6 PEER RESPONSES DUE IN 20 HOURS

ATTACHED

Discussion

Consequences of Mandated Reporting of Child Abuse

Tammy’s post:

In many cases, children’s lives have been bettered or inevitably save from unspoken or unseen trauma resulting in abuse. For instance, Silverman reported cases unseen to the human eye were apparent injuries caused by abuse (Lindsey, 1994). The end to a living through terror behinds doors came to a slow when mandated reported was introduced. We can all think of nightmares on the news to broadcasts from Dave Pelzer, known from his childhood as ‘It’ or Lisa Steinberg, the story behind the song, “Dear Mr. Jesus.” Ideally, children are placed in safe, loving homes out of poverty, hunger, and cruelty. In doing such, the child stands a chance to thrive and develop outside of the destitution and dysfunctional dynamics he or she once feared and hoped to survive. Foster placement allows services to motivate parents and caregivers to leave abuse or intimate partner abuse, addiction, or a life of disparity to grow for themselves and child. A pivotal instrument to engage professionals was mandating and hotlines; Lindsey (1994) notes that the National Child Abuse Committee reported nearly three million calls into hotlines that over 1,200 were fatality related.

At the same time, Human Services found dilemmas from false allegations, safe placements, funding, and of course, educated and trained staff to face the forefront of removing reunification and placement of children from their biological family into foster care. Lindsey (1994) mentions that since all reports must be investigated, unfounded results are time-consuming and costly to other homes in need. States have offered incentives to those taking in children creating a lucrative money market instead of an ideal home to nurture children. Some cases only worsen in taking children; for some families, the service’s eligibility in having children add to poverty or addiction, or the depressive state leads to addiction or abuse as blame or coping mechanisms. As with most social problems, there is an imbalance of professionals to caseloads and funding to services.

Reference

s

Lindsey, D. (1994). Mandated reporting and child abuse fatalities: Requirements for a system to protect children. Social Work Research, 18(1), 41–54. https://doi-org.proxy-library.ashford.edu/10.1093/swr/18.1.41

Heather’s post:

Being a mandated reporter puts human services professionals in very difficult situations. We are meant to be there to assist and guide our clients into living better lives but we are also required to report any possible abuse that occurred in the past or may be occurring in that moment. When doing any kind of assessment or interviewing of clients we are expecting them to be honest and tell us everything but yet they know what can happen if they admit to any abuse. This makes it difficult to truly know what is going on with our clients and can interfere in providing the best possible care. One of the biggest consequences of mandated reporting is making the abuse worse. There is a documentary on Netflix called The Trials of Gabriel Fernández, it is really hard to watch but it is a perfect example of what I am talking about. As mandated reporters we are relying on other people to do their jobs and do it in a timely manner but the consequences of that not happening are severe. As soon as an abuser finds out a report has been made or if they receive a call from social services their anger or hatred for that child intensifies and gets taken out on that child which in the case of Gabriel Fernandez results in death. It is already difficult enough for an abused child to trust anyone and if they decide they are going to trust you but you are legally obligated to report the abuse they will most likely never trust anyone again. Although there are a lot of positive outcomes because of mandated reporters we have a long way to go according to the article Mandated reporting: a policy without reason “Whatever the basis, though, for the initial misjudgments about the nature and frequency of child abuse and neglect, the result has been a formal child protection system that is increasingly ill-matched to the needs of the children and families who enter it” (Melton, 2005 p.12).

When working as a substance abuse counselor I found it difficult to get the complete story out of my clients when completing an assessment. They knew what to say and what not to say and this really made it difficult to create a solid treatment plan for them. It is even worse now working inside of a prison because believe it or not everyone here is innocent (Just joking), most offenders will deny they committed a crime or did any of the things they are charged with and again it makes it very difficult to recommend classes or treatments for them.

I know there are a lot of more positive outcomes from reports made and I do think mandated reporting can be helpful and save lives. However, we need to continue working on ways to better the process and improve social services in order to not allow another child to lose their life from a report going unnoticed.

References:

Melton, G. B. (2005). Mandated reporting: A policy without reason. Child abuse & neglect, 29(1), 9-18.

DISCUSSION: Developmental Theory: Your Toolbox

Guided Response: Respond to at least two of your peers who were assigned a different child development influence than yourself. In your responses, explain how your influence is similar to theirs and give one additional strategy they could use to support the child.

STACEY’S POST:

For this discussion my assigned child development influence is Environmental. The biggest influence with environmental is family. Children first learn emotions, behaviors, and day-to-day interactions from their family and siblings. Siblings play a big part in a child’s learning. They learn how to socialize and siblings can be both a good influence as well as a bad influence on the child. Another influence on children is the parenting styles. There are four types of parenting, Authoritative, Authoritarian, Permissive, and Uninvolved. Each parenting style has different outcomes on a child’s growth and development. 

