Parental Drug Use as Child Abuse - Research Paper Example

Parental Drug Use as Child Abuse Child Abuse Child abuse can be of any type such as physical, emotional, or sexual bad behavior by the parent or the guardian of the child. Government policy outcome realized in law provides protection to such children but at the same time grants the right to parents to bring up their children, as they deem suitable. Issues erupt when there is a tussle between the perspectives of both the government and the parents on their right to privacy (Find Law.com, 2012). Child Abuse has been defined variously by the federal and state laws in both civil and criminal statutes. The federal government under the Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment Act (CAPTA) defines child abuse and neglect as: Any recent act or failure to act on the part of a parent or caretaker, which results in death, serious physical or emotional harm, sexual abuse, or exploitation, or an act or failure to act which presents an imminent risk of serious harm,”, as stated in CAPTA Reauthorization Act of 2010 (P.L. 111-320), § 3. Child abuse could be of various kinds, including physical abuse, neglect, sexual abuse, emotional abuse, parental substance abuse, and abandonment (Child Welfare Information Gateway, 2011). Historical Background of the Problem History of child abuse by parents or other adults can be traced centuries back; until late 1800s, children under the English common law were taken as the property of their fathers. This tradition was encouraged by American colonists in the seventeenth and the eighteenth centuries, taking it to the initial years of the United States. First information on child abuse came to the notice in 1870 of an 8-year-old orphan named Mary Ellen Wilson who was thrashed and beaten at her foster home. At that time there was no agency to look into the welfare cause of abused children, therefore, the advocates for American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA) took the case by arguing that laws securing animals from abuse should not be relatively effective than laws safeguarding children. In this particular case of Mary Ellen Wilson, the foster mother was sentenced to one year imprisonment. This sentence created awareness in the society leading to the formation of the New York Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children in 1874. In 1974, the federal law was enacted to help the cause of child abuse through government funding (Find Law.com, 2012). The legislative record of the Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment Act (CAPTA), the leading Federal legislation for child abuse and neglect started in P.L. 93-247; the Act was further amended very recently and reauthorized on December 20, 2010, by the CAPTA Reauthorization Act of 2010 (P.L. 111-320). All functions related to child abuse are covered under CAPTA by arranging funds to the state agencies and welfare organizations (Child Welfare Information Gateway, 2011). Policy Description It could be pertaining to any one of the issues faced by the government, for example, in the case of abuse of drugs by the parents or caretakers having negative repercussions on the overall growth of children. Considering the loss of health and well being of children, about 47 states, the districts of Columbia, Guam, and the U.S. Virgin Islands are governed by the law under the child protection statutes but policy since May 2009 does not cover states such as American Samoa, Connecticut, New Jersey, Northern Mariana Islands, Puerto Rico, and Vermont for exposure to illegal drug activity (Child Welfare Information Gateway, 2009). It has implicit meaning for the NASW, as federal funding for drug abuse would not be forthcoming for these specified states, not covered by the state law. Child abuse is just one form of evidence of the problem that social workers find challenging to resolve. Alcohol, tobacco, and other drugs (ATOD) have a huge demographic impact. This fact has been identified by the NASW in a public social policy statement, pointing to the professionals and policymakers the urgency of the part played by ATOD for the society and the social work clients. Policy Analysis Problem resolution is totally a different issue when compared to identification of a problem. NASW has created a specialty practice session (SPS) to promote interaction and expertise creation among social workers while interacting with the sufferers, in this case, the abused children, and their families, as all of them have underwent the affects of substance abuse. Newsletters are recurrently published by the ATOD SPS to encourage information exchange and start best practices among social workers. Standards have been formulated to fulfill performance expectations, as in the case of abused children’s treatment (Abbott, 2012). The Council on Social Work Education (CSWE) off late has stressed on the criticality of standard social work education programs taking coaching classes on content pertaining to ATOD, including appraisal, intervention, practice assessment, support, program formulation, and policy analysis (Abbott, 2012). Social workers face innumerable issues erupting from ATOD. Clients’ increased use of ATOD prompt social workers to challenge myths, appraise theories, and offer specific solutions. Sometimes, disorders occur at the same time such as a drug-related issue along with a mental health issue. Professional focus is expected to be evidence-based best practices. In this context of affects of drug abuse on children, it needs to be clarified that by “abuse”, it is meant that “the use of a drug in such a manner or in such amounts or in situations such that the drug use causes problems or greatly increases the chances of problems occurring” (Ksir, Hart, & Ray, 2008, p. G5)), for instance, consuming alcohol as a daily routine to the limit of drunkenness (Abbott, 2012). Conclusion Social workers can become effective instruments of welfare of the abused children in specific problem context related to ATOD and get an insight of the effects of ATOD abuse not only on client, but also on families and others. Social workers need to work on systems or ecological aspects, including a bio-psycho-social-cultural-spiritual approach to provide both appraisal and intervention on the abused children. It is expected of them to consider more latest demographic data, lay more stress on the cultural ability and knowing the role of culture in treatment, and latest evidence-based best practices. References Abbott, Ann A. (2012). Prologue: alcohol, tobacco, and other drugs. NASW Press. Retrieved from http://www.naswpress.org/publications/substance/inside/atod-prologue.html Child Welfare Information Gateway. (2009, May). Parental drug use as child abuse: summary of State Laws. Retrieved from http://www.childwelfare.gov/systemwide/laws_policies/statutes/drugexposed.pdf Child Welfare Information Gateway. (2011, Feb.). Definitions of child abuse and neglect. Retrieved from http://www.childwelfare.gov/systemwide/laws_policies/statutes/define.pdf#Page=1&view=Fit Find Law.com. (2012). Child abuse background and history. Retrieved from http://family.findlaw.com/child-abuse/child-abuse-background-and-history.html Read More