CHILD AND FAMILY SERVICES ACT IN REGARDS TO THE GATEHOUSE
SETTING
The Gatehouse is a very unique community based charitable organization that provides services, resources and advocacy on behalf of those impacted by childhood sexual abuse; staff and volunteers work together to help clients regain their voices. It is the only community-based setting that provides services for children, youth and adults in one location. The Gatehouse offers adult peer support group programs; a child friendly location where investigating police officers and child welfare personnel can interview children during alleged child abuse investigations. Other programs such as youth adult drop in and partners support programs are also available at The Gatehouse (The Gatehouse, 2016) Childhood sexual abuse is a very sensitive matter and is not a personal issue but a familial and societal issue therefore, the Gatehouse works along with survivor’s partners and family to explore this issue. A one-day workshop is available at The Gatehouse, which explores “being the partner of a person who has been traumatized by childhood sexual abuse” (The Gatehouse, 2016). Through a reframing learning process, adult victims and survivors learn skills that allow them to transform the trauma of childhood sexual abuse into a positive lifestyle. Topics such as inner child, triggers, anxiety, sexuality, and resiliency are discussed in support groups, one-on-one sessions, and in intakes. Staff and
The organization under investigation is Child Protective Services, also referred to as CPS, which is an agency within the Department of Family and Protective Services. CPS is a governmental organization that has existed for years. The agency is designed to protect children from abuse and neglect. There are numerous cases that are called in on a daily basis in the state of Texas, and it is the duty of state employees to address all allegations in a timely manner. The positions held as a caseworker within the agency are either Investigator, Special Investigator, Family Based Safety Services Specialist, or Conservatorship Specialist. Due to the required work and deadlines involved with being a caseworker at CPS, the job can become very
The job of a child welfare worker appears to be a demanding profession that promotes the child’s safety, but also strengthens the family organization around them in order to successfully raise the children. This child welfare workers work in the system known as the Child Protective Services whose initiative is to protect the overall welfare of the child. The short novel From the Eye of the Storm: the Experiences of a Child Welfare Worker by Cynthia Crosson-Tower demonstrates the skills necessary to deal with the practice of social work along with both its challenges and its happy moments. The novel consists of some of the cases involving Tower’s actual career in social work. In reading the book, I was able to experience some of the actual
In 1980, about 500,000 children were in foster care, but a series of successful reforms began with that year 's Adoption Assistance and Child Welfare Act which dramatically decreased the number of children in foster care. But in the early 1990s, with the advent of crack cocaine and an economic recession numbers went back up. Child welfare advocates said that the foster care system was in need of changes so that children spend less time in foster placements and that America’s child welfare system needed an improvement. Some children in care were separated from their siblings, others transitioned from one foster care placement to another, never knowing where to call home. Too many children were being abused in systems that were supposed to protect them. Instead of being safely reunified with their families or moved quickly into adoptive homes many remained in foster homes or institutions for years.
For 30 years, advocates, program administrators, and politicians have joined to encourage even more reports of suspected child abuse and neglect. Their efforts have been successful, with about three million cases of suspected child abuse having been reported in 1993. Large numbers of endangered children still go unreported, but a serious problem had developed: Upon investigation, as many as 65 percent or the reports now being made are determined to be "unsubstantiated", raising serious civil liberties concerns and placing a huge burden on investigative staffs.
It is the assumption of many that Canada is a nation free of racism. Canadians pride themselves on being culturally diverse and accepting, and on having relatively progressive social policies such as that of universal healthcare. However, there are many ways in which the current and historical policies have expressed explicit racism that have left an already marginalized population with the crumbs of society. A prime example of this can be demonstrated in the mass overrepresentation of Aboriginal youth in care. By the year 2010, there were around twenty-seven thousand Indigenous children in the Canadian child welfare system who were living in some sort of out-of-home care (Chappell, 2014). Although they represented only seven percent of the children in Canada, they made up 48 percent of all children in foster care. (Yukselir & Annett, 2016). This phenomenon is not a recent trend, as it has been occurring since the very creation of modern child welfare in Canada as it is known, and it has its roots deep in Canadian history. This paper will demonstrate a timeline of the events which have lead to this phenomenon in Canada, specifically focusing on the province of Ontario. Important facts which may have contributed to the overrepresentation of this population will be discussed, such as historical methods of colonization in regards to child welfare including the implementation of the residential school system and the Sixties Scoop. Policies that have also had a profound impact,
The Term topic I chose to research about is Child Welfare Services. This topic has a variety of different regulations and forms that makes this program run. Child Welfare Services have been around for quite some time and has been helping out as much as they are allowed to. This program has a time line of many important events that all build up the Child Welfare program.
