Anorexia Nervosa Essays (758 words) - Eating Disorders, Psychiatry

Anorexia Nervosa Turn on any television show or look through any teen magazine, and what do you usually see? You will probably notice at least one ad for a food product that is being eaten by happy and good looking people. What is the message being sent to our adolescents today? Is it better to eat good food or be thin like a model? This is a hard choice that teenage girls have to face everyday. Most people believe that thinner is better. Anorexia nervosa is an eating disorder that usually strikes women. The term anorexia means "loss of appetite". Of the 7 million women from age 15 to 35 who have an eating disorder, many will die from the complications of anorexia. They suffer from eating disorders because of anger, depression, and the wish to be thin. Teens that control their body weight gives them a sense of control in their lives. Someone that suffers from an eating disorder is a person that uses food to work out emotional problems and tries to get rid of feelings by eating or dieting. But what influences dieting in the first place? Psychological influences and genetics are the main influences on eating disorders in general. Mothers of anorexics are themselves focused on their own weight and appearance. Woman struggle to make their bodies conform to the ideal female body and appearance. Anorexia nervosa is defined as a disorder in which a person becomes noticeably underweight, yet feels fat and fears becoming obese. Of all anorexics, 95% of them are women under twenty. This usually begins as a weight-loss diet and develops in adolescence. Anorexics never believe that they are thin enough and they limit their intake of food. They see themselves as "too fat", no amount of food is small enough, and no weight is ever low enough. By starving themselves, it helps them deal with normal pressures of life as a teenage girl in society. They begin to pull away from those around them even before the disorder begins. The pattern of withdrawal makes it difficult for others to realize the disorder. Generally, an observation of physical symptoms will quickly confirm the diagnosis of anorexia. These symptoms are identical to starvation. Signs of anorexia include weight loss, loss of appetite, menstrual period stops, seeing food as an enemy, continual exercise, and the fear of gaining weight. The physical signs of anorexia include dizziness, insomnia, numbness in hands and feet, infections that do not heal, heart failure, and bruises. Anorexia can lead to severe medical problems and even death. At this time, there is no treatment program for anorexia nervosa that is completely effective. There is no single personality type of a person suffering from anorexia nervosa. People who develop anorexia tend to share certain characteristics. Their parents often describe them as model children, high achievers who have never once been in trouble. They are perfectionists; they tend to be self critical. They also tend to be very controlled people who stick to certain schedules and do not like changes in routines. Most anorexics deny that they suffer from an eating disorder. The first step to getting help with an eating disorder is to recognize that the problem exists. Know that you have a problem and that you need to get help to solve the problem. There are many ways to get help. By telling a friend, it makes the problem seem more manageable and you know that there is someone that will help guide you through the process of recovery. Support groups devoted to eating disorders are available all over the country. They are groups of people that share the same problem that you have and is led by an experienced counselor or person who once had the problem and has recovered. By attending a support group, it lets the person know that he or she is not alone and people are their to help them recover completely. Counseling is also available through school or a local social-service agency. A counselor is there to listen to your problem and help you get through it. One last way to get help with an eating disorder is to see a nutritionist. That person can help identify food allergies, cravings, and other problems that may contribute to eating disorders. He or she can help you develop a diet that will feel satisfying while helping the person to gain or lose weight. Seeking help may be a painful experience for the anorexic. He or she must face problems and feelings that have been avoided

