Child Abuse

How can a poem written more than fifty years ago manage to find a more contemporary reading, and inspire a healthy yet critical discussion between ‘classicists’ and ‘modernist’ readers or audiences?

Such is the charm exhibited by the poem written by Theodore Roethke. Even before jumping straight to the discussion of the meat and matter, or the content of the poem itself, there is already so much to say about the poem if we are to judge its literary merit in terms of form.

NARRATIVE STRUCTURE, LANGUAGE AND RHYME

The poem is very easily understood and is presented in a clear chronological order, from the time the father comes home, up to the conclusion of the ‘waltz’ with the speaker in the poem off to bed (Roethke).   Because of a clear chronology of events, the poem is light, delightful, and yet, remains thought-provoking.

The language used is also very light and appropriate, as it is seen that the speaker in the poem is a child and the addressee is the papa, or the father of the speaker (Roethke). Such easy vocabulary is appropriate for the speaker in the poem, thus creating a high level of believability in the reader and lending credibility to the speaker in the poem.

We see clearly and immediately the distinction between the speaker and the addressee, and we can also create in our minds the right profile for both speaker and addressee in the poem. The rhyme scheme is A-B-A-B-C-D-C-D-E-F-E-F-G-H-G-H.

There is a wonderful mix of masculine rhymes; like head-bed in lines 13 and 15 (Roethke), and dirt-shirt in lines 14 and 16 (Roethke); and feminine rhymes like dizzy-easy in lines 1 and 3 (Roethke), and knuckle-buckle in lines 10 and 12 (Roethke) in the poem. The few ‘sloppy’ rhymes found in the poem are also interesting since they can be, again, attributed to the fact that the speaker is a person of tender age.

IMAGERY AND FIGURATIVE LANGUAGE

The narrative structure of the poem is further bolstered by a clear and vivid rendering of images. The very first two lines – “The whiskey on your breath/Could make a small boy dizzy” (Roethke); – clearly and certainly presents a clear mental picture, where, not only the mind’s eye, but as well as other senses are able to participate: to be specific, in these lines, the sense of smell.

Even the ‘mind’s ears’ are able to participate in the sensory experience of the poem as evidenced by lines 5 and 6 – “We romped until the pans/Slid from the kitchen shelf” (Roethke); where one could easily hear the racket that these pans sliding off kitchen shelves may have caused.

This poem is simply a delight to the senses! The use of figurative language is superior as well. With lines 7 and 8 – “My mother’s countenance/Could not unfrown itself” (Roethke), and the final lines – “Then waltzed me off to bed/ Still clinging to your shirt” (Roethke) – are excellent and very inventive use of figurative language, not to mention it being far from cliché.

The poem is a brilliant gem of literature that exhibits mastery, not only of poetic form, but as well as content. Speaking of content, this is exactly what has been subject of heated debates and lively discussion regarding the theme or the reading of the poem.

DUALITY OF READING

The poem presents a multilayered theme, capable of multiple readings. This conflict of reading and interpretation of the poems thematic or symbolic meaning stems from a difference in reader response to the poem.

Most ‘classicists’ view the poem as an innocent and nostalgic retelling of a ‘bonding time’ between a doting father and a beloved son/child. On the other end of the spectrum are the ‘modernists’ interpretation of the poem as one which speaks of child abuse by physical punishment of a drunk father.

The classicists argue that a reading of a poem should also take into consideration the era or period at the time of the poem’s writing. They argue that the poem should not only be read and appreciated or criticized by using intrinsic information within the poem, but also extrinsic factors, such as the reference to line 1’s whiskey breath (Roethke), and lines 7 and 8’s mother’s countenance (Roethke).

The modernists are in the view that this is not an enjoyable scenario for a child when such a dance is considered ‘not easy’ (Roethke) in line 4, as well as a ‘hung to death’(Roethke) in line

3. Furthermore, violence is suggested by the hand holding on to the persona’s wrist in line 9, which is described as batter in one knuckle in line 10. There is also a strong suggestion of violence by the scrapping of the right ear in a buckle at every misstep (Roethke) in lines 11 and 12. Delivering the final nail to the coffin of the argument are the final lines 15 and 16’s waltzing off to bed still clinging to the abusive father’s shirt (Roethke), which shows reluctance and forcible tucking in of the speaker to the bed.

I identify with the modernists in the reading and interpretation of this poem. I see violence and abuse in the poem, but to debate on such matters would be to entirely miss the point. The point here is that, this work is a marvelous piece of literature because it has the timeless quality of a classic, as well as a multi-faceted and multi-layered interpretation.

After all, a good poem should impart a significant human experience, and it should draw from the reader, empathy, and a participation of the senses. Whether this is a nostalgic recall of good times between father and child or a violent episode of child abuse, the fact remains that the poem succeeds both in form and substance or content, and transcends time, is of essence. Its allowing for multiple readings is only a testament to the sterling qualities of this timeless classic.

Unfortunately, it is occurring more and more in today’s society that these defenseless children are being robbed of their childhood innocence and happiness and are being forced to face the cruel reality of our world at far too young an age. These Children are victims of neglect and abuse, primarily caused by family members or people they are close to. Child neglect is the most common form of abuse, and is therefore the main subject that will be covered in this essay.

This disturbing and extremely common, yet rarely talked about topic effects at least one out of every 10 children under the age of 14 in Canada alone. and neglect are one of the largest problems occurring in society, and in order for the situation to improve, we need to stop ignoring the fact that it is a daily reality, and become better educated on the topic and how to prevent it. After all, the children of today are the future of tomorrow, and they deserve to start their lives surrounded by love, and free from fear and pain.

Many children these days take the love, support, and presence of their parents for granted, often starting arguments over unimportant things and getting upset when things do not go their way. Sadly, what they do not realize is that a large number of children do not get to know what a parent’s presence feels like, let alone having their constant love and support. Millions of children around the world suffer from abuse and neglect, and wake up every morning fearful of what the day will hold.

There is no exact definition that holds enough value to be able to describe the fear and pain that these young children go through each day, but by law, child abuse has been defined as “an act, or failure to act, on the part of the parent or caretaker that results in the death, serious physical or emotional harm, sexual abuse, or exploitation of a child, or which places the child in an imminent risk of serious harm. ” There are four kinds of child abuse; physical, sexual, emotional and neglect. All kinds of abuse are illegal in Canada and the United States.

Although each type f child abuse is of great importance, neglect is the most common form of child mistreatment in Canada (accounting for 62% of all reported abuse cases), and can cause damage even more severe than that of any other form of abuse. Neglect is when the caregiver does not provide necessary attention to the child’s safety, physical, emotional or psychological needs. In severe cases, neglect can lead to abandonment, which is when a parent relinquishes permanent rights and claims to a child outside legal adoption.

Child abandonment is a severe problem, accounting for almost half (43.3%) of all fatal child abuse cases. In Canada, there are over 15, 980 neglected children, and that number is only a rough estimate, because the majority of neglect cases are left unreported. The children that are more at risk of becoming victims are disabled children, who are twice as likely, and aboriginal children, who make up the majority of child abuse and neglect victims in Canada. Many parents or caregivers who neglect and abandon their children do so because they suffer from depression, lack of initiative, futility, a low level of education, a poor socioeconomic status, unemployment, substance abuse or social isolation.

Other factors that could lead to neglect and abandonment can include that the child was the outcome of sexual assault or incest, or is perceived by the caregiver as an obstacle to personal achievements. If a child suffers from neglect, signs of the abuse may include severe need of medical or dental care, frequent school absences, stealing food, begging for money, dressing inappropriately for the weather, not answering questions directly about his parents or caregivers, and drastic changes in personality and appearance. If a child is reported as being neglected or abused, Children’s Aid Society (CAS) goes to inspect the home.

If the accusations prove true, the child is then taken from the parent or caregiver (either temporarily or permanently, depending on the severity of the abuse), and is places either in the custody of another relative, or in foster care. The sentence of the caregiver depends on how severe the abuse or neglect is, and can vary from having to pay a fine, to losing custody of the child, to being imprisoned. As Canadian citizens and members of our community, it is our duty to protect the children by reporting any signs of abuse or neglect to the authorities.

