Personal Reflection

Personal Reflection

Child abuse can be defined as any act or failure to act that endangers a child's physical or emotional health and development. A person caring for a child is abusive if he or she fails to nurture the child, physically injures the child, or relates sexually to the child. "The Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment Act" states' that "child abuse is the leading cause of death in children under the age of eighteen.

To help we as social workers need to keep our eyes and ears open. Early childhood intervention is necessary in order to correct abusive situations. Children have a right to be protected. Preventing child abuse must incorporate an understanding and awareness of effective disciplinary strategies. There are many different programs that offer educational help for caregivers in need of resources.

However, it is unfortunate that children are already products of abusive conditions when mandatory involvement by the state is set forth. Interventions on a child's behalf are implemented in many different ways. There are many steps or levels of intervention that take place. The first step is a report made by a concerned individual in contact with the child. If there is enough evidence for possible abuse the child in question and caregivers are contacted. A home visit is arranged and a caseworker is assigned to investigate the alleged abuse and offer assistance to the family, as needed.

Treatment for the child is very important for the child to get better. Children often deal with trauma and can have it for a variety of reasons, not just abuse. It is important to treat it because it does not get better on its own and can lead to other coping strategies. There are different therapeutic approaches that can help traumatized children, such as; art therapy, music therapy, drama therapy, dance/movement therapy, poetry and play therapy, are a few of them. I think it is important to get to know your client well before you decide on what form of therapy to use, and if one doesn't work you should not give up and try others.

Everyone is different in the way they handle their emotions and feelings. My son for example, is not good with expressing himself vocally and did not open up to a counselor for many years. My experience with my son has brought me to where I am today. Hoping that by taking these classes I could understand the process of a social worker, and hope to become a counselor. My son did not suffer from abuse nor neglect. His suffering was from his father committing suicide when he was a month old, and seeing me in an abusive relationship.

I never realized that him not having his father in his life and seeing me struggle in my relationship would cause so much trauma in his life. He was hurting and felt alone. I have struggled with him and deviant behaviors because he did not know how to express what he felt, and thought

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