Innovative Social Work Practice with Children and Families - Term Paper Example

Innovative Social Work Practice with Children and Families Student Name Tutor Course Date Innovative Social Work Practice with Children and Families Introduction The spread or diffusion of ideas has been investigated in various fields with many models being proposed. The theory of diffusion of innovations explains how innovations can be spread to a population. To achieve social change, there has to be a way of diffusing the new ideas to the group. New ideas are not always welcome by a large group of people. This is because of the diversity that exists in every group setup. Rogers (2003) defined an innovation as a project, an idea or practice that an individual perceives to be new. While the idea may have been developed a long time ago, it will still be considered to be an innovation for individuals that find it new to them. In order to bring about a new idea to a group of people, it is vital to understand the set up of the group. It is also important to understand their current system in case of an upgrade. The purpose of the idea has to be known t the group before the idea can be well absorbed by the group. Using the theory of innovation, it is possible to understand how new ideas can be taken in by a population. This paper shall use the theory of Diffusion of Innovation as proposed by Rogers (2003) to explain how an innovative practice can be used to address the needs of a group of homeless children. Social work setting The proposed program shall target a group of children who have had various traumatizing experiences in life and are left on their own. The experiences that these children have been through varies from tortures at home, domestic violence leading to abuses, suffering at the hands of crude individuals, sexual abuses at tender ages and many other forms of violence that exist in the society. The age of the children who’ve undergone such traumatizing acts in the organization is between 0 to 17 years. The state and territory governments in Australia have the duty of protecting children against abuse and neglect. In addition to this, there are organizations whose purpose is to take care of such children after they have undergone the crude acts. In Australia, various notifications are made to the child protection services. Figures from the AIHW show that in the year 2011 to 2012, the number of notifications on suspected abuse of children was 252,962. In 2010-2011, the figure stood at 237,273; indicating a 6.6 % increase in 2011-2012. These notifications were made to the state and territory authorities. This rate of notifications stood at 34 per ever 1000 children in Australia (AIFS, 2013). The indications from these notifications are that there many cases of child abuse or neglect in Australia. The total number of children who were on out of home care stood at nearly 39,621 while the number of children who were on order was 40,962. The number of total substantiations was 48,420 while the number of finished investigations on child abuse and neglect was 106,754 (AIHW, 2013). Various cases of maltreatment exist in Australia. These may be categorized into four types of harm; including sexual abuse, physical abuse, neglect and emotional abuse. A breakdown of these substantiations is shown in the table below: Sexual abuse 5,828 Physical abuse 9,927 Neglect 14,984 Emotional abuse 17,629 Total 48,420 Source: AIFS, 2013. Emotional abuse and neglecting of children are the common types of maltreatment experienced in Australia. Behaviours that are emotionally abusive include rejecting, scape-goating, terrorizing, abusing, isolating and ignoring. Typically, children who undergo domestic violence are said to have undergone emotional abuse. Neglect is considered by the Child Family Community Australia (2012) as failure by a parent to provide basic needs to their children. This includes failure to provide food, clothing, shelter, supervision, medical attention and hygiene. Such behaviors could be emotional, educational, physical or environmental. When children go through such abuses, they are affected psychologically and as a result, they demonstrate certain behavioral changes in their growth and development. The Australian government requires that every child in Australia be given an equal opportunity for growth and development. This is aimed at ensuring every child gets the chance to demonstrate their abilities and grow to the best level that they can. In cases where children are at risk of being harmed or neglected; or those who have been harmed, they are taken away from their homes and taken to out of home care services. This is done by the child protection authorities. Statistics from child protection provide an insight on how many children in Australia get to contact with the child protection services. This data is collected routinely and gives an idea on how many children experience neglect and child abuse. The proposed program is aimed at improving the efficiency of handling the cases of child abuse and maltreatment. While it is the intention of the government to reduce cases of child abuse, it is also the goal of organizations taking care of abused children to ensure that they get the best possible treatment. Social work approach With the advances in neuroscience, it is possible to identify the effects of abuse on the development of a child’s brain. Every abuse that a child goes through settles down in their