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CHILD ABUSE & SOCIAL WELFARE.
Term Paper ID:20444
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Essay Subject:
Causes, policy values, prevention, ethics, juvenile system, role of parents, law, recommendations.... More...
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8 Pages / 1800 Words
6 sources, 25 Citations,
APA Format
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Paper Abstract:
Causes, policy values, prevention, ethics, juvenile system, role of parents, law, recommendations.
Paper Introduction:
Child Abuse Defined Relative to Core and Peripheral Aspects
Gil (1988) defines the phenomenon child abuse as any form of maltreatment that is perpetrated by parents, significant others, and/or absolute strangers against victims who are children. Such maltreatment is abusive when it impairs the psychological, social, physical, and spiritual functioning of the child at issue. Gil (1988), Jacobsen (1986), and Whitfield (1987) note that the core aspects of the issue of childhood abuse are that the child is victimized by parents, significant others, or absolute strangers. There may be sudden onset of childhood abuse, or a gradual building up of abusive behavior. The child victim is generally deceived by the perpetrator/perpetrators into feeling that he or she is responsible for the abuse or that the abuse was provided for his or her good. The peripheral aspects
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Thesecond, in contrast, sees the welfare services as normal, "first line"functions of modern industrial society. Withthis, the provision of social welfare activities is far from consistent forthose children who are the subjects of childhood abuse. Theseinclude: (1) parental responsibility versus children's rights; (2)protection versus liberation; (3) need-based versus universal services;and, (4) services versus income maintenance. Infact, Jacobsen (1986) reports that some social workers tend to deny thepresence of child abuse, even when it is obvious. Dobelstein (1992) agrees, notingthat, beyond training, social welfare professionals must join together tolobby for additional funding of social welfare programatic activities.Then, these professionals can receive additional training and provide sameto parents to prevent the occurrence of childhood abuse. Gil (1988), Jacobsen (1986), andWhitfield (1987) note that the core aspects of the issue of childhood abuseare that the child is victimized by parents, significant others, orabsolute strangers. That is,the social welfare agency has come to perform residual activities. That is, with the receipt of counseling, the familysystem can again have possession of the child victim. The response may be supportive of the child or of theparents. Further, parents were at one timegiven the right to abuse their children in the name of parental control anddiscipline. While this does notoccur in all cases, such intervention outcomes clearly demonstrates thosevalues that support the parents. Causes of Childhood Abuse Gil (1988) reports that there are myriad causes for childhood abuseby parents, significant others, and absolute strangers. The peripheral aspects entail that the perpetrator/ perpetratorswas/were usually victimized via one or more forms of abuse, probably duringchildhood. Inaddition, the use or abuse of alcohol was at issue for 41% of thoseperpetrators who used physical abuse, 19% of those perpetrators who usedsexual abuse, and 27% of those perpetrators who used emotional abuse (4 -46). Such maltreatment isabusive when it impairs the psychological, social, physical, and spiritualfunctioning of the child at issue. There may be sudden onset of childhood abuse, or agradual building up of abusive behavior. Recommendations Wilensky and Lebeaux (1965) report that the residual nature of socialwelfare is not without failings: for that matter, neither is theinstitutional nature. Foremost is that the federal government provide funding,usually via taxes and regulatory fees, with the state and local governmentsproviding funding through such as taxes and user fees. Social welfare policy and analysis.Chicago, IL: Nelson-Hall. New York, NY: Free Press.----------------------- 1 (1988). (1965). Consider that, when the child victim of abuse does muster thecourage to speak up and tell someone about the abuse, the contact person isusually an adult. In support of this omnipotent status for the parents ofchildren, Wilensky and Lebeaux (1965) note: Two conceptions of social welfare seem to be dominant in the UnitedStates today: the residual and the institutional. This is simply because childrenfor many centuries were perceived as the property of their parents or othercaretakers. In support of this, Gil (1988) conducted several studies relative to thecauses of childhood abuse, finding that low self-esteem was at issue for3 % of those perpetrators who used physical abuse, 49% of thoseperpetrators who used sexual abuse, and 67% of those perpetrators