Child At Risk

Children are seen as vulnerable as they are young and unable to look after themselves without the help of a responsible adult, such as a parent or an extended family member. Children are meant to be protected, but this is not always the case. In this essay, the case of Baby Peter will be used to help illustrate the concept of children being ‘at risk’. In order to help explain the concept of children being ‘at risk’, Beck’s thesis of ‘risk society’ will be described, the vulnerability of children will be explained and the constructions of childhood will be mentioned in order to help talk about how children in society today are at risk. Other theories, such as cultural theory, scientific theory and the psychological theories will also be mentioned in the essay. Towards the end of the essay, child protection procedures and the child protection registers will be introduced and talked about as these can help to reduce the chance of the child being ‘at risk’ in a ‘risk society’.

Protecting children from maltreatment also preventing impairment of children’s health or development. This ensuring that children are growing up in circumstances consistent with the provision of safe and effective care. Taking action to enable all children and young people to have the best outcomes.

Neglect and abuse towards children still occurs in society today as it did in pre-industrial times. Adult control over children can take the extreme form of physical neglect, or physical, sexual, or emotional abuse. Some may say due to figures from charities such as Child Line rising there is a ‘dark side’ to family life, where children are victims. This shows in some cases the status of children hasn’t changed over time.

The overview of these three programs and attaining them is optimal, essentially a cycle of opportunity. By providing these services it develops a base for a long-term goal of achieving self-sufficiency and out of poverty. However, the accessibility of these beneficial resources may be difficult to obtain based on eligibility. New ideas that may help improve or reduce disparities in future programs can begin by concentrating on and expanding educational resources. For instance, a program that holds educational sessions on a monthly base, targeting communities, informing families of available resources and assisting with the application process. Another idea would be collaborating with the school system, specifically low-income based communities. After school program can be initiated to target parents that need assistance with extra resources and services. Lastly, innovating a classroom setting program for the duration of one-year, furthering educational and leadership ability for

Children have been described as our future, our greatest resource, and our hope for a better tomorrow. For many Americans, though, children invoke fear. They represent violence, a segment of society lacking in self-control and devoid of ethics and morals, and the failure of the family to instill traditional values, chief among them being the value of human life and respect for others.

In “The Kids Are Not All Right ,” author Joel Bakan argues that it is necessary to believe that childhood itself is now in a crisis. He states that it is necessary to reignite the guiding of ethos and practices of the century of the child. Bakan claims that children are endangered due to the exposure to violent media, potentially harmful psychotropic drugs, and increasing quantities of toxic channels. The author believes that we should work together as citizens to provide a safe community, through democratic channels and institutions, to bring change.

Foster care has been a forgotten, ignored topic, but it is the reality for tons of children across the world. This fact brings up the question, should every human be allowed to have children? On one hand, some argue that it is a human’s right and instinct to have children. On the contrary, others argue that many people are incapable, too uninformed, and unstable to raise children, but it certainly doesn’t stop them from having them. This way of living is the primary source of why more and more children are ending up in foster care, which fits this statistic that, “There are more than 400,000 children in foster care today, up from 270,000 in the early 1980s” (Jost 1). All these children are all coming from the same common factor, “child

Child at risk: Children at risk “lack basic necessities like food, clothing, shelter, safety, parental support, healthcare, and education needed for normal childhood development. They are at risk of never reaching their God-given potential physically, socially, emotionally, and mentally” (Stand4Kids,

Education-based intervention and prevention play a crucial role in influencing young children from at-risk communities. Many researchers have concluded that early interventions improve the child’s academic performance, behaviours and learning abilities in the short and long term (McMahon, Washburn, Felix, Yakin & Childrey, 2000). Based on developmental and social theories, the child’s experiences in the earlier years have great impact on their future achievement. In turn, the foundation of a child’s academic success is formed at a very young age, before they enter the school system (Ansari & Gershoff, 2015). Intervention strategies that target young children, have a greater impact for future development since they provide them with guidance,

