Risk Assessment In Child Care

In South Carolina, Family Preservation is of the highest importance when dealing with cases involving children. Title 63 of the Code of Laws of South Carolina is the South Carolina Children’s Code dedicated to the protection and advocacy of children. S.C. Code Ann. § 63-7-10 (1976) states that “Any intervention by the State into family life on behalf of children must be guided by law, by strong philosophical underpinnings, and by sound professional standards for practice.” (S.C. Code Ann. § 63-7-10 (1976))

There are many flaws throughout the child welfare system that can hinder its overall goal of protecting children. There have been several cases in child protection that have resulted in tragedy, either within the foster care system itself, or in the child’s biological home.

Each day, the safety and well-being of children across the Nation are threatened by child abuse and neglect. Intervening effectively in the lives of these children and their families are not the sole responsibility of any agency, but rather the safety and the care of the children in need. Child Protective Services (CPS) was created by law to make sure children are safe and to help families create a safe environment for their children. When investigating a report of abuse or neglect, CPS seeks active involvement from the children’s parents and other family members to help solve issues that lead to abuse or neglect. The objective of CPS is to reunify parents and children whenever possible, and if reunification is not possible, CPS will seek to

Pam will develop and utilize skills to manage her frustration with parents or others, 3 out of 4 days per week.

Family structure talks about family arrangement and composition which includes the roles and interactions (Edelman, 2014). According to Minuchin (2012), the family structural theory emphasis on the important of the family structure and its changes that occurs and how the individuals in the family relate collectively over time to put up and accept each other. Minuchin says further that a well-functioning family will choose how to solve and handle the family experience with a positive outcome. The goal of a structural family is to express the strengths in each other in critical moments, and helping each other through it. Developmental theory is the methods used as the viewpoint of family tasking and development through phases of life (Edelman, 2014).

Joseph A. Doyle Jr. (2007) discusses, “Children investigated for abuse or neglect are not tracked over time in a systematic way.” (p.1584). If the foster system does not efficiently track the wellbeing of these children, it makes it difficult to provide all the necessary support for them. Providing a program that will help track, transition, and counsel these children will greatly impact the overall improvement of the foster system.

Every year, 2 million children come into contact with the child welfare system due to investigations of parental abuse or neglect (U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, 2004). A recent policy implemented by Anytown’s Department of Job and Family Services pertains to the issue of child endangerment. It states that, “any household having one or more documented offenses of domestic violence, child abuse, or drug or alcohol related offenses committed by the mother, father, guardian, and/ or caregiver, will result in the removal of any child or children from the home.” The child will be placed in the care of the state until documentation can be provided on the offender, whereas they are “offense free” for a period of no less than six

The purpose of this paper is to select a family and enter into a contract to determine the needs of the family. Five visits spanning five weeks helped identify family interests, needs, and concerns. The paper identifies three priority family needs determined during family visits. It utilizes evidenced based educational materials to teach the family based on the three needs identified. The paper identifies interventions for each need utilizing evidence based practice and education. It evaluates the interventions and examines any adaptations used. The contractual relationship is terminated on the final visit and appropriate referrals

Family theories have been used throughout the history of nursing to help guide patient care and provide the best patient outcomes. Certain theories may be more applicable to the specific patient encounter; however, each theory has benefits and drawbacks to their use. The purpose of this paper is to examine two selected theories, comparing their strengths and weaknesses. I will also discuss a theoretical family in relation to one theory, and how that theory can be best integrated into the care provided by an Advanced Practice Nurse (APN).

The Calgary Family Assessment Model (CFAM) is a renowned assessment tool used by nurses in conceptualizing and organizing data gathered while working with families(Wright and Leahey, 2009). It is a useful tool both for compiling data for a family assessment as well as in assisting families to deal with specific health issues. The CFAM has three main categories namely: structural which encompasses the internal, external and contextual; developmental which includes stages, tasks and attachments; and functional level which hasthe instrumental (daily living activities) and expressive which includes communication, problem solving, roles, power, beliefs, alliances and coalition(John & Flowers, 2009).

The risk assessment mandate of the current child protection practice is crop up in connection with individual responsibility of neo-liberal ideology. The right of the worker is given during their “mandate to investigate, monitor, assess and dispose of” (Strega & Carriere, 2009 p.16) of child protection cases under the legal system. As a result of child protection practice merely becomes a risk assessment model of bureaucratic approach. Apparently, child protection in Canada turns out as a mechanical social intervention with more focus on short-term remedial recommendations and limited or no emphasis on the holistic view of the problem (Strega & Carriere, 2009 p.20). This process is not really supporting the family in terms of a long term “helping, healing and change”. The current risk assessment process reinforces the idea that once the risk is identified or properly addressed, the children are safe and prevented from future risk. It also broadens the false notion that child welfare means protection of the children rather than providing support to the children and

Family systems theory is a framework for understanding families and their strengths and dysfunctions. The strengths identified among family relations can be used to help solve existing problems. The same applies with problems identified. The family system theory is based on Bowen’s theory which argues that people cannot leave independent of each other’s network of relationships. People within a family are connected emotionally, which affects their overall well being and social relations and behaviour. There is a growing complexity and diversity in families. Family systems theory provides a foundation for analysis of such complex and diversified families, making it easy to understand for effective therapy (Zastrow &

According to a Child Protective Investigation, there are approximately half a million children in the U.S. foster care system, otherwise known as congregate care (group homes and institutions). Children are placed in congregate care when they are found to be in an unsafe environment. Usually children of abuse or maltreatment are placed first (Font, 2015). Out-of-home-care causes increased problems of attachment, behavioral, and psychological disorders in the developing child.

The purpose of this paper is to discuss four types of family approaches and provide examples of how to implement appropriate nursing interventions. The four types of family approaches discussed are family as context, as client, as a system, and as a component of society. Each type of family approach is defined and described in detail. An example from my personal experience for each type of family approach discussed is provided to augment the topic. The conclusion provides an overview of the papers contents and identifies the main points discussed to result with improved awareness of how to care for the family as a unit in nursing.

Policies are put in place for people to follow not only in the government setting but also in much smaller settings. According to Zastrow and Kirst-Ashman (2016) defines policy as a clearly stated or implicit procedure, plan, rule, or stance concerning some issue that serves to guide decision making and behavior (p. 87). In the social work field policies are put into place so that there is guarantee that all clients are treated with the same respect and are offered the resources that are available to them in their community. In this paper I will discuss policies that are in place for children that are being abused and what is in place to help them. Not only are we concerned with if these policies are working but also how are they being paid