The age range I choose for this discussion is ages 4-8 and I will be supporting socio-emotional. In this age group, children are learning how to socialize with their peers, regulate their emotions and cooperate with other children. A couple of strategies that can be used in the classroom to support the child is to make the child feel safe and build a strong relationship with the child. I would want the child to have a positive outlook on school. The other strategy I would use is for the child to learn how to regulate their emotions by teaching ways to react to their emotions in a positive way. Having a positive reaction to their emotions will help them when interacting with peers, teachers, and family and build a stronger relationship.  

Reference

Groark, C. J., McCarthy, S. K., & Kirk, A. R. (2014). 

Early child development: From theory to practice

. Bridgepoint Education.

LEA’S POST:

Hello,

Abuse/Neglect can be defined as serious physical, emotional harm, sexual abuse, and exploitation. Abuse and neglect can come in different ways as their caregiver/parent raises them. It could be yelling, hitting negativity, or absent parenting. Children watch and observe how parents treat and talk to them. This could reflect on how they see or feel about themselves their whole life. This could also affect them psychologically and what can become of them for years to come with their education and relationships.

The age group I have chosen would be the ages 5-6 kindergarten. Abuse and neglect can have a long-lasting effect on children and into their adult years. This effect can harm the five domains. such as their motor development, cognition, communication,  social-emotional skills, and self-help skills. Growing up in your environment can also cause challenges, such as stress, depression, and anger. this could also harm the body and their nutrition. Parent, structures, and parenting style can all factor how a child is raised and feel. Children need a positive healthy loving environment to grow up to be strong happy kind children.

   References

Groark, C. J., McCarthy, S. K., & Kirk, A. R. (2014). Early child development: From theory to practice. Bridgepoint Education.
 

DISCUSSION: Developmentally Appropriate Practice: The Key 

Guided Response: Respond to at least two of your peers. In your responses, compliment your peer on at least two specific ways in which their ideal classroom incorporates developmentally appropriate practices or provide two additional ways developmentally appropriate practices could be incorporated further. Be sure to support your compliments or suggestions with information from pages 11 to 16 in 

Developmentally Appropriate Practice: National Association for the Education of Young Children (Links to an external site.)

.

SHIMIKA’S POST:

Hello everyone

I personally prefer to work with children 3-5 years old. I chose this age group because I feel that you can set them on the right track  in the beginning and hopefully it follow them as they progress. A classroom environment is one that is warm and welcoming, and that contributes to the success of each child that enters through the doors. The classroom would contain tile throughout the class, however in the center of the classroom there will be a big rug that is colorful with ABC’s on it. There would be a cubby, so that they can store their items. The classroom will have (4) tables and (4) chairs to each table. The classroom is set up for different work stations in different areas of the classroom and they are reading, math, and art. There will also be a bulletin board that contains: months , days, numbers, and colors on it. It is developmentally appropriate because it will promote each child’s development and they will excel through strength based and play based approach to learning. The role of the educator is to provide appropriate practices by recognizing the assets the young children bring to early learning. Their duties also include helping students through all domains of development. Children will have a learning experience that is focused and surrounded by their overall success. It is developmentally appropriate because it promotes joyful learning that contributes to self-regulation, language, cognitive, and social competencies.

NAEYC. (2020). 

Developmentally appropriate practice: National association for the education of young children (Links to an external site.)

 [Position statement]. Retrieved from https://www.naeyc.org/sites/default/files/globally-shared/downloads/PDFs/resources/position-statements/dap-statement_0

JAMIE’S POST:

What is your ideal age group of children to work with?

My ideal age group of children to work with is 5 to 6 years old. 

What does the actual classroom environment look like and have in it?

The classroom has an open concept. There are desks that are grouped together or even tables. Depending on the class size would determine which furniture I use desks or tables. The classroom will have a cozy corner. It will have a library. The classroom will also have a science center where we can have plants be grown or other materials. There will be an art center as well. There will also be a building center too. 

How is it developmentally appropriate?

It is developmentally appropriate because it has all the components a kindergartner would need. It would have appropriate books for that age. This age needs exploration and options for their minds to explore. 

What are the qualifications and dispositions of the educators or caregivers in the classroom?

The qualifications would be a Bachelor’s Degree with a teaching certificate degree. 

What types of learning experiences will children have? Why are they developmentally appropriate?

The learning experiences will be through an emergent curriculum. In this experience, the children will be able to guide what they want to learn. They will still learn the standards just in a way that is best for them. It is developmentally appropriate because all the needs are being met.