Unfortunately, not many people do so, and by consequence, the young children have no voice, and are forced to continue suffering in silence. One may not think that child abuse and neglect has much of an impact for the population, but in reality, it largely affects many aspects of today’s –and tomorrow’s- society. Economically, child abuse is very costly. Once a child had been taken out of the custody of his or her parents, they are often taken to hospitals where their medical needs are taken care of, and then placed into foster homes.

The treatment and trips to the hospital quickly become very costly, and the foster care alone costs the country over $6 billion a year. Also, each abandoned child could cost the government over $3,000 a day. Although the money is going towards the great cause of providing abused and abandoned children with a better life, it is a completely avoidable matter that is costing extreme amounts of money. Also, there has been a dramatic increase in child abuse and neglect since 1991, and the numbers are still growing. If this trend continues, there will be more children who are abused than those who are not.

What this will mean for society is higher taxes, and adults who have more issues and lower skill levels. The effects of abuse and neglect on children are that they have poor social skills and lower education levels, a higher rate of mental and physical disabilities, delinquency, violence, drug abuse and depression. In addition, abused or neglected children have a higher tendency to abuse and neglect their own children later in life. This means that a large portion of our world will be governed by physically and emotionally damaged adults, who may do the same to their own children.

This will result in many socioeconomic problems for our future. As was said before, the children today are the future of tomorrow, and if we want a good future for our world, we need to treat the children properly and give them the knowledge and love they deserve to become well-rounded adults. Countless organizations around the world work to improve the issue of child abuse, neglect and abandonment, as it is an increasingly important problem in our society. However, I have only selected one organization to write about- The Door of Hope.

The Door of Hope is an organization located in Johannesburg, South Africa that has a mission to rescue and receive any abandoned, abused or orphaned babies and children in and around their city. They work to provide a temporary Christian home for all the children while seeking a forever family, suitable long term care or other permanent care for each one. The Door of Hope organization began in 1999, when the pastor of a small church in Johannesburg, named Cheryl Allen, learned that a high number of newly born infants were being abandoned.

Cheryl realized that many of the young women abandoning their babies may have acted differently had there been an alternative. The church then made a “baby bin” in the side of the wall, where mothers could place their infants who would then be brought into the church and taken care of by the volunteers. When news spread, babies began being brought in by police, community members, hospitals and clinics. By having complete faith and reliance in God, the ministry has grown, and saves over 100 children’s lives each year.

Because this organization is still relatively small, they only have a few fundraisers, but are working hard to get more activities and more people to raise awareness and support their cause. Their annual fundraisers are; the Barnyard Fundraiser, a production that lets you experience the music and famous icons of the 80’s. It is a fun-filled all night event of music, comedy and dancing that includes dinner. They also sell Door of Hope memorabilia at the entrance.

Another one of their fundraisers is the Momentum 94.7 Cycle Challenge, which is a bicycle race held in South Africa for any level of cyclist. They ask that participants do their best to raise as much money as possible for the cause, and that they purchase a door of hope shirt to wear on the day of the race. The Door of Hope is a strictly Christian organization that fully believes and trusts in God’s plan. Therefore, there are many possible parables and Beatitudes that could be connected to Door of Hope, but it is the fifth Beatitude that I think represents them the best; “Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy.”

Mercy is having love towards those that are miserable and those that need some type of help or assistance. The merciful are those who are compassionate towards those who need mercy, and go out of their way to make the effort to help. Cheryl Allen and the volunteers at Door of Hope truly show that they are merciful by taking abandoned, abused and orphaned infants and children, many of whom are extremely ill or problematic. They spend their days tending to these young children to make sure they get the love and attention they need for no pay whatsoever, and are extremely humble about it.

I believe that this is what makes them so merciful. They give all they have to help these infants, yet ask for nothing in return. The only reward they need is to see a child’s smile, knowing that their life has been saved, and that they will now be able to live to their fullest potential. If someone wanted to support the Door of Hope Organization, they could either send a donation in the form of a cheque through the mail or by credit card over the internet. They could also “adopt a cot”, which is sending a monthly donation to provide a child with a bed and necessary supplies.

A third option, which would be for the most dedicated of supporters, is to go volunteer at the organization. They accept international volunteers and will help pay for your travel and stay, but you must fundraise as well. The international volunteers have to be 18-60 years of age, will stay from 1-12 months and will help with the babies daily, along with other responsibilities. I think that the Door of Hope is a truly spectacular organization, and I hope that when I graduate from Highschool, I will be able to help as an international volunteer.

In conclusion, child abuse and neglect is an extreme problem plaguing our society, and we need to help bring a stop to it. If not, the effects of this abuse will impact many aspects of our future, as well as damaging the lives of countless children and denying them of their full potential. Become an active member of your community, and when you suspect a child is being abused, do not hesitate to report it. You could be saving their life.

Identify two reports on serious failures to protect individuals from abuse. Write an account that describes the unsafe practices in the reviews. Abuse can happen anywhere anytime, but especially to vulnerable people. I have researched into two cases reported for abuse in adults. The Winterbourne case and the Orchid View case. Six care workers at the Winterbourne View care home were given prison terms for “cruel, callous and degrading” abuse of disabled patients. Orchid View care home was branded Britain’s cruelest care home with neglect stemming from institutionalised abuse contributing to the deaths of five elderly residents.

Staff at Winterbourne care home were using unsafe practices, They were caught on vulnerable residents, soaking them in water and trapping them under chairs, staff were caught physically abusing these residents as well as emotionally and verbally abusing them by taunting and swearing at them. The individuals were not able to defend themselves, this is an abuse of power and trust. Winterbourne were putting profits before humanity, it was run with a view to profit and with a lack of interest to its residents or staff.

Poor working practices are seen here, one member of staff stated that he was originally shocked by the ill treatment of patients at Winterbourne yet became use to it over time. This is unsafe practice, not reporting incidents is also abusing the residents as they are still in danger. It was this member of staff’s responsibility to report what was happening. His behaviour was inappropriate. Unsafe practices were also seen in the Orchid View case. There was multiple accounts of maltreatment to elderly people in this home, there was institutionalised abuse throughout the home which started at a very early stage and nobody did anything about it.

The home was mismanaged and understaffed meaning that the environment was not safe for the residents. There were several severe cases of neglect in this home, residents were left soiled and unattended while others were locked in their rooms. Another lady has a fractured ankle left undiagnosed for days. There was so many incidents of neglect reported in duty of personal care, another being unsafe administration of medication, for example failing to check the dosage. One lady had been overdosed and then her medical records were destroyed when it became clear she needed medical treatment.

This is also inappropriate communication, not giving out the appropriate paperwork. Police and social workers where called into the home after a whistleblower reached breaking point after being told there was 28 errors in administrating drugs in a single shift. This shows the failure in ensuring supervision and staff being trained correctly. In both of these homes residents came into them to be looked after and to feel safe, yet lost their dignity, independence and some even their lives because of the unsafe practices being used and the abuse not being reported soon enough.

Manning et al., (2009) claim that one in 11 children aged less than 16 in the UK are living in a family where there is an alcohol or drug problem. However it is important to note that not all parents who are substance misusers are bad parents, but the habit can affect their parenting capacity (Murphy et al., 2003). Children who live with parents who are substance misusers are at risk of losing the attachment, bonding, and normal family relationships.

Research suggests that parental substance misuse (PSM) increases the risk of physical and emotional neglect; behavioural and mental health in young people; poor school performance and academic attainment. Forrester et al. (2009) suggest around half of the children born to substance misusers in treatment are in local authority care, adopted or living with another family member. Barnard et al., (2004) argue that parents who use drugs intensely, their children’s basic needs are more likely to be neglected.

According to Brandon et al., (2012) both substance misuse and psychopathology play a significant role in the abuse and neglect of children. Research findings suggest that history of intimate partner abuse/violence and substance misuses are associated with parenting behaviour which can cause abuse and neglect of children. Brandon et al review for 2009-2011 found that (PSM) was blamed for 42% of all serous cases involving a child’s death or injury.

