“State parties shall take all appropriate legislative, administrative, social and educational measures to protect the child from all forms of physical or mental violence, injury or abuse, neglect or negligent treatment, maltreatment or exploitation, including sexual abuse, while in the care of parent (s), legal guardian (s) or any other person who has care of the child.”
Hill, M; Tisdall, K. (1997)
Local authorities provide services that aid all children who are in a vulnerable position or at risk, they provide protection, safety, foster care and advice. In March 2002 just over 11,200 children were looked after by the local authorities compared to the 10,900 the previous year resulting in a 3% increase. Agencies providing foster care should use the National Standards to audit their service. A statement of values and principles which complies with the UN Convention on the Rights of the child and UK child care legislation informs these National Standards. Their key objectives are to improve children’s outcomes in life from care outside of the home. Foster carers will be assessed to ensure that the standard of services are being met and to devise strategies to improve services in any area that is not of a good standard. Sam being separated from his both his parents is an important issue. He has to adapt to two parental figures and other children who are not his brothers or sisters. However a Parental Responsibility order will allow an unmarried father e.g. Sam’s father to be a parent for the purposes of the Children Act 1989 whether he has parental responsibility or not but then becomes liable for support. The father is entitled to a reasonable amount of contact with his child that may be in local authority care and is also entitled to be consulted by a local authority who is providing accommodation for his child, (Dewar, J. 1992) ()
There are a wide variety of contributors including official agencies and non-governmental bodies helping families and children. These cover the social, medical and developmental factors of the family. In Sam’s mother’s case a social worker may undertake the assessment. They may take information from those who know her to devise a written plan. This may include working with the parents and families together, support for the family at a family centre, weight and health checks for the child and reports on the child’s progress, (Williams, K. & Gardner, R. 1993)
Voluntary agencies e.g. Save the Children relates newly identified needs or innovative ways of providing services. Their work provides health care, education and saving children from harm. Societies such as the National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children (NSPCC) were established in New York, London and Glasgow. It is one of the UK’s leading charities and has statutory powers to take action if a child is being suspected of abuse. The NSPCC values are based upon the UN Convention of the Rights of the Child. They include children being protected from violence or any form of exploitation. Every child must have someone to turn to, children are encouraged to fulfil their potential and responsibility must be taken to support, care and respect the children. (). NCH is one of the most UK’s leading charities. More than 480 projects are worked on at any time with over 98,000 vulnerable children, young people and their families to ensure that they reach their full potential. ().
Thorpe (1995) stated that child abuse should not be applied to neglect cases involving impoverished and stressed parents. Indicators of neglect include the growth and development of the child. E.g. is the child too small for their age or the general appearance? Do the children have ill fitting clothes? Are there eating problems? Is the child always hungry or relationships with parents like fear? There are also indicators of violence e.g. bruising in strange places that would not usually occur with a fall like the upper arm or ear lobe. Emotional behaviour e.g. becoming aggressive, withdrawn or bed wetting However one of the most important factors is the child’s own statement as a child is very unlikely to lie about abuse.
Sam’s mother is suffering from a long-term depressive illness, which may be a factor in his neglect. The World Health Organisation refers to health as
“a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity.”
(Downie et al. 1990).
Poverty may be another issue arising from this illness. In the case study there is no mention of Sam’s biological father, his mother may be finding it difficult to work with her illness and look after Sam at the same time. Poverty itself produces stress and causes frustration, which in turn may lead to violence or in Sam’s case neglect. (Browne 1995). The depression and poverty then becomes a viscous cycle. Poor families are also less able to pay for support such as a childminder. Unfortunately according to the Agency for Health Care Policy and Research depression is under diagnosed and under treated by primary care and other non-mental health practitioners. High levels of depressive symptoms are most common among those with lower socioeconomic status. In addition those who are undereducated and unemployed are at a higher risk of depression, (Trowler, P. 1991).
The study does not mention the ethnicity of Sam’s mother. Women of colour are more likely than Caucasian women to suffer from depression due to factors such as racial/ethnic, discrimination, poor health, larger family sizes and single parenthood. Women’s risk of depressive symptoms is of a higher level with these mothers of young children and increases with the number of children in the house. ().Sam is of mixed race and identifies himself as Black British. The Foster Care Adjustment (FCA) looks at fostering ethnic minority groups and the increase in costs that is experienced. (www.sctnet.org.uk/membersweb/rgd/ formula/79%20-%20HEASIG.doc). The current children’s Personal Social Services Standard Spending Assessment (SSA) which assesses the local government spending on fostering children has to have included adjustments for ethnic minority costs. Extra costs can occur through children being provided with food, clothing, personal requisites and home décor with regard to cultural, ethnic and religious expectations. Although there may not be extra cost for these items individually, there is a cost to the authority as a need to meet these standards reduces the supply of suitable foster carers for ethnic minority children. The Children In Need survey (December 200) shows that the population of ethnic minority groups in care is 16%-18%, which is higher than the ethnic minority group population of 9%-11%. There is a shortage of ethnic minority adopters, which results in a limitation of options for children out of care. A reduction in suitable carers may be due to ethnic minority groups having additional needs that the local authorities have to provide for. There have been a number of publications that illustrated the fact that there is an additional need of foster care for ethnic minority children.