It is known that the children are unable to determine their life circumstances, their families, and care solely for themselves without supervision. With this being said, children have little to no jurisdiction in determining the situations that they are confronted with. Most of the time when we ponder child poverty we think of low-income families or lack of food in the household, but it extends beyond that to “an environment that is damaging to their mental, physical, emotional and spiritual development” (“Children Under Threat,” 2005). Unfortunately, the prevalence of youth poverty in the United States may seem uncommon to those who are personally unaffected by the crisis; however, statistics show that 15 million children (21% of all children) live in families with incomes below the federal poverty threshold (Child Poverty, 2017). Moreover, when considering the demographics of impoverished children the following are true: a child in the U.S. has a 1 in 5 chance of being poor and the younger they are the poorer they are likely to be, and a child of color is more than twice as likely to be poor than a White child (Child Poverty, 2017). Research proves that poverty is the single greatest threat to a child’s well-being as it decreases the likelihood of a child graduating from high school, and it increases the chances of them becoming involved with the criminal justice system (Ending Child Poverty Now, 2017).

The random assignment Perry Preschool Project in Ypsilanti, Michigan (1962-1967) found positive effects on soft skills as well, but no sustained IQ gains. The study targeted African-American children with a low IQ, between 70 and 85, at study entry, and disadvantaged as measured by parental employment level, parental education, and housing density (Schweinhart). Unlike the Head Start study, the design involved random assignment to either a preschool program group or a no-preschool program group with elements of accommodation to reality (for example, younger siblings were assigned to the same groups as their older siblings to prevent the spread of program effects into the no-program group). This allowed the study to be closer to a true random assignment. The program had a 6:1 student to teacher ratio and every teacher had at least a bachelor’s degree. To incentivize highly qualified teachers, the program paid them teacher salaries plus a 10% bonus. Evidence of stronger program effects on females appears for regular high school graduation rate, repeating a grade, and treatment for mental impairment. However, the program effect on criminal arrests more effective for males, but this is because males were arrested more frequent basis. 69% of no-program males were arrested compared to 45% in the trial group. The girls showed a 10% difference at 24% vs. 34% in the no-program group (Schweinhart, 17). Overall, the program showed a 7.16:1 benefit to cost ratio indicating the early

The intangible resources are maternal capital (e.g., education, skills, knowledge), time, social status and place within the family structure, inter-household relations of child care and resource exchange. These intangible resources are relevant to children's vulnerability. First, higher-income people have a better education and live in better households. Education improves people's autonomy and decision making. For instance, educated women have higher authority and can make a better decision about their child's health. Low-income people have low levels of education and live in high-frequency homes, which influence the children's vulnerability in these households. Moreover, low educated people have a lower ability to understand diarrhea transmission

“There are approximately forty nine million children and youth, ages 6-17 living in the U.S.” (“Making the Case” 1). Children need care while they are in the initial stages of growth and development. Whether this care is provided by a mother, father, sibling, or other guardian, a child needs to be loved. When children turn a certain age, the care of the family is added to by caregivers in another institution. While attending school, children are shown care for the duration of the day by teachers, mentors, and other aids. This is a productive time for the children’s development because they are being nurtured in a well rounded, safe environment. This environment provides initial academic

“Rich kids, middle-class kids, poor kids - all deal with risk and neglect on a scale unimagined in previous generations” (Hewitt 11). There are problems of poverty, absentee parents, divorce, violence and drugs, plus much more that is simply out of hand. Deprivation and rejection dominate the lives of many children, among both poor and middle-class.

Over the course of the semester we have discussed and analyzed several issues and situations that can create adverse conditions for children. Unfortunately, the society in the U.S. portrays children as being fragile and vulnerable. Thus, leading to the belief that children require an immense need for protecting and sheltering from troublesome events. However, as we have progressed through the stories of several children from various eras and backgrounds. It has become quite clear that the children are actually quite capable of handling adverse situations.