Asian Avian Virus Essays

Asian Avian Virus Essays Asian Avian Virus Paper Asian Avian Virus Paper Avian (bird) Influenza (flu) is a virus or infection that originated from birds, hence the word avian. This is a type of disease that is natural among poultry like ducks and chickens since they have the virus living in their intestinal organs. Avian influenza is a disease that is highly contagious and fatal among birds. The virus runs in the birds saliva and in their feces. Domesticated birds get infected when they get in contact with surfaces contaminated by the sick birds or when they get in contact with a sick one. This disease among the fowls has may kinds. There are approximately 16 types that have been classified, and the most fatal one is called highly pathogenic avian influenza (Bupa, 2005). This virus normally happens in the species of birds, and until the late 90s they never believed that it can affect humans who maintain a close proximity with these birds. There have been several reported occurrences of human infection since the late 90s. The process of this bird disease being transferred to humans has been dubbed as species jumping. The reason why avian influenza can infect people is because of the possibility that the avian flu virus has combined with the human influenza thereby creating a new specie of virus that is easily transferable and fatal (Bupa, 2005). Is it a responsible behavior on the part of scientists to rouse fears in the public before the situation progresses? Explain your viewpoint. The role of scientists and doctors alike is to give facts and informations based on their scientific and medical findings. There have been violent reactions claiming that these scientists have instilled fear and panic amongst the public with regard to the avian flu disease. I do not think that it was their intention to cause panic and turmoil among the people. They have an ethical and medical obligation to disclose whatever detail they can find and give the information out to the public as a precautionary measure. The reaction of the people upon receiving the news is beyond their control. It is my opinion that they are just simply doing their job in laying out the minutest detail even before the situation progressed because had they not divulged what they know, they will be sooner or later blamed by the public for withholding such valuable information concerning the public health and the general welfare. Whether they reveal information or not, they will still receive criticism from the public. Thus, I think that telling the public every detail about their findings would be a better choice rather than concealing information that the people should know- only to find out later that many people have been infected with a disease that they should have avoided had they been informed how to do so earlier. Advantages of Early Warning Early warnings about a possible outbreak of a disease of any kind or about calamities in general create a handful of advantages. For one, warnings enable the public to be well-informed of what is happening around so that they can decide what to do about it. Having   knowledge beforehand of an upcoming epidemic may give people an upper hand when it comes to preparing for safety and making precautionary steps to protect their family. The old saying that prevention is better than cure never goes out of style and it can be best applied in this scenario. If people have been forewarned, then they can avoid getting that kind of sickness in the first place. Disadvantages of Early Warning The most common disadvantage of early warnings is the over-speculation that it may cause the public. Some people have a tendency to overreact and be anxious. They start to paint pictures in their head that are too far-fetched from the early warning that has been delivered to them. The situation that is most dreaded by many is the panic and fear that people may feel upon receiving the news. Panic is very contagious and it would cause a great deal of inconvenience to many if However, while these warnings produce so much tension on others, it may also cause disbelief in some. It is the belief of others that the scientists are making the public worried and confused over nothing, and since they can make warnings, they probably have the solution for these occurrences; they just do not want reveal that yet. It is true indeed that the human mind can never be over or underestimated in all instances when it comes to all kinds of reasoning. References Bupa. (2005, October 18). Hot Topic- Avian Flu (Bird Flu). Retrieved August 3, 2009, from bupa.co.uk/health_information/html/health_news /270104avianflu.html.

Creating Successful Ads Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Creating Successful Ads - Essay Example In the wake of health concerns over the rising number of children fighting obesity, Meltz (2007), has proposed that it is possible for companies to promote their junk foods but still hold on to the spirit of public health promotion. He explains about a case in a movie, where children are being advised to exercise, however, in a much as this may seem to be a right step, the effect would still die as soon as the hype in the movie dies down. In this case, there is a need for companies to adopt strategies that have lasting impacts on children and other consumers while making their promotions. If children and other consumers can be educated effectively on the dangers of some of their lifestyle and health habits they can make informed choices on the products they purchase in order to maintain their health. Some of the strategies that companies should think about are introducing health programs in schools and learning institutions where they can talk to children and parents about the need t o maintain healthy lifestyles for their children and other people in the society. This will also be an essential point form them to meet their customers and promote their junk foods. In fact, successful products promotion is best done when it involves personal selling and other approaches that involve direct contact between companies and their clients. According to Meltz, involving Shrek on behalf of the government agency in the movie was an important step in helping children understanding the importance of exercises.

Why Television Shows Should Not Be Allowed to Use Obscene Language Essay

Why Television Shows Should Not Be Allowed to Use Obscene Language - Essay Example The family may be comprised of a father; mother and two children aged 8 and 11 years respectively. The television program will not be enjoyable at all to watch since the mother and the father will be feeling uncomfortable when some words are spoken. At times, the child might even ask their parents about the meaning of some words that are really embarrassing even to mention. The parents end up being tongue tied since they do not how to explain it since the word are really embarrassing. On the other hand, the use of obscene language in our television shows usually contribute to deviant behaviors in people both the adults and children. The children are the ones that are affected more by the obscene language since they tend to speak some of the words that were used in the show to their peers. When such a situation comes, it becomes very hard to control the behavior of such children since they are imitating what grown up are seeing in television programs. Even if their parent would like to correct their children’s behavior by telling them not to use such words, they would not listen as they would argue that if these words are used in television by even grown-ups, why should we not use it. This becomes the point of discussion between the children and their parent in the course of correcting children behaviors.