The number of children who received support from children’s services in England in 2017 was over 390,000 (Department for Education 2017). Brandon et al., (2012) claims that children who die from abuse and neglect each year is estimated around 100. Parental substance abuse (PSM) can affect the behaviour and parenting skills for the adult person. Research findings suggest that the impact of parental substance abuse on children and young people is influenced by the chronological age, stage of development and the extent of vulnerability.

Albert Bandura’s Social learning theory agrees with the behaviourist learning theories of (classical conditioning and operant conditioning) by suggesting that behaviour is learnt from the environment through the process of observational learning. Bandura (1986) argues that in society children are surrounded by influential models like parents; peer group; teachers; media characters who they observe and imitate. The author claims that reinforcement can be positive or negative but it usually leads to a change in the person’s behaviour. Basing from Bandura’s Social learning theory, parents who are substance misusers are bad role models because this will negatively reinforce their children.

The role of Serious Case Reviews (SCR) is to learn from the experience and prevent the same incidents from happening. The (SCR) of the deaths of innocent children clearly shows the interrelationship between domestic violence, mental ill health and substance misuse ‘toxic trio’ (Brandon et al., 2012). According to Laslett et al., (2014) children in families where the parents have dual diagnosis of mental health and drug misuse, the risk of repeated maltreatment on young people is greater than among families where there is evidence of mental health problems or other drug use alone.

The Children and Social Work Act 2017 has made changes that promote the welfare of children. Some of the changes include introduction of local safeguarding partners; national Child Safeguarding Practice Review Panel; Child Review Partners; Local Safeguarding Partners; National and Local Child Safeguarding Practice Reviews.

Information sharing on safeguarding children has been made possible by the introduction Multi-agency Safeguarding Hubs (MASH) which are comprised of a team of co-located professionals who work together to provide what they call “the bigger picture”. The above approach is set to improve the safeguarding of children that are living in families affected by PSM. Research suggests that different types of alcohol misuse are linked to different mental states and parenting behaviours.

Houmoller et al, (2011) argue that Parental Substance Misuse (PSM) affects child development, both short and long term. The authors reiterate that the problem of (PSM) erodes self-esteem; self-worth and confidence in children and young people. For example, children can display a range of psychosomatic responses like stomach aches, headaches, bed wetting and sleep problems when they live with (PSM) parents One million children are believed to be living with a parent who has an ‘alcohol problem’ Forrester (2012).

Abstract

Assessment of parenting capacity is vital for protection of children from maltreatment. Assessing the parent’s capacity to provide for the needs of the child, enhance their developmental experiences and to protect them from risk is a core task of child care agencies. However, agencies have not always acted in the best interests of the child as seen in the Serious Case Review in Bromley which revealed a significant neglect of two boys despite involvement of various agencies.

This prompted the need to conduct Serious Case Review. Based on the assessment, the review panel recommended that processes of assessment and reviews be always informed by attempts to understand the situation from the viewpoint of the child. Whilst recognizing that the welfare of the child should be given paramount consideration, I argue for interventions that seek to address the needs of both the children and their families. Making reference to relevant legislation, policy and practice guidance I consider how, as a social worker in the Bromley case, I would have had due regard for the needs of all family members and how I would have conducted the relevant and required assessments.

Assessment relating to children in the family

Understanding what happens to children remains a core professional activity for social work agencies (DH 2000). Concerns about a child’s health and development and when such development is being impaired remains a core activity of the agencies. Child care agencies have the ultimate statutory responsibility of safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children (DH 2008). However, they have not always acted in the best interest of the child. This can be seen in the Serious Case Review in Bromley which revealed a significant neglect of two boys despite the involvement of multiple agencies.

The two boys had been maltreated including being physically harmed. Despite strong evidence of the level of neglect, the agencies involved allowed themselves to be misled by the parents and continued to underestimate the level of neglect. In February 2010, one of the boys was found with a severe cut on his face which had been inflicted by his father. At this point, it was found necessary to conduct a Serious Case Review and the boys were placed into the care of the London Borough of Bromley (BSAB 2011)

The Serious Case Review found that, in light of other parenting concerns, some of the physical injuries sustained by the child had not been fully investigated (BSAB 2011). The review found that agencies had overlooked the possibility that the boys might suffer physical harm. Whilst a stereotypical view that the family was neglectful had already been established, the agencies overlooked the evidence that such neglect could be accompanied by physical abuse (BSAB 2011). Based on the review, the panel recommended that processes of assessment and reviews be always informed by attempts to understand the situation from the viewpoint of the child (BSAB 2011).

As a social worker in the Bromley case, I would have conducted the assessment with due regards for the needs of all family members. In other words, I would have conducted assessments relating to the children in the family and assessments relating to the adults in the family as well. In conducting these assessments, I would have taken an evidence based approach which involves systematically collecting the relevant information, distinguishing between the various sources and using the evidence gathered to evaluate the given approaches to intervention.

Evidence based approach

Often, we tend to think of evidence only as part of judicial process. Evidence can as well be used to inform the assessment process. Evidence must be at the heart of every decision from collection of information to implementation of intervention methods. For social workers to create a support system that addresses the challenges of the 21st century, they must not rely solely on practice wisdom but rather must make use of evidence based knowledge in informing decision making (DH 2008)

In this regard, as a social worker in the Bromley case, I would have conducted an evidence-based assessment by identifying, gathering and using the evidence to support and evaluate the given approaches to assessment. This would include systematically recording the information and distinguish between the various sources such as interviews with family members, observations and records from other agencies (Milner & Bryne 2010). Some of the questions that I would consider include:

What is the nature of information gathered
How has this information been produced
How can practitioners access the evidence
How can this evidence be used to inform practice(Milner & Bryne 2010)
How I would conduct assessments relating to children in the family

In conducting this assessment, the child’s point of view becomes a priority and interview with participants (child and abusive parent) is tailored to the child’s developmental ability (Holland 2004). Before making contact with the family, I would first contact the law enforcement agency to seek their consent. It should be noted that contacting the family without the consent of law enforcement might compromise the criminal investigation (NDHHS 2005). Where criminal activity is alleged, it would be necessary to request to be assigned a law enforcement officer and for the child to be placed in protective custody.

Gathering of information

I would then contact the reporting party and any other person that might have relevant information about the allegations for further clarification of the information at hand. This will include reviewing previous information. Previous allegations which were not effectively addressed may warrant attention as part of the current intervention (NDHHS 2005). Factors that would determine whether previous allegations may warrant attention as part of the current intervention include:

Severity of both the past and present allegations.
Length of time that has lapsed and
The Degree of similarity between the past and present allegations (NDHHS 2005).
Determination

The information gathered from interview with the child and the parent, and information from the reporting party will be useful in coming to a determination. There are two possible outcomes:

‘Founded’ – this means that a preponderance of evidence indicate that the allegations of child abuse did actually occur (Ifapa 2010).
‘Unfounded’ – this means that the preponderance of evidence indicate that the allegations might not be true (Ifapa 2010).
Analyzing the information collected for decision making

I would cross-reference all the agencies’ reports and evidence obtained from interviews with the child and parent as well as any other useful sources of information. If the allegations turn out to be true based upon credible information such interview with the child, information from physician, and law enforcement report; a number of questions would arise such as:

How significant was the maltreatment
What effect did the maltreatment had on the child’s developmental and behavioural outcomes
Why did the agencies involved ignore the level of neglect
Why, in light of other parenting concerns, was the physical abuse not fully investigated
At what stage should the agencies have invoked child protection procedures

With the preponderance of evidence indicating that the allegations of child maltreatment did occur, I would then conduct a risk assessment to assess the current safety of the child and determine whether the child can be left in the parent’s care or placed in protection.

Assessing the risk of maltreatment

. In order to determine the risk rating, I would evaluate the following:

How extensive are the risks (severity of maltreatment) and how long they have existed
Whether the parents recognize and acknowledge the risk that they pose to the child
And whether they are willing to seek help and support from care agencies.

