6: Children and families Flashcards
(22 cards)
it’s important to know the difference between signing a document and ratifying it
Signing a document means that a state accepts or approves of what is contained within the document. However, the signature does not establish that consent is bound. A signature is usually the step before ratification. Whereas, the process of ratification indicates a state’s consent to be bound to a treaty
Despite convention on human rights of a child..
“Millions of children have no access to education, work long hours under hazardous conditions and are forced to serve as soldiers in armed conflict. They suffer targeted attacks on their schools and teachers or languish in institutions or detention centres, where they endure inhumane conditions and assaults on their dignity. Young and immature, they are often easily exploited. In many cases, they are abused by the very individuals responsible for their care.”
Despite the valuable efforts of human rights workers and child advocates, children around the world remain at risk of violence and abuse. This is also true for contemporary Western democracies, as the institution where abuse is most likely to occur, is that of the family.
Defining Family
There are multiple definitions of family.
The Oxford dictionary definition of ‘family’ is “a group consisting of two parents and their children living together as a unit” (Family, 2014, para 1).
The Australian Bureau of Statistics [ABS] defines family as “two or more persons, one of whom is at least 15 years of age, who are related by blood, marriage (registered or de facto), adoption, step or fostering, and who are usually resident in the same household” (ABS, 2006, para 1).
How we define family depends on a range of factors including our social and religious views, our culture and ethnicity and our own experiences of family (i.e. family is a social construction). The ABS definition above seeks to broaden traditional definitions of family to include other understandings. Family is a diverse concept around the world.
Let’s look at the following two questions:
What are families for?
What do they do?
Five propositions;
The family unit is a system of cooperation based upon combining human and other resources and a structured distribution of costs and benefits
The family system of cooperation focuses around two main sets of tasks: income-generation and care
The family system of cooperation results in a duality of joint benefits and unequal rewards.
The nature of family life and the nature of the civil society in which it is embedded depend upon but also contribute to the balance between state and free market coordination of social structures
Social policies should have as their central objective the maintenance and improvement of family wellbeing. By definition, then, ‘family policy’ involves a focus on the family impacts of other social policies
Key Policy Areas
Policies in relation to children and families are either directly concerned with family well-being (e.g. child protection and income support legislation) or indirectly concerned (e.g. employment, education, housing, health, taxation). The current funding model for child and family services is a joint responsibility model between the Federal and States/Territory governments. In terms of areas that relate to families, the Federal government has responsibility for administration of family law, income support (Centrelink), child care and family support services. The State/Territory governments have responsibility for child protection, policing and housing.
Some examples of the sorts of services, projects and initiatives that the government offers in relation to families include:
The Communities for Children Facilitating Partners (CfC FPs) is a place based model of investment supporting children and families in 52 disadvantaged communities across Australia.
Raising Children Network - comprehensive, practical, expert child health and parenting information and activities covering children aged 0-8 years.
Breastfeeding Helpline
Find a childcare provider service
Child Support system
Child Care Benefit
Family relationship centres
Kids World – A kids guide to changing families
Protect your children - Links to further information and a number of websites targeted at children of different ages that guide children through a range of Internet safety issues
Tilbury, Osmond, Wilson and Clark (2007) identify three levels of government child and family policy.
Each level can be understood as addressing child protection and child and family wellbeing.
The first is primary, which includes awareness-raising to prevent maltreatment and build resources. At the primary level focus is given to improving the wellbeing of children and families. Policies may be implemented at all levels of government. Initiatives include Community Hubs, Early Childhood Education and Care (e.g., child care centres, kindy programs), paid parental leave, family tax benefits and the families and children activities program. These are largely universal supports.
Secondary includes programs with are targeted at disadvantaged groups to build skills and knowledge, enhance individual capacities and family functioning. Examples of this sort of protection include parenting programs to assist families at risk with their parenting skills, Family and Child Connect, and Intensive Family Support Services. These are more targeted than primary supports.
Finally, tertiary is targeted at families where maltreatment has been identified to avert its recurrence and help those affected. This includes mandated interventions by statutory bodies, particularly State based Child Protection Services. These are highly targeted and specialised supports.
There has been much debate about the best way to implement child protection including whether so much funding should be funnelled into out of home care and so little into early prevention.
Reading: Harnessing ‘Resilience’ when Working with Children and Families (pp 49-70 of Working with Vulnerable Families: A Partnership Approach)
Understanding Resilience
Definition: Resilience is characterized as the capacity to recover from adversity and adapt positively in the face of challenges.
Dynamic Nature: Rather than being a fixed trait, resilience is a dynamic process influenced by various factors, including individual characteristics, relationships, and environmental contexts.
Factors Influencing Resilience
Protective Factors: Elements such as strong caregiver-child relationships, supportive social networks, and access to community resources can bolster resilience.
Risk Factors: Conversely, exposure to chronic stressors like poverty, family violence, or substance abuse can undermine resilience.
Implications for Practice
Strengths-Based Approach: Practitioners are encouraged to focus on existing strengths within families and communities, recognizing and building upon these assets.
Collaborative Engagement: Engaging families as partners in the intervention process fosters empowerment and supports the development of resilience.
Cultural Sensitivity: Understanding and respecting cultural backgrounds and practices are essential in tailoring interventions that are effective and meaningful.
Strategies for Enhancing Resilience
Skill Development: Programs that teach coping skills, problem-solving, and emotional regulation can enhance individual resilience.
Community Involvement: Strengthening community ties and support systems provides a broader safety net for families facing adversity.
Policy Advocacy: Advocating for policies that address systemic issues contributing to family vulnerability is crucial in creating an environment conducive to resilience.
