Protecting Young Childrens Welfare - Essay Example

Protecting Young Children’s Welfare Order No. 248676 No. of pages: 10 Premium 6530 Welfare Needs of Children It is universally acknowledged truth that across countries and societies, small children and young adults i.e. in the age group 0-18 years, necessarily need adult protection and supervision. The UN Convention on the Rights of the Child (1989, Article 19) emphatically states that it is the responsibility of adults to “work to prevent abuse and neglect, to protect children from harm, and to report and identify concerns about child abuse”. During the past few decades, the instances of child abuse, physical, mental, and psychological has increased manifold, and this abuse could occur at home, school or any other societal institution. The abuse maybe inflicted by adults, caregivers, acquaintances and at times by other children also. (DoH et al 2006). The protection of a child from maltreatment constitutes a step towards the welfare of the child, and it is especially important to take care of small vulnerable children. A child is said to be vulnerable when there is no assurance of satisfactory development of health. (section 17 (10) of the Children Act 1989). It is imperative that all caregivers give paramount importance to the fact that children are being encouraged to develop in conditions which are conducive to their welfare and protection. This will ensure that they enter adulthood with great confidence and on a sure footing. The issue of safety and protection for children has been the focus of child care agencies for a long time, but the crucial role they play and their duty towards children’s welfare has been brought into the limelight by certain tragic cases wherein the child had died due to negligence on the part of the caregivers. The death of Victoria Climbe made the government sit up and take serious note of the issue. Following the report prepared subsequent to the investigations, many hard facts about child safeguard programs have come up for review. The report that was published revealed that although the Children Act of 1989 is comprehensive, it fails due to improper interpretation and inefficient implementation. The staff in Area Child Protection Committees is often hampered due to inefficient authority and lack of resources. Apart from this, very often caregivers do not know whether they should classify the children as “ in need” or as a case for ‘child protection”. Thus , in order to create a system which is effective in containing this defect, organizations have to pool in their resources and come together to improve the child’s safety net. They must guess the need for protection before the inevitable happens and work towards reducing stress for the child and family. (Keeping Children Safe, 2003). Child Abuse The abuse of children and the threat to their lives are subjects which have shaken the conscience of people, since time immemorial and more so, especially after the death of Victoria Climbe. The enquiry into her death revealed several shortcomings in the NHS and the social services, which are responsible for the well being of young children. Poor co-ordination among agencies often leaves cracks in the proper protection of children and it becomes the duty of the government to make sure that children receive help before any crisis reaches boiling point. Lord Laming has set out the basic guidelines in his report, the adherence to which may help to improve the lives of children under protection and welfare. The aim of these agencies should be to minimize the threat to a child’s safety and well being and at the same time create conditions which will help in maximizing their potential. Truancy from school needs to be rectified, since an educated child is an asset to society, the economy and the country at large. Children Development – Early Years - Sure Start Programs Our vision, since 1997, for a better start for all children and their families has focused attention on childcare and early years education. The development of children, very importantly, depends upon their experiences in the earliest years of their lives. (Lindon, J. (1998) Child Protection in Practice. Hodder & Stoughton.) In order to ensure that all children arrive at school ready to learn, it is necessary to provide high quality childcare. This ensures that the most vulnerable section of society – the children, are not held back, thus avoiding underachievement. Many families have been trapped in a net of deprivation which can be broken down by giving children a good child care plan. The parents can be happy and confident that their child is being well cared for. Out-of-home care for young children, as well as the creation and development of the same, has provided exciting challenges and opportunities for a certain interested group with the promotion and expansion in childcare. Enormous responsibilities go along with these. According to recent research, the process of child care and education should be started as soon as possible. From the time of birth to three, children are born with a rich experience to build from and already are competent leaders. A milestone to measure the contribution made by the adults who work with children, towards their growth and development and in order to recognize and value the youngest child, it is important to support the practitioners who work with children from birth, by developing a framework for the same. Effective practice and supporting quality with children from birth to three marks our commitment and raises the status of work with such an important age group. It draws on the wealth and experience of the practitioners and was developed with them in the child care section. To provide information, guidance, support and challenge for all the practitioners who hold the responsibility of childcare and education from the birth of the child to three years, is the main purpose of the Framework. This framework values babies and small children and celebrates them, by recognizing their achievements, efforts and bringing out their individuality. It also recognizes the need of every child, from the time of birth, to interact with and explore the people and world around them and thus grow and develop into a healthy individual. Various difficulties related to communication and interaction, emotional, social, sensory or physical development, cognition and learning may cause a risk to development for some children. This Framework also helps in recognizing the holistic aspect of a child’s development. It also gives importance and supports the adults who work with babies and also provides an opportunity to them for reflection on practice. It is also accepted that child care is a complex work which needs to be handled with patience as there are no easy answers to this task. The Framework has been specially formulated for all the people who work with children below three years of age and also those with disability. The framework supports the fact that parents and families play an important role in the well being of a child. Relationship between a child and elders and their friends play an important role in the development of the child. For the well being of a child, the child has to develop a good and strong relationship with any one member of the family. By birth babies are competent learners. The child learns most effectively when helped by a knowledgeable person who is also trustworthy. The resources and equipments are not as important as the care of an efficient adult which helps in the confidence building of a child. Young children are very vulnerable hence they require the guidance of an adult to become independent. Role of the Government