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 environment are the twin goals of child welfare policy” (Jimenez, 2013). Child welfare policies were formulated to end problems of child abuse, maltreatment, or neglect by enforcing certain expectations and requirements of the safety of all children, creating and/or maintaining proper family functioning, and the development of alternative care children (Jimenez, 2013).
The child welfare policies that exist today are stated to be a “relatively new phenomena". Over the course of human history, childhood has evolved. This dates back to the various ways of raising children; how they are disciplines, what they will eat, and how they will be educated. There was a time when children would be responsible for providing for their parents economically, to later being viewed as an economic liability themselves.
In the year 1641, the ‘Stubborn Child Act’ was developed in Massachusetts.This act made it okay for parents to place their ‘defiant’ children before a judge in a court of law. If the child was found to be ‘guilty,’ they would be victim to capital punishment in the form of death. Governments barely had say in this, and still dating back to the 18th century, children had very few rights, and little respect; their needs less important than the need of their parents. Thankfully, parenting and laws have changed- the survival of children today is of equal, if not greater importance, as well as their emotional, social, and intellectual well-being (Jimenez, 2013).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 particular time and place. Apparently, child abuse was not limited to one population, culture, ethnicity, or race- but did you know that about 5 children die every day due to child abuse?Statistics say that in 2010, there were over 1,500 counts of child fatalities due to due to child abuse. Child neglect has resulted in 32.
6% fatalities, 40. 8% due to neglect, 22. 9% cause by physical abuse, and 1. 5% by medical neglect (FOCA, 2011).
More frequently though if there was coined a certain population, “African American, American Indian or Alaska Native, and Pacific Islander children have higher rates of reported child maltreatment than do other children it would be the children who are African American.These families had different views of childrearing—their children raised under certain circumstances based on cultural roots, and oppression, different from that of ‘white’ children. It was stated that the structures of parenting were different when it comes to the African American and Caucasian communities, and there were many correlating factors which led to the abuse of children. It was hard to get a child in with a better family, or away from their abusers. Eventually this would change, as the ideas of equality between the groups and their children slowly increased- It was during the “1960s thatAfrican American children were able to get away from those treating them badly.
They were soon able to be placed in private orphanages, which became residential treatment centers. States were reimbursed for the children to be placed in alternative homes. A great policy that addresses child abuse is ‘The Child Abuse & Prevention Treatment Act,’ or CAPTA, passed in1974. It was a response due to the problem or parental child abuse which called for “government sponsored professional interventions,” and established a set of reporting laws and standards—a tightening or laws that were created in the past.States were requiring providing facilities that treated and housed abused children. Though child abuse was thought to be more a small issue, it grew to be an epidemic, as several states began reporting that there was an increase in this disturbing issue.
The purpose of all policies developed regarding maltreatment of children and punishment was to end child abuse.It was assumed that making laws to report abuse would somehow cease or deter those who participated in these acts; the problem was far from solved. The inference was that public exposure and the ensuing shame would be enough to deter families from abuse, even though state officials testified that they were inundated with so many reports of child abuse that they could not investigate them. ” More funding for foster care had afterward been increased. The development of policies increased as well; Adoptions Assistance Act of 1980, Adoptions and Safe families’ act of 1997, and the Indian Child welfare & Multiethnic placement acts.
Each of these focused on improving one another—again, acts & policies that were already developed. It began to get a little more known that Child abuse was not okay, when a few of these acts made it reunification of the abusers with their children would be denied, based on the type & severity of the abuse. Since the year 2006, well over 500,000 children have been placed in foster care for an average of almost 33 months, which represents there has been a decline in the reports and cases of child abuse of over 40,000. Of children in foster care, 41% were classified as White, non-Hispanic; 32% were Black, non-Hispanic; 18% were Hispanic; and 8% were from other ethnic groups” some children remained with families & relatives, some with new adoptive parents, and some would continue to wait to be adopted. There are still a large number of children waiting to be adopted, as well as a large number of children in foster care with their parents rights completely terminated.
