Developing Effective Skills in Risk Management - Coursework Example

Protecting Children from Risk versus Encouraging Them to Develop Effective Skills in Risk Management Introduction Children at very young ages are solely dependent on their parents for support – physical, emotional, financial, spiritual, and in other developmental aspects. Parents usually devote quality time and effort to assure that their kids experience a wide spectrum of developmental and socialization skills needed to prepare them for the future. These developmental skills include exposing children to manageable risks to strengthen and prepare them for future eventualities. It is in this regard that this essay is written to explore the dilemma that parents, carers and practitioners face between protecting children from risks while encouraging them to develop effective skills in risk management. The discourse would consider how parents, carers and practitioners may have a critical role in supporting children to make judgments involving elements of risks. Risk Perspectives Risk is defined by Gladwin and Collins as “a double estimate of probability: how likely is it that something will happen, and what are the likely consequences if it does? Risk has been defined mathematically as the product of the probability and the utility of a possible future event (Adams, 1996). Beck (1992) argues that risk is socially defined and constructed and as such is malleable and changeable.” Accordingly, the perceptions of risks have evolved depending on historical period, to wit: pre-modern, modern and contemporary. In addition, risks were identified to contain distinct characteristics. Beck (1992) averred that risk in contemporary times exhibit the following characteristics: (1) qualitatively different – stemming from environmental problems; (2) global; (3) threats posed are on an unprecedented scale; (4) open ended duration; (5) incalculable; and (6) relatively unsusceptible to prevention or compensation. In a study conducted by Scott, et.al. (1998), the following risk perspectives were revealed: “children and parents alike identified ‘stranger danger’, illegal drugs and traffic as the three main risks to children. By contrast, health issues and accidents in the home – among the commonest of actual risks to children – were not mentioned as being risky. Children under twelve, however, also saw teenagers as a threat. Most parents saw the world as a more dangerous place than it had been when they themselves were children. Children, however, generally had confidence in their parents’ strategies to protect them from harm, and saw home as a safe haven.” Risk Management Gladwin and Collins (2008) emphasized that “where children are concerned, the delegation of responsibility to individuals is often to parents and carers rather than to children themselves, at least while the children are young. In addition to managing their own personal risks, therefore, parents are obliged to manage risks on behalf of their children.” (p.150) Further, there are several studies which present factors that influence the management of risks in individuals and children. According to Richards and Rowe (1999), psychological and social factors affect the way that different people estimate risks. There are a set of instances when people either exaggerate or underestimate the seriousness of risks. These situations include the complexity of risk information, the uniqueness of the risks, level of control, time frame of the consequences, and extent of media attention, among others. Socio-psychological characteristics of individuals, as well as the characteristics of risk situations, have been found to influence people’s risk management strategies. (Gladwin and Collins 2008) Due to the diverse factors that affect risk management, parents, carers and practitioners are presented with the dilemma of either protecting children fully from risks by not exposing them at all or encourage them to develop appropriate skills in managing risks to some extent and enable them to develop effective skills to manage it for future use. These scenarios have pros and cons which would be identified, explored, and evaluated herein. Protecting Children From Risks Parents, carers and practitioners have tendencies to be over-protective of their children and would rather prevent them from experiencing any amount of impending risks. According to Lindon (2003), “an over-protectiveness towards children can cause more harm than it prevents. Parental obsession with safety can lead, first, to children adopting the disabling belief that the world is an inherently dangerous place, in which they are constantly at risk, and, second, to them being prevented from acquiring useful self-protection skills, because of the restrictions placed on their scope to explore and learn about the world.” (p. 155) In the same study, the fear of blame “leads to the adoption of the ‘precautionary principle’ whereby avoidance of risk, however slight, is always taken as a guide for action where outcomes are uncertain.” In another relevant study, Walkerdine (2001) attributes a preoccupation with children’s safety to, essentially, adult insecurities. The onset of easy access and availability of information through the internet exacerbated these anxieties as children become more adept with technology than adults. In addition, the part that gender plays in defining risk behaviors also contribute to adults’ gearing to overprotection as a safety recluse for children. According to Walkerdine (2001), “gendered models of childhood define certain kinds of risk behaviour as normal and others as deviant.” (p. 156) The perception of adults on normal boys and girls as contrary to deviant children affect their views on the level of protection to accord to children surrounded by either of these groups. Concurrently, Waiton (2002) averred that “behaviour such as congregating in groups, that young people adopted defensively, for self-protection, was seen by adults as threatening and aggressive.” With regard to the relevance of gender is risk taking and aversion behavior, Green (1997) “found significant gender differences in children’s narratives about accidents and