Working with Children and Young Families - Case Study Example

Introduction This is a case analysis project that evaluates a family involving a single mother abandoned by the father of her children and two children. The paper will involve a critical evaluation of risks in relation to legal and policy matters in UK social work practice in relation to the family under review. The paper will examine the key risks and issues within the family and this will involve a critical review of the facts of the case and the matching of the facts with the relevant rules and regulations relating to social work practice. From the critical review, the paper will culminate in the drawing up of a short to medium term plan for the children and the implications for the entire family in relation to the mother and the wider network of stakeholders. The research will be done through a critical review of literature to establish the conceptual framework. From there, the fundamental issues in the case will be recapped and a strategy for dealing with the problems in the context of social work will be formulated. Part 1: Legal and Policy Framework This section of the essay examines rules, regulations and conventions that relate to child care and child welfare in the UK. It will draw on various theories and conceptions that shape the framework for social work and the handling of child abuse cases in the country. Legal Responsibility for Child Welfare “The responsibility for improving the wellbeing of children is a duty stipulated within the Children Act 2004” (Aldgate et al, 2006, p3). This is because the Act, which is an amendment of the 1989 Act seeks to provide some kind of protection for children to ensure that they grow and develop appropriately as responsible members of the society. The Children’s Act, 1989 demands professionals in the field of social work and other related activities to define who are children and seek to ensure their development. Aldgate et al (2006) argue that child development is a basic and an applied science and “...it is a study of how and why children develop perception, thought process, emotional reactions and patterns of social behaviour” (p18). Thus, the Act requires that in dealing with social work and handling children’s needs and expectations, a social worker needs to apply principles that relate to a broad scope of interdisciplinary studies that seek to understand the inner thoughts, mental, physical and social elements and aspects of a child’s personality (Horworth, 2010). This implies that the social worker has to play a central role in defining what a child needs and from there, mobilise the necessary resources and support to attain them. The process of child welfare requires some degree of professional judgement in three main areas: 1. Universal challenges to all children; 2. Individual differences amongst children; 3. Environmental context and situation (Aldgate et al, 2006). Thus, a social worker will need to factor in the relevant situations that relate to all children in a general sense as well as the unique perspectives, needs and expectations of every single child. Aside this, a person will need to integrate elements from the environment within which the child is growing and this must include, amongst other things, the people in the community or society within which the child is growing. Developmental Needs and Child-Raising Development is “orderly and relatively enduring changes over time in physical and neurological structures, thought, processes and behaviour of a child” (Aldgate et al, 2006, p21). These scholars assert that in the first 20 years of the life of a person, an individual builds improved ways of reacting to things and needs and through this, a person becomes more orderly and this involve learning things independently and also collectively. The developmental phase of a child’s growth involves the acquisition of core competencies which are relevant in other stages and ages in life. Also, this is a phase where a child builds confidence and the ability to deal with issues and matters in order to achieve some significant elements and aspects of life. In the development process, there are various milestones that enable the child to be socialised and developed into a responsible member of the society in his or her adult years. These milestones must be met by a responsible parent and at each stage, a person will have to be careful of the needs and expectations of the child and meet them. In cases where a child fails to do this, there is the risk that the child will have some disabilities and deficiencies that could create problems and issues to the child and in adulthood. This will have an impact on the self esteem, confidence and the ability to adapt to conditions around the child. Also, this leads to issues with problem solving and dealing with issues around a child (Aldgate et al, 2006). Legal Approach to Developmental Needs of A Child The Children’s Act of 1989 and its subsequent amendment in 2004, provides some important highlights and information that regulates the conduct of child support agencies and entities around the United Kingdom. Section 17 of the Act states that a Child shall be taken from his or her parents where there are signs that the parents are not providing the needs and expectations for the attainment of the child’s developmental needs and expectations. The main turning point in invoking Section 17 is where the parents cannot adhere to or maintain a reasonable standard of health and development and hence, there