Social Policy: Child Abuse and Neglect

Social Policy: Child Abuse and Neglect

Child Abuse and Neglect Question Description Assignment

Child Abuse and Neglect – Physical, emotional, and sexual abuse can have devastating consequences for a child and his or her family. Social workers must be able to identify and respond to cases of abuse expertly and efficiently. Victims/survivors of abuse can take the first step on the long road to healing with the help of an understanding and helpful social worker.

Read the case study Working With Survivors of Sexual Abuse and Trauma: The Case of Brandon for this Assignment, and then consider what you would do if you were a social worker and had to report a parent of suspected child abuse.

Submit a 2- to 4-page paper in which you review the social worker’s approach in Brandon’s case. Determine how the social worker might have used the ecological model to comprehend Brandon’s situation from a person-in-environment standpoint.

Important information for writing discussion questions and participation

Welcome to class

Hello class and welcome to the class and I will be your instructor for this course. This is a -week course and requires a lot of time commitment, organization, and a high level of dedication. Please use the class syllabus to guide you through all the assignments required for the course. I have also attached the classroom policies to this announcement to know your expectations for this course. Please review this document carefully and ask me any questions if you do. You could email me at any time or send me a message via the “message” icon in halo if you need to contact me. I check my email regularly, so you should get a response within 24 hours. If you have not heard from me within 24 hours and need to contact me urgently, please send a follow up text to

I strongly encourage that you do not wait until the very last minute to complete your assignments. Your assignments in weeks 4 and 5 require early planning as you would need to present a teaching plan and interview a community health provider. I advise you look at the requirements for these assignments at the beginning of the course and plan accordingly. I have posted the YouTube link that explains all the class assignments in detail. It is required that you watch this 32-minute video as the assignments from week 3 through 5 require that you follow the instructions to the letter to succeed. Failure to complete these assignments according to instructions might lead to a zero. After watching the video, please schedule a one-on-one with me to discuss your topic for your project by the second week of class. Use this link to schedule a 15-minute session. Please, call me at the time of your appointment on my number. Please note that I will NOT call you.

Please, be advised I do NOT accept any assignments by email. If you are having technical issues with uploading an assignment, contact the technical department and inform me of the issue. If you have any issues that would prevent you from getting your assignments to me by the deadline, please inform me to request a possible extension. Note that working fulltime or overtime is no excuse for late assignments. There is a 5%-point deduction for every day your assignment is late. This only applies to approved extensions. Late assignments will not be accepted.

If you think you would be needing accommodations due to any reasons, please contact the appropriate department to request accommodations.

Plagiarism is highly prohibited. Please ensure you are citing your sources correctly using APA 7th edition. All assignments including discussion posts should be formatted in APA with the appropriate spacing, font, margin, and indents. Any papers not well formatted would be returned back to you, hence, I advise you review APA formatting style. I have attached a sample paper in APA format and will also post sample discussion responses in subsequent announcements.

Your initial discussion post should be a minimum of 200 words and response posts should be a minimum of 150 words. Be advised that I grade based on quality and not necessarily the number of words you post. A minimum of TWO references should be used for your initial post. For your response post, you do not need references as personal experiences would count as response posts. If you however cite anything from the literature for your response post, it is required that you cite your reference. You should include a minimum of THREE references for papers in this course. Please note that references should be no more than 5 years old except recommended as a resource for the class. Furthermore, for each discussion board question, you need ONE initial substantive response and TWO substantive responses to either your classmates or your instructor for a total of THREE responses. There are TWO discussion questions each week, hence, you need a total minimum of SIX discussion posts for each week. I usually post a discussion question each week. You could also respond to these as it would count towards your required SIX discussion posts for the week.

I understand this is a lot of information to cover in 5 weeks, however, the Bible says in Philippians 4:13 that we can do all things through Christ that strengthens us. Even in times like this, we are encouraged by God’s word that we have that ability in us to succeed with His strength. I pray that each and every one of you receives strength for this course and life generally as we navigate through this pandemic that is shaking our world today. Relax and enjoy the course!

Hi Class,

Please read through the following information on writing a Discussion question response and participation posts.

Contact me if you have any questions.