If the child is found to be in imminent danger, I would contact the county attorney or law enforcement officer to help initiate emergency removal of the child from the parent’s care. I would also assess whether other children in the household are at risk of maltreatment as well.

In determining the imminent threat that the child faces, I would first assess the behaviours or conditions causing the threat and then identify the most effective intervention. Risk Evaluation and Safety Plan will help with the assessment process. Unsafe conditions do not necessarily imply that the child should be placed under placement. I would consider other services for controlling dangerous conditions. In Bromley’s case, had the father been found guilty of abuse and arrested for a specific period of time, the safety concerns of the child would have been controlled as the perpetrator will be out of home.

A major provision of the Adoption and Safe Families Act of 1997 is to make “reasonable efforts” to ensure that the child remains safely at home before being placed in foster care (Millner & Bryne 2010). As such, various services would be considered including day care, family crisis counseling, and respite care among many others. But should the parents refuse to cooperate in using such services, I would consider contacting law enforcement officer for emergency removal of the child from the parent’s care.

In conducting the assessment, I would also ensure that the principles and provisions embodied in the Children Act 1989 are adhered to. In particular, I would apply the ‘paramountcy principle’ which requires that the child’s welfare be made paramount when making decisions about child upbringing (NSPCC 2012). This principle is also set out in the Family Law Reform Act 1995.

The Family Law Act 1975 was amended to include the legal principle that the child’s best interest be regarded as paramount in any litigation concerning child upbringing (Family Law Council 2004). This principle would be at the heart of the assessment process. That is, the welfare of the child would be given paramount consideration and a checklist of factors would be considered before reaching a decision on whether or not to place the child under protection programs.

Fig.1 Genogram illustrating the strength of family relationships (DH 2008)

A genogram can be used to illustrate the strength of the family relationships. That is, how close or far apart the family members are, how flexible they are and how well they respond to each other’s needs.

Fig.3 Ecomap showing the relationship between the child with immediate family, wider kin and the community

An ecomap can also be drawn to illustrate the relationship of the child with immediate family, the wider kin and the community at large. The centre of focus will be the child as shown in fig.2 To indicate the strength of the relationship, I would used different types of lines as shown below:

Assessments relating to Adults in the family

But conducting assessments from the viewpoint of the child is important for safeguarding and ensuring developmental needs of the child, it would only be fair and ethical for assessments to be conducted with due regard for the needs of all family members. Assessments relating to the adults in the family should have been done as well in Bromley Special Case Review. It should be noted that neglectful families do not just exist in a vacuum. A number of factors can contribute to parent’s maltreatment of their children including factors such as lack of community support, society characteristics, deprived neighbourhoods, family stress, domestic violence, parent’s childhood and developmental history and many other factors (DePanfilis 2006).

Parent’s views with regard to issues of child protection concerns have been well documented. In their study of short-term accommodation, Aldgate & Bradley (1999) found that parents were reluctant to seek for support from social services due to fears of:

Losing their children to child protection enquiries
Being perceived failed parents (DOH 2000)

Whilst parents may be in need of help and support from social services, the fear of losing their children to child protection agencies and being seen as failed parents deter them from seeking the much needed support. They want help but not at the cost of forfeiting their parental responsibilities (DOH 2000)

It is also important to understand the role played by the wider family in providing support. Sometimes, extended families may not provide the much needed support or may be caught up in their own problems (Trevithick 2000). Additionally, parents may not wish to acknowledge to their wider kin about the problems facing them. It is difficult for people seeking help to state their needs especially when these needs are tangled amid feelings of confusion, humiliation, fear and despair (Trevithick 2000).

Similarly, it would be necessary to assess the role played by the community in providing practical and emotional support to the family. Social workers must chart both the relationship of parents with the wider kin and their current wider connections to their communities. The absence of physical and emotional support limits the adult’s sense of wellbeing and control (DH 2008).

There is also need to consider the impact that environment may have on parental capacity. This is a factor which has been given little consideration in social work. The concerns over the omission of environmental considerations in sociological research have been noted by Jack (1997) and Stevenson (1998). However, research studies have shown that children living in economically deprived neighbourhoods are the most affected, often with deterioration in their health and poor educational development (DH 2008).

Environmental considerations have an impact on both the children and the young adults’ ability to succeed as effective parents. Social isolation from the community combined with lack of support from extended families and deprived neighbourhoods can adversely impact on parents’ mental and physical health.

As a social worker in Bromley case, I would have also conducted an assessment relating to the adults in the family. The assessment would focus on the needs of the family and how these needs impact on their parenting behaviour. A key distinguishing factor between this assessment with that of the child is that it looks at the relationships between the adults in the family, the extended family and wider community, and examines how this impacts on their parenting capacity (Parker & Bradley 2000).

Also, the focus of assessment is mainly on the adult. The assessment examines the needs of the adult and whether these needs have been met. The legal basis that guides this assessment comprise of a range of legislations such as The Community Care (Direct Payments) Act 1996, NHS, Chronically Sick and Disabled Persons Act 1970 and subsequent statutory guidance (Parker & Bradley 2000). On the other hand, the legal basis guiding the assessment relating to children is The Children Act 1989 and Subsequent Statutory guidance.

How I would conduct assessments with due regards to needs of all family members

To ensure that all the family members are involved, it would be necessary to use a structured interview protocol. This would ensure thorough gathering of information, accuracy of information gathered, and an increase in staff control over the assessment process. Most importantly, the involvement of all family members would ensure that the assessment is done with due regards for the needs of all the family members. As such, face to face interviews would be conducted in the following order:

First, with the child
Second, with siblings
interviews with adult caretakers
Interviews with the parent who is alleged to have maltreated the child
And finally, with the family as a whole
Interviewing the identified child

The interview with the child will seek to gather information about the child maltreatment and assess the child’s immediate safety needs. Information collected at this point include: the child’s explanation, the child’s current conditions, severity of the maltreatment, effects such as fear and extreme withdrawal, the child’s characteristics, and the child’s perception of their relationship with parents and others in the household (NDHHS 2005).

Interview with siblings

After interviewing the child, I would then conduct an interview with the siblings and other children in the household. The purpose is to determine whether these children have also experienced maltreatment and to assess their level of vulnerability.

Interviewing the caretakers

This will be followed by an interview with the custodians or rather the caretakers. At this stage, I would seek the caretaker’s personal opinion about the child’s vulnerability to maltreatment and determine the parent’s capacity to protect the child. Information gathered from the interview include: the approach to and view of parenting, relationship with the children, methods used to discipline the children, relationships with extended family, view of supports from the wider community and the climate of the neighbourhood (Holland 2004).

Interview with the alleged maltreating parent

This is yet another crucial point of the assessment process. The abusive parent will be interviewed to check and get a confirmation from them whether allegations of maltreatment did actually occur. Information gathered from the interview with the parent would include: the parent’s view of the child, his/her explanations about the alleged maltreatment, the parent’s response to the incident, the approach to parenting, relationship with the children, and relationship with the wider kin and the community (NDHHS 2005).

Close interviews with family

Having completed the interviews, I would convene the family and share with them a summary of my findings, seek their individual responses, show appreciation of their participation, and discuss key concerns raised about the child maltreatment. With the interviews with the participants completed, I would then analyze the information collected for purposes of making informed decisions.

Analysis of information gathered relating to the adults

I would examine whether the family has been benefiting from ‘direct payments’ as provided for under The Community Care (Direct Payments) Act 1996. This act bestows power to the local authority to make direct cash payments to individuals who are in need of care as opposed to providing those persons community care services (Glasby & Littlechild 2009). It is expected that these individuals use the money to secure themselves the services that they need. The service is provided by the government as a means of ‘self-directed support’ to increase autonomy and independence of people (Duffy 2007).