brain and begins manifesting in the outside behaviors. According to Benedeti (2012), negative impacts of poor parenting, physical abuse to children and any form of maltreatment can be highlighted from the advances that have been realized in neuroscience. The most crucial time for the development of children is during early childhood. However, individuals remain vulnerable even when they are fully grown. Research by scientists indicates that when interventions are carried out during early childhood, protective factors are created and these will stave off risk factors; the result of which is a better outcome for the children. The critical time for the development of the brain and language for a child is between birth and 5 years. Shonkoff and Philips (2000) added that during this time, advances in the social, emotional and regulatory aspects of a child’s life can be realized. The realization that children can be victimized by depression and grief calls for proper ways of handling the mental health of children during their development. For children who have been through traumatizing events, necessary interventions should be targeted towards healing their mental health. At the time when the brain is sensitive to exterior forces, attentive care should be given to children from adults. To improve ways of handling maltreated children, a Multidimensional Treatment Program can be used. Under this program, there are three versions that serve the pre-school age between 3-6, the middle childhood age between 7-11 and the adolescents group aged between 12 and 17. This program is community based and is aimed at improving behavioral and social skills as well as decreasing problem behavior. Under this program, children are engaged on a one on one therapy where the therapist gets to understand the state of the child, their behaviors, their group behaviors and their general welfare. This is done by observing their behaviors in groups, as well as when they are on their own. In addition, this method involves one on one session with the caregivers so as to provide trainings to them. The trainings are aimed at enhancing the abilities of the parents to handle the development of their children. Where the child demonstrated a particular shortcoming, the caregiver is informed and the appropriate way to raise the child to a better state is advised. In addition, the program involves interactive sessions between caregivers. The caregivers share their experiences in raising their children. This session provides an opportunity for the caregivers to benchmark and exchange notes on child upbringing. This program derives its strengths from the aspects of the diffusion theory that make a change acceptable. For instance, it demonstrates the significance of the peer to peer discussions as well as peer networks. In addition, it demonstrates the aspect of comprehending the needs of various user segments (Robinson, 2009). The diffusion theory requires that a new idea demonstrates a relative advantage. This idea has the relative advantage of not handling individual caregivers but also providing them with a session to share and interact with each other. In addition, the idea is compatible with existing practices and values of counseling services offered to children and parents on proper child upbringing. This program is also simple to use since it only involves convening of children and their parents. According to the diffusion theory, a new idea should be one that can be tried. This program provides for that since a sample of children can be used from the organization. The final test for an innovative idea is its ability to yield observable results. The results from this program can be seen by both the caregivers and the therapists. In addition, this program provides for follow up sessions where the notable changes are seen and any opportunity for improvement is utilized. The challenge that the program faces is getting parents who do not care about the well being of their children. Under such cases, the children can be handled from an out of home care center. The program is relevant with social work ethics since it allows for counseling, working in partnerships, working with families, groups and communities so as to handle systemic issues and personal difficulties (AASW, 2010). Diffusion of Innovation Theory As was proposed by Rogers (2003), the diffusion of innovation theory is used in explaining how innovations can be taken up in an organization. Robin (2009) stated that the theory provides three valuable insights to the social change process. These include the qualities that the innovation will spread; the importance of peer to peer discussions and peer networks and the understanding of the needs of different segments of users. Before the change is accepted, it has to demonstrate certain aspects of benefits to the organization. One of the aspects is the relative advantage. The other factors to be considered are compatibility, observable nature, complexity and the communication channel (Davies and Simon, 2013). According to Houston et al (2012), organizational innovation is a vital source of value creation. For an organization to foster innovation, it has to create an environment that is open to change. This can be done by setting up a culture of continuous change. Investing in creating a corporate culture that fosters change is vital in ensuring an organization embraces innovation. Leaders in the organization also play a key role