The Poem Give Thanks by Sandra Maria Esteves

A safe place would be at a hospital or police station. The child would be taken care of until a permanent foster home and family are found. Also, the parent or guardian who drops off the child is not questioned and do not face prosecution because they took the effort to drop the child off at a safer

Neglect has happened in the past but it strongly remains in the present. “Nadya Suleman is fighting back against the media’s characterization of her and the claims of child neglect that put the controversial mother of 14 back in the headlines this week” (Abbie Boudreau. ABC News). There are many reasons for neglect; alcohol and drug abuse, inadequate parenting skill, financial difficulties , mental issues, and lack of a support system.

Once the child is neglected and left alone or in an orphanage, they will most likely be exposed to dangerous environments, which might seriously affect their whole life. Children whose parents neglected them often turn to a life of crime, or suffer physical and mental scars. According to the article Neglect During Infancy Can Affect Children For Many Years, Scientist Report by Bio-Medicine states “Many children who are neglected in orphanages during the first months of their life encounter a distinct set of developmental challenges” (Bio-Medicine 1). This indicates the effectiveness of neglect on a child, especially at a young age, just like Baca. In most cases of neglect on a child is more usual to affect a younger child because “the brain develops in early childhood” (Bio-Medicine 1). In the situation with Baca, neglect affected him more than his sibling due to being younger and not having the love and guidance in his life. Since Baca’s brain was still developing he is corrupted mentally because of the issues he has to face in order to survive.

Child neglect can occur in cases such as a parent or a caregiver emotionally or physically neglecting a child (Conte 17). This issue has a lengthy history. Many children have been subjected to neglect by their parents or other adults, for a considerable long period. Children who were under the English common law were given a

Throughout the years there has always been several cases of children being abandoned by their parent’s, because many parents either were not ready to raise a child, the child was born with some type of deficiency, or many children became orphans because both of their parents or caregivers may have passed away. Nowadays there is several places where you may take a child in the case that the parents are unable to take care of

Can you imagine a heartless person leaving a baby in a trash can to fend for himself/herself because they can’t take care of it? That is an example of abandonment, or the act of deserting someone. Many people agree that abandonment is a tragic occurrence and should be stopped. Abandonment affects children. Children are our future, so if you want the future to be bright, then start with this generation.

This piece of work will focus on child neglect and will give a clear and precise understanding of relevant legal issues, appropriate theories and safeguarding practise. Unlike physical or sexual abuse, in which specific abusive acts are directed towards a child, neglect is typically defined by the absence of provision for a child’s basic needs (Gough, 2005). During the past 20 years, the subject and nature of child neglect has been drawn to the notion that this may impact on a child’s development and mental wellbeing. Neglect has been called the ‘Cinderella’ of child welfare topics due to the relative lack of attention the subject has attracted (Tanner and Turney,2006).

Child abuse and neglect can have a lifelong implication on a victim, including in their well-being. Even though the physical wounds on a child may heal, there are several long-term consequences of experiencing the trauma of abuse and/or neglect. Children who are maltreated are often at

Unlike any other period of childhood development, during infancy a child it totally reliant on the caregiver for stimulation. Without proper stimulation during this time period the opportunity to learn critical behaviors can be missed (Perry, 2001). Children who are victims of neglect can experience delayed neurological development, which can then affect their ability to function as healthy adults.

At times this treatment of neglecting is often easily handled by adults and grownups that are brought up mentally and emotionally very strong. Yet most of victimized individuals including adults find it quite difficult to cope up with being neglected.

For the disorder to develop, the individual had to go through tremendous trauma. There are different types of abuse. The wide spectrum of forms of child abuse ranges from the most obvious forms of neglect or negligent injury to other active forms of abuse. Usually, the abandonment begins by the caregiver being emotional neglect towards the child. Suppressing his or her legitimate needs while developing. This can be intentional or not, or on the contrary represent some form of mental or emotional deficit or incapacity of the person in charge of carrying out the care. From this failure of meeting the needs of the child, authentic physical negligence could also develop. The child may not be caught, comforted, bathed with sufficient heat, or suitably

“You do not know how he or she is…. you do not know the whole story…. He or she is impossible,” are just a few excuses used in defense of child abandonment. So many fathers and mothers have rehearsed reasons to blurt out when confronted about the child they have abandoned, none of which are adequate. Unfortunately, this has become a regular occurrence in our society today. It is all too easy to create a child and subsequently walk away from him and/or her and all responsibilities to the child. Unless child support enforcement is involved and action is taken where it is due, these negligent parents do not have any retribution to fear. The same cannot be said for the innocent children. Their lives will be forever shaped around the cowardly choice of the mother or father who chose to abandon them. They are left to puzzle the pieces together, and left with a lifetime of “why’s” before them.

The evolving aspects of what amounts to Trauma presents a complex situation to all the stakeholders involved. New elements are being added to the definition of Trauma. Traditionally, trauma was described as any event that could not be predicted. In addition to the difficulty in prediction, the event had to be overwhelming and prolonged. The event always takes the orientation of imminent danger that may or may not occur. This event can occur to any person at any age. For this reason, definition of trauma keeps on evolving as per the dynamics that keep affecting human life. It also can manifest itself on either emotional or psychological approaches. Despite the complexity surrounding the definition of trauma, it can generally be described as either the emotional or psychological response an individual has over a certain happening which is negative in nature. This response results to devastating effects if not tamed early enough. However, if some has become a victim of trauma, treatment needs to follow immediately. This stems from the fact that nearly all types of trauma can be treated.

Neglect makes up for 59% of child abuse statistics and is defined as “failure of caretakers to provide adequate emotional and physical care for a child” (Dictionary.com). Neglect is broken down into four categories: physical, educational, emotional and psychological, and medical. “A physically neglected child may not be provided with adequate food, clothing, shelter and supervision” (USDHHS, 2007). Neglected children show developmental delays from infancy to early childhood, and show more delayed language skills than abused children, as stated by Trickett & McBride-Chang (2005). These children endure a lifetime of low self-esteem.

The neglect first administered by their parent or parents stays a part of their life. I remember when I was about seven or eight years old, my older sister had a dance recital that had been planned for weeks. The day of the recital my parents had a fight, but before my dad left he promised my sister he would be there. My mom, my sisters, and I went to the recital; we waited, called him, and even looked around for him, but he never showed up. My sister felt that my dad was mad at her and that is why he didn't show up at the recital. She was heartbroken and to this day still has a hard time relying on my father. He made her feel as if he didn't care. This incident created a weight on her shoulders, which can be seen in her inability to keep friends. She is always worried that people aren't going to be there for her when she really needs them and states that the only person she can count on is herself. For you see, she doesn't believe that people really care about her and that it is all just a show. Children remember many things when they are little and the things their parents don't do for them are the hardest to forget.