Specific issues that I would considered in the review
Has the family been receiving direct payments from the government as provided for under The Community Care (Direct Payments) Act 1996
Is there a clear evidence of significant harm to the child
Given that the father suffered from epilepsy, did the medical condition hinder his parenting ability and did he receive support from the extended family
Did the agencies involved identify the needs of the family and did they seek to address these needs by providing them with the much needed support
What is the relationship between the parents and the community
And how has isolation and lack of community support adversely affected their parenting capacity
How has the neighbourhood impacted on the parent’s mental and physical health
Were the wishes and feelings of the adults in the family considered and adequately addressed
Were appropriate care plans to support parenting capacity put in place by the agencies involved
What could have been the outcome if these parents had received support from the extended families and community at large
Do assessments appear to have been reached in an informed and professional way having had due regards for the needs of all family members

A focus of the assessment on the adults in the family does not imply that the problem of child maltreatment has been forgotten. This family focused approach is to ensure the best outcome for both the child and adults in the family. The principles of family focused practice affirm the primary importance of ensuring the child’s well-being and recognizing the mutual significance of the child and the family (Kendall et al. 2010).

I would then think of interventions that will serve the interests of both the children and adults in the family. A range factors can be used to select the appropriate intervention. Among these factors is the appropriate application of social work methods developed from psychosocial theories (DH 2008). These methods include family therapy, cognitive behavioural work, crisis intervention, psychosocial casework, task-centred casework and counseling among many others (DH 2008). The choice of the method would be influenced by the knowledge of what works under particular circumstances.

Fig.1 developmental and ecological perspective of child maltreatment (DH 2008)

Another important dimension that I would consider in the assessment is the decision whether to place the child in protection program or to have the child looked after at home. Should the decision be made for the child to be placed in protective custody, I would consider factors surrounding placement including plans for adoption or reunification (DOH 2000).

Conclusion

Whilst concerns about a child’s health and development remains a core professional activity of social care agencies, these agencies have not always acted in the best interest of the child. A prime example of this can be seen with the Serious Case Review in Bromley which revealed a significant neglect of two boys despite the involvement of various agencies. The review found that agencies had overlooked the possibility that the boys might suffer physical harm.

Based on the assessment, it was recommended that processes of assessment and reviews be always informed by attempts to understand the situation from the viewpoint of the child. But as we have seen, assessments should be conducted with due regard to the needs of all family members. Assessments should be conducted in relation to the children in the family and adults as well. An evidence based approach that involves identifying, gathering and using the evidence to support and evaluate the given approaches to assessment should be taken.

Interventions that serve the interests of both the parents and the children should be implemented. Interventions can take the form of therapy, cognitive behavioural work, crisis intervention, psychosocial casework, task-centred casework and counseling among many others. The choice of intervention is influenced by the knowledge of what works under particular circumstances.

Reference

Aldgate, J. and Bradley, M., 1999. Supporting Families through Short Term Fostering. The Stationery Office, London.

Bromley Safeguarding Adults Board (BSAB), 2011. Bromley Serious Case Review Protocol. Bromley Safeguarding Adults Board.

BSAB, 2011. Child D and Child B: A Serious Case Review. Bromley Safeguarding Adults Board

Department of Health (DH), 2000. Assessing Children in Need and their Families: Practice Guidance. TSO

Department of Health (DH), 2007, Putting People First. TSO

Department of Health (DH), 2008. Carers at the heart of 21st century families and communities: a caring system on your side, a life of your own. Department of Health.

DePanfilis, D., 2006. Child neglect: a guide for prevention, assessment and intervention. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services

Duffy, S., 2007. ‘Care Management and Self Directed Support’. Journal of Integrated Care Volume 15 (5)

Family Law Council, 2004. The ‘Child Paramountcy Principle’ in the Family Law Act. Discussion paper

Glasby, J. and Littlechild, R., 2009. Direct Payments and Personal Budgets: Putting Personalisation Into Practice. Bristol: Policy Press

Holland, S., 2004. Children and Family Assessment in Social Work Practice. Sage publications

Iowa Foster and Adoptive Parents Association (Ifapa), 2010. The child abuse assessment: a guide for foster parents. Iowa Foster and Adoptive Parents Association.

Jack, G., 1997. ‘An Ecological Approach to Social Work with Children and Families’. Child and Family Social Work. 2: 109–120.

Kendall, S., Rodger, J. and Palmer, H., 2010. The use of whole family assessment to identify the needs of families with multiple problems. Department for Education

Laming, H., 2003. The Victoria Climbie Inquiry Report.. London. TSO

Millner,J. and Byrne, 2010. Assessment in Social Work. 3rd edition. Palgrave

Nebraska Department of Health and Human services (NDHHS), 2005. Initial assessment guide book, Nebraska Department of Health and Human services

NSPCC, 2012. An introduction to child protection legislation in the UK. NSPCC

Parker,J. and Bradley, G., 2000. Social Work Practice- Assessment, Planning, Intervention and Review. Learning Matters

Sharkey, P., 2006. The essentials of community care: a guide for practitioners. London: Palgrave

Smale, G. and Tuson, G., 1993. Assessment, Care Management & the Skilled Worker. Macmillan

Stevenson, O., 1998. Neglected Children: Issues and Dilemmas. Blackwell Science, Oxford.

Trevithick, P., 2000. Social Work Skills: A Practice Handbook. OPU

White, A., 2005. Assessment of parenting capacity. Centre for Parenting & Research

Child abuse is physical, sexual and/or psychological abuse or neglect of a child or children, especially by parents or guardians.

It covers all types of physical and/or emotional abuse, sexual abuse, neglect, neglect and exploitation for commercial or other purposes that cause real or potential damage to the health, survival, development or dignity of the child. relationship with responsibility, trust or authority. Often the confusing methods of hiding with ordinary violence, parents try to be “guardians” of the lives of their own children.

By ignoring another attitude, children cannot adequately assess the situation, therefore they do not try to defend themselves, they consider themselves guilty. Child abuse is a global problem with serious consequences for life. The statistics on this subject are quite inaccurate.

Physical abuse of children occurs in all socioeconomic groups, but racial and socioeconomic factors affect the frequency and severity of abuse. A quarter of adults reported experiencing physical abuse during childhood.

Example 1:

Domestic violence and child abuse have a tendency to go hand in hand. In the past, people overlooked the fact that in most households where domestic violence kids present, child abuse and neglect also occurs. An improvement in the collaboration between child protection and domestic violence services is vital for workers to identify, interdict, and resolve the issues related to abuse in all forms.

Cross training and interagency cooperation will greatly reduce abuse and increase the efficiency in which help is administered. 4-29-2011 SWK 311 Domestic Violence and Child Abuse Some parents abuse their kids because they have an alcohol or drug problem, or they have an extreme temper and they take it out on their kids, some parents abuse their kids because the parents went through something traumatic. Some parents abuse their children because they were abused when they were children, and then, you get some people who are just plain cruel and enjoy abusing children.

In most instances domestic violence in the family structure also has an impact on the existence of child abuse. Households that experience some form or another of domestic violence also have higher rates of child abuse/neglect issues. We should recognize that domestic violence can also be associated with child abuse and improve the collaboration between child protection and domestic violence services. Child buse and neglect in the context of domestic violence can be played out in a variety of ways; the same perpetrator may be abusing both mother and children, probably the most common scenario; the children may be injured when “caught in the crossfire” during incidents of adult domestic violence; children may experience neglect because of the impact of the violence, controlling behaviors and abuse on women’s physical and mental health; or children may be abused by a mother who is herself being abused.

Evidence is emerging in cases where both domestic violence and child abuse occur represent the greatest risk to children’s safety (Stanley 1997) and that large numbers of cases in which children are killed have histories of domestic violence(Wilczynski 1996). The man of the family is usually the root cause of the problem, however child protection services has a history of focusing on the mother, despite the fact that men are estimated to be responsible for half of the incidents of physical abuse of children, and the majority of the most serious physical abuse.

Most interventions by Child protection have focused on the woman, even when their violent male partners have been known to have committed the abuse of children. This is problematic because this gender bias can result in women being held accountable for “failing to protect” their children from the actions of men who use violence against them and therefore a failure to hold men accountable for the effects of their violence on women and children. An understanding of how domestic abuse effects child abuse is crucial in developing strategies to combat the child abuse problem.