Individual Analytical Report Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Individual Analytical Report - Essay Example The internet pluralizes and expands the public sphere in various manners. The paper then moves on forward to the dimension of interaction in the public sphere, with emphasis on how public sphere internet deliberation proceeds in the political communication’s contemporary environment. Deliberative democracy is then examined in the analytic category. Civic cultures offer an alternative to the comprehension of online discussion of politics significance. The internet continues to have an enormous informational role in political communications. Public sphere is a constellation of a society’s communicative spaces, which allow the circulation of ideas, information, and debates, which are delivered in an unfettered manner. It also allows for the formation of political will and public opinion. These spaces, in which both the more recent interactive media and the mass media are prominently figured, serve as communicative links facilitators between the societal power holders and t he citizens (Alasuutari, 1999 p98). The term is utilized in singular form, although the plural form is pointed at by sociological realism. In differentiated large-scale societies, in the late modern era, especially in societies penetrated by globalization, the public sphere is understood as constituted of numerous different spaces. It constitutes of three main dimensions; representation, structures, and interaction. Structural dimension consists of formal institutional features (Anderson, 2003 p134). These include media organizations and their ownership, political economy, control, legal frameworks, regulations, and issues affecting financing. The dimension of representation is referent to the media’s output including that of the mass media and â€Å"minimedia† that have small groups as their target, especially promotional material and newsletters. All the familiar criteria and questions can be raised here concerning media output for political communication (Asen, 2001 p 109). These include fairness, completeness, accuracy, setting of agenda, pluralism of views and ideological tendencies. For the interaction dimension, there exist two aspects (Asen, 2001 p109). First is the encounter of the media with the citizens, and the process of communication that makes sense, interprets and uses the output. The second part has to do with the interaction between the citizens. This could include large meetings or two-way conversation. Contemporary democracies have been facing difficulty, with the evidence showing that issues regarding public sphere’s representations, structures and interaction modes (Baker, 2002 p 78). Democracy’s poor health came into sharp focus at the same time as the internet’s rapid leadership of media revolution. These two phenomena were connected optimistically. Traditional political communication systems were destabilised by late modern societal changes. This was attributed to an increase in socio-cultural heterog eneity, massive increase in channels and media outlets, an increase in political mediators and political advocates like consultants and experts, growing disengagement and cynicism among citizens, and the emergence of cacophony due to media abundance (Beck, 1997 p178). Citizens belonging to more than one culture or group must find spaces for meaningful participation (Bennett, 2003a p199). This is due to the current trend for pluralism and the

What Is the Point of the House of Lords?

