Child Welfare Program Interventions
Every year there are hundreds of thousands of child neglect and abuse cases in the United States. Given the severity of the consequences associated with child maltreatment, any child welfare programs need to develop adequate programs to combat child maltreatment and also help the victims in the recovery process. Measures should not only include taking care of those affected but also include a holistic approach to promotion and prevention of children’s welfare. Research has shown that various intervention measures have positive outcomes and prevent future repercussions of the vices committed against children. This article will discuss three primary intervention programs that will be pursued by the program and can help salvage the sorry situation of child welfare.
The first intervention involves child maltreatment interventions that involve the interaction of multiple factors in child maltreatment. The responses will include there main models. (1)The ecological models-developed by Urie Bronfenbrenner and explains how the inherent qualities of children and their environment influence how they grow and develop. The model involves improving a child’s immediate environment, their connections, their indirect environment, social and cultural values, and the general changes over time (Tarren-Sweeney, 2019). As such, these intervention measures will involve changing the general abusive environment to children by offering them accommodation, removing them from abusive families, investing in their education, and their health needs. (2) The transitional models-these will includes the appreciation of the many changes in children and facilitating them with environments that can positively nature them into adulthood. The strategies will consist of facilitating foster care and adoption services as needs arise, and ensure children grow in the environment of family units which will nurture their social relationships and appreciate their roles and nurture their expectations. (3) The transactional models-the strategies will primarily focus on identifying points of entry and ensure children get back to their families and ensure positive developments (“Transactional Model – an overview | ScienceDirect Topics,” 2020). This are instances where children face maltreatment or neglect due to situations and conditions that can be mediated and their families restored.
The second intervention strategy for the program will involve parental enhancement among abusive parents by training them the various child management techniques, which includes infant simulations, practical disciplining, and self-control skills. According to Gheaus (2016), sometimes, child maltreatment happens without the intention to harm but occurs due to the deficiency in parenting skills and other personal characteristics like high temper. As such, these community parental support programs will be aimed at improving parent’s aspects that come out as abusive to their children, thereby creating a conducive family environment for the child to grow in. Various studies have supported the efficacy of the parent-training strategies in improving child welfare.
The third major intervention program will involve home-based services and preservation services since every child should grow in a family set up that nurtures their ambitions and development and prepare them for adulthood (LeBoeuf, 2020). Therefore, the program will involve a holistic approach that addresses the overall needs of the families and includes both the children and their parents. This will fundamentally address contextual factors such as economic wellness, single parenthood, marital discords, and other factors like depression that weaken the family units. As such, the programs will target to foster functional relationships among the diverse family units by incorporating individuals and their families. Strategies include utilizing traditional social work and therapeutic counseling to give solutions.
References
Gheaus, A. (2016). Parental enhancement and symmetry of power in the parent-child relationship. Journal of Medical Ethics, 42(6), 397-400. doi: 10.1136/medethics-2016-103624
LeBoeuf, A. (2020). Considering the Cost of Family Preservation Courts: A Look at Child Welfare, Child in Need of Care Proceedings, and the Need for Family Preservation Courts throughout Louisiana. SSRN Electronic Journal. doi: 10.2139/ssrn.3528470
Tarren-Sweeney, M. (2019). Introduction to Developmental Child Welfare: A new interdisciplinary journal connecting developmental science and child welfare. Developmental Child Welfare, 1(1), 3-4. doi: 10.1177/2516103219827434
Transactional model – an overview | ScienceDirect Topics. (2020). Retrieved 8 June 2020, from https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/psychology/transactional-model