Fighting Abuse in the Communities
In November, 1997, Ernestine Jones became the second court appointed
receiver for the D.C. Child and Family Services Agency. Jones is taking over
at a time when when the agency has less money and the number of
child-abuse and neglect cases are rising tremendously. Many of the staff
members are so demoralized and overtaxed that they are quitting their jobs.
However, the Healthy Families/Thriving Communities Collaboratives gives
Jones hope. “Their purpose is to bring together family services employees,
nonprofit agency staffs and ordinary citizens in a effort to transform the way
abused and neglected children and their families are reunited, preserved and
strenghtened” (The Washington Post, 1997).
Collaboratives are governed and operated locally. Social workers are
“outposted” to the localities where neglect and child abuse are highest. This
enables the social workers to get to know the people of their assigned
neighborhoods. Community leaders work side bye side with the social
workers and staff from nonprofit agencies. The leaders know about resources
such as 12-step programs, day care, after school activity, and people who
want to help families in crisis.
As wonderful as these ideas may sound, the collaboratives face obstacles.
First, the employees of D.C. Child and Family Servies Agency will have to be
persuaded to buy into programs in which they share responsibility with
citizens. Also, the agency may be skeptical to earmark scarce funds.
However, the D.C. Child and Family Services Agency and nonprofit and local
citizens may not have much of a choice.
The Link between Domestic violence and Child Abuse: Assessment
and Treatment Considerations
Child abuse ahnd spouse abuse have traditionally been examined as seperate issues.
However, research suggests that these two issues are linked clearly within families, with
each being a strong predictor of the other. Child abuse is likely to occur 15 times more in
families where domestic violence occurs. Children are not the primary target in some
child-abuse cases. Fathers’ abuse toward chiildren occurs from thwarted intervention
attempts or from blows meant for the wife but the child accidentilly got. On the contrary,
the assumption that women who are frustrated towards the abuser or just being abused,
unleash their anger on the children in the form of abuse. What becomes so difficult for
professionals to accept is the battered woman that becomes physically or emotionally
abusive or neglective of her children. Explanations for this unfortunate act reveals that
battered women give their abusers full-attention in order to control the violence, or they
may withdraw from the family in order to protet themselves. Also, some women who are
battered are extremely fearful of their partners response to their children. Therefore, they
over discipline the children in an attempt to control and protect them from greater abuse
(McKay 30).
Child maltreated continues to create dilemmas for professionals. The difficulty lies in
the powerless child who becomes victim to those who are supposed to nurture and protect
them. If a woman has too many children, she will not be acepted into the shelters enabling
her to return home because of fear of becoming homeless or not being able to probide for
the children. Some have trouble understanding why a battered woman would return to
that environment. Generally, the violence isn’t always present in the relationship, it
escalates over time. Therefore, a woman “finds” herself in an unfortunate position instead
of “choosing” it (McKay 31).
The link between child abuse and spouse abuse must be recognized. Many times,
mothers will not admit to abusing their children in fear of having them taken away. Also,
fear of the abuser may enable a woman not to admit to the abuse with the family.
Domestic violence services were developed to meet a woman’s needs, not specifically
the children. Domestic violence services provides help for woman. They help the battered
woman to realize how the violence in the home affected the children. They also make the
link between domestic and spouse abuse. In addition, the service provides counseling to
help the woman put the responsibility for the violence on the abuser, or offers help for the
women who are the abusers to their children (McKay 32-33). Children and women who
are abused are especially confused and vulnerable. Therefore, the need for protection is
extremely important (Suppes347).
In conclusion, child welfare servicer providers must be aware of the link between child
abuse and domestic violence. The worker also needs to understand that a battered woman
is very often more fearful of her abuser than anything else. The responsibility is on both
agencies which are assisting the victims of domestic and child abuse. Treatment plans
should focus on protection for the victims.
Bibliography
McKay, Mary McKernan. “The Link Between Domestic Violence and Child Abuse: Ass
Assessment and Treatment cnsiderations. Child Welfare 1994: 73. USA: Child
League of America, Inc. 1994.
Child Welfare 1994: 73. USA: Child League of America, Inc. 1994.
Suppes, Mary Ann, and Carolyn Cressy Wells. The Social Work Experience: An
Introduction to the Profession and Its Relationship to Social Welfare Poliy. 2nd ed.
New York: The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. 1991.
Page © 1997-2004 Wild Angel
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