The Effects of Multiple Losses on Children - Essay Example

The literature has identified a range of background situations such as abuse, domestic violence, marital breakdown, imprisonment of a parent, poverty and mental illness of a parent and death of one or both parents, that can lead to a child becoming looked after (Richardson and Joughin, 2000, pp.3-4). When these factors are combined, multiple losses occur (Goldman, 2001, pp.28). These multiple losses include loss of parental care, economic security, and emotional security (Goldman, 2001, pp.28-39). The literature has been found to show many omissions regarding how to tackle the issues of children suffering from multiple losses.

These include strategies that could be used to respond to the needs of LAC experiencing multiple losses in order to minimize its impact on them. The real impact of multiple losses has also been underexplored. To fill the lacunae left by the reviewed literature, a hypothetical research proposal to carry out primary research ‘exploring the factors that contribute to multiple losses in looking after children and identify the strategies to help these children cope with these losses is put forth in the fourth chapter.

This study envisages applying a qualitative approach enabled by a semi-structured approach to data collection. The sampling method will be purposive and 25 looked after children living in different types of care institutions, who have suffered multiple losses will be interviewed. This project will be an attempt to look into the topic of multiple losses and the effects that these have upon children – paying special attention to the issue of ‘Looked After Children’. One definition of loss is that “a loss event is anything that causes….

harm, excessive risk, inadequate quality and excessive costs” (Latino, pp.45). Hooyman and Kramer stated that, “losses…. always result in deprivation of some kind; in essence, we no longer have someone or something that we used to have” (2006, pp.2). Additionally, the reason why loss matters so much is that “loss often disrupts or undermines the development of self-confidence, self-esteem and (even) identity” (Attig, 1996, pp.90).