Important information on Writing a Discussion Question

• Your response needs to be a minimum of 150 words (not including your list of references)
• There needs to be at least TWO references with ONE being a peer reviewed professional journal article.
• Include in-text citations in your response
• Do not include quotes—instead summarize and paraphrase the information
• Follow APA-7th edition
• Points will be deducted if the above is not followed

Participation –replies to your classmates or instructor

• A minimum of 6 responses per week, on at least 3 days of the week.
• Each response needs at least ONE reference with citations—best if it is a peer reviewed journal article
• Each response needs to be at least 75 words in length (does not include your list of references)
• Responses need to be substantive by bringing information to the discussion or further enhance the discussion. Responses of “I agree” or “great post” does not count for the word count.
• Follow APA 7th edition
• Points will be deducted if the above is not followed

• Remember to use and follow APA-7th edition for all weekly assignments, discussion questions, and participation points.
• Here are some helpful links
• The is a great resource

Explain how the ecological model was used in this case at the micro, mezzo, and macro levels.

Describe any strengths that the social worker may have overlooked when evaluating Brandon and his mother.

Examine the difficulties identified by the social worker and explain the impact the abuse could have had on Brandon if his strengths had not been identified and addressed.

Please use the Learning Resources to back up your response.

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References to Social Policy: Child Abuse and Neglect

N. L. Holt, B. C. Kingsley, L. N. Tink, and J. Scherer (2011). The advantages and disadvantages of low-income children and parents participating in sports. 490-499 in Psychology of Sport and Exercise, 12(5). The information was obtained from the Walden Library’s databases. Child Abuse and Neglect in Social Policy

S.-B. Plummer, S. Makris, and S. M. Brocksen (Eds). (2014). Case studies in social work: first year. Laureate International Universities Publishing, Baltimore, MD. [Vital Source eBook Reader]

Working with Survivors of Sexual Abuse and Trauma: Brandon’s Story

R. Roose and M. De Bie (2008). Children’s rights: A social work challenge International Journal of Social Work, 51(1), pp. 37-46. The information was obtained from the Walden Library’s databases. Child Abuse and Neglect in Social Policy

C. H. Zastrow and K. K. Kirst-Ashman (2016). Understanding human behavior and social interactions (10th ed.). Cengage Learning, Boston, MA. Child Abuse and Neglect in Social Policy

Case of Child Abuse and Neglect in Social Policy

Working with Survivors of Sexual Abuse and Trauma: Brandon’s Story

Brandon, a 12-year-old Caucasian boy, lives with his mother and her boyfriend. Brandon revealed six years ago that his father had sexually abused him on multiple occasions between the ages of four and six. Brandon’s mother immediately contacted law enforcement, and his father has been imprisoned since. Brandon has previously attended therapy to address difficult behaviors such as physical aggression, difficulty following rules at home and school, and using inappropriate language with sexual overtones toward female peers. Brandon and his mother report that they previously stopped attending therapy because there was no change in Brandon’s behavior. Brandon’s teachers have suggested that his behaviors are similar to those of peers with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, but his mother has declined educational or psychological testing because she does not want her son labeled and is unsure about the use of psychotropic medication with children.

Brandon started going to trauma-focused treatment after displaying an increase in argumentative behavior and minor property destruction at home. His mother stated that the majority of his undesirable behaviors began during interactions with her boyfriend. Brandon’s physical aggression in school has not increased; however, a female peer recently reported him for using sexually explicit language toward her. Brandon admitted to using inappropriate language toward the female peer, but he appeared to have a limited understanding of the phrases used. Brandon’s mother expressed concern during intake that her son will become a violent sexual offender or a pedophile, and that his use of sexual language was likely the beginning of sexual behavior problems.

Brandon reported that at the start of treatment, he frequently feared for his physical safety but couldn’t pinpoint what made him feel unsafe. He had searched the Internet for registered sexual offenders in his neighborhood, and he had started sleeping with a loaded BB gun under his pillow in case someone broke into his house and assaulted him again. Brandon had flashbacks while trying to sleep and described feeling as if he was floating outside of his body when he remembered his abuse. He had seen a television show in which victims spoke at their perpetrators’ parole hearings, and he had spent many hours considering what he would say if he went to his father’s parole hearing in three years. Brandon felt he loved his father a lot and that he was a great father except when he hurt him. Brandon identified his primary treatment goals as wanting to feel less worried, sleep better, and fight less with his mother.

