Child Welfare: What Makes a Good Child Care Practice - Literature review Example

Child Protection is part of a continuum of good child care practice that supports development and learning of children in their early years and beyond Continuum, as defined by Wikipedia, is “anything that goes through a gradual transition from one condition, to a different condition, without any abrupt changes”. Protecting our children is something that occurs naturally to parents and guardians alike. But somehow, in ways that maybe deliberate and otherwise, our desire to protect our children does not run in consonance with what is considered good child care practice. As a standard, good child care practice should support the development and learning of children, not just during their early stages, but on a continuous basis. One may wonder why such standards have to be set when taking care of children is as natural as breathing. This is not always the case. As we are all very much aware of, cases of child abuse and neglect is rampant around the globe. According to Child Welfare Information Gateway, “Research shows that children who are abused or neglected often experience physical, developmental, and emotional problems, including attachment disorders, social and emotional disturbances, cognitive deficits, neurobiological changes in the brain, and failure to thrive.” Even without the aid of research, it is quite logical to expect such effect on children who experience abuse or neglect. This holds true even to teenagers and adult alike. What more can we expect if innocent children are at the end of such inhumane predicament? Every individual has the basic need to belong to a group, be it a family, peer, or professional. Yet, it is not an uncommon scenario to see ill-treated children right at their own home. Statistics are even higher for children who are under the care of people who are not their biological parents. These poor children are most of the time placed under the care of foster homes to protect their welfare. Yet, these transfers still hamper their normal development such as delays in motor, communication, and cognitive development. How do we know that abuse or neglect is taking place? If we see a parent spanking a child because he threw his toys out of tantrums, does this qualify for abuse? If a single mother has to leave her child to a neighbour while she is at work, is this considered neglect? This is where statutory and voluntary agencies come in. These entities have observation techniques to assess and presence or absence of abuse and/or neglect. Like any organizations, these agencies have guidelines they adhere to so as to function in support of their aim to assist in the development and learning of children. Roles and responsibilities of statutory and voluntary agencies dealing with vulnerable children, according to Teaching Expertise, clearly states that these agencies should have senior managers committed to children’s well-being. This means that these managers should be on top of the agency’s operation. Tasks must not just be delegated to rank and file staff. Oversee of the staff functions must be done by those who are more knowledgeable in safeguarding the children’s welfare and safety. According to Oxfordshire Safeguarding Children Board (OSCB), these agencies play an important role in delivering services for children and young people. This includes early years and day care provision, family support services, youth work and children’s social care and health care. They have to be clear about their responsibilities to safeguard these children’s welfare. These agencies are deemed responsible to ensure that the children’s individual needs are met. It is a given fact that children learn best when they are healthy, safe and secure. Thus, the children must have positive relationships with the adults taking care of them. Good communication is a must. And when we say communication, it has to be two-way. One gets to be the listener, as well as the speaker. It is innate to children to be hyper active and talkative, especially during the time when they are first learning how to talk and express themselves. It is not uncommon to hear parents say “You’re too noisy, stop talking” or “You ask too much”. Most of us don’t realize that when we stop children from talking, we cap their opportunity to widen their vocabulary. When we reprimand them for asking too many questions, they lose their interest to explore beyond their world. This is why these agencies are given specific requirements in doing their responsibilities. These requirements are designed to support them in creating settings which are welcoming, safe and stimulating for the children. This is to ensure that the children are able to enjoy learning through play, be able to grow with confidence and to maximize their potential. An effective recruitment and human resources procedure is a must. According to The National Strategies, there are safety requirements that providers, either living or working on the premises, must obtain an enhanced Criminal Records Bureau (CRB) Disclosure. In the event that these providers’ suitability has not been checked yet, they must not be allowed unsupervised contact with the children they are caring for. They must also have procedures on dealing with abuse allegations against staff members and volunteers. Surrey Safeguarding Children Board states that an alleged perpetrator is unsuitable to continue to work with the children if he/she has behaved in a way that has harmed or may have harmed a child, possibly committed a criminal offence against or related to the child, or behaved towards the child in a way that indicates that he/she in unsuitable to work with children. As an agency, be it a statutory or voluntary, training has to be given to staff for them to do their job well. This is self-explanatory in the sense that all jobs require training for one to perform well. This requirement is even more important if your job requires