What Is the Point of the House of Lords? The House of Lords is a fundamental part of the UKs bicameral legislative system, being an appropriate check and balance to the House of Commons in legislative matters. However, this has been brought into question after the Recent Welfare Reform Bill. This essay aims to examine ‘what is the point in the House of Lords?’ It will first look into its history, then its role in Parliament and how it has changed over time. It will focus on the welfare reform bill and the ban on hunting with hounds as its main examples. The House of Lords are also called the Upper Chamber and are a part of the legislature. Legislature is the part of government that discuss and pass laws (Jones, 2010). It is made up of the Commons, Lords and the Queen, only the Commons are elected. The executive is the party in power and is responsible for implementing the laws and policies made by legislature (Jones, 2010). The Houses of Parliament are divided up into two parts, the House of Lords and the House of Commons. The House of Lords is one of the two chambers of HM Parliament. The House of Lords is the second chamber of Parliament and is also called the Upper House (Jones, 2010). The House of Lords is separate to but works alongside the elected House of Commons. The House of Lords are made up of inherited Lords and Life peers. Modern Lords are appointed by the PM. The appointed peers tend to have a specialist area of knowledge, for example health or education. The House of Commons is made up of elected members (Budge, 2004). The House of Lords has 736 members, 86 more than the House of Commons. There are only 92 hereditary Lords left after they were thrown out by the Labour Government in 1999 as it was deemed undemocratic (Knight 2010). The first part of the House of Lords is the remaining hereditary members, the second part are appointed by the Prime Minister and they are given their titles, for example ‘Lady Margaret Thatcher’ so as she was given the title by the Prime Minister who took over from her she had a seat in the House of Lords. The third part is made up of the court system and the church and people in positions of expertise (Monroe, 2002). Before taking a seat in The House of Lords the peer has to swear an oath of allegiance to the monarch (Jones, 2010). The House of Lords is a combination of tradition and modern legislature (Monroe, 2002) Laws are only made if the Commons, Lords and the Monarch can agree. An unwritten constitution (a convention), states that the Monarch has always got to agree to new laws made by Parliament. The Lords can also only suggest amendments too legislation but does not actually have the power to make the changes, meaning the Commons hold the power (Budge, 2004). The legislative process starts with the draft papers, white and green papers. They are published to allow consultation from interested parties such as professional bodies and voluntary organisations before the bill is introduced into the House of Commons (Jones, 2010). They have their first reading in which it is just read out and then a second reading where there is a debate and a vote to move on to the committee stage which is pre-legislative scrutiny where the draft bill is considered by a departmental select committee this allows the MPs and members of Lords to have an early influence on the Bill (Jones, 2010). In the committee s tage they vote for amendments and send it to the report stage. In the report stage they discuss the amendments; they then go to the Third reading which in the House of Lords. The key purpose of The House of Lords is voting on whether to accept or reject legislation drawn up by The House of Commons (Jones, 2010). Suggesting amendments to legislation drawn up by The House of Commons and debating legislation drawn up by the House of Commons, they can also introduce new laws to be debated. Although the important laws start the legislative process with the Commons, the House of Lords do draw up some legislation, for example ensuring children with special needs and disabilities have access to mainstream education or protecting the right to legal aid in welfare cases and insisting on equality of the NHS treatment for physical and mental illness (www.parliament.uk). Members spend nearly half their time in the House considering draft laws. All bills have to be considered by both Houses of Parliament before they can become law (Jones, 2010). The House of Commons send legislation to the House of Lords, in the form of the white paper, but the 1911 Act has taken away the ability for The House of Lords to stop legislation sent down by The House of Commons. This started when the Chancellor of the Exchequer, Lloyd George, suggested in 1909 the introduction of the first old age pension and a majority of the Lords voted against (Knight, 2010). The main purposes of the Act was 1) The House of Lords can only delay a money bill for one month, and 2) Limiting the time the Lords can delay a bill, meaning if it was rejected three times the Bill could receive Royal Assent without approval from The House of Lords (Gillespie, 2013.) This has only been used four times in the last twenty five years. One of these was to pass The Parliament Act of 1949 which was an amendment of the 1911 Act making it so the Lords could only reject the bill two times rather than three before it could be passed with Royal Assent (Gillespie, 2013). These Acts t ook a lot of power away from the Lords. The current PM is allegedly preparing to use the Parliament Act for the first time in ten years to push through the EU Referendum Bill into Law before the next election (Holehouse, 2014). â€Å"The Act is sometimes described as the nuclear option of parliamentary to break stalemates between the Commons and the Lords† (Holehouse, 2014). An MP was quoted saying â€Å"It shows that they really, really want it to happen. It also shows the Lords that they can’t mess with it†. Although the Lords have been stripped of a lot of their power, there are advantages to the Lords. There can be a lot more individual expression in the House of Lords (Knight, 2010). Many of its members have a lot of experience in different areas of life; with this experience making an important contribution to the progress of legislation and serves to caution the government of the day (Jones, 2010). The House of Lords are also responsible for holding government to account. Members in the Upper Chamber scrutinise the work of the government during question time and debates in the chamber. â€Å"In the 2012-13 session, members held the government to account with 7,324 oral and written questions and 193 debates on issues ranging from child poverty to immigration† (www.parliament.uk). The Lords can also moderate the Commons using their expertise and making sure nothing too radical is put through (www.parliament.uk). Peers have less to lose, being free thinkers. If an MP was to go against their party leader then they could be ignored when looking for a job although some do still have party affiliation and will vote on side of their party (Knight, 2010). Some people however, would argue that having the House of Lords is healthy for our system as it means it isn’t led by political machines with party agendas (Knight, 2010). ‘Ping ponging’ is the toing and froing of amendments to Bills between the House of Commons and the House of Lords. A good example of this is The Hunting with Hounds Act which experienced seven years of ‘ping ponging’ between the two houses. Three private members Bills were introduced by Labour MPs between 1992 and 1995 to ban hunting with no success (Garnett, 2007). However, in a 1997 manifesto Labour offered a free vote on the subject. In 1998 the Bill got its second reading in the Commons and was ‘talked out’ by the third reading (Garnett, 2007). In 2000 a new bill was proposed with a compromise of hunting with a licence, this was rejected by the commons and thrown out by the Lords. The Bill had been introduced too late to meet the terms of the Parliament Act of 1949. After Blair was re-elected in 2001 the ‘ping pong’ effect still continued, with the Commons passing a new Bill and the Lords rejecting it, until 2004 when the conditions of the Parliament Act 1949 had been met and the Bill was given Royal Assent (Garnett, 2007). The House of Lords Reform draft bill was introduced in 2011. The Reform wants to outline the powers and responsibility of the relationships between the two houses. This would define the point of ‘financial privilege’. This could be hard to reach an agreement on when it could be rejected and what kind of amendments the House of Lords could make before they were ‘wrecking amendments’ and what circumstances the Lords would be able to reject secondary legislation (draft house of lords reform bill: report session 2010-12, Vol. 1: Report). Originally ‘Financial Privilege’ was seen as something dealing with Bills dealing with supply and taxation. However in the recent reform bill it was used to reject a lot of the amendments by the Lords and to prevent the bill ‘ping ponging’. The financial implications were seen as big enough by the Speaker to grant financial privilege (Crampton, 2012). Financial privilege is being used a lot more reducing the effect of the Lords scrutiny. Despite the fact the House of Lords do not appear to hold much in the way of power, the House are specialists in different fields offering expertise advice. Also, peers do not have a party agenda and therefore pose employability risk in going against their party. This is useful as these limitations can prevent any radical changes in law. But without any power to have their amendments noted there is really no point in the House of Lords if they can be over ruled completely. Budge etal (2004). The New British Politics. 3rd ed. Essex: Pearson Education Limited. Crampton, C. (2012). Whats the point in the house of Lords?. Available: www.totalpolitics.com/blog/293317/whats-the-pont-of-the-house-of-lords.thtml. Last accessed 6th Jan 2014 Egawhary E. (2010). What is the new face of the house of commons. Available: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/magazine/8672770.stm . Last accessed 6th Jan 2014. Garnett M (2007). Exploring British Poitics. Essex: Pearson Education Limited. Gillepie A (2013). The English Legal System. 4th ed. Oxford: Oxford University Press. Jones etal (2010). Politics Uk. 7th ed. Essex: Pearson Education Limited. Knight, J (2010). British Politics for Dummies. West Sussex: John Wiley and sons Peele G (1995). Governing the UK. 3rd ed. Oxford: Blackwell Publishers Ltd. What the Lords does. Available: http://www.parliament.uk/business/lords/work-of-the-house-of-lords/what-the-lords-does/. Last accessed 6th Jan 2014. Munroe, T (2002). An Intoduction to Politics, Lectures for first year students. 3rd ed. Mona Kingston 7, Jamaica: Canoe Press. Holehouse, M. (2014). David Cameron prepares nuclear option on EU referendum. Available: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/politics/david-cameron/10526825/Cameron-prepares-nuclear-option-on-EU-referendum.html. Last accessed 6th Jan 2014 Draft house of lords reform bill: report session 2010-12, Vol. 1: Report . Y8158485

