Bshs 408 – Providing Services When a Threat May Exist
History of Child Abuse
As a human service professional, we are likely to become involved with cases surrounding abuse and or neglect. The types and classes of people that we will provide services for will be a mixture of different cultures, situations, and circumstance surrounding the abuse. In the scenario presented, a teacher has referred a set of twin students to the human services professional who must intervene in a situation of abuse. The father is known throughout the community to make threats, which causes concern about the safety of the worker and the child. The topic of discussion of this paper will focus on prevention methods and interventions.
Assessing the Situation
A set of fifth-grade twins, Jonah and Joann, has been referred by their teacher to the school counselor because of concerns of abuse by a parent. She has noticed on several occasions that the children have come to school looking unkempt and wearing long sleeve shirts even though the weather has been hot, and there is no air conditioning in the school. The teacher also notices several bruises on the children. After speaking with the twins, they tell the counselor that the father has grabbed them when they are bad. As a mandated reporter, the counselor must report her suspicion of suspected abuse to Child Protective Service (CPS). The counselor is concerned for her safety and the safety of the children once a report is made. However, because she is a mandated reporter, she must make the call because it is the law and in the best interest of the twins. It is not her responsibility to prove that abuse has occurred, that responsibility rests on the shoulders of CPS.
Self Awareness
Before getting involved with a case, or even during the case, a worker must be aware of their personal feelings as they relate to the situation. Abuse is a very touchy subject and how a worker feels about abuse can impact the decisions that need to be made. How a worker was raised, their environment, social and economic status all plays a part in the way they perceive. People, in general, have feelings or opinions, but in situations such as this, they must be able to check those feelings if they want to help their client. Having strong feelings about the case, particularly the parent or caregiver, should not be the driving factor in helping the client, it should be what is in the best interest of the child and how they can affect a positive outcome. If and or when a worker feels they cannot or no longer be unbiased, they should remove themselves from the case.
Interventions
In the situation of this scenario, the initial stages of intervention will rely greatly on the communication between the worker, social services, the twins, and the father. It will be important for the worker to maintain constant communication