dealing with people’s lives, not to mention those of young people. A procedure is also necessary regarding safeguarding and promotion of the children’s welfare. Taking care of people’s lives, not to mention those of children is not an easy task. In this regard, there are set procedures in the implementation of this task. According to UK’s Department of Health, statutory and voluntary agencies must ensure that they work to prevent children from harm, promote their welfare, provide them with services they require to address their identified needs and safeguard those who are being or are likely to be harmed. The site also states that there has to be an agreement about working with other organizations at a strategic level. This is in consonance with ACPC/Local Safeguarding Children Board’s annual business plan. Although it is the providers’ responsibility to care for these children, especially the statutory ones, they cannot do it alone. There has to be coordination and support from other groups to ensure success in this endeavour. It is an estimate by Schwartz & Perry in 1994, according to Barbara Lowenthal, about four million American children are annually exposed to traumatic events. These events include physical, sexual and emotional abuse; neglect; accidents; and severe injuries. In effect, these youngsters tend to develop brains that are attuned to dangers. When to exposed even to the slightest threat, they anxiously await indication of further abusive attacks. As a result, the children are constantly in states of high alert, which in one way, is beneficial since they may avoid further maltreatment. But then, this constant anxious condition hampers their development. They are more highly at risk of emotional, behavioural, learning and physical difficulties. In addition, the children will be deprived of having the experience of comfort, support and nurturing which are necessities in having future relationships. This is further supported by Dr. Ragheb ElSergany in his article Ugly Face of the West. According to Dr. ElSergany, child neglect can have devastating effects on the intellectual, physical, social and psychological development of children. There is a thin line, however, between the impact on abused children and neglected children. Studies show that neglected children appear to be more generally passive and socially withdrawn from their friends while abused children are more aggressive and active. Theoretical suggestion is that these variance in attitude still branch out from the children’s parents. The neglected tend to mimic the parents’ less active behaviour while the abused imitate the aggressive behaviour. Parents are a child’s first teachers. What a child sees at home is what he or she adapts to in later life. It is the responsibility of parents to be role models of their children. If a child sees and feels that he is well taken care of - addressing his physiological, mental and emotional needs -, he will grow to be a loving parent as well. But where does this put children who suffers abuse and neglect? This is where agencies mentioned above give a hand. In the absence of parents who are supposed to do the nurturing, they serve as secondary source of the children’s needs. They educate these unfortunate children how parents should be. “Parents have constitutionally protected right to raise their children as they choose, including responsibility to protect a child’s safety and well-being. When parents cannot, or do not, meet this obligation, the State has the authority to get involved”, according to BRYCS April 2005 Spotlight: Determining Child Abuse & Neglect Across Cultures. Although child maltreatment has a specific definition per individual state, there are general examples of what will be considered abusive or neglectful. One of such general example is that abuse can be physical, sexual or emotional. Neglect, on the other hand, is the failure to provide a child’s basic needs. These needs may be in the form of physical, medical, educational or emotional. The site further states that though most Americans are familiar with the role of child protective services in the U.S., most refugees look at it like the government is trying to take away their children from them, giving them deep-seated fear of any child welfare agencies. Another example of cultural variance regarding child welfare is the incident in 1997 concerning Danish parents. They left their infant in a stroller outside a diner in Manhattan. A passer-by dialled 911, resulting in the arrest of the couple and the child put in foster custody temporarily. While it is common practice for Danes to leave their children in strollers on the street because of their assumption of fresh air importance for children, such an action is considered criminal for people in the States. This scenario is a clear example of how varied children’s welfare and protection needs are practiced in various cultures. I also came across an ethnic group whose females’ clitoris is severed so that they will not find pleasure. This may be of gender issue but nevertheless, majority of us will agree that this is an inhumane practice. How about children of farmers who carry their infants at their back while working on the fields? Some of us may see it as cruelty. Imagine an infant being scorched by the sun while the parent tills the land. On the other hand, isn’t it also possible that the parent has no choice but to bring the child to work because there is no one to leave the child to? If the parent cannot work, how can the parent provide nourishment for the child from the crop he is tilling or from the income from the work being done? The world is a variety of cultures. In fact, there are even nations with several cultures. We should not be prejudice of cultures other than our own. It is imperative to learn the diversity to fully understand others. EYFS or Early Years Foundation Stage is based around four themes, according to The National Strategies: a unique