who usedemotional abuse. Psychiatric sequelae of child abuse.Springfield, IL: Charles Thomas. Whitfield (1987)concurs, noting that social welfare professionals must receive additionaltraining in childhood abuse, so that they can better recognize it andprovide the indicated interventions. (199 November 22).Los Angeles Sentinel, A4, A15. Specifically, thosepolicies addressing childhood abuse prevention and the protection of thosechildren who had been abused by their parents, significant others, and evenstrangers can be seen as having been influenced by the above-noted fournormative issues (Dobelstein, 1992). The child victim is generallydeceived by the perpetrator/perpetrators into feeling that he or she isresponsible for the abuse or that the abuse was provided for his or hergood. Jacobsen (1986) reports that social welfare policyfor children must be thoroughly recast and analyzed relative to the rightsof children; their need to be protected by their parents, significantothers, and social welfare institutions; and the need of government toprioritize its many issues to place children at the fore. Special treatmentunits for children, with recreational activities, were created in generaland psychiatric hospitals" (2 ). There is generally denial among most adults who are told aboutchildhood abuse, with the exception of some professionals who fullyunderstand the repercussions of such trauma perpetrated against the childvictim. The third issue addressed whether the parents or significant others wereto be responsible for the child in accorandance with his or her needs or inaccordance with those needs that are generally required by children. As per Wilensky and Lebeaux (1965), for those cases in which socialaccountability and social sponsorship overshadow the above-noted issuesresulting in placement or replacement of the child in the abusiveenvironment, social welfare activities can be said to be at work. Anonymous (199 )notes that additional funding will be difficult to obtain, given the stateof the economy, political fighting, and the low priority of children. These are the concepts aroundwhich drives for more or for less welfare service tend to focus. Child Abuse Defined Relative to Core and Peripheral Aspects Gil (1988) defines the phenomenon child abuse as any form ofmaltreatment that is perpetrated by parents, significant others, and/orabsolute strangers against victims who are children. The pessimism that can also behad with regard to the performance of residual activities is that somechildren may be placed in, or returned to, abusive environments. With these reforms, "Families wereexpected to care for their children in acceptable ways, and if that carecould not be provided, public agencies would provide it. Dobelstein, A. Jacobsen, J. All of thesecauses literally have their roots in violence and aggression, whereby bothof these behaviors are directed toward, and acted out on, the child victim. Despite the creation of juvenile courts, numerous social welfareprograms, and the attendant agencies needed to administer these programs,the rights of parents continue to prevail relative to some cases of childabuse. Whitfield, C. Further, states adopted legislation and Policies that protectedthose children who were found to be in abusive environments, and to removethem from their homes. Jacobsen (1986) reports that this inconsistency of social welfarepolicies and legislation, as well as the inconsistency of the applicationof these tools, prove both detrimental and beneficial to those children whoare the potential victims of childhood abuse and those who are the actualvictims of this phenomenon. DeerfieldBeach, FL: Health Communications. (1986). Dobelstein (1992) reports that the history of social welfare policyrelative to childhood abuse is based on four normative issues. The first holdsthat social welfare institutions should come into play only when thenormal structures of supply, the family and the market, break down. Wilensky, H., & Lebeaux, C. There are some professionals who totally deny that the childvictim presents sequelae that evidence his or her having been abuse. Notsuprisingly, they derive from the ethos of the society in which theyare found. Gil, E. ; what other institutions do not do, it isthe job of welfare to do. They are rather explicitamong both social welfare professionals and the lay public (15). Values and Ethical Issues Whitfield (1987) reports that, while many of the older values thatsupported the above-noted treatment by parents, significant others andstrangers has undergone drastic modification, there remain instances wherethese values can be evidenced. For all levels ofgovernment, such funding becomes scarce when the national economy declines. Conceptions of socialwelfare, 16-21. Wilensky andLebeaux (1965) note of this the following. This orientation to the rights of children clearly influenced theformulation of other policies as regards their rights. Further, violent relationships with parents and/orsignificant