Brandon and I worked together in individual and family sessions to address his depression and post-traumatic stress disorder symptoms (PTSD). Early sessions focused on coping skills and emotional regulation, using a trauma-focused cognitive behavioral therapy approach. Brandon began discussing his sexual abuse history and the ongoing impact this experience had on his life as he became more comfortable expressing his feelings and utilizing coping skills. I met with Brandon’s mother for collateral sessions to assist her in identifying and processing her own feelings about his abuse, as well as developing skills to support Brandon through his treatment. Brandon’s mother received psychoeducation about childhood sexual abuse, and cognitive behavioral therapy was used to challenge her belief that her son would become a violent sexual offender as a result of his experience. She agreed to meet with the agency psychiatrist, and she agreed to have Brandon meet with the doctor after the initial consultation. Brandon was prescribed a low dose of antidepressant medication following a psychiatric evaluation.

Brandon finished a trauma narrative in which he detailed his sexual abuse experience, his disclosure of the abuse, and his father’s trial and subsequent imprisonment. Brandon described his feelings at each stage of his story, as well as what he learned in treatment about childhood sexual abuse and coping skills for dealing with uncomfortable feelings and impulsivity. Brandon shared his trauma story with his mother, who used skills learned and practiced during collateral parent sessions to provide a safe and supportive environment during this experience. Brandon’s depression and post-traumatic stress symptoms gradually improved during treatment. Brandon’s family and I agreed that he was ready to end trauma-focused treatment after 8 months of sessions and the successful completion of his trauma narrative. Brandon continued to receive medication management from a psychiatrist and transitioned into home- and community-based treatment aimed at his persistent impulsive behaviors.

Assignment on Social Policy: Child Abuse and Neglect: Assignment on Social Policy: Child Abuse and Neglect Response
Respond to at least two colleagues who chose a different position than you by suggesting how the policy initiative can be implemented.
Make a list of any challenges or obstacles you encounter while passing and implementing the initiative.

Make specific references to the resources to back up your response. Make sure to include complete APA citations for your references.

Child Abuse and Neglect in Social Policy Colleague 1: RW

According to the NASW policy statement on child abuse or neglect, “authorities should leave nonoffending parents or guardians and their children in their own homes and remove the batterers in domestic violence cases to preserve the stability of children’s caregiving and residence.” (NASW, 2008). A policy initiative that I would initiate would be to expand on the idea of providing a place to stay for the nonoffending parent and children. I would implement a policy that would provide temporary housing to parents who may be living in the homes of the offending parents while they seek financial assistance to ensure the safety of their children. This is similar to some existing policies, particularly in DCS, regarding relative placement. The NASW statement and existing policies are designed to minimize the traumatic experience for children while also maintaining a sense of familiarity for the children. As a result, any removals due to domestic violence will be a smoother transition for the children and other victims involved, while also ensuring the safety of everyone involved.

NASW (2009).

Social work speaks for itself. NASW Press, Washington, DC, pp. 42-48.

Colleague 2: DP Social Policy: Child Abuse and Neglect

Position Statement on Child Abuse and Neglect by the National Association of Social Workers

“Children have the right to be treated as individuals and to receive culturally sensitive services,” I chose. “Children have the right to express their views on their lives and have those views taken into account in all placement and judicial proceedings” (National Association of Social Workers, 2005, p. 46). While I believe that children, depending on their age, cannot fully vouch for themselves, I do believe that children have the ability to express themselves in some way. We sometimes fail to recognize that children have their own thought processes, as well as how and what they comprehend. What would be in conflict is if the child desires something that is incompatible with the child’s safety. Of course, appropriate action should then be taken.

Initiative on Policy

Better accommodations in services and treatment for/towards children who have been abused and neglected is a policy initiative I would support. It would be more in depth in terms of age and maturity to include safety in all aspects. Some children are highly adapted culturally speaking, while others prefer to remain in that setting or to respect cultural mannerisms. Other children are adamant about what they are comfortable in and around, and they have preferences based on their individual preferences. While not all accommodations may be made satisfactorily for each individual child, there is still the possibility of attempting to provide all of what is available to a child or respecting a child’s unique wishes and likings.

State Policies in Georgia

Georgia’s child abuse policy for court procedures states that professionals/officials will determine what will happen to the child within the first 72 hours (Court Appointed Special Advocates for Children, n.d., pp. 3-4). The proposal I proposed could change the policy by extending the timeline for when a child is taken into custody and who decides what. This, I believe, could occur because, depending on what the child expresses (whether concerns or the direction the child wishes to take), it may necessitate a longer process in order for the child to elaborate and obtain the respect as well as the specific services required to cater to the child.