risk-taking. Girls in her sample stressed the need to ensure safety and to avoid risk for themselves and those in their care, whereas boys rejected responsibility for others’ welfare and emphasized the courage and skill of risk-taking.” (p. 161) This observation is conformed by Lupton (1999) when he concluded that “girls are likely to feel under more constraint than boys because they have fewer socially sanctioned opportunities for risk-taking.” Encourage Children to Manage Risks Since protecting children by totally avoiding risks are ultimately impossible, another option that parents, carers and practitioners look into is to encourage them to deal with manageable risks. This option would assist them in honing their interpersonal, developmental and social skills for risk management. In this regard, Lindon (2003) suggested that children can be encouraged to face risks by involving them in problem-solving situations (p. 27). In other cultures, such as those from Nordic countries, there as some forms of risky play which are accommodated to develop appropriate skills. These risky plays involve playing with fire and the use of tools, among others. Although Norweigan culture favors risky play, this is not accommodated in UK preschool system. (Gladwin and Collins) The restrictions placed on outdoor games have been controversial in terms of detracting children to play. When too many restrictions are placed, children are demotivated and unattracted to utilize the play facilities. In this regard, they tend to search for alternative games which put them in more risky situations. This observation was confirmed in a study conducted by McKendrick et al. (2000), wherein “this failure can paradoxically result in children choosing to play in more dangerous places, in order to achieve the level of arousal they need”. Concerns about safety and the risk of abuse or violence have severely limited the amount of time that children use the outdoors and public spaces alone. (Foley) In a DVD transcript and Audio transcript, the importance of play as a learning tool to manage risk and for developmental skills has been emphasized. Sue Gutteridge, Play Services Manager for Stirling Council based in Children’s services stressed that play, regardless of culture, gender, or ethnicity, and even disability, have profound effect on the development of children. The time spent on playing enables children to express themselves and have fun and social interaction. The quality time exerted in playing accords them with learning opportunities including lessons on managing risks. By being exposed to different risks at play, children are given the first hand experience to learn which ones should be avoided and which ones could be appropriately managed to develop effective skills for advanced activities. An interesting set of findings on the relevance of encouraging risk management for children was discussed by Ward and Bayley (2007) who emphasized the need for children to regulate their own personal perceptions of risk, to wit: “(1) children need to practise risk-management skills in order to cope with the everyday adversities of life (practical); (2) children, like adults, need to maintain a certain level of arousal to function efficiently, and risk-taking is part of this process (neurological); (3) children may need to confront their own mortality and comparative insignificance if they are not to suffer psychological harm (existential); and (4) risk-taking seems to be an important element in making and maintaining social relationships for children (socio-emotional).” Conclusion Inasmuch as parents, carers and practitioners all have one objective in common, that is, to ensure the safety and the normal development of children by protecting them from risks, it is evident that encouraging children to manage risks would be the most beneficial method for their holistic well-being. Children have innate talents to perceive risks as encountered in daily activities including play. By protecting them from activities, influences and forces which adults perceive as harmful and risky, adults are in fact, exposing them to others which are more remotely dangerous. It is therefore, in the children’s best interest to accord them with ample opportunity to explore manageable risks through daily activities, especially through play, as this has tremendous physical as well as socio-psychological benefits to the child’s development. Encouraging them to explore risks enables them to hone their skills in assessing and managing them, and ultimately, using them to enhance their abilities to cope in whatever situations they might encounter in the near future. References Adams, J. (1996). Risk. London, University College London Press. Audio transcript- Sue Gutteridge. Beck, U. (1992). Risk Society: Towards a New Modernity. London, Sage Publications. DVD Transcript. Risk. Foley, P.(2008). ‘Listening across generations’. Promoting children’s wellbeing: policy and practice. The Open University. United Kingdom Gladwin, M. & Collins, J. (2008). ‘Anxieties and Risks’. Promoting children’s wellbeing: policy and practice. The Open University. United Kingdom. Green, J. (1997). Risk and the construction of social identity: children’s talk about accidents. Sociology of Health and Illness, vol. 19, no. 4, pp. 457–479. Lindon, J. (2003). Too Safe for Their Own Good? Helping Children Learn About Risk and Lifeskills. London, National Early Years Network. Lupton, D. (1999). Risk. London, Routledge and Kegan Paul. McKendrick, J., Fielder, A. and Bradford, M. (2000) ‘The dangers of safe play’, Children 5–16 Research Briefing, December, no. 22. Scott, S., Jackson, S. and Backett-Milburn, K. (1998) ‘Swings and roundabouts: risk anxiety and the everyday worlds of children’, Sociology, vol. 32, no. 4, pp. 689– 705. Waiton, S. (2002). Scared of the Kids?, Sheffield, Sheffield University Press. Walkerdine, V. (2001) ‘Safety and danger’ in Hultqvist, K. and Dahlberg, G. (eds) Governing the Child in the New Millennium. London, Routledge Falmer. Ward, J. and Bayley, M. (2007) ‘Young people’s perception of “risk”’ in Thom, B., Sales, R. and Pearce, J. (eds) Growing Up With Risk. London, Policy Press Read More