Social Work For Children, Child Protection And Child Participation

Throughout this assessment I will analyse a critical incident of an interaction between a worker and a service user or carer during my statutory observation experience. I will conclude my own assessment of the situation and demonstrate my understanding of the use of self, context in which social work takes place and the knowledge and methods of practice. I will not use any of the service users, carers or agencies names in this essay due to the data protection act 1998. I will also adhere to the GSCC codes of conduct that respect and relate to the service users

More than ever, Child protection is a topical issue. That’s why many years ago the British government, aware of the fragility and vulnerability of children to adults, has implemented a number of laws relating to children and young people in the UK. These laws are made to define the inherent right of children, and also to define the implication of their rights for all those responsible of or using any childhood services; but more specifically what we will see through the legislation concerning the rights of children, is how they may impact the work of childcarers, how they can

I need to start by admitting that this video was difficult to watch! Within a few seconds of watching the video I was reminded of the level of difficulty of the social work profession. As described in the video, Child Protection Services’ role is to protect children from neglect and abuse (Mierendorf, 2000). Similarly, social workers play several significant and complex roles within child advocacy. Social workers need to ensure the safety and well-being of children and be their voice when they are being silenced or maltreated. Social workers need to identify the abuse and address the situation accordingly. This could be particularly difficult when is in the best interest of children to be removed from their

This essay will focus on how contemporary social workers work to balance the competing demand of care and control. It will start by outlining the nature of the contemporary social work and what it is like and how it works within society. The discussion will then move on to look at and discuss the key professional values of social work practitioners and analyse its relationship to their own personal values, this will also bring into account how these values and views influenced the relationship a social worker can have with both service users and other agencies. Lastly it will explore the range of challenges and dilemmas that are faced by social work practitioners in everyday practice when it comes to trying to balance the demand of care and control and how they work to overcome these problems in order to ensure an effective and fair service to all who avail of it.

A social worker is obligated to report suspected abuse or neglect of a vulnerable adult as under section 42 of Care Act 2014 safeguarding regulations this is a reasonable cause for a Local Authority to conduct an enquiry (Care Act, 2014c.23:P1:s42). Hence, even when working with family carers, social workers remain vigilant as according to Age UK (2016) 50 vulnerable people per hour are abused or neglected within their own home by people known to them. Accountability could explain social workers’ preference to undertake the assessments of both carer and who they care for at the same time as discrepancies, like those which may cause alarm, can be clarified easier by working simultaneously with the carer and ‘patient’ (Knapp and Hewison, 1999). Likewise, Campbell Reay and Browne (2001) state that in-depth knowledge of the carers’

There are ethical issues relating to children being participants in the looked after setting. Therefore, the TMA03 study carried out debates about multi breakdowns in the care system and explored the extent to which children should be regarded as valued sources in social research instead of children being positioned as vulnerable, incompetent and relatively powerless in society and this relates to how this conceptualisation of children can be used in social research, in order for them to have reliable or consistent involvement in their decision-making.

During the 1980’s and to the mid 1990’s, the provision for looked after children underwent a massive overhaul. After the abuse and deaths of another three children in the early 80‘s, a number of parliamentary reports led to the development of The Children Act 1989. This act “marked a watershed in legislation on children” and “tried to balance two sets of contradictory pressures; greater child protection with greater parental rights” (Glennerster, 2007). Also, an alarming number of reports into institutional abuse of children in care in the1990‘s came to light, and following a frenzied media coverage, and yet another public outcry, the government commissioned Sir William Utting, Chief Inspector of the Social Services Inspectorate to

Service provider should ensure that their staffs are trained to identify difficulties and differences between the services users. As supported by the Children Act 2004, this Act updates but does not supersede Children Act 1989. The Act provides a legislative spine for the wider strategy for improving children's lives. This covers the universal services which every child accesses, and more targeted services for those with additional needs. The Children Act 2004 placed a new duty on local authorities to promote the educational achievement of looked after children.

This essay will identify a case I have been involved in and have continuously had to assess whilst on placement. It will refer to a child who will be identified as A. A is a young carer and has only recently returned home after being removed from his mothers care due to her having a substance abuse problem and mental health concerns. I will link the legal framework that was relevant to this case study and describe actions taken. Additionally these actions will demonstrate the application of social work methods and theories that were contributive elements in his intervention, offering explanations as to why these particular methods were used. Before closing, the essay will review any issues of discrimination with a reflection of the

Social Services role is to investigate and support children who are at risk. Safeguarding the welfare of those that are more vulnerable, usually within the home environment.

The article immediately starts out with a gruesome horror story that no child should have to endure. Then talks about the history of the cycle we have fallen into. “child protective services has been driven by horror stories that have become a meta-narrative: social workers screw up by missing the telltale signs of abuse, kids get hurt, laws are reformed, and thus more at-risk children are taken out of their homes and given to loving adoptive families.” then goes to say that they do not live happily ever after. That only 20% of kid come out of the system well-adjusted. The article talks about how the media is quick to job on Social Service for being the cause of childrens ' deaths and that is why the system takes kids. The media expects you to remove kids at the warning signs, but not too early because you will be portrayed as a monster if you violate parents right. Warning signs do not predict the future, just because a police officer interviews a man who is black and poor, and has committed a crime before and they think he will commit a crime again, they can not arrest them. The police officer who had an interview with the man is not going to get blamed for not taking the man off the streets if that man leaves the interview and commits a crime. So why would a social worker get the blame?

The Children’s Act 2004 – provides the legal basis for how social service and other agencies deal with issues relating to children. It arose from the Green Paper “Every Child Matters” and identifies the following outcomes for all children:

'Social workers have a professional and ethical responsibility to (...) interact and intervene with clients and their environments' (Teater, 2010, p.4). According to this premise, the ecological approach in social work interventions offers an effective method of relating children, young people and their families to their environment. It is an approach that allows social workers to intervene in cases where a child is abused or neglected, while providing a good theoretical framework for social workers' direct work. This essay is going to assess the ecological model within a social work practice directed at children. It will stress the importance of this model, and explain its application in today's child protection work.

This essay will explore what it means to be a professional social worker and what the term ‘social work’ entails in contemporary England. Then, it will briefly focus on the history of social work regulation as well as exploring how ‘personal values’ and ‘professional values’ impact on social work practice and also explain how professional standards, codes, values and ethics are relevant to social work practice and their relevance to service users and carers.

For this end of module assessment I will be looking at the case study of Safia Nazir, her husband Nazir Rashid and their 3 children Taqi, Asif and Amina who live in Scotland and have been bought to the attention of social services for various reasons. I will be demonstrating my understanding of what the social workers role would be in relation to this family, including the skills and knowledge needed to meet the family’s individual needs. The social worker in this case study is called Shona and what I have read of her and her initial steps to work with the family come across as appropriate and professional. I will go into more detail about Shona’s work and my understanding of her role later in the assignment and make potential comparisons or reflect on what I may or may not do differently. I will consider issues in relation to my personal and professional values and will also refer to policy and practice from English legislation; as this is my country of practice. I will be focusing on early intervention and the initial steps in social work, such as making contact, meeting and the initial assessment.