Current Policy Approaches for People - Case Study Example

 Introduction Childhood is a crucial phase in human development. It can be termed as the age between birth and adolescence. Many scholars argue that an individual’s character is molded at childhood (Gorky &Hettlinger, 2010). In this regard, childhood is a developmental stage that ought to be well planned in order to shape the morals of people in the society. Children have massive potential for development and therefore the community should establish proper structures to nurture them. Children are the most valuable resources in the society and should be taken care of appropriately. The governments of various nations have established policies aimed at protecting children’s right. The prospects of this piece of writing is to expound on the place of children in the society, social construction of childhood, current policies established in the UK regarding children and the impacts of those policies and legislation. Children and the society Children are amid the most vulnerable crowds in the society (Lee, 2001). There are various incidences where children and families appear vulnerable in the society. For instance, children are denied chances to express their opinions on national matters since they are considered premature to participate in serious matters of national concern. In addition, children are not included in drafting policies relating to their social wellbeing. In most cases, children are left out when conducting various business in the society due to the notion that their ideas are always defective and that they can only give irrational opinions. Children and young people are usually undermined during provision of services. Actually, the adults take advantage of children because sometimes it is difficult for children to report cases of harassment or abuse by either parents or other members of the community to the authorities. Children fear that reporting parents to relevant authorities might lead them to more trouble and therefore chose to remain silent. In most instances, the adults are given the first priority since they are senior members of the society. Social construction of childhood   Lloyd deMause, in 1997 during a national parenting conference, explained that the history of humanity is constituted upon child abuse (Berry &Foyster, 2007). Lloyd further argued that child abuse factions as a scheme for families to solve their emotional problems and to fulfill ancestralrituals. Ariescarried out research and concluded that childhood is a new concept that never existed in the ancient times (Desai, 2010). Aries argues that even though young people existed in the medieval period, they were not considered as children. At this time, the culture had not developed the institution of childhood and therefore all people were considered adults. Since the medieval ages, a lot of developments have happened in favour of child welfare. Frydenberg, Deans& O'Brien (2011) argue that during the Victorian regime, childhood gained appreciation as an important social institution. The Victorian framework emphasized on early childhood professional, that is, any person working with children between birth and the age of eight years. Early childhood professionals, as outlined in the Victorian framework, include maternal health nurses, teachers, play therapists, child welfare officers and many others. According to Victorian framework, children learn gradually from birth and each phase of development sets afoundation for the next phase. In essence, children are effective communicators and involved learners. In addition, they have a great sense of wellbeing and self-identity. The framework advocates for child and family support during the early childhood development stages. Social construction of childhood is different in different societies (James &Prout, 2003). Societies have varied social structures, cultures and mode of livelihood. For instance, the way things are done in western countries, is different from the way things are done in the Far East countries. Children from wealthy backgrounds are nurtured differently from those from poor backgrounds. Obviously, children from wealthy societies are likely to enjoy their childhood more than those from poor societies. Different countries have different cultural constructions, and so is the social construction of childhood (Burton, 2010). Third world countries have very different social construction of childhood from the developed countries. In most societies, children are viewed as innocent and vulnerable human beings who require protection from the adult population. It is quite apparent that childhood is quite different from adulthood and adolescence. The social constructs of childhood include education, health, clothing and sporting activities (Howe, &Prochner, 2012).Events that take place during childhood have great influence on an individual’s life style. Aspects such as language, numeracy, and relationship with other people are developed during the childhood phase of life(Matthews, 2003). Childhood education is designed to be simple in order to enhance gradual mind development. There are many approaches used to educate children for instance games, classwork, field trips, songs and many others. Childhood education determines the child’s level of self-esteem and respect for the elderly. Childhood is a stage that involves a series of sporting activities and games. Games such as hide and seek and running after inflated balloons keep children busy(Fernie, 2013).Playing keeps the children busy and thereby prevent them from engaging in evil activities. Childhood games and plays are informal and unorganised since they are aimed at passing time. For childhood games to be enjoyable, children must be in good health. Most children are exposed to malnutrition related ailments and therefore it is important to establish effective maternal healthcare facilities. Policies and legislation relating to children, young people and families The United Kingdom government has established various policies and enacted some legislations regarding working with children, young people and families (McAuley, Pecora& Rose, 2006). The policies and legislation are aimed at maintaining family cohesion and protecting the welfare of children. They include; Integrated family support programme The programme among the major policies established to improve the social welfare of the less fortunate children, young people and families. The programme aims at uniting families together in improving their lifestyle. The programme has assisted over 350 families in fighting poverty and other life challenges (NEPACS & Barefoot Research, 2013).However, the programme has faced numerous challenges since its inception. For instance, convincing ignorant people of its benefits has been a very challenging activity. In addition, motivating families, that live a chaotic lifestyle to adjust to the proposed changes, has been a very difficult task. Volpe (2010)states that children are basically defenseless and know little about maintaining person security. The current policies facilitate establishment of children right activist organisations, which ensure that children are provided with a conducive environment for development and survival. The government has established numerous children homes to take care of the destitute children and the street families. Troubled families programme According to Gentleman (2013) troubled