing the facts appropriately. The paper intends to discuss the steps that can or should be taken by the Local Authority in both the short and the long run. What Steps the Local Authority Can and Should Take In response to the case mentioned above, it is the responsibility of the Local Authority to know what the real story behind the problems is. The Local Authority should discuss the matter with both the family members to resolve the problems and advise them to a lead a healthy life. As the Barnett family is staying in a rented house, it is obligatory for the landlord to look into the matter and try to resolve the problems. An option of mediation service can be substantiated in case the issue is not resolved. Another step that can be taken by the Local Authority for resolving the issue is to take both the family members to the court1. In the case, it was observed that the Barrett family showed anti-social behaviour towards Mrs. Smith, their neighbour, by shutting the door while she came to invite their children for a birthday party. Moreover, the issue of domestic violence needs to be also looked into by the Local Authority which requires to be addressed immediately for safeguarding especially the children of Barrett family The Local authority needs to make the Barrett family aware of the rules and laws prevalent for such detrimental activities to bring back a peaceful environment within the community. Understanding and trust between the members residing in a community i.e. neighbours are equally important in maintaining healthy relations. Moreover, the Local Authority in order to judge the matter and its possible outcomes can involve the other neighbours in the locality to judge the authenticity of the issue as well as to confirm the relationship between the two neighbours in consideration i.e. the Barrett family and Mrs. Smith in general. The landlord also can play an important role in the matter and can provide his/her view regarding the behaviour of the tenant as well as the particular neighbour. The Local Authority should take the assistance of the local people in the area to come to a conclusion for ending the matter with the help of various organisational bodies situated in the area along with the assistance of the police promptly in order to find a solution to the issue1. Short-Term Measures That Can be Taken By the Local Authority The short-term measures that can be taken by the Local Authority should be focused on preventing domestic violence. These measures that can be taken by the Local Authority can help to protect the children along with generating social awareness among two neighbours as well as the society. It can be stated that in the short-term, the Local Authority can take the assistance of Women Aid and Women Protection Acts to resolve the problems between the two neighbours. The sole motive of Mrs. Smith was to identify the problems that Shirley and her three children are facing and help them in their need. It can be apparently viewed that might be Shirley and her three children are facing problems with Donald, who is the boyfriend of Shirley. In the context of domestic violence, the Local Authority can take primitive measures regarding the protection of children, through the Child Protection Act, granted by the Parliament. The Local Authority also obtains the power for enquiring about the welfare of the children in Barrett family as well as to decide if they are suffering from any kind of mistreatment in their home. It is the responsibility of the Local Authority to take precise actions for safeguarding the children. According to Mrs. Smith, there may be some internal problems in the family of Shirley which needed to be sorted out. Moreover, in the context of measures, it can be stated that if Shirley and her three children are facing problems with their social head of the family Donald then it is also the responsibility of the Local Authority to take the assistance of the police to provide children a safer place for accommodation where both the mother and her children can stay peacefully avoiding the risks of harm that can occur from Donald2. With regard to Shirley, it can be apparently viewed that she might also be facing problems in the house along with her three children, so it is necessary for the Local Authority in the short-term to provide protection for Shirley, especially if she is facing problems with her boyfriend, Donald. Contextually, the participation of agencies that are authorised to safeguard women can be especially beneficial3. It is also needed to be reviewed by the Local Authority if any physical harassment is occurring upon Shirley by her boyfriend, Donald as Mrs. Smith was often hearing certain noises and cries from the home. Subsequently, with evidence, it can be evidently said that physical harassment was also carried out in the house which needed to be prevented by the Local Authority with the assistance of various protection acts and measures. The aspect of physical harassment can be substantiated in the case from the view of Shirley’s arm wrapped in a sling4. Moreover, the Local Authority also can take the assistance of refuge-based services for giving protection to the women and her children. The refuge-based service can provide better safeguarding facilities to Shirley and her children in terms of accommodation and other necessities if required to facilitate them with a better living along with safety2. Moreover, most of the domestic violence prevention organisations can also facilitate such protection to concerned family members. Long-Term Measures That Can Be Taken By the Local Authority In relation to the case, the Local Authority has the power to take the assistance of various websites of domestic violence prevention authorities where a variety of information can be collected for helping the victims, i.e. Shirley and her three children who could be suffering physical harassment in the house from Donald, the boyfriend of Shirley. The Local Authority is also able to take the assistance from Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs) in the long run or contact them in order to receive legal help. The NGOs can advise the Local Authority to implement the rights provided to it and make it believe that it is the responsibility of concerned authority to ensure safety and security to victims who are suffering from domestic violence and other related atrocities. Moreover, with the establishment of specialised domestic violence groups, the issue of domestic violence can be prevented. Moreover, in the long-term aspect, it is also necessary for the Local Authority to provide awareness among overall population as well as society regarding the protection and preservation of domestic violence. It should be carried out with the implementation of various measures for the protection and prevention of the issue, which can be beneficial for the women population around the world as well as the overall society5. The Local Authority is also needed to plan its efforts in providing greater stability to the victims i.e. Shirley and her children who are suffering from domestic violence along with assisting them to find a proper assistance for receiving a better living and maintaining a good healthy life. In this context, it can be stated that Shirley and her children are required to receive greater assistance from Local Authority who would provide them better living and peace along with greater stability to lead their life in a better way. The local people can also to be involved in the issue of prevention of such domestic violence by the Local Authority. As mentioned above, it can also be stated that the issue of domestic violence can be decreased with the cooperation from the police initiating or rather handling the process efficiently. Moreover, a campaign can be initiated by the Local Authority where the issue of domestic violence can be highlighted which can facilitate to create awareness amid the people of the society. This would make people responsible towards the issue and fight against it in order to maintain peace and security of women and children5. Conclusion From the above observation, it can be comprehended that the case reveals the facts of especially domestic violence and anti-social behaviour which had occurred within the Barrett family. As mentioned earlier, Shirley, a mother of three children lived with her boyfriend Donald. It has been viewed that there were occasional disturbances within the family which were heard by Mrs. Smith, their neighbour. The case was decided to be referred to the Local Authority as they can provide necessary steps such as understanding and advising the concerned family members to resolve the matter. Moreover, the family problems can also be mitigated with the assistance of NGOs and other refuge-based organisation to safeguard both Shirley and her three children by providing them better accommodation facilities so that they can lead a healthy and safe life. It is necessary for the Local Authority to prevent and protect physical harassment which might have occurred and make the population and society aware of the domestic violence issues through the conduction of campaigns regarding such unethical issues which can go a long way in ensuring the eradication of such menace from the society. References Crown, ‘Resolving disputes’. Home, n.d. (accessed 18 March 2013). Council of Europe, ‘The Council of Europe Campaign to Combat Violence against Women, including Domestic Violence’. Home, , 2008, (accessed 18 March 2013). Matczak, Anna, Hatzidimitriadou, Eleni & Lindsay, Jane, ‘Review Of Domestic Violence Policies in England & Wales’. Introduction, , 2011, (accessed 18 March 2013). Women's Aid Federation of England, ‘Women aid’. About Domestic violence, n.d. (accessed 18 March 2013). Women's Aid Federation of England, ‘The Children Act and Domestic Violence’. Women aid. http://www.womensaid.org.uk/domestic-violence- n.d. (accessed 18 March 2013). Read More