I’m Not an Imitation of Someone Else, I’m Latina :: Personal Narrative Writing

I’m Not an Imitation of Someone Else, I’m Latina As I sat at the kitchen table on those chilly winter evenings in Kenner, Louisiana, I could feel my mother staring at me from where she was. I was busy doing my homework, and she was preparing that night's supper. She would always start off by asking me what I was doing and the only thing I would ever answer was, "Oh, nothing. Just homework." Then I would turn away and sort of look in the other direction as if to tell her to leave me alone, because I had a lot to do. At the time I was only eight years old, in my second complete year of schooling in the United States. I had already fully grasped the English language, and it had been a year and a half since I had been removed from the bilingual program. In actuality, I had become Americanized quiet easily. Although this was a process that involvedgive and take, because although I did adapt to my new environment very well, I never let go of what I had already learned in my previous environment. I can recall that at the same time that I was learning to read and write in English, I was also learning to do so in my native tongue, Spanish. In school, as I sat in the small wooden house, which was the bilingual classroom, I could clearly remember wondering why it was that "Spot" was so important. For more than a month we had been learning about this brown dog and about seeing him run. This experience was very strange for me, not only because it was in a totally new language but because I never did really see spot run. I only saw him painted on an oversized illustrated notebook. After a long and confusing day at school, I would come home to do my assignments; alone. It wasn't that my mother did not want to help me, but she couldn't. She knew little about the assignment , and knew even less about the language. At first I didn't mind. The assignments were easy for me to figure out, and if it was really hard I would just tell the teacher the next day that I couldn't figure it out. Sh e would ask me why I didn't ask my mother for help, and I would have to respond to her, "because she didn't know either.

Direct discrimination Essay

Direct discrimination is intended by an individual usually due to a person’s background, culture, personality, race, disability, gender, religion, belief, sexual orientation, age. Indirect discrimination refers to applying a provision, criterion or practice which disadvantages people of a particular group. Direct discrimination may occur in a care home by a service provider only supporting a female, only support someone of their own culture and refuse to give personal care to males or not include everyone in a group activity. Indirect discrimination may occur in a way whereby a service provider is thinking everyone drinks tea so only offer tea, by giving a service user a shower daily but not offering a bath or see if they would prefer just a wash or not making reasonable adjustment which can exclude individuals with disabilities. By supporting an individual’s diversity by recognising their differences and valuing them and their individuality, by supporting individuals equality, treating a person equally, by including them in all group activities and encouraging individuals to express their views and opinions, by not treating anyone differently due to their background, ethnicity, culture, race, age, sexual orientation, personality, disability, religion, beliefs and gender and overall promoting good practice and prevent/stop the likelihood of abuse. When we work in an inclusive way we are openly communicating with people by, getting to know what their preferences are and building trust. When a person has someone they trust, they become less of a victim, less likely to be discriminated against. Discrimination can be challenged in adult social care settings by providing the appropriate training to make everyone aware of how to prevent and control discrimination.