For child protection services to be effective there needs to be an understood collaboration between them and the domestic violence services. Child protection agencies have been slow or failed to recognize the contribution of domestic violence to many situations of child abuse and neglect. Some differences are that child protective services usually deal with involuntary clients, whereas domestic violence service workers deal with people on a voluntary basis.

Child protective services deal with women who may be at a very different stage in recognizing and dealing with the violence in their relationships, than women who contact domestic violence services. For a collaboration to be effective, both agencies must understand each other’s work, what it is and what it isn’t. They must also appreciate the constraints, pressures, and limitations under which they are both operating. Both entities need to realize that domestic violence goes hand in hand with child abuse and vice-versa. Strategies should also be changed by child protection agencies in reference to their approach of men.

They need to learn about legal approaches to contain the violent men, so that they do not merely rely on threats to a mother to physically remove her children. They also need to learn to relate to abused women in ways that do not replicate the controlling and threatening behaviors of the perpetrator. Some interesting ways so that the two agencies could work together is cross-training, integration, and specialized teams. Mandatory cross-training would enable both agencies to realize the identifying factors and how to go about handling them. It would enable the agencies to see the powers and limitations of each other.

Integration of the agencies will also enable them to use to their resources to their fullest potential. It is kind of like the Sherriff’s department and the city police, both are basically doing the same task, but they are two separate entities who rarely communicate with each other. If they merged together and integrated all of their resources they would probably be more efficient. The same goes with child protection and domestic violence services. Specialized teams would also be very beneficial because they could use their special skills to handle very tricky situations.

The teams could team up with the police and court system to find a way to handle the situation. Establishing this “common ground” approach between the two agencies will significantly reduce child abuse in domestic violence households. In response to the growing recognition of the intersection of domestic violence and child abuse and neglect, significant efforts are being made to improve the collaboration between domestic violence and child protection services. This is very important to recognize that one usually affects the other. We must understand and use every available resource to combat the problem.

Instead of standing there with our hands tied behind our backs not being able to do anything, let’s use every available tool and resource that is available to help the child. Anything that can be done to save or at least help any child that is in an abusive situation is worth it.

References

• Stanley, N. 1197, ‘Domestic Violence and Child Abuse: Developing Social Work Practice’, Child and Family Social Work, Vol. 2, No. 3, pp. 135-146
• Wilczynski, A. 1996, ‘Risk Factors for Child and Spousal Homicide’, Psychiatry and Behavioral Disorders: Family Law Issues, LAAMS Publications, Bondi Junction

Example 2:

Unfortunately, it is occurring more and more in today’s society that these defenseless children are being robbed of their childhood innocence and happiness and are being forced to face the cruel reality of our world at far too young an age. These Children are victims of neglect and abuse, primarily caused by family members or people they are close to. Child neglect is the most common form of abuse, and is therefore the main subject that will be covered in this essay.

This disturbing and extremely common, yet rarely talked about topic effects at least one out of every 10 children under the age of 14 in Canada alone. Child abuse and neglect are one of the largest problems occurring in society, and in order for the situation to improve, we need to stop ignoring the fact that it is a daily reality, and become better educated on the topic and how to prevent it. After all, the children of today are the future of tomorrow, and they deserve to start their lives surrounded by love, and free from fear and pain.

Many children these days take the love, support, and presence of their parents for granted, often starting arguments over unimportant things and getting upset when things do not go their way. Sadly, what they do not realize is that a large number of children do not get to know what a parent’s presence feels like, let alone having their constant love and support. Millions of children around the world suffer from abuse and neglect, and wake up every morning fearful of what the day will hold.

There is no exact definition that holds enough value to be able to describe the fear and pain that these young children go through each day, but by law, child abuse has been defined as “an act, or failure to act, on the part of the parent or caretaker that results in the death, serious physical or emotional harm, sexual abuse, or exploitation of a child, or which places the child in an imminent risk of serious harm. ” There are four kinds of child abuse; physical, sexual, emotional and neglect. All kinds of abuse are illegal in Canada and the United States.

Although each type f child abuse is of great importance, neglect is the most common form of child mistreatment in Canada (accounting for 62% of all reported abuse cases), and can cause damage even more severe than that of any other form of abuse. Neglect is when the caregiver does not provide necessary attention to the child’s safety, physical, emotional or psychological needs. In severe cases, neglect can lead to abandonment, which is when a parent relinquishes permanent rights and claims to a child outside legal adoption.

is a severe problem, accounting for almost half (43.3%) of all fatal child abuse cases. In Canada, there are over 15, 980 neglected children, and that number is only a rough estimate, because the majority of neglect cases are left unreported. The children that are more at risk of becoming victims are disabled children, who are twice as likely, and aboriginal children, who make up the majority of child abuse and neglect victims in Canada. Many parents or caregivers who neglect and abandon their children do so because they suffer from depression, lack of initiative, futility, a low level of education, a poor socioeconomic status, unemployment, substance abuse or social isolation.

Other factors that could lead to neglect and abandonment can include that the child was the outcome of sexual assault or incest, or is perceived by the caregiver as an obstacle to personal achievements. If a child suffers from neglect, signs of the abuse may include severe need of medical or dental care, frequent school absences, stealing food, begging for money, dressing inappropriately for the weather, not answering questions directly about his parents or caregivers, and drastic changes in personality and appearance. If a child is reported as being neglected or abused, Children’s Aid Society (CAS) goes to inspect the home.

If the accusations prove true, the child is then taken from the parent or caregiver (either temporarily or permanently, depending on the severity of the abuse), and is places either in the custody of another relative, or in foster care. The sentence of the caregiver depends on how severe the abuse or neglect is, and can vary from having to pay a fine, to losing custody of the child, to being imprisoned. As Canadian citizens and members of our community, it is our duty to protect the children by reporting any signs of abuse or neglect to the authorities.

Unfortunately, not many people do so, and by consequence, the young children have no voice, and are forced to continue suffering in silence. One may not think that child abuse and neglect has much of an impact for the population, but in reality, it largely affects many aspects of today’s –and tomorrow’s- society. Economically, child abuse is very costly. Once a child had been taken out of the custody of his or her parents, they are often taken to hospitals where their medical needs are taken care of, and then placed into foster homes.

The treatment and trips to the hospital quickly become very costly, and the foster care alone costs the country over $6 billion a year. Also, each abandoned child could cost the government over $3,000 a day. Although the money is going towards the great cause of providing abused and abandoned children with a better life, it is a completely avoidable matter that is costing extreme amounts of money. Also, there has been a dramatic increase in child abuse and neglect since 1991, and the numbers are still growing. If this trend continues, there will be more children who are abused than those who are not.

What this will mean for society is higher taxes, and adults who have more issues and lower skill levels. The effects of abuse and neglect on children are that they have poor social skills and lower education levels, a higher rate of mental and physical disabilities, delinquency, violence, drug abuse and depression. In addition, abused or neglected children have a higher tendency to abuse and neglect their own children later in life. This means that a large portion of our world will be governed by physically and emotionally damaged adults, who may do the same to their own children.

This will result in many socioeconomic problems for our future. As was said before, the children today are the future of tomorrow, and if we want a good future for our world, we need to treat the children properly and give them the knowledge and love they deserve to become well-rounded adults. Countless organizations around the world work to improve the issue of child abuse, neglect and abandonment, as it is an increasingly important problem in our society. However, I have only selected one organization to write about- The Door of Hope.

The Door of Hope is an organization located in Johannesburg, South Africa that has a mission to rescue and receive any abandoned, abused or orphaned babies and children in and around their city. They work to provide a temporary Christian home for all the children while seeking a forever family, suitable long term care or other permanent care for each one. The Door of Hope organization began in 1999, when the pastor of a small church in Johannesburg, named Cheryl Allen, learned that a high number of newly born infants were being abandoned.

Cheryl realized that many of the young women abandoning their babies may have acted differently had there been an alternative. The church then made a “baby bin” in the side of the wall, where mothers could place their infants who would then be brought into the church and taken care of by the volunteers. When news spread, babies began being brought in by police, community members, hospitals and clinics. By having complete faith and reliance in God, the ministry has grown, and saves over 100 children’s lives each year.