others low self-esteem were at issue for 38% of thoseperpetrators who used physical abuse, 13% of those perpetrators who usedsexual abuse, and 2 % of those perpetrators who used emotional abuse. The second issue addressed to what degree the parent orsignificant other is responsible for providing protection to the child andto what degree the child deserves to be liberated in his or her activities. This occurs for avariety of reasons, including: the social worker's inability to resolve hisor her childhood abuse issues, the lack of staffing to fully attend to thechild, the lack of adequate funding to provide the indicated services tothe child victim, and the lack of placement opportunities when theindicated foster homes, juvenile cottages and other such facilities arefull and cannot accept new residents. Moreover, Whitfield (1987) notes that theliterature in social work, psychology, and social psychology generallypoint to the intervention being provided by the social worker in a way thatbolsters the family. (1987). From the standpoint of the welfare structure as a whole, theseactivities are properly described as "functionally generalized"; thatis, welfare services are found attached to, or performing in place of,medical institutions, the family, education, industry - wherever thereis "unmet need." It will be noticed that this concept is closely relatedto that of residuality ... In Society and social welfare. (Eds.). Theoptimism that can be had with regard to the performance of residualactivities is that some children may be rescued from abusive environments;thus, preventing future childhood abuse. To the extent that it is the function of social welfare to come inand "pick up the pieces" in any area of need, it must lack attachment toany given area (19). The parents, significant others, or other interested partieswere literally in possession of the legal right to do as they so chose withtheir children. (1992). They represent a compromise between the values of economicindividualism and free enterprise on the one hand, and security,equality, and humanitarianism on the other. As the system of social welfare, with theattendant governmental institutions and services, evolved, this conflictcame to the fore and became focused upon by social work professionals andallied health professionals. The family system is typically one that is not attuned to, anddoes not foster, the wholeness of the child, the needs of the child, andextending protection to the child. All of these issues have consistentlyundergone conflict within the social welfare institution, particularly asregards childhood abuse. The removal of children from dysfucntionalenvironments was particularly at issue if the children had been abused,neglected, or financially deprived. For state and local governments, when their respective economies decline,funding is further scarce due to the loss of additional funding sources.With this, the economy can be seen as directly related to social welfareand its application. In support of this, Dobelstein (1992) notesthat, following the reforms to improve social welfare policy for children,juvenile courts were created to address violations of the law innonadversarial, nonpunitive ways, so that delinquent behavior could becorrected. Treatment of adult survivors of childhood abuse.Walnut Creek, CA: Launch Press. That is, those social welfare legislative acts, adopted policies,and their application that are not sponsored by industries or specificbusiness organizations are dependent upon their funding by all levels ofgovernment. Thefourth issue addressed whether parents, significant others, or some form ofthe social welfare system would focus more on income maintenance or theprovision of other services. Healing the child within. When such social workers deny thepresence of child abuse, the child victim may be left in, or returned to,the abusive environment. References Child abuse kills a child a week in Los Angeles. The first issue addressed theconflict between parents and their children or significant others and theircharge-children relative to how the former went about determining whattheir responsibility was to the latter and how said responsibility would befulfilled. There are several factors that influence thisinconsistency, including a variation of the profit motive discussed byWilensky and Lebeaux (1965). That is, they could keep them out of school, work them onfarms and ranches as they did themselves, demand that they performhousehold chores and tend to siblings, and even perform duties that wouldnormally be performed by their parents. Given these normative issues, social welfare policy for childrenunderwent considerable conflict, particularly as regards parentalresponsibility versus children's rights. While it is true that social welfarelegislation, adopted policies, and the application of these are not drivenby the profit motive as attendant to market forces, they are driven by theeconomy.
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