child, positive relationships, enabling environments, and learning and development. It claims that every child is an able learner since birth. They learn strength and independence with the help of loving parents and/or guardians. It is a given fact as well that the environment plays a vital role in a child’s development and learning. It should also be taken into consideration that each child’s development and learning is distinct from another child. It must be stressed though that whatever venue the child gets his/her learning and development from, these areas are equally important and must be coordinated. The site suggests four areas of focus. These are development matters; effective practice; look, listen and note; planning and resourcing which deals with communication, language and literacy. In order to effectively identify and plan a child’s welfare need, one has to initially identify the age group in which the child falls under. We are all aware that each individual has a different learning rate. In the same manner, the physical and mental condition in which the child was born into are also base parameters in addressing a child’s welfare need. For the purpose of this paper, let us work on a child within the age of 3 to 5 years old. Although this site covers a wide area of guideline, let us focus on Knowledge and Understanding of the World. This is in consonance with a child’s possible exposure to abuse and neglect. According to the site, children must be encouraged to ask questions, as well as suggest solutions and answers. This will prevent them from being exposed to something foreign to them which may be detrimental to their welfare. Changes in plants and other things over time may also be introduced and explained. Spoon-feeding delays a child’s development. It is best to encourage them to explain things with their own words as they learn to evaluate day to day activities and events. Given the current trend in technology, it will be wise to expose children to the usage of computers. It is wise to stress, however, that computer usage must not be left unattended. Aside from the risk of electrocution, though minimal, adult sites in the internet are quite rampant and accessible to all. Children must also be oriented about historical time as compared to modern times. In addition, time with respect to different seasons of the year will be helpful in letting the child understand why there are certain activities that can only be done on a particular time of the year. Orienting children about the environment or community he/she lives in will give the child an appreciation of his surrounding, sense of direction, as well as understanding of the other environment we symbiotically live in such as the forest and the sea. Lastly, children must be introduced to the varying cultures around the world. One may not leave your own house to do this. Neighbourhoods of today house people from different countries of origin. Explaining to them why people have different skin colors or beliefs and practices will help the child adapt and accept the diversity of life around him/her. Risk is a part of everyday life, which can be positive or negative. This is according to National Guidance for Child Protection in Scotland: Consultation. Given this, it is essential to initially identify the nature of the risk present in the child’s life. It is possible that the risk is negligible to the point that it will be an exaggeration to put a child in protective custody to address such risk. The practitioner needs to consider first if the child is at immediate risk, what causes this risk, and what needs to be done to remove the risk. It is prudent to understand the nature of the risks in consonance with the child’s living conditions. GIRFEC, as stated in the site, recommends several tools in assessing risks. The Well-Being Indicators which helps identify a child’s potential concerns. Another tool is the World Triangle which serves to identify existing risks in the child’s life. In utilizing these tools, the practitioner will be aided in identifying what is hindering the child’s well-being. It is also necessary for the practitioner to gather all the needed information for him/her to help the child concerned. Next step is to identify what the practitioner needs to do to be able to help the young person. It is to be acknowledged that the task is not simple. Any form of help that the practitioner can avail, either from the agency he/she is connected with or the child’s family will be contributory to the success in aiding the child. This is also supported by Lincolnshire Country Council’s Being Alert to Children’s Welfare. According to the site, everybody who works with children, parents and other adults who come in contact with children must clearly know their role and responsibilities to safeguard and promote the children’s welfare. This must be coupled with the knowledge on how to act upon the responsibility and the capacity to identify if the child is indeed at risk. This responsibility requires processes and each stage has to be well-planned, decided upon and with planned outcomes for the child as well as the family. Dealing with child protection is a legal matter. There is a legislative basis, as well as protocols to be followed in carrying out this responsibility. There maybe instances that more than one agency will be required to deal with the child’s welfare and protection needs. In such events, information shared across concerned organizations and within agencies will be in alignment with said protocols. For easy reference of whatever is transpiring, everything must be documented. “When a child is the victim of abuse or neglect, it is the responsibility of each member of the child protective service and criminal justice communities to provide a timely and appropriate response.”, according to Shay Bilchik’s Forming a Multidisciplinary Team to Investigate Child Abuse. These MDTs may be comprised of professionals from law enforcement, child