must be an intervention by the local authority. Where health and development are visibly impaired, there is the need for the social services to intervene and take action to rescue the child and provide alternative developmental services and make necessary arrangements. The Department for Education (2013) sheds more light to the process for the need for the transfer of children from their parents to the social services. In doing this, the DFE provides four pointers and indicates that must act as yardsticks for the social services: 1. Protecting children from maltreatment; 2. Preventing impairment of children’s health or development; 3. Ensuring children grow up in circumstances consistent with the provision of save and effective care; 4. Taking action to enable all children to have the best outcomes Thus a parent will be measured on the basis of his or her ability to provide the children’s fundamental needs in the framework of these four requirements. Where parents cannot do so, social work professionals must alert the appropriate entity and organise some kind of remedial action to redeem the children’s needs and expectations. Professionals also need to share information and seek expert judgement and coordination (DFE, 2013). When things go extremely wrong, the DFE requires that the facts be published and all relevant stakeholders get to learn form it so that such errors and mistakes are not repeated in the country. Child Centred Approach The policy position of the James Cameron administration is to implement a child-centred system of dealing with children, their needs and their expectations. This is somewhat based on a desire to put children in an egalitarian position to ensure that they get the best in everything they do and this is based on: 1. Respect; 2. Getting their views heard; 3. Maintaining stable relationships between children and their families; 4. Providing constant support (DFE, 2013). To this end, Section 53 of the Children's Act (Ammended) of 2004 states that the Local Authority must give due regard to children's challenges within their jurisdiction and they must provide protection for children under Section 47 of the 1989 version of the Act. The care is meant to encompass accommodation, emotional wellbeing and physical wellbeing (CA 1989 s20). This involve the right to police protection (Section 46(3)) and the offering of early help in order to deal with issues and matters before they get out of hand. Early help involves the provision of accommodation where no one is able to provide it to the child directly (Section 20). Section 31A of the Children's Act also states that there is the need for the local authorities and social workers to come up with a care plan that will involve the assessment of the children's needs and the provision of the needs in a reasonable way and manner. The care plan must set out the children's best interest and provide a way of meeting those interests in a reasonable timeframe. Cases of Emergency There is a general question of what must be done immediately when a case is reported. This forms the impetus for the creation of a contingent to a short-term plan to deal with issues and matters relating to children whose lives are threatened (Horwarth, 2010). These emergency and short-term plans need to address issues relating to the impairment of development and health of children and the risks that come with that. This will help to deal with immediate issues and help the family members and parents to adjust to the challenges and try top improve their role and position as parents and heads of the family. O'Loughlin and O'Loughlin (2012) identifies that in most cases the initial issues that lead to emergencies and challenges of that nature are often due to cultural, social and other personality adjustments that parents are going through. Thus, there is the need to come to some kind of agreement and consensus to get the parents to become more responsible and more reasonable in order to meet the best needs and the best expectations of the children and also ensure their health and safety. In cases where the issues are serious and the matters related to them persist, there is the need to look at a more comprehensive and a more detailed approach and method to deal with the issues and problems. Exercising Professional Judgement on Custodial Matters There is the need to set standards and targets about how to define parents who need to cede their right to custody of their children. Reder and Duncan identifies the concept of “not good-enough” parenting which is a subjective concept and based on the dominant culture in the society (1993). However, there are some methods that are somewhat objective in defining the appropriateness of the parenting skills and competency of a parent. In doing this, there is the need to weigh out the principles relating to personality disorders and pass a professional judgement about the competency and appropriateness of a given parent's competency (Reder and Duncan, 1993). This will involve setting up professional judgements and this will be based on the principle and practice of social work. In doing this, the child's perspective, parental assessment and independent judgement must be factored in to come up with recommendations on custodial matters. This involve subjective, objective and cultural based trends that are relevant in the situation at hand. Decisions must be based on what Adams defines as effective practice (2012). This involve the integration of diversity issues, ethical practice matters and