Legislative Provisions to Safeguard Children - Research Proposal Example

The tragic deaths of young children such as Jasmine Beckford (Blom Cooper 1985) and Maria Colwell (DHSS 1974) through parental abuse and neglect have led to public inquiries into such deaths and an increasing emphasis being placed upon the social worker’s preventive role. The ethical difficulties in child protection have been best stated by Asquith who states:The well being of children has been impacted by a number of parenting issues and Little has identified domestic violence, poverty, learning disability, substance abuse and other factors that can hinder parenting and pose dangers to children (Little 2004).

The maltreatment of a child, either physically, mentally or emotionally can have an impact upon a child’s health, development and well being, and in some cases can also lead to aggressive violent behavior (HM Report, 2005). According to the Department of Health, nearly 750,000 children a year witness domestic violence in their homes.1 In a recent study that was conducted by Humphreys and Thiara, 54% of women left their husbands left because they realized that the abusive environment was impacting adversely upon their children (Humphreys and Thiara 2002).

The increasing incidence of divorce has created custody battles and problems of access, which have proved to be detrimental to children (Government Report, 2004). Studies conducted by Flouri and Buchanan have revealed that rancor among divorced parents and lack of contact with their father can lead to depression in children, especially girls (Flouri and Buchanan (2003a) and in the case of males, the absence of a father can also lead to criminal behavior. (Flouri and Buchanan, 2003b). One of the causes of violent criminal behavior in fatherless boys may be a “mother’s hostility” towards the father or because the father doesn’t take fatherhood seriously (Stannard 2002).