Child Protection Assessment Report - Essay Example

CHILD PROTECTION ASSESSMENT REPORT Introduction The child assessment report contained in this paper has beenrequested by the Team Leader in the child protection assessment of the Smith Family. The purpose of this initial assessment report is to highlight the risks that are associated with child protection history in regard to the provided case study. The report is aimed at evaluating children needs and highlighting the areas that may require further assessment and information. Family constellation The family under assessment comprises of Mr. Ian Dawson and his wife Mrs. Fiona Smith. The couple has four children aged between six months and thirteen years. The older two children, Sarah aged 13 years and Michael aged ten years, are currently under the Guardianship of the Chief Executive. The two children were placed under this care back in 2010. The younger twin children were born after the re-unification o the parents after a long stint during the father’s incarceration. The two children were born while their older siblings were still under the custody of the Chief Executive. The twins are currently under the custody of the Department under which they were placed at the beginning of this year. Due to the father’s long absence and the past errant behavior on the mother’s part, Sarah, the oldest child has developed a very close relationship with their maternal Aunt, named Tanya Smith. Sarah considers her aunt and her grandmother, Jane, as her primary family and she do not want any relationship with her maternal parents. The second oldest child, Michael, does not recall much about his father since he left while he was still too young. However, he has a deep interest to re-unite with their mother. The grandmother, Jane, has not contacted her daughter (the children’s mother) for a long time. She confesses that her daughter, Fiona, was sexually abused by her father (the children’s grandfather) when she was young, and this explains why she blames herself for her daughter’s long history of a turbulent and unstable life. Current notification – circumstances The couple has informed that they had been hosted by their friends until about a week prior to the police finding them in their car. The parents indicated that they had sought assistance from the relevant authorities, including the Housing Department and the local community center, and it is only a matter of time before they could get a temporary relief from their housing and financial crisis. The parents have indicated that they have reformed from their past behavior, and they are willing to resume living normal lives together with their four children. The couple has also indicated that they twin kids had been suffering from a cold that seems to have hindered their development, though the parents were not aware that they cold had an effect on the children’s development. Child protection history Borrowing on knowledge from a diverse range of domains, such as empirical, theoretical, personal knowledge, and professional experience can effectively strengthen the quality of childs protection assessment (Ruch, 2007). Thus, it is important for the child protection practitioner to master a good grasp of procedural knowledge including organizational and legislation policies, procedures and practice guidelines. For instance, it is only through the assessment that the child protection practitioners can learn whether the child or children has been abused or is at risk of potential harm (Tilbury, Osmond, Wilson and Clark, 2007). The assessment also helps to determine whether the parents are able and willing to take care of each and every child, and these key concepts and terms are set out in the legislation. Legislation also spells out how any investigations are to be carried out and the authority that needs to be informed of any actions. (Sidebotham & Weeks, 2010). Thus, legislation provides many provisions that are aimed solely at ensuring a balanced use of power in the child protection work. The contemporary critical and structural theories often shift the emphasis from the individual parent to examining the structural and social arrangements. The changes are usually drawing attention to the effects of patterned inequalities and the extent of social, cultural and economic factors that define social norms about parenting (Queensland Government (Department of Communities, Child Safety and Disability Services, 2010). Environmental factors also influence children’s development, as well as the capacity for the parents, to respond effectively to the child’s needs (Victorian Department of Human Services, 2002). It is notable that the parents in the Smith family are not aware of their twin children’s were “failing to thrive” during their stay in the family car. Thus, comprehensive assessment must cover the environmental factors, including housing, as well as family factors such as income and functioning (Fowler, 2002). The assessment concerns relate to four children aged between six months and 13 years of age. The two older children have already been placed under the Guardianship of the Chief Executive until they attain the age of eighteen years. Moreover, concerning the younger two children, a notification has been received this year to the effect that the children require immediate protection from harm. The social organization of the Smith family has been characterized