Needed Change for Social Policy for Child and Youth
In A risk and resilience framework for child, youth, and family policy, Jenson and Fraser (2006, 2) observe and argue that child and youth policies in America are “poorly specified, inadequately Integrated…” Despite the changes in childhood and youth problems, the policies remain the same with duplication hence failing to support the youth and children as they move to adulthood. Policymakers have been unable to also use changes and new evidence in developmental needs to develop the policies. There exist unutilized volumes of current knowledge about children and youth behaviors and how they model to the problems that can inform the policies. I agree that the old knowledge about children and youth behaviors and issues does no longer hold and therefore need updated strategies based on evidence to ensure effectiveness.
Youth and children’s problems cannot remain the same since the human race, and society continues to evolve with increased knowledge-making previous policy frameworks irrelevant (Jenson and Fraser, 2006). I think increased democracy, computer knowledge, and polarity of information has brought a new set of problems which the youth and children face. For example, the youth, through the internet, now know how to carry out abortion and use contraceptives, making early pregnancies a problem of the past. However, the same internet has brought issues of cyberbullying, knowledge on use and access to guns and child neglect as the parents cling on their smartphones. I feel that the current policies are still outdate to touch on the new set of problems because if they were aligned, the issues could not be increased at a high rate.
Increased science research has revealed that youth and children’s development are changing every time, creating the need for new intervention that aligns with unique developmental needs (Jenson and Fraser, 2006). My thoughts are that the old programs of addressing youth and children’s problems do not work since the generation has different perceptions and understanding of the world. Today, physical punishment like incarceration, canning, and denying of meals sounds like child and youth violence as opposed to correction. The children know that it is violence and, therefore, cannot change their behaviors. I feel that the old policies and programs have frameworks that do not align with today’s children and youth theories for problem existence. Although some problems are the same as violence, their occurrence has changed, creating the need for new policy theories.
Today, problem causations have increased, making the current policies ineffective (Jenson and Fraser, 2006). I think society has become very complex to the extent that people cannot base policies on their knowledge and experience but need evidence. Social problems like violence among children, have, for example, become a result of poverty as opposed to discipline. I feel that general knowledge and experience are much less to the need for information in youth and children’s policies. They cannot be effective due to the autonomy, abrupt changes of problem cause, and complexity. There is a need for the utilization of evidence-based practices when developing the policies.
In conclusion, changes that have occurred in youth and children’s behaviors, development, and nature of problems are evident without the need for much research or thoughts. Policymakers are only ignorant to use the current reality in youth and children programs. They are duplicating and depending on old theories to develop needed policies to address a new set of problems and frameworks of their occurrence. There is a need for evidence-based practice that will inform policymakers about changes in issues and their appearance to develop effective programs.
References
Jenson, J. M., & Fraser, M. W. (2006). A risk and resilience framework for child, youth, and family policy. Social policy for children & families: A risk and resilience perspective, 118.