child protection needs (Adams, 2012). There is the need for the relevant decision to be based on the facts and a balance of important ideas and concepts (Barker, 2008). Beckett (2007) identifies that there must be a risk-based evaluation which will include the integration of the following: 1. Government guidelines; 2. Collaboration strategies at the local level; 3. Seeking police involvement in investigations and 4. Use of a proactive approach for the analysis of the issues in an incremental fashion. Theories for the Decisions on Custodial Matters Basically, there is an issue with stigma and social exclusion and that is the red flag that requires the authorities in the social services to act in favour of the children (Burke, 2008). There is also an issue with lone parents, economically challenge parents and disabled parents who cannot really meet the obligations of parenting (Quinton, 2004). Thus, there is the need to create a blend between parents who cannot keep custody of their children and those who have permanent issues (Bentovim et al, 2009). This involves an adaptive decision making approach which must be adjusted and modified where and when the need arises. Part 2: Critical Case Review In order to decide on the future of Mary and her two children, Erin and Jared, there is the need to critically evaluate the facts relating to them in order to come up with a logical conclusion. Fundamental Themes in the Case The trends in the past and present circumstances give an impetus to the need for changes and modification of the processes and procedures of dealing with the children. First of all, there is reason to suspect that the children's health and developmental needs are not stable like a reasonable family and there is the need to critically review it to come up with a view on the current situation. Family Patterns Monson and Mertons (2011) identify that there is a high probability that family patterns are bound to repeat themselves in the lives of people in the next generation. A study by Crittenden et al (1991) states that the justification for this trend lies in the fact that when people grow up in a certain set of circumstances, they tend to view it as the norm, rather than the exception. Hence, such individuals and persons unconsciously replicate such activities without noticing it. Under this situation, the family falls into the category of “Troubled Families” (Communities and Local Government, 2010). This is because there is a pattern that has been developed and there is a high risk that the children will also grow and repeat the pattern if nothing is done about it. The Troubled Family criteria involves children not in school, adults out of work, and high costs of families to the public sector (Communities and Local Government, 2010). The children live in a high risk setting as there is a chance that they are likely to end up like their mother who ended up like their grandmother, bearing children without any family commitment and linkages. Additionally, Mary's income is not stable and there is the need for some kind of support for them. Developmental Cycle There is clear evidence that the developmental cycle of the two children is in danger and at stake in this situation. This is because Erin's self-confidence seem to have dwindled due to the outrage and the outburst of her mother. This is not in the best interest of the development of a child at the age of Erin. As a girl, she needs emotional support and understanding and so far, it appears that Mary has not been able to meet all those developmental expectations. Jared's age requires some degree of supervised socialisation. This involve getting him to play with other children her age and the elimination of insecurities. This is also something that Mary has not been able to achieve. This is evidenced by the fact that Jared seem to be playing well and getting along with other friends since he got time to play with them. Health Matters The economic challenges Mary is going through provides some important pointers about her responsibility and capability as a mother. Clearly, she cannot foot some important and critical bills. And this shows that in cases where the children are faced with any medical emergencies, she will not be in the position to foot the bill. There are important fears and dangers that relate to her ability to even detect sicknesses and medical situations and conditions. Clearly, she seem to be depressed and this makes it difficult for Mary to play any significant role in ensuring and guaranteeing the right attitude and right approach for the children. Emotional Issues Erin and Jared deserve a lot of emotional care and emotional attention at their age. Lynch et al identify that there must be close care and strong bonding that will keep such children cared-for and protected in all spheres and aspects of lives (2013). This is because such needs and requirements are central and fundamental to their mental development and growth. Mary seem to have emotional challenges of her own. Her depression and temperament puts her in a precarious position. This implies that she cannot put herself together to give Erin and Jared the requisite attention in order to give them the emotional attention like listening to them and discerning their basic emotional needs. Rather, the children are left on their own and their upbringing seem to be devoid of the necessary attention and guidance that will be expected of a parent in the UK. Immediate Threats and Violence The biggest and most pressing issue is the fact