The 1960s essays

The 1960s essays The 1960s were a time of great change in American society characterized by ethnic consciousness and civil rights, womens rights and female liberalism, anti-war demonstrations, student protests, and the genesis of the counterculture. A noted speaker once said, The Cold War, conformity, and consumerism provided the background for the social protests movement of the 1960s. The cause of the protest movements were much more deeply rooted in U.S. institutions and history. Although the protest movements of the 1960s were deeply rooted in U.S. institutions and history of the 1950s, the Cold War, conformity, and consumerism provided much more than a background for these movements, in a way they were the reason behind them. In the 1950s politicians constantly used the Cold War as a threat to the lifestyle of the American people-a conformist lifestyle dominated by consumerism in which families for the first time in history had the purchasing power of credit. Families now had the power to own homes, which resulted in the construction of ethnic communities and they had the ability to afford luxuries, which they could never dream of before, these include cars, televisions, and other new appliances. This ideal lifestyle was championed on television sitcoms such as Leave it to Beaver and Father Knows Best and it included the above mentioned luxuries, furthermore it illustrated the breakdown of the family and how it was supposed to appear. The shows stressed the breadwinner and head of the family as the father, the mother as the ideal housewife, taking diligent care that all the housework be done before her husband arrives from work, and the children as well-mannered and respectful citizens upon whose problems the shows usually center. In essence the shows stressed the importance of family and family life, and what threatened the family-Communism, Cold War-the Communist that coul...