in promoting innovation. This calls for the commitment and support of the organization’s leaders. Change is often accompanied by barriers. Therefore, it is the duty of the leaders to influence such barriers. The leaders can also identify the champions of change and use them in driving the agenda of innovation. The people in the organization also influence innovation. In the early days of diffusion, people were considered as adopters to innovation (Tarrow, 2010). However, the later works on diffusion have portrayed it as an area of study that is distinctive. Davies and Simon (2013) agreed that people can be used in accepting innovation and pushing the agenda of the change in the company. This is because organizational innovation begins at the individual level. It is individuals who propose innovations and according to Raath (2012), innovation should not be delegated to experts but should come from the sense and passion for innovation. Therefore, creativity amongst individuals is vital for innovation to be experienced in an organization. When a creative idea is brought forth by individuals in the organization, the needs of the organization are better met. This is because individuals in the organization understand the organization’s needs better. To improve the needs of a social works organization, creative individuals expose the challenges faced in handling child maltreatment issues and create the need for better ways of handling the issues. Creativity in the organization can be nurtured through a culture of continuous change. This provides the individuals the challenge of devising ways to perform better. The greatest challenge to innovation in the organization is its culture. It is human nature to resist change. Innovation brings about change in the organization and this change is bound to receive resistance. In an organization where the culture does not favor change, innovation will be met by resistance. This is because successful innovation requires adoption. Therefore, individuals who are not ready to adopt will create a problem to innovation. Rogers (2003) stated that early adopters to innovation stand a higher chance of picking leadership roles in a social system. The other members of the system come for advice or for information on the innovation. Leaders have a vital role in every stage of the process of innovation. The organization should create a culture of early adoption to change. This demonstrates the attitude of people towards innovation. Early adopters have a subjective evaluation on innovation and this reaches other members of the system. This occurs through the interpersonal network. Using early adopters as leaders has the effect of reduced level of uncertainty. Rogers (2003) stated that early adopters lay their stamp on the new idea when they adopt it. An organizational culture that favors early adoption of new ideas has a higher chance of success in the new idea as compared to one that takes time before adopting the idea (Sahin, 2006). Conclusion Use of a multidimensional treatment program in caring for children and families is an idea that can easily be adopted in a social care organization. This is because the program is dynamic and accommodates both caregivers and children. Adopting the idea may be met by resistance owing to the fact that some caregivers may be unwilling to respond to the need to provide better child welfare. However, the overall benefit of the program is to enhance continuous child welfare by monitoring their behaviors and finding ways of improving their state. The theory of diffusion of innovation requires that change meets some considerations for it to be accepted. The program meets the factors stated and this is the reason for its success in a social works organization. Bibliography Davies, A. & Simon, J. 2013, How to Grow Social Innovation: A Review and Critique of Scaling and Diffusion for Understanding the Growth of Social Innovation, 5th International Social Innovation Research Conference, 2-4, Oxford. AASW, 2010, Code of Ethics, Australia. AIFS, 2013, Child Abuse and Neglect Statistics, Assessed on March 2, 2014 from: . AIHW, 2013, Child protection Australia 2011-12, Child welfare series no. 55. Cat. no. CWS 43, Canberra: AIHW, Assessed on March 2, 2014 from: . Benedeti, G. 2012, Innovations in the Field of Child Abuse and Neglect Prevention: A Review of the Literature, Chicago, IL: Chapin Hall at the university of Chicago. Givan, R., Roberts, K. and Soule, S. (eds.) The Diffusion of Social Movements: Actors, Mechanisms, and Political Effects, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, pp.204-219. Houston et al, 2012, Fostering Organizational Innovation, USA: George Washington University School of Business. Raath, R., 2012, When Innovation Fails. Forbes, Retrieved March 2, 2014, from: . Rogers, M. 2003, Diffusion of Innovations, 4th Edition, New York: The Free Press. Robinson, L. 2009, A Summary of Diffusions of Innovations, Sydney: Scribe Publications. Sahin, I. 2006, “Detailed Review of Rogers’ Diffusion of Innovations Theory and Educational Technology-Related Studies Based on Rogers’ Theory,” The Turkish Online Journal of Educational Technology, Vol 5, Iss. 2, Art. 3, pp. 14-23. Shonkoff, J. P., & Phillips, D., 2000, From neurons to neighborhoods: The science of early childhood Development, Washington, DC: National Academy Press. Tarrow, S., 2010, Dynamics of Diffusion: Mechanisms, Institutions and Scale Shift, In Kolins Read More