Because this organization is still relatively small, they only have a few fundraisers, but are working hard to get more activities and more people to raise awareness and support their cause. Their annual fundraisers are; the Barnyard Fundraiser, a production that lets you experience the music and famous icons of the 80’s. It is a fun-filled all night event of music, comedy and dancing that includes dinner. They also sell Door of Hope memorabilia at the entrance.

Another one of their fundraisers is the Momentum 94.7 Cycle Challenge, which is a bicycle race held in South Africa for any level of cyclist. They ask that participants do their best to raise as much money as possible for the cause, and that they purchase a door of hope shirt to wear on the day of the race. The Door of Hope is a strictly Christian organization that fully believes and trusts in God’s plan. Therefore, there are many possible parables and Beatitudes that could be connected to Door of Hope, but it is the fifth Beatitude that I think represents them the best; “Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy.”

Mercy is having love towards those that are miserable and those that need some type of help or assistance. The merciful are those who are compassionate towards those who need mercy, and go out of their way to make the effort to help. Cheryl Allen and the volunteers at Door of Hope truly show that they are merciful by taking abandoned, abused and orphaned infants and children, many of whom are extremely ill or problematic. They spend their days tending to these young children to make sure they get the love and attention they need for no pay whatsoever, and are extremely humble about it.

I believe that this is what makes them so merciful. They give all they have to help these infants, yet ask for nothing in return. The only reward they need is to see a child’s smile, knowing that their life has been saved, and that they will now be able to live to their fullest potential. If someone wanted to support the Door of Hope Organization, they could either send a donation in the form of a cheque through the mail or by credit card over the internet. They could also “adopt a cot”, which is sending a monthly donation to provide a child with a bed and necessary supplies.

A third option, which would be for the most dedicated of supporters, is to go volunteer at the organization. They accept international volunteers and will help pay for your travel and stay, but you must fundraise as well. The international volunteers have to be 18-60 years of age, will stay from 1-12 months and will help with the babies daily, along with other responsibilities. I think that the Door of Hope is a truly spectacular organization, and I hope that when I graduate from Highschool, I will be able to help as an international volunteer.

In conclusion, child abuse and neglect is an extreme problem plaguing our society, and we need to help bring a stop to it. If not, the effects of this abuse will impact many aspects of our future, as well as damaging the lives of countless children and denying them of their full potential. Become an active member of your community, and when you suspect a child is being abused, do not hesitate to report it. You could be saving their life.

Example 3:

The “cycle of violence hypothesis” is a theory that mainly seeks to clarify why and how the behavior of an individual who commits family and domestic violence may transform dramatically with time. Furthermore, this theory provides an understanding of the reasons why an individual who has been a victim of either domestic or family violence would go on facing a violent situation (Finkelman, 1995). The term “intergeneration transmission” refers to the occurrence of something between generations.

It further described as a process that allows for people to recognize the modalities of conflict that relate to the generations which preceded the birth of an individual (American Heritage Dictionary, 2006). It is the objective of this paper to explain in detail the “cycle of violence” hypothesis as it relates to the intergenerational transmission of mistreating children. The “cycle of violence” hypothesis relates to the intergenerational transmission of mistreating children as exhibited via the principles of social learning theory.

Here a parent that is usually physically punitive would most likely have a child that becomes aggressive because that is the kind of response pattern the child has been accustomed to (Kalverboer, Genta, & Hopkins, 1999). This theory puts it that violent actions are learnt through positive reinforcement patterns and is more often than not imitated. It is important to note that when a child grows up with such a parent, the child will exercise such kind of an approach in raising their own offspring, thus this cycle of violence is in a position to persist through to the future generations.

In addition to this, a parent plays that most crucial role in the life a child (Tomison, 1996). Genetic components of aggressive behavior (Kalverboer, Genta, & Hopkins, 1999) equally result in a cycle of violence in which children are maltreated and it is generational. Under this, it is assumed that the predisposition of a parent for violence is inherited by a child. This inherited predisposition perpetuates the cycle of maltreatment especially towards children thus increasing the probability of such children subsequently maltreating their own children.

Thus the cycle is fueled in the sense that through genes, generations of abusive parents persist. The interaction of environmental and genetic factors is a major factor to consider when relating the cycle of violence to intergenerational transmission of mistreating children. A mere genetic predisposition simply puts a person at the risk of expressing violent behavior but then it takes the interaction of environmental and genetic factors to actually produce the greatest risk of the display of violent behavior (Kalverboer, Genta, & Hopkins, 1999).

When a child has inherited the genes of abusive character from the parents, it is the surrounding environment that fuels the degree of this behavior because of the experiences and thus they are carried forward to their children. As a consequence, the cycle of violent behavior in terms of child maltreatment is perpetrated (Tomison, 1996). According to a research done on intergenerational transmission of abuse, an examination was done where by the history of a parent in terms of abuse in relation to their abusive behavior toward the children was hypothesized (Pearsa & Capaldi, 2001).

Furthermore, the effect of the extent of an abuse and the possibility of the concerned individual becoming abusive were equally considered. From this study it was reported that the parents who had an abusive childhood were more likely to take part in abusive behavior in the next generation. These findings illustrate that the “cycle of violence” has a great link to the intergenerational transmission of mistreating children (Tomison, 1996).

Much as there is a lot of evidence to connect the cycle of violence to the intergenerational transmission of mistreating children it is important to note that not all people who experience an abusive childhood become abusive parents in future. In addition, the cycle of violence can be broken via social support programs especially to the single parents (Langeland & Dijkstra, 2006). Another way through which this vice can be eradicated is via the support from the spouse who realizes the partner could have been a victim of abuse in their childhood.

It is also important to consider positive moves such as focusing on interventions that would prevent the cycle of violence from persisting through to other generations.

References

• American Heritage Dictionary. (2006). The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition . New york: Houghton Mifflin.
• Finkelman, B. (1995). Child Abuse: Short- and long-term effects. London: Taylor & Francis. Kalverboer, A. F. , Genta, M. L. , & Hopkins, J. B. (1999). Current issues in developmental psychology: biopsychological perspectives.
• New Mexico: Springer. Langeland, W. , & Dijkstra, S. (2006). Breaking the intergenerational transmission of child abuse: Beyond the mother-child relationship.
• Child Abuse Review , 4 (1). Pearsa, K. C. , & Capaldi, D. M. (2001). Intergenerational transmission of abuse: a two-generational prospective study of an at-risk samplesmall star, filled.
• Child Abuse & Neglect , 25 (11). Tomison, A. M. (1996). Intergenerational Transmission of Maltreatment. Retrieved May 10, 2010, from http://www. aifs. gov. au/nch/pubs/issues/issues6/issues6. html

Example 4:

Is there such a thing as too much discipline? How far can a person go with discipline before it turns into child abuse? How do a person know if they are performing child abuse? These are the three main questions that raise a debate when the subjects discipline and child abuse are put in one sentence. What some people might call discipline others may say is child abuse. Gaining the knowledge and education of what is right and what is wrong is the key to preventing discipline from becoming child abuse.

As stated in the American Heritage College Dictionary, discipline is defined as “training expected to produce a specific character or pattern of behavior. ” Child abuse is defined as “mistreatment of a child by a parent or guardian, including neglect, beating, and sexual molestation” on dictionary. com. Unfortunately, a parent or guardian training a child to produce a specific character or pattern behavior may lead to mistreating or neglecting a child unintentionally. It is legal to pk a child but it is also illegal to beat them.

Spanking a child may be considered as light licks on the legs or bottom. Beating a child may consist of bruising or drawing blood. But what works for one child might not be any good for the other. One child can learn a lesson from a pking but if a parent pk’s the other child, it might not have an effect on him at all. That is when alternatives come in. Either way a parent decides to punish that child, that parent’s point will be made or that child will have learned a lesson. There is nothing wrong with disciplining a child for doing something he was not supposed to have done.