that there is evidence that the children have been going through various forms of beatings and assault by Mary. The marks on Erin indicate that she had given her some beatings in the past. Also, the marks on Jared's face which the doctor confirmed to be unaccidental shows that Mary is venting out her frustrations on the children and this is a cause of concern. Looking at a child like Erin who is 5, spanking could be a necessary tool to keep her in the right track from time to time. However, spanking to cause grievous bodily harm shows that there is a threat of immediate problems and issues. And there is the need for some early intervention to be taken. The bruises on Jared's face also shows that Mary's situation is getting out of hand. This is because Jared is so little and for Jared to be bruised in the face by Mary shows that there is a major cause for concern and the alarms must be raised to create a major situation and a major context for streamlining her conduct. Perhaps a more disturbing situation is the fact that Mary continues to deny her actions. She insists that she did not do anything harmful to them and reacts by getting angry. This shows that her depression is causing her to vent out in the wrong way and the wrong mood and this needs to be checked and contained to prevent issues and problems. Intervention Approach Situations where parents are in violation of their duties and obligations to protect their children in the normal sense often requires a short-term and a long-term plan (Boyer et al, 2013). The short-term intervention ought to be done in order to combat the immediate problems and issues and from there, there is the need to create a long-term process that will deal with the problems and provide a positive and productive result. Short Term Intervention Immediately, there is the need for a multi-functional approach to be used to deal with the issue relating to Mary and the children. This must include the following: 1. Eradicate the immediate threat of violence facing the Children; 2. Take reasonable measures to fill the developmental and health gaps for the children; 3. Provide psychological supports for the children; 4. Arrange professional assistance for the children to be given a medium to long-term support; 5. Arrange custodial matters in order to ensure that the children can be given the right services and protection they need. Basically, the social worker in charge of this case must arrange a meeting with Mary and let Mary understand the fundamental issues at hand. The social worker must inform Mary of the issues and problems at hand and the observations made about the children, their injuries, and the need for some action to be taken to support the children and achieve their developmental and health needs, since that is primary. Thus, there is the need for Mary to be told of the consequences of her actions and the implications which include the possibility of her losing the children to the social welfare services. Mary must understand that the children are British nationals and if trends and issues continue, the state will have to intervene and she will lose custody of the children. She must be made to understand that it has been documented that the bruises inflicted on the children was inflicted out of some kind of direct action by her. Thus, her continued custody of the children will depend on her ability to prove that she was ready to improve her life and become a more responsive mother to the plight of the children. Eradication of Immediate Threat of Violence and Abuse It is apparent that the children's bruises are from violent acts that Mary meted out on the children. Thus, there is the need for an immediate interventionist plan to be formulated and implemented. This will involve a quick assessment of the situation by an expert to identify the extent of the bruises and the caning that was apparently meted out to the children by Mary. The police must be alerted immediately to get them to document the incident and provide the appropriate. The children must be given counselling immediately and this must help to ease and alleviate immediate fears of danger and harm that the children might sense. Clearly, Erin is scared and she still has fears of her mother coming back to harm her. She needs to be given the opportunity to calm down and she must be counselled and given the right treatment by a caring social worker or foster carer who will provide her with the right activities and processes. The counselling is likely to be more appropriate to Erin but the two must be observed in a safe environment. Their actions, their dreams and their mental stability must be observed for the next six months. This is because there is clearly going to be a transition and the children's needs and expectations must be put ahead of the expectations of other people and persons. Bridging the Developmental and Health Gaps The Department of Health's Framework for Assessment of Children in Needs puts the following requirements in place: 1. Identification of immediate ailments and sicknesses of the child in a dangerous situation; 2. Implementation of elements in the Education Act 1996; 3. Apply elements of disabilities under the Disabled Persons Act (1986); 4. Integrate relevant legislations; 5. Involve relevant stakeholders The relevant legislation that are drawn upon include the Children's Act 1989. And this revolves around: 1. Providing the children's needs (s17) 2. Providing daycare for the child (s18) 3. Accommodation where necessary (s20 and s23) 