Accounting for the costs of foster care is only one part of the assessment of the foster care system. States must be held accountable for the effects of the system in order to better allocate their finances, provide adequate services, make better decisions, and operate more efficiently. The model of the Department of Social Services is that Children Service Workers utilize the finances distributed towards the department to yield a desired output for the client and reduce child maltreatment. The inputs and outputs of the system do not fully describe the problems associated with in it. Essentially, only resources provided to a family, as stated in the model, are believed to yield a desirable outcome for the client. The mission of the system is used to state the hopes of the program, and implement strategies in order to fulfill the mission of the agency. Such methods may include case management, court services, mental health
The Children Act 1989 set out principles to guide the work of local authorities and courts, and also defined ‘significant harm’ and a child ‘in need’ of intervention – it put a duty on LAs to promote/ safeguard the welfare of children in need in their area. The Act ensures that the welfare of children is foremost; and identifies the responsibilities of parents and those who work with children to guarantee the safety of the child.
Child welfare is an issue that is vastly debated today in the United States. Regardless of party lines, socioeconomics, gender, religion, or race, it seems like everyone has a stake in shaping this issue. As such, progression in policy can be difficult and is often controversial. Throughout the 1900s, the United States Supreme Court heard and decided several cases that set forth precedent, giving more power to, and enabling, parents to raise their children as they see fit. As constituents, parents have a substantial say in what policy should and will be enacted. However, as individuals, parents do not have nearly as much power alone as they do in groups to influence public policy. Therefore, by banning together and creating interest groups, as well as participating in political parties, individuals who have an interest in child welfare, are more likely to make a substantial difference.
Child sexual abuse has been reported up to 80,000 times a year, but the number of unreported instances is far greater, because the children are afraid to tell anyone what has happened (American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry). Childhood sexual abuse is a traumatic experience affecting the lives of not only the victim, but those close to the victim as well. Many think there is only one person truly traumatized, but in fact, everyone involved is affected. The victim has to deal with their experience the rest of their lives. They may be more at risk for other mental issues as well, including depression. The family involved has to deal with its pain, often causing hardship and discord within the family. This is especially true
Sexual abuse to children happens across every socioeconomic status, ethnic, cultural, religion and education. Getting treatment for a victim of child sexual abuse is a difficult process because of the lack of trust by the child. When child sexual abuse occurs the victim’s family has a difficult time talking about the abuse, which leads to the family pretending the abuse never happened. Once the family
When I was seven, my family was involved in a head-on collision where our Chevy Nova hydroplaned into a Dodge Ram. Severe injuries that occurred both in this accident and a second one two years later (caused by a drunk driver), resulted in both of my parents being permanently disabled and piles of medical bills. By the time I was in the 5th grade my mom and I became heavily involved in various volunteer organizations for low income families, particularly Neighbor Impact and a similar group called Bread of Life. For years these two programs kept my family financially afloat.. I would like to pursue this career in order to help connect families like mine with various resources that will help them get back on their feet.
Child protection gets involved for many reasons such as: your children not going to school, somebody calling them on you, or if you're going through some personal issues. A child in need is usually a child that's left alone, has been abused or sees abused between parents.
Half the children in this country live in homes in which one or both parents work. Twelve million children in this country do not have health insurance, and over 4.5% of all children are victims of suspected child abuse or neglect (Doktor and Poertner). Believe it or not, these are all indicators of the demand for Family Resource Centers within our school systems. Many question whether Family Resource Centers are worth the money the state pours into them. However, in serving students, parents and teachers, there should be no question of their significance. Due to The Kentucky Education Reform Act in the early 1990's we have seen the development of Family Resource Centers in Kentucky, and they are fulfilling
For the purpose of this assignment the focus will be on children and young people who are placed on the Child Protection Register and the Integrated Children’s Computer System. It will look at the current legal, social and policy framework for the child protection register and the integrated children’s computer system and provide an analytical review on how they have been developed. Included for each of these three areas will be an evaluation of how and why they have evolved to contain a higher contribution from the service-user and carer and the effect these have had on the delivery of anti-oppressive services to a diverse range of individuals and service-user groups.