Punishing a child will serve as a warning to let that child know that if he ever did something bad again, there will be a consequence. There are many ways to discipline a child without performing child abuse. For example, if a child is at school and acts inappropriate towards his peers or the teacher, he can be giving a pking, a timeout or some of his privileges can be taken away from him. That child might think the parent is being mean or obnoxious, but that entire time that parent is really showing how much they love and care for that child. As a kid, I would get into trouble a lot.

Of course there would be a consequence, and a few words that came along with it. I will never forget the words my mother said to me as I received my pking: “I am only doing this because I love you and I want you to do what is right no matter what the situation is. If I do not whip you, you will continue to do the same thing, so I have to teach you a lesson. ” As I got older, I realized that she really cared. I felt that I did not want to embarrass her or myself any longer and that is when I decided that I was going to do what was expected of me.

Parents have the right to lead their kids by example but they must do it the right way. On the other hand, damaging a child’s self-esteem, self confidence and making him feel unloved or wanted is considered to be child abuse. Why would a parent want to see their child suffer, especially without any cause? If a parent does not want another person or child harming their child intentionally, then why would that parent commit abuse? There are many examples of child abuse but I decided to press the issue on one example. A woman just found out that she has gotten pregnant.

The pregnancy was unplanned and the baby’s father does not want to be a part of that new life, but she decides to keep the child. When the baby arrives, the woman is frustrated because she realizes she cannot take care of herself and the baby mentally, physically, emotionally or financially. The woman now decides to take her anger and frustrations out on the child and that is where the abuse comes in because she does not know what else to do. Sometimes not disciplining a child can be considered child abuse as well.

Everyone knows that a parent has to let a child be child. But when a parent lets the child get away with things a little too much, it is time to let that child know that enough is enough. Since that child feels that he has not been stopped before, he has the right to continue to do what he pleases. The parent needs to tell the child that they are the adult and he is the child will definitely set the boundaries. The parent is going to ruin that child if they let him into the world thinking that he can do what he please.

That is the first step to abusing that child and others are going to do the same if do not step in to guide him. The parent has to learn to say ‘NO’ every once in a while so the child can get used to hearing that word. The parent has to know that they cannot be their child’s best friend and the child has to abide by their rules. If a parent does not start at home by forcing the rules upon the child, then they are giving the world permission to keep the abuse up. Again, the three main questions come to mind. Is there such a thing as too much discipline?

How far can you go with discipline before it turns into child abuse? How do you know if you are performing child abuse? A parent might feel that no one can tell them how to raise their child. So they may feel the need to punish the child however they want. The parent says it is discipline. The outside world might say it is child abuse if they see a child is being mistreated in a way that they feel that is not right. A parent might have their own personal reasons to why they punish their child the way they do.

Maybe it is discipline—then again it may be child abuse. There are people out in the world that feel that they can care for a child better than that child’s parent. Sometimes those people are eager to take that child that they feel are being abused away from that parent. I would tell those parents to choose a more logical way of what they do to their child and how they do it. However a parent decides to punish their child is on them. The parent just need be careful of how they do it because they might not have their child any longer–or even worse, thrown in jail!

Example 5:

Sling Blade is a film about a mentally retarded individual by the name of Karl, who murders his mother and her lover – Karl’s classmate – at the age of twelve.  Subsequently, Karl is institutionalized.  Upon release, Karl returns to his hometown where he befriends a young boy, Frank.  The boy’s father had committed suicide, and his mother is dating Doyle, who abuses both Frank and his mother.  Eventually, Karl is responsible for the murder of Doyle as well, as he must put an end to the abuse that he is witnessing in the lives of Frank and his mother.

The story of the film is atypical seeing that Karl is a mentally retarded individual who takes action against child abuse.  Scientific research, on the other hand, has revealed that it is usually the mentally retarded individual who must suffer abuse simply because he cannot take care of himself.

As an example, Morse, Sahler, and Friedman studied twenty five children who had been abused, out of which forty two percent were mentally retarded.  All except one of the mentally retarded children in the study had already been diagnosed as mentally retarded before they were abused.  Hence, it is obvious that the abusers knew that the mentally retarded children are vulnerable to abuse.

According to Morse, Sahler, and Friedman, people who spend time with mentally retarded children are usually aware that these children are not always able to physically or verbally defend themselves.  Moreover, these children are not always able to describe their abuse to others.  Typically, they are also unable to differentiate between proper and improper verbal communication and/or physical contact, regardless of whether the physical contact is sexual or violent in nature.

Lastly, mentally retarded children are truly dependent on other people for all manners of assistance.  This makes them more trusting toward their caretakers as well as others.  Also according to the authors, passivity as well as compliance stem from the trust and dependency of the mentally retarded child.  Those who abuse mentally retarded children are, therefore, taking undue advantage of the trust shown by these children.

Sandgrund, Gaines, and Green have also conducted a study on children.  Out of one hundred and twenty children studied by the authors, sixty had been abused, thirty had been neglected, and another thirty had not been abused at all.  The authors reported that twenty five percent of the abused children in their study had been diagnosed as mentally retarded.

Twenty percent of the neglected children had similarly been recognized as mentally retarded, while only three percent of the children who had never been abused were mentally retarded.  The findings of this study reveal that mentally retarded children are quite likely to be abused.

The fact that Karl of Sling Blade was never abused – rather, he had the intelligence to differentiate between proper and improper verbal communication and/or physical contact – shows that the film is about an unusual mentally retarded individual.  Sandgrund, Gaines, and Green write that mentally retarded children are normally hesitant to report instances of abuse because they fear losing the essential relationships with their caretakers.

Furthermore, these children are not always believed if they manage to report abuse.  Seeing that Karl was not afraid to lose his caretaker at the time he killed his mother reveals that this mentally retarded child was definitely not a typical one.

McFadden has also written about the abuse of mentally ill children, including those who are mentally retarded.  Reporting a study conducted by the New York State Commission on Quality of Care for the Mentally Disabled, McFadden writes that abuse in institutions for mentally retarded children is higher than abuse in institutions for children who are mentally fit.  Also according to the author:

In analyzing those cases, the commission found that abuse most often occurred in leisure- time areas, such as recreation rooms and sleeping quarters, where children congregate without structured activities.  It also found that boys over 12 years of age and children who exhibited disturbing conduct were at the highest risk of abuse.

In 16 percent of the cases, the study said, a finding of abuse or neglect was made by the reporting facility.  In another 18 percent, the facility found misconduct by an employee but no evidence of abuse.  In 66 percent, some corrective action was taken and in nearly 20 percent disciplinary action was taken against at least one employee.

Most of those responsible for the abuse or neglect were not new employees.  The study said 80 percent of them had worked at the facility at least one year and 50 percent had been employed more than three years (McFadden).

Karl was fortunate because his mother did not abuse him.  He was not abused in an institution either.  All the same, research evidence suggests that mentally retarded children are highly vulnerable to abuse.  In unusual cases, perhaps mentally retarded individuals like Karl may be able to struggle against child abuse.  Then again, they might have to take drastic actions such as those of Karl in order to end child abuse.  After all, mentally retarded individuals are not considered credible if they simply manage to report abuse.

Works Cited

• McFadden, Robert D. “Child Abuse High in New York Mental Centers.” New York Times. 1
• Dec 1987. 17 Nov 2007.
• <http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9B0DE7DA1039F932A35751C1A96194826>.
• Morse, C.W., O.Z. Sahler, and S.B. Friedman. “A Three-Year Follow-Up Study of Abused and
• Neglected Children.” American Journal of Diseases of Children. Vol. 120 (1970): pp. 439-446.
• Sandgrund, H., R. Gaines, and A. Green. “Child Abuse and Mental Retardation: A Problem of
• Cause and Effect.” American Journal of Mental Deficiency. Vol. 79 (1974): pp. 327-330.
• Sling Blade. Dir. Billy Bob Thorton. 1996.

More examples:

1. Cyber Bullying Essay
2. Animal Testing Essay
4. Happiness Essay
5. Critical Thinking Essay