Recommendations Of The Bromley Serious Case Review The WritePass Journal

Recommendations Of The Bromley Serious Case Review Abstract Recommendations Of The Bromley Serious Case Review ). This principle is also set out in the Family Law Reform Act 1995. The Family Law Act 1975 was amended to include the legal principle that the childs best interest be regarded as paramount in any litigation concerning child upbringing (Family Law Council 2004). This principle would be at the heart of the assessment process. That is, the welfare of the child would be given paramount consideration and a checklist of factors would be considered before reaching a decision on whether or not to place the child under protection programs. Fig.1 Genogram illustrating the strength of family relationships (DH 2008) A genogram can be used to illustrate the strength of the family relationships. That is, how close or far apart the family members are, how flexible they are and how well they respond to each others needs. Fig.3 Ecomap showing the relationship between the child with immediate family, wider kin and the community An ecomap can also be drawn to illustrate the relationship of the child with immediate family, the wider kin and the community at large. The centre of focus will be the child as shown in fig.2 To indicate the strength of the relationship, I would used different types of lines as shown below: Assessments relating to Adults in the family But conducting assessments from the viewpoint of the child is important for safeguarding and ensuring developmental needs of the child, it would only be fair and ethical for assessments to be conducted with due regard for the needs of all family members. Assessments relating to the adults in the family should have been done as well in Bromley Special Case Review. It should be noted that neglectful families do not just exist in a vacuum. A number of factors can contribute to parents maltreatment of their children including factors such as lack of community support, society characteristics, deprived neighbourhoods, family stress, domestic violence, parents childhood and developmental history and many other factors (DePanfilis 2006). Parents views with regard to issues of child protection concerns have been well documented. In their study of short-term accommodation, Aldgate Bradley (1999) found that parents were reluctant to seek for support from social services due to fears of: Losing their children to child protection enquiries Being perceived failed parents (DOH 2000) Whilst parents may be in need of help and support from social services, the fear of losing their children to child protection agencies and being seen as failed parents deter them from seeking the much needed support. They want help but not at the cost of forfeiting their parental responsibilities (DOH 2000) It is also important to understand the role played by the wider family in providing support. Sometimes, extended families may not provide the much needed support or may be caught up in their own problems (Trevithick 2000). Additionally, parents may not wish to acknowledge to their wider kin about the problems facing them. It is difficult for people seeking help to state their needs especially when these needs are tangled amid feelings of confusion, humiliation, fear and despair (Trevithick 2000). Similarly, it would be necessary to assess the role played by the community in providing practical and emotional support to the family. Social workers must chart both the relationship of parents with the wider kin and their current wider connections to their communities. The absence of physical and emotional support limits the adults sense of wellbeing and control (DH 2008). There is also need to consider the impact that environment may have on parental capacity. This is a factor which has been given little consideration in social work. The concerns over the omission of environmental considerations in sociological research have been noted by Jack (1997) and Stevenson (1998). However, research studies have shown that children living in economically deprived neighbourhoods are the most affected, often with deterioration in their health and poor educational development (DH 2008). Environmental considerations have an impact on both the children and the young adults’ ability to succeed as effective parents. Social isolation from the community combined with lack of support from extended families and deprived neighbourhoods can adversely impact on parents mental and physical health. As a social worker in Bromley case, I would have also conducted an assessment relating to the adults in the family. The assessment would focus on the needs of the family and how these needs impact on their parenting behaviour. A key distinguishing factor between this assessment with that of the child is that it looks at the relationships between the adults in the family, the extended family and wider community, and examines how this impacts on their parenting capacity (Parker Bradley 2000). Also, the focus of assessment is mainly on the adult. The assessment examines the needs of the adult and whether these needs have been met. The legal basis that guides this assessment comprise of a range of legislations such as The Community Care (Direct Payments) Act 1996, NHS, Chronically Sick and Disabled Persons Act 1970 and subsequent statutory guidance (Parker Bradley 2000). On the other hand, the legal basis guiding the assessment relating to children is The Children Act 1989 and Subsequent Statutory guidance. How I would conduct assessments with due regards to needs of all family members To ensure that all the family members are involved, it would be necessary to use a structured interview protocol. This would ensure thorough gathering of information, accuracy of information gathered, and an increase in staff control over the assessment process. Most importantly, the involvement of all family members would ensure that the assessment is done with due regards for the needs of all the family members. As such, face to face interviews would be conducted in the following order: First, with the child Second, with siblings interviews with adult caretakers Interviews with the parent who is alleged to have maltreated the child And finally, with the family as a whole Interviewing the identified child The interview with the child will seek to gather information about the child maltreatment and assess the childs immediate safety needs. Information collected at this point include: the childs explanation, the childs current conditions, severity of the maltreatment, effects such as fear and extreme withdrawal, the childs characteristics, and the child’s perception of their relationship with parents and others in the household (NDHHS 2005). Interview with siblings After interviewing the child, I would then conduct an interview with the siblings and other children in the household. The purpose is to determine whether these children have also experienced maltreatment and to assess their level of vulnerability. Interviewing the caretakers This will be followed by an interview with the custodians or rather the caretakers. At this stage, I would seek the caretakers personal opinion about the childs vulnerability to maltreatment and determine the parents capacity to protect the child. Information gathered from the interview include: the approach to and view of parenting, relationship with the children, methods used to discipline the children, relationships with extended family, view of supports from the wider community and the climate of the neighbourhood (Holland 2004). Interview with the alleged maltreating parent This is yet another crucial point of the assessment process. The abusive parent will be interviewed to check and get a confirmation from them whether allegations of maltreatment did actually occur. Information gathered from the interview with the parent would include: the parents view of the child, his/her explanations about the alleged maltreatment, the parents response to the incident, the approach to parenting, relationship with the children, and relationship with the wider kin and the community (NDHHS 2005).   