4. Advice, assist and befriend child (s24) 5. Minimise effects of disability, prevent neglect and prevent children from committing offences The Common Assessment framework also provides that there must be a system of maintaining informed consent amongst families and there must be preventive personalised services which addresses the specific needs. Teamwork is also emphasized in the Common Assessment framework. This is based on the use of multidisciplinary approaches to deal with issues and problems in order to address the matters at hand. There must be coordination and delivery through effective communication and discussions. The local authority must play the central and lead role in dealing with this issue. In this case, the following steps could be commendable in dealing with the risks and issues relating to the children: 1. Resolution of the threats to violence and psychological injuries suffered (Discussed Above); 2. Creation of a detailed file for the children in the local authority in order to keep track of their progress. This file should be the main documentary coordination point for the storage of information about the children's progress in order to document changes and provide feedbacks to relevant stakeholders. 3. The police must be alerted about the abuses and a valid report must be sought to the effect that the children are under some kind of threat by their mother. 4. Arrangement of treatment and psychological assistance to keep the children monitored and protected throughout the period. This could be done through a period of medium to long-term interactions to get the children thoroughly monitored and reviewed. 5. A psychological therapist and a doctor must be contracted by the local authority to examine the children and protect them. Custodial Matters Custody is a major issue. In the meantime, there is the need for an immediate arrangement for a more permanent placement of the children. This could be a children's home where their adoption papers will be processed. In the period, Mary could be called in to intervene and give a good reason why she believes she can be a better parent than other adopted or foster parents. Thus, if she does not come forward to do this, the local authority will need to process the children for adoption through the police report and an application to the social authorities. From there, the children must be given to an adoption home where they can be made available for adoption or presented to foster parents. After this is done, there must be close monitoring and analysis of the children's conditions by the authorities. However, if this cannot be done, reasonable arrangements must be made for the alternative monitoring arrangements to be made wherever the children will end up. Conclusion The analysis indicate that social work must promote the universal, individual and environmental development and health needs of children. This include the promotion of competency and confidence for children. The process involve the coordination of social work and the protection of children from danger. Issues that warrant legal action include maltreatment, impairment of social health and other matters. From the case at hand, Mary's competency as a good parent for the children is in doubt. This is due to the poor family and background history, abuse and assault of the children, depression and economic hardships. These challenges provide the case for early intervention amongst the social services. The intervention must come in the short run and this must involve a probation period where Mary will be put on observation and evaluated from time to time to test her competency and capability. This will include improvement of her attitude, attainment of counselling and new arrangements involve financial support. Based on this, if there are defaults, there must be a temporary accommodation whilst they wait for the courts to provide legal documents for the children to be given to foster parents. References Adams, R.(2012) Working with Children and Families London: Palgrave and Macmillan Aldgate, J., Jones, D., Rose, W., and Jeffrey, C. (2006). The Developing World of the Child London: Jessica Kingsley Barker, R. (2008) Making Sense of Every Child Matters Bristol: Policy Press Beckett, C. (2007) Child Protection London: SAGE Bentovim, A. , Cox, A., Bingley Millar , L. and Pizzey, S. (2009) Safeguarding Children living with Trauma and Family violence London: Jessica Kingsley Boyer, K, Reimer, S, Irvine, L. (2013). “The nursery workspace, emotional labour and contested understandings of commoditised childcare in the contemporary UK” Social & Cultural Geography. Aug2013, Vol. 14 Issue 5, p517-540. Burke, P. (2008) Disability and Impairment: Working with Families London: Jessica Kingsley Children's Workforce Development (2006) The Common Assessment Framework for Children and Young People London: CWDC Communities and Local Government (2010) The Troubled Families Programme London: TSO Crittenden, P. M., Partridge, M. F., and Clausse, A. H. 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(2011) “ALL IN THE FAMILY: Red States, Blue States, and Postmodern Family Patterns, 2000 and 2004” The Sociological Quarterly Vol. 52, No. 2 (Spring 2011), pp. 244-267 O‘Loughlin, M. and O’Loughlin, S, (2012) Social Work with Children and Families Exeter: Learning Matters Quinton, D. (2004) Supporting Parents. Messages from Research London Jessica Kingsley Reder P., Duncan S., and Gray, M. (1993) Beyond Blame: Child Abuse Tragedies Revisited. London: Routledge Read More