by a state of homelessness, financial difficulties, and transience has made effective children upbringing a great concern that calls for succinct intervention through the intervention of the Child Protection Orders. The children’s father named as a Mr. Ian Dawson had been jailed for drug-related offences, assaulting the children’s mother and assaulting a police officer. A notification has also been made that the father has a protracted criminal history since he was a juvenile. As a result, the father has already served a past sentence of five years after which he was re-arrested and incarcerated for another term. Before their re-union, the department had not made any contact with the mother for most of the year 2012 during which the older children were under the care of the Child Protection Division. It is only at the beginning of 2014 that a notification was filed to the effect that two twin children, aged three months, were in dire need of immediate protection from harm. Children’s Needs The core aim of the assessment is to determine the decisions that need to be made by the Child Protection Department. It is the assessment that determines the action that needs to be undertaken. In the case of the Smith family, the types of decisions that need to be considered include the following. Are these children under any risk of serious harm? What unfulfilled needs do this family has? What action needs to be taken in order to improve the children’s safety and well-being? How can the overall functioning of this family be improved? Is it good to return all the children under parental care? What kind of assistance does this family require so that they can lead normal lives for the sake of the children? What kind of contact should be established between each child and the parents? Identification of Harms and Risks to each Child The interrelated issues of harm, risk and needs are essential in child protection assessment and associated interventions. It is important to note that risk is future-oriented and is mostly concerned with the potential of harm being experienced by the concerned child or children (Barker & Hodes, 2007). On the hand, harm refers to the damaging consequences or effects of neglectful or abusive behaviors. The presence of certain risk factors or indicators (for example prior harm) provides a suggestion of an exacerbated likelihood of future harm. The presence of resilience or protective factors can serve to neutralize these risk factors (Healy, 2009). It is notable that assessments and evaluations in child protection often require the practitioner to identify any harm accurately that the concerned child or children may have gone through. Moreover, he or she must identify the present risk, as well as protective factors, the family needs and the resultant child, and priority areas that need attention on the basis of the results being targeted (Connolly & Morris, 2012). In the case of the Smith family, an analysis of the needs specific to each child reveals the following information; Sarah She has developed resentment towards both parents to the extent that she perceives her grandparents as her primary family. As a result of the detachment from her parents, the child has recently developed some self-harming behaviors that may need her to be placed under close counseling and guidance program. Michael Even though he appears as a happy and confident child, the boy has a strong desire to re-unite with his mother. There is a need to ensure that the child is placed under his mother’s care as soon as practicably possible as this will ensure that the child does not develop any form of resentment that may arise from a prolonged detachment from the parents. There is also a need to re-unite the child with his father despite the fact that he does not portray any much interest in him. The twins It has been noted that the current environment in which the family dwells has been detrimental on the twins’ growth and development. There is an urgent need to provide the children with a suitable environment that will be favorable to their development. Thus, the children may be considered for further stay with the Chief Executive’s office as the family continues with arrangements to provide her or him with a better environment in which they can thrive. Furthermore, as the older children have expressed their willingness to unite with their younger siblings, there is a need to make preparations for a family re-unification. Assessment or Recommendations Underlying effective analysis in the childs protection field is the understanding of the importance of attaining outcomes (Barlow and Scott, 2010). In child protection, a major goal is to make a positive difference in the lives of the concerned children and their extended family. The best outcomes are attained when there is a remarkable improvement in family functioning and the well-being. In addition, safety of the children have to be guaranteed and relied on the ability to make a comprehensive assessment and selecting interventions that are most likely to have a formidable positive impact (Wilson, & James, 2007). In order to answer the above questions, it is important to critically analyze the information contained in the family history as recorded in the case study of the Smith family. Identification of the children’s needs The apparent failure by the older child, Sarah, to be associated with her parents provides