This chapter emphasizes that fostering resilience is a multifaceted endeavor requiring a holistic, culturally informed, and collaborative approach. By focusing on strengths and engaging families as active participants, practitioners can support positive outcomes even in the face of significant challenges.
Primary
National Initiatives
- Families and Children
- Families and children activities program
- Soft Entry Approach
- Communities For Children
- Community Hubs Program
- Family Tax Benefit
- Paid Parental Leave
- Early Child Education and Care
- Kindy program
- Child Care Benefit
Secondary
Queensland Context
- Supporting Families Changing Futures
- Family and Child Connect (FACC)
- Assessment
- Advice
- Referral
- Intensive Family Support Services (IFSS)
- Case management
Tertiary
Queensland Context
- Child Protection System
- Statutory body
- Child Protection Act 1999 (QLD)
- Reports of suspected child abuse
- Intake
- Investigation
Definition of harm
- Section 9 of the Child Protection Act (1999) defines harm as
being: - Harm, to a child, is any detrimental effect of a significant nature on
the child’s physical, psychological or emotional wellbeing. - Harm can be caused by—
- (a) physical, psychological or emotional abuse or neglect; or
- (b) sexual abuse or exploitation.
- Harm can be caused by—
- (a) a single act, omission or circumstance; or
- (b) a series or combination of acts, omissions or
circumstances
The tertiary level (Child protection)
When we think of government services to assist children and families, we often think of the child protection system. Managed by the States and Territories, this system seeks to assist vulnerable children who are suspected of being abused, neglected or maltreated. Individuals and professionals such as teachers, social workers and doctors, can notify child protection services if they suspect there is a child being abused. Child protection staff will then make a determination about whether a notification can be ‘substantiated’ or ‘not substantiated’. To do this, they use their professional skills and a complex computer based system designed to determine risk. If a claim is substantiated, then a child protection professional will seek to intervene in the family to ensure the safety of the child. This may mean linking a family up with support services, placing a child on a care and protection order and/or removing a child and placing them in out of home care. There are a range of legislation that child protection departments use to inform and carry out their work and this differs between States and Territories. For example, Child Safety Services (Department of Children, Youth Justice and Multicultural Affairs) in Queensland has its principal Act – the Child Protection Act 1999 (QLD), as well as utilising the following legislation:
Child Protection Reform Amendment Act 2014 (Qld)
Public Guardian Act 2014 (Qld)
Family Child and Commission Act 2014 (Qld)
Education (General Provisions) Act 2006 (Qld)
Public Health Act 2005 (Qld)
Commission for Children and Young People and Child Guardian Act 2000 (Qld)
Adoption Act 2009 (Qld)
Family Law Act 1975 (Cth)
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Child Placement Principle
The “Aboriginal and Torres Strait Child Placement Principle” has been endorsed in legislation and policy, meaning the preferred order of placement for an Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander child must be:
- the child’s extended family (kin)
- the child’s Indigenous community (kin)
- with Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander carers
- with non-Indigenous carer
The principle has been officiated as acknowledgment of previous policies that have caused suffering to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and aims to reflect the right of Indigenous people to raise children in their own communities
Adoption
Adoption is a service that provides a family for a child who is unable to live with their birth parents. It is a permanent legal arrangement that cuts a child’s legal ties with their birth family. Full parental rights and responsibilities are given to the adoptive family. The child becomes a full member of the adoptive family. This includes taking their surname and assuming the same rights and privileges as if born to them, including the right of inheritance. Legislation in each State and Territory of Australia outlines who can adopt and under what circumstances.
There are three types of adoption
Intercountry adoption is where children are adopted from countries other than Australia.
Local adoption is where Australian children, not known to their adoptive parents are adopted.
Known adoption is where children are known to their adoptive parent/s. These include step-parents and other relatives and carers who adopt children. Known adoptions are the primary form of adoption in Australia.
The Convention of 29 May 1993 on Protection of Children and Co-operation in Respect of Intercountry Adoption (Hague Adoption Convention)
seeks to ensure that intercountry adoptions are made in the best interest of the child, taking into consideration the child’s rights. As well as this, it “seeks to prevent abduction, the sale of, or traffic in children” (HCCC, para 1). The Hague Adoption Convention on Inter-country Adoption requires Contracting States to designate a Central Authority to discharge the duties which are imposed by the Convention. The Hague Convention was approved by Australia on 25 August 1998 and came into force in Australia on 1 December 1998. It is implemented in Australia by the Family Law Act 1975 and the Family Law (Hague Convention on Inter-country Adoption) Regulations 1998.
State and territory adoption legislation and Australia’s immigration laws are designed to uphold the principles of this convention. The Australian Government Attorney-General’s Department is the Australian Central Authority for inter-country adoption under the Convention.
For adoptions within Australia - these are the guiding legislation Acts that must be adhered to:
Australian Capital Territory: Adoption Act (1993)
New South Wales: Adoption Act (2000)
Northern Territory Adoption of Children Act (1994)
Queensland: Adoption Act (2009) and Adoption Regulation (2009)
South Australia: The Adoption (Review) Amendment Act (2016)
Tasmania: Adoption Act (1999)
Victoria: Adoption Act (1984)
Western Australia: Adoption Act (1994)
Childhood
Then:
* Cheaper
* Easier to control
Now:
* Unique developmental period
* Developmental ‘risks’
* Vulnerable
Rights of children
- Convention on the Rights of the
Child (1989) - Outlines human rights as they
apply to children
During covid-19 around child protection notifications:
Notifications, not
substantiations
- In most states there was a drop in notifications,
as restrictions eased, increased again - “children were less visible to school personnel”
- “School personnel are typically the second most
common source of notifications of suspected child
abuse and neglect, after police.” - Substantiations in QLD stayed the same
- Full report: Child protection in the time of
COVID-19 (AIHW, 2021)
