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Child Welfare Essay

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Ethics and Social Justice | HUM220 A02
Module 5, Assignment 1: Analyzing a Social Policy

6/2013

In the past, more importantly today, many social policies have been created by humans, and can therefore also be destroyed by them as well. Social policies were designed to resolve issues that are “considered important by a mass of voters, media, and political actors” (Argosy, 2013). Social policy are only the start of help for some, yet they aren’t always effective, rational, or socially just (Argosy, 2013).
An important social problem at hand is child welfare. “The protection of children from harm by their families and the provision of safe havens for children who are maltreated in their home …show more content…

Theories behind the actually cause of child abuse, neglect, and/or maltreatment vary from person to person. It is stated from one source, that child abuse is due to factors such as psychological problems, mental illness, family issues, and financial struggles. A person who is “not in their right mind,” or better stated- ‘mentally ill’ and suffering psychological problems, could harm a child, and it is not always intentional. Those who are under the influence of drugs or stressed could easily harm their children. Also, “financial problems could invoke parents or other members of the family to abuse children as an outlet of their emotions” (Gibson, 2008). I cannot begin, as an individual who suffered abuse (not by my parents), to choose just one important reason of child abuse, because the cause itself is multifaceted- a result of multiple factors at play. There are socio-economic causes of child abuse: family income levels, different cultural values, and institutionalized manifestations of child abuse. There are family environments & parental profiles that take part in the causes of child abuse: Child rearing practices, single parenting, past involvement in abuse, and domestic violence; ages & maturity of the parents, and more (Zentactics, 2008). Each cause varies on the attitude, and disposistion of the parent, caregiver, or guardian, at a

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