E.g. The White Paper, “Adoption: A New Approach”, DoH, December 2002 looked at much of the available literature on looked after children. Part of it’s summary showed that the adoption rates of white and non-white children showed a big difference. 17% of children in care being from an ethnic minority group but only 10% of these children were adopted.
(). The paper found that there was a relationship between higher foster costs and higher levels of ethnicity and the local authorities did not meet these additional needs e.g. specific food in accordance to their ethnicity. This could be a reason in which Sam did not stay in his foster care for a long period of time. The Social Services Inspectorate Report “Fostering for the Future” stated
“Worryingly, most of the councils, with one notable exception, were not recruiting sufficient numbers of carers from black and minority ethnic communities”.
Another issue that may arise from Sam’s mixed race could be emotional problems such as discrimination from other children or adults. If he is fostered with carers of a white background he may not look at them as a positive role models, e.g. bullying from white children.
Internationally under the UN Convention it states the carers of children must have primary responsibility to provide them with an adequate standard of living. States have a duty to assist parents in giving their children a good standard of living. This support can either be materialistic or through support programmes. (Article 27 (1)). Previously support and services that are available are linked to the removal of the child from the home or having to appear in court. Now more help is offered e.g. family centres that look at adult’s perspective, the orientation of the child and a variety of methods and activities that can help make a stable environment and resolve any problems at an earlier stage, (Burden, T. 1998).
Parental responsibility with respect to the child whose parents are unmarried is exclusively with the mother. The family’s responsibilities are being passed on to her partner and the social services due to their mother’s long term depressive illness. Sam’s mother is cohabiting with her partner. A solution to the family’s problems could be a Family centre. These are embedded in the values and history of child-care provision. Cigno (1988) emphasises how the services of a family centre enable the adults and children to increase their skills and confidence, (Stones, Christine 1994).
In conclusion there are many issues such as neglect, fostering, parental rights, mental illnesses and ethnicity which all contribute to the difficulties in both Sam and his families lives. Both international and national legislation such as the Children’s Act and government services such as Social Services with additional opportunities from non governmental and voluntary institutions support the family and aid in the solution to these problems.
References
(Accessed 08/05/03)
Browne, K. (1995) ‘Child abuse: Defining, understanding, intervening’, in Wilson, K. and James, A. (eds.) The Child Protection Handbook, London: Bailliere Tindall.
Burden, T. (1998) Social Policy And Welfare Pluto Press. London
Cigno, Katy (1988) ‘Consumer Views of a Family Centre Drop-In’, British Journal of Social Work, 18, pp. 361-75.
Dewar, J. (1992) Law and the Family. Butterworths. Edingburgh.
Downie, R. S., Fyfe, C. and Tannahill, A. (1990) Health Promotion: Models and Values, Oxford: Oxford University Press.
(Accessed 19/05/03)
Hendrick, H. (1994) Child Welfare: England 1872-1989, London; Routledge.
Hill, M; Tisdall, K. (1997) Children & Society. Longman. London. Appendix 1. Pp.325.
(Accessed 10/05/03)
(Accessed 10/05/03
(Accessed 12/05/03)
http://www.sctnet.org.uk/membersweb/rgd/ formula/79%20-%20HEASIG.doc(Accessed 12/05/03)
Stein, M. and Carey, K. (1986) Leaving Care, Oxford; Basil Blackwell.
Stones, Christine.(1994) Focus On Families Family Centres In Action. The Macmillan Press Ltd. Hampshire.
(accessed 20/05/03)
Thorpe, D. (1995) ‘Some implications of recent child protection research.’ Representing Children, 8 (3): 27-31.
Triseliotis, J., Sellick, C. and Short, R. (1995) Foster Care, London: Batsford.
Trowler, P. (1991) Investigating Health, Welfare and Poverty’ CollinsEducational; London.
Williams, K. & Gardner, R. (1993) Caring For Children. Longman. Great Britain. Children’s Needs and Expectations. Pp.167.
Joanne Turner 07 May 2007