families are those families faced with certain kind of challenges and which create instability in the public sector economy. The troubled family programme was initiated to assist families and children from less fortunate homes get better opportunities in life (Department for Communities and Local Government, 2014). The troubled families programme is projected to aid in reducing antisocial behaviors, crime rate and domestic violence in the society. The troubled health programme has aided in improving the health conditions in poor families. The programme has aided children from troubled families to learn about healthy practices in improving the quality of life. The UK government remains committed through out to boost children’s welfare and providing empowerment opportunities for the young people (Lawrence, 2007). The government has established numerous legislations for boosting children welfare. Actually, the central government works hand in hand with local governments in developing children and young people related programmes. The government has established various platforms where children related problems can be addressed. Most legislations regarding children are aimed at protecting children from hard labour, mistreatment from parents and guardians, neglect and improvement of general welfare(Welbourne & Dixon, 2013). Communities’ First programme Lewis (2013) states that the programmehas shown gradual progress since its inception. It has helped the Welsh society in fighting poverty and improving the quality of life. Though the progarmme, thousands of students from poor families in Wales have been able to acquire quality education. The programme has expanded to cover wider areas, and it is projected to reach millions of needy Welsh people. The programme is non discriminative, andits core objective is to promote better living standards for poor Welsh nationals. Basically, the programme has worked effectively in alleviating persistent poverty in many parts of Wales. The Children Act 1998 The Children Act 1998 provides that the local authorities should enhance children protection and guard them against abuse and neglect (Allen, 2005). The act stipulates the guidelines to be followed in cases involving child abuse and neglect. Child neglect by parent or guardian is punishable by law. The law requires that every citizen to be a custodian of children welfare. The law permits any concerned citizen to present any child abuse case to the court of law or report to the relevant authority (McLeod, 2008). The children Act 2004 The Act facilitated the creation of the post of children’s commissioner whose core duty is to oversee service delivery to and from children and the young people(Cotter, 2012). The act gave the government the right to establish an electronic register for all children in the UK. The reason behind the establishment of an electronic register was to ease the practice of tracing children across the various organs of government. The children act 2004 aided in bridging the gap between the children and the adult population. The Children and Families Act 2014 The Legislation provides guidelines on how to handle children and ensure that child welfare is not overlooked (Heenan&Latchams, 2013). The legislation gives guideline how to relate with adopted children and the policies related to child adoption. The act provides that children and people with special needs are eligible to request for flexible working schedules. In essence, the Children and Families Act 2014 has been very essential to improving the social and economic well-being of children and the young people. The Education Act 2002 The Act provides for the right of every child to acquire basic education. Government representatives in every jurisdiction are required to oversee full implementation of the legislation to ensure that children welfare is not undermined. Tassoni et al. (2007) argue that public institution are required to offer equal opportunities for learning to children and abide by the provisions of the constitution and state laws regarding education. The Education Act 2002 provides for legal rights for children with disability to acquire free education. The Act requires that learning institution to provide the disabled students with the necessary infrastructure for conducive learning environment (Beith, 2005). The government is obliged to ensure that children and the young people are provided with adequate learning resources and facilities in order to improve their lifestyles. The health of a child has been considered in many legislation in the UK (Munro, 2008).  Several policies and legislations have been established to ensure that children health is maintained at high level. The government, through the established laws and policies, has continued to offer requisite resources and infrastructure in the health sector to promote children and young people’s health (Blyth, & Solomon, 2012). The government has to ensure that there is enough medicine in all public health institution. The Health Act requires that the treatment expenses for children to be subsidized by the government. In addition, the Medicine Act 2006 provides guidelines on administration of medication to children. The legislation provides that qualified medical professionals are the only legally authorized parties to give medical prescription (Stephens, 2011). Administration of medicine to a child can be done by another individual only after the parents’ consent. Impacts of the current policies and legislations Current policies and legislation have been of great importance in promoting the welfare of children and the young people. For instance, the Children Act 1998 rallied government organs and the members of the public together in protecting the interest of children and the young people(Goonesekere, 2008).Among the areas that developed due to the implantation of the Children Act 1998include, children welfare, financial security, full representation in government, reduced cases of child neglect, and reduction of common heinous acts such child rape and brutal canning. Policies such as the troubled families and the integrated family have aided in eliminating child and family poverty in the UK(Great Britain, Hodge & Stationery Office, 2014).Children are assured of financial security once they attain the majority age. Empowerment of the young people and the children is a promising investment for any country. Failure to support the young people and the children financially results in increased immoral behaviors and theft. In this regard, every country must give children support and enhance youth empowerment for positive economic growth. Young people have vibrant minds and can be able to do numerous tasks simultaneously, especially when supported with the necessary resource such as funds and proper infrastructure. Conclusion Childhood is the basic stage of human development. People’s character and moral standings are developed at childhood stage. Children are exposed to many challenges such as molestation, neglect, abuse and many others. In this regard, the government should establish effective measures to guard the child welfare and the wellbeing of the young people. Neglect of the young people might retard economic progress in a country. Both the government and the members of the public should join hands in guarding children rights and upholding thewellbeing of the young people. 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