The government has shown great concern towards children who are so vulnerable and has shown good interest in taking action through Sure Start Programs, to safeguard them against substance abuse, poor health, teen pregnancy, neglect, crime and all other kinds of anti-social behaviour. The government has taken a step in this direction by initiating the Sure Start program at the very early stage of the child’s life which would help to serve as a guide and channelize their feelings in the right direction. The government also aims to raise the standards of schools, and eradicate child poverty. Centers have been opened in most deprived areas and these bring together nursery education, family support, chances for employment and health and childcare services. These centres also provide food and shelter for homeless family and children. The Green Paper report came to these conclusions based upon the needs of children as articulated by them. All children expressed a desire to be healthy, both physically and mentally along with a need for enjoying their lives to its utmost potential. Children wish to make positive contributions to a society which cares and nurtures them and this is possible only when they feel protected and safe from harm. Child Neglect A very important aspect of child protection is of how to keep a child safe at home and free from neglect. It is estimated that children tend to suffer abusive behavior when adult domestic violence takes place in a poor domestic environment. Battered wives are twice as more likely to either beat their children or show utter neglect. Hence in such a distressing scenario, the child grows up with a sense of fear and low self – esteem. It is imperative therefore, for professionals working in various fields connected with children such as child abuse and domestic violence, should synchronize in tandem with other professionals in related fields to solve these bad issues where the child is concerned and try their best to help the child grow and develop both mentally and physically in the best possible manner. A child from a violent household is likely to be neglected since the mother devotes all her energies towards trying to please the abuser or keeping the abuser at bay and often withdraws from the family because of this preoccupation. In families where the child is not physically abused or neglected, the child may learn to indulge in violence as a controlling tactic or simply takes advantage of the situation by diverting his attention to things that give him temporary solace such as drinking, smoking and taking drugs. A neglected child could easily fall a prey to bad company and get into a lot of other problems such as vandalism and violence. The connection between domestic violence and child abuse is under the scanner and professionals must point out ways to determine whether a victim of domestic violence can take care of a child and most importantly, find a fool – proof means to end domestic violence since it lies at the root of the problem which is child abuse. Cultural Context of Children’s Welfare Looking at children who come from different cultural backgrounds, it has been found that very often these children suffer from lack of protection because their parents are unaware of the services that are available, and since most of them are immigrants , they tend to have “strong protective relationships, high attachments and expectations”(Children And Young People From Culturally And Linguistically Diverse Backgrounds And Child Protection ) Often the parents are not aware of child welfare programs and child welfare norms differ between cultures, races, societies and countries. The perception of the child also differs when confronted with settlement and migration to a new environment. It is the duty of the caregiver to prevent any stereotyping and instead help the child to merge or adapt itself to the new cultural background, while at the same time not losing his/her inherent cultural identity. Training should be given in cultural awareness since this would help the caregiver to understand the different values, attitudes and norms governing varying cultures and help them in easy inclusion of their wards. It is also important to inform the parents about acceptable and unacceptable parenting techniques related to their particular culture. Child protection and welfare agencies must collaborate among themselves, in the matter of sharing data, because this helps in a better understanding of the various cultural diversities. Child protection social workers need to know different attitudes of the various cultures they deal with, especially with a culture’s child rearing tradition. Attitudes towards discipline and parental authority vary in degrees between cultures. Sometimes migrants from other cultures lay extra emphasis on educational achievements, since to them a good education is insurance for a better life though this maybe construed as an act of undue pressure and cruelty by social workers. Thus, what seems normal in one culture maybe seen as abusive in another. Caregivers should be sensitized to new behaviors and should try to understand the context for a parent’s behavior, since it is difficult to take a consistent attitude to these differences. (Chris Beckett). Same ethnic groups exhibit different behavior towards their children depending on their socio-economic status. While parents from lower economic groups find corporal punishment as a just method of disciplining , those from middle income groups frown upon it .(Shor,2000:165) Children from different cultures also suffer in child protection and welfare programs due to lack of language proficiency of the new culture in which they have been implanted. There is often prejudice against ethnic minorities which leads to uncalled for subjugation and complete lack of control from the ethnic perspective. A good interpreter and a sympathetic caregiver would go a long way in making a child feel protected and secure in a different cultural scenario. In the cultural context, therefore, caregivers need to be first and foremost, culturally sensitive to the needs of these children and find ways to incorporate cultural issues in their existing course material. Apart from this, it is also the duty of the agencies to make the parents aware of the legal implications of their actions, which differ from country to country. It is often found that children carve a separate identity for themselves and caregivers must respect the wishes of a child and lead them in making informed and positive choices. While it is acknowledged that caregivers can be made culturally aware, the high levels of expertise needed to handle such sensitive issues is still open to doubt. A high degree of consideration for diverse cultures and their parenting practices can go a long way in ensuring a sense of well being for the child and the family concerned. References Child Abuse Articles http://www.yesican.org/articles/article7-3.html Chris Beckett - Child Protection: An Introduction - Google Books Result http://books.google.co.in/books?id=eL7H6VyLpT4C&pg=PA15&lpg=PA15&dq=child+protection+in+the+cultural+context&source=bl&ots=DoosnI3QED&sig=KqaBeb7PlH0YEQmMrK3n0HXibMY&hl=en&sa=X&oi=book_result&resnum=1&ct=result#PPA61,M1 Child Protection Position Paper http://www.bps.org.uk/downloadfile.cfm?file_uuid=4708AFFD-1143-DFD0-7E9F-F310BAD95619&ext=pdf Lindon, J. (1998) Child Protection in Practice. Hodder & Stoughton. An Introduction to the Framework www.surestart.gov.uk/_doc/P0000246.pdf Chapter 25 http://www.familiesandcommunities.sa.gov.au/DesktopModules/SAHT_DNN2_Documents/Download/633611415233742784/Child-Protection-Review-Report-CHAPTER-25.pdf Read More