an important question regarding the children’s upbringing before they were placed under the care of the Chief Executive. It is important to note that a child’s development is best-comprehended in the context of the care that the children are accorded at home, or received from their parents in the pre-placement period (Department of Human Services, 2001). In the case of Sarah, it is plausible that there has been some specific parental behaviour that was incongruent with the child’s developmental requirements. It is important to note that the second oldest child, Michael, has no issue at reuniting with his mother, although he does not recall anything about the father. Therefore, it means that the apparent resentment that Sarah has developed for their mother must have resulted from childhood neglect or abuse that was directed at only this child. The parents have expressed their willingness to re-unite the family and resume normal lives. However, it is still necessary to investigate the reasons that drove the wedge between the mother and her daughter prior to the placement of the children under the Guardianship of the Chief Executive. On the unfulfilled needs, it is notable that the children have suffered from many years in isolation from their maternal parents. As a guide for family re-unification, it is plausible to note that the recovery process for young people is influenced by the support and belief of no-offending family members, as well as significant others (Government of Western Australia (Department of Child Protection, 2014). Thus, children need to be made to feel safe in an environment that will make them feel safe and make sense of their past experiences. It is important to conduct further assessment on this critical issue when considering the question as to which children in the Smith family should be reunited with their parents. In conclusion, it is important to note that the purpose of this assessment of the Smith family was to determine the extent of the information collected and the potential for such information to guide the process of decision making regarding the best steps that need to be undertaken. The assessment has evaluated several key factors, including parent-child relationship, with reference to guidance, care, warmth and protection (Ward, Brown, Westlake and Munro, 2010). The assessment has also evaluated whether the children’s developmental needs are being observed, including growing and learning. An assessment of the environmental factors that may be hindering childs development has also been conducted. The areas that require further assessment include the parent-child relationship that existed before the placement of the children under child protection program. The assessment will help in determining whether all the four children should be placed under the care of their parents. One outstanding issue that needs to be addressed as a matter of urgency I the re-unification of the family, and the provision of social and financial support that will enable the family to live a normal life as soon as is reasonably practicable for the sake of children’s development. References Barker, J, &Hodes, D 2007. The Child In Mind: A Child Protection Handbook. 2nd (ed). New York: Routledge. Barlow, J. and Scott, J. 2010. Safeguarding Children in the 21st Century, Dartington: Research in Practice. Connolly, M & Morris, K 2012, Understanding child & family welfare: statutory responses to children at risk, Palgrave Macmillan, Basingstoke, UK. Department of Human Services, 2001. Child Health and Development: Birth to 18 Years for Professionals. Melbourne, Victoria. Fowler, J, 2002. A Practitioners Tool for Child Protection and the Assessment of Parents. London: Jessica Kingsley Publishers. Government of Western Australia (Department of Child Protection). 2014. Child development and trauma guide. [ONLINE] Available at: http://www.dcp.wa.gov.au/ChildProtection/ChildAbuseAndNeglect/Documents/ChildDevelopmentAndTraumaGuide.pdf. [Accessed 16 August 14]. Healy, K 2009, Service user participation in diverse child protection contexts principles for practice, Child Family Social Work, vol. 14, pp. 420-430. Queensland Government (Department of Communities, Child Safety and Disability Services). 2010. Child Safety Practice Manual. [ONLINE] Available at: http://www.communities.qld.gov.au/childsafety/child-safety-practice-manual. [Accessed 16 August 14]. Ruch, G, 2007. Reflective practice in contemporary child ‐ care social work: the role of containment: British Journal of Social Work, 37, 659 ‐ 680. Sidebotham, P., & Weeks, M, 2010. Multidisciplinary Contributions to Assessment of Children in Need in Horwath, J. (ed). The Child’s World, 2nd edition, London: Jessica Kingsley Publishers. Tilbury, C., Osmond, J., Wilson, S. and Clark, J. 2007. Good Practice in Child Protection. Pearson: Frenchs Forest NSW Victorian Department of Human Services. 2002. An Integrated Strategy for Child Protection and Placement Services, Author: Melbourne Ward, H., Brown, R., Westlake, D., and Munro, E, 2010. Infants suffering, or likely to suffer, significant harm: A prospective longitudinal study: [ONLINE] Available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/182520/DFE-RR110.pdf. [Accessed 16 August 14]. Wilson, K & James, A, 2007. The Child Protection Handbook: The Practitioners Guide to Safeguarding Children. New York: Elsevier Health Sciences. Read More