Close interviews with family Having completed the interviews, I would convene the family and share with them a summary of my findings, seek their individual responses, show appreciation of their participation, and discuss key concerns raised about the child maltreatment. With the interviews with the participants completed, I would then analyze the information collected for purposes of making informed decisions. Analysis of information gathered relating to the adults I would examine whether the family has been benefiting from ‘direct payments’ as provided for under The Community Care (Direct Payments) Act 1996. This act bestows power to the local authority to make direct cash payments to individuals who are in need of care as opposed to providing those persons community care services (Glasby Littlechild 2009). It is expected that these individuals use the money to secure themselves the services that they need. The service is provided by the government as a means of self-directed support to increase autonomy and independence of people (Duffy 2007). Specific issues that I would considered in the review   Has the family been receiving direct payments from the government as provided for under The Community Care (Direct Payments) Act 1996? Is there a clear evidence of significant harm to the child? Given that the father suffered from epilepsy, did the medical condition hinder his parenting ability and did he receive support from the extended family? Did the agencies involved identify the needs of the family and did they seek to address these needs by providing them with the much needed support? What is the relationship between the parents and the community? And how has isolation and lack of community support adversely affected their parenting capacity? How has the neighbourhood impacted on the parents mental and physical health? Were the wishes and feelings of the adults in the family considered and adequately addressed? Were appropriate care plans to support parenting capacity put in place by the agencies involved? What could have been the outcome if these parents had received support from the extended families and community at large? Do assessments appear to have been reached in an informed and professional way having had due regards for the needs of all family members? A focus of the assessment on the adults in the family does not imply that the problem of child maltreatment has been forgotten. This family focused approach is to ensure the best outcome for both the child and adults in the family. The principles of family focused practice affirm the primary importance of ensuring the child’s well-being and recognizing the mutual significance of the child and the family (Kendall et al. 2010). I would then think of interventions that will serve the interests of both the children and adults in the family. A range factors can be used to select the appropriate intervention. Among these factors is the appropriate application of social work methods developed from psychosocial theories (DH 2008). These methods include family therapy, cognitive behavioural work, crisis intervention, psychosocial casework, task-centred casework and counseling among many others (DH 2008).   The choice of the method would be influenced by the knowledge of what works under particular circumstances. Fig.1 developmental and ecological perspective of child maltreatment (DH 2008) Another important dimension that I would consider in the assessment is the decision whether to place the child in protection program or to have the child looked after at home. Should the decision be made for the child to be placed in protective custody, I would consider factors surrounding placement including plans for adoption or reunification (DOH 2000). Conclusion Whilst concerns about a childs health and development remains a core professional activity of social care agencies, these agencies have not always acted in the best interest of the child. A prime example of this can be seen with the Serious Case Review in Bromley which revealed a significant neglect of two boys despite the involvement of various agencies. The review found that agencies had overlooked the possibility that the boys might suffer physical harm. Based on the assessment, it was recommended that processes of assessment and reviews be always informed by attempts to understand the situation from the viewpoint of the child. But as we have seen, assessments should be conducted with due regard to the needs of all family members. Assessments should be conducted in relation to the children in the family and adults as well. An evidence based approach that involves identifying, gathering and using the evidence to support and evaluate the given approaches to assessment should be taken. Interventions that serve the interests of both the parents and the children should be implemented. Interventions can take the form of therapy, cognitive behavioural work, crisis intervention, psychosocial casework, task-centred casework and counseling among many others.   The choice of intervention is influenced by the knowledge of what works under particular circumstances. Reference Aldgate, J. and Bradley, M., 1999. Supporting Families through Short Term Fostering. The Stationery Office, London. Bromley Safeguarding Adults Board (BSAB), 2011. Bromley Serious Case Review Protocol. Bromley Safeguarding Adults Board. BSAB, 2011. Child D and Child B:   A Serious Case Review. Bromley Safeguarding Adults Board Department of Health (DH), 2000. Assessing Children in Need and their Families: Practice Guidance. TSO Department of Health (DH), 2007, Putting People First. TSO Department of Health (DH), 2008. Carers at the heart of 21st century families and communities: a caring system on your side, a life of your own.   Department of Health. DePanfilis, D., 2006. Child neglect: a guide for prevention, assessment and intervention. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Duffy, S., 2007. ‘Care Management and Self Directed Support’. Journal of Integrated Care Volume 15 (5) Family Law Council, 2004. The Child Paramountcy Principle in the Family Law Act. Discussion paper Glasby, J. and Littlechild, R., 2009. Direct Payments and Personal Budgets: Putting Personalisation Into Practice. Bristol: Policy Press Holland, S., 2004. Children and Family Assessment in Social Work Practice. Sage publications Iowa Foster and Adoptive Parents Association (Ifapa), 2010. The child abuse assessment: a guide for foster parents. Iowa Foster and Adoptive Parents Association. Jack, G., 1997. ‘An Ecological Approach to Social Work with Children and Families’. Child and Family Social Work. 2: 109–120. Kendall, S., Rodger, J. and Palmer, H., 2010. The use of whole family assessment to identify the needs of families with multiple problems. Department for Education Laming, H., 2003. The Victoria Climbie Inquiry Report.. London. TSO Millner,J. and Byrne, 2010. Assessment in Social Work. 3rd edition. Palgrave Nebraska Department of Health and Human services (NDHHS), 2005. Initial assessment guide book, Nebraska Department of Health and Human services NSPCC, 2012. An introduction to child protection legislation in the UK. NSPCC Parker,J. and Bradley, G., 2000. Social Work Practice- Assessment, Planning, Intervention and Review. Learning Matters Sharkey, P., 2006. The essentials of community care: a guide for practitioners. London: Palgrave Smale, G. and Tuson, G., 1993. Assessment, Care Management the Skilled Worker. Macmillan Stevenson, O., 1998. Neglected Children: Issues and Dilemmas. Blackwell Science, Oxford. Trevithick, P., 2000. Social Work Skills: A Practice Handbook. OPU White, A., 2005. Assessment of parenting capacity. Centre for Parenting Research

Politics Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 5

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Pedagogy and Practice Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

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