protective services, prosecution, medicine, counselling, and related fields. A tragedy of an almost 7-year old girl being beaten to death by her own mother in 1995, researched by Mark Ells, J.D., brought into the surface the lack of coordination and communication among responsible entities to which the repetitive abuse reports were forwarded to, prior to the girl’s demise. The article highlights the key in forming successful investigative MDTs. It needs committed members with the full support of their respective agencies who are familiar with multidisciplinary approach. An initial meeting is required to discuss previous experiences of the members with respect to child abuse and neglect. A mission statement is developed that clearly states the team’s purpose, scope of activities and guiding principles. Eventually, a team protocol is created to delineate the types of cases to be investigated, member responsibilities and investigation procedures. In line with multi-disciplinary teams, I came across an abstract about “MDTs: the good, bad, and everything in between” by doc2doc. The abstract, though acknowledges the value of diversity within teams, likewise acknowledges the difficulty in having a variety of perspective. It further states that unless roles are properly established and understood, surplus of different types information may actually “overload” the recipient. I feel compelled to add though that the abstract was medical in nature, pertaining to patients with several medical practitioners on board his/her case. In as much as proper and continuous communication is a requisite in MDTs, decision-making may pose a difficulty with the variety of professions involved. It may not be easily addressed especially if professional opinions clash. Agile, Multidisciplinary Teamwork has inputs to enable a diverse team such as MDTs to function well. Since the team is composed of a variety of individuals, it is imperative that the diverse interests are represented. Each member’s potential contribution has to be evaluated. During the team’s formation, the group may agree on who shall be considered the head of the team to facilitate decision-making. Another option is the “majority vote”. Whichever option the team may choose, bottom line must be clear to all. That is, to ensure the child’s welfare and protection needs. Conclusively, good child care practice is a combination of several aspects of life: physical, emotional, intellectual, and social, among other key points in a child’s existence. Child protection, though a vital element in this practice, has to be looked at from different standpoints, such as cultural complexities. Family, as the basic unit in a community, should be the starting point in ensuring this practice. Lack or absence of this starting point paves way to alternative sources such as statutory or voluntary agencies. As with families whose practices are guided by principles and culture, these agencies are guided by procedures to ensure functioning successfully towards their goal of ensuring a child’s welfare. Child protection, though has a starting point – from birth or in the presence of abuse and/or neglect – is a continuous process. In the same manner that people continually develop, our need to feel safe and loved only stops when we cease to exist. Bibliography Child Welfare Information Gateway. 2007. Addressing the Needs of Young Children in Child Welfare: Part C – Early Intervention Services. Available at: http://www.childwelfare.gov/pubs/partc/partc_a.cfm. Teaching Expertise. June 2006. Working Together to Safeguard Children. Available at: http://www.teachingexpertise.com/articles/working-together-to-safeguard-children-977. Oxfordshire Safeguarding Children Board. Working Together. 2010. Agency Roles and Responsibilities. Available at: http://www.proceduresonline.com/oscb/chapters/p_agency_roles.html. The National Strategies. Statutory Framework for EYFS: Suitable People to Look After Children. Available at: http://nationalstrategies.standards.dcsf.gov.uk/node/84106?uc%20=%20force_uj. Surrey Safeguarding Children Board. 5.1.1 Allegations Against Staff, Carers and Volunteers. Available at: http://www1.surreycc.gov.uk/cafis/manual/chapters/p_alleg_staff.html. UK Department of Health. Standard 5: Safeguarding and Promoting the Welfare of Children and Young People. Available at: http://www.dh.gov.uk/en/Publicationsandstatistics/Publications/PublicationsPolicyAndGuidance/Browsable/DH_4867814. Lowenthal, Barbara. Child Maltreatment: Effects on Development and Learning. Available at: http://www.childrenshelp.com/pdfs_docs/effects_child_maltreatment.pdf. ElSergany, Ragheb Dr.. Ugly Face of the West. eNotAlone’s Consequence of Child Neglect by Child Welfare Information Gateway. Available at: http://www.enotalone.com/article/9892.html. BRYCS (Bridging Refugee Youth & Children’s Services). April 2005. Spotlight: Determining Child Abuse & Neglect Across Cultures. Available at: http://www.brycs.org/documents/upload/brycs_spotapr2005.pdf. The National Strategies. EYFS Profile. Available at: http://nationalstrategies.standards.dcsf.gov.uk/node/83936. National Guidance for Child Protection in Scotland: Consultation. Identifying and Responding to Concerns About Children. Available at: http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Publications/2010/05/27095252/19. Lincolnshire County Council. Jan 4 2007. Section C:2-Being Alert to Children’s Welfare. Available at: http://www.lincolnshire.gov.uk/section.asp?pageType=1&catid=4308&docid=28245. Bilchik, Shay. November 1998. Ells, Mark J.D.. Forming a Multidisciplinary Team to Investigate Child Abuse. Available at: http://www.ncjrs.gov/pdffiles1/ojjdp/170020.pdf. Qual Health Care. 2001. 10:65-66 doi:10.1136/qhc.10.2.65. Quality and Safety in Health Care. Available at: http://qshc.bmj.com/content/10/2/65.extract. Agile. Multidisciplinary Teamwork. Jan 18 2008. Available at: http://www.devagile.com/modules/news/article.php?storyid=102. Read More