Analyzing Child-Centered Social Work Practices and Legislation

This essay provides a detailed overview and critical analysis of child-centered social work practices. It begins by defining social work and its objectives, particularly focusing on assisting disadvantaged individuals, families, and children. The main body delves into the analysis of child-centered practices, emphasizing interventions for children and young people, including child protection and the importance of understanding their needs and interests. The essay explores the parameters of relevant state and federal legislation pertaining to the treatment of children and young people, highlighting the significance of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC) and comparing child-centered approaches in Australia, Canada, and Sweden. It discusses how these countries balance needs and rights with varying focuses on provision, protection, and participation. The essay emphasizes the importance of a child-centered approach in fostering independence, confidence, and protection from abuse, and concludes by reiterating the benefits of this approach for various stakeholders. The essay also stresses the need to involve children in decision-making processes and to ensure that their voices are heard in matters concerning their well-being. The essay references several academic sources to support its arguments.

SOCIAL WORK ESSAY

TABLE OF CONTENTS
INTRODUCTION.....................................................................................................................................1
MAINBODY..............................................................................................................................................1
Analyzing range of issues and interventions focused on children and young people...............................1
Parameters of relevant state and federal legislation pertaining to treatment of children and young
people......................................................................................................................................................3
CONCLUSION..........................................................................................................................................4
REFERENCES..........................................................................................................................................5

INTRODUCTION
Social work is the profession which is concerned with assisting people, communities and
groups in enhancing their well-being. The main aim of this method, practice or activities are to
provide social services to the economically, physically, mentally or socially disadvantaged
individuals. Social workers are those people who perform social roles to help people who are
facing disabilities, life-threatening diseases or any social problems like unemployment, poverty,
substance abuse, inadequate housing, etc (Ashdown and Brown, 2013). They also assists families
and children with food, home and health care. This essay renders an overview and critical
analysis of child centered social work, its analysis and practices. Child centered is the approach
or methods designed to develop or build individual and social qualities of a child by giving
priorities to the needs and interests of the children.
MAINBODY
Analyzing range of issues and interventions focused on children and young people
Child centered practice is a dominant approach which involves engaging of children and
their families to understand needs and interests to prevent child abuse. Child protection is the
safeguarding of children from violence, abuse, exploitation and neglect (Perry, Hondeghem and
Wise, 2010). A set of principles are intended to guide actions and decisions with relation to
children and young people by several states and territory legislations. Research indicates that
children’s development can be altered in childhood by interventions which can be achieved by
community based programs and services like family based and home visiting plans. These
practices provides a legal framework for child protection policy, procedures, structures, court
processes, agreements and quality standards. It ensures that children and young people are safe,
their needs are met and systems are working in a way that leads to best suitable outcomes for
them.
Child centered approach is engaging with children who have suffered abuse and violence
in past to prevent them from the state of isolation and depression (Wilson, 2012). It means
ascertaining children's wishes, desires and feelings by making interaction with them precisely in
terms of age, ethnicity, language and ability. In child centered practices a social worker is
responsible for investigating any allegation of child abuse, endangerment, neglect or any other
situations in which children or a child may not be in protected current living condition. The state
and territory legislation of Australia, articulated set of reforms which provides direction to social
care workers so that they can make decisions regarding providing safety and protection to young
children. The program developed by United Kingdom in order to provides safety to children
'Looking After Children (LAC) has not been universally embraced in Australia, though its
concepts which is 'child centered approach' has been successfully implemented by the state and
territory of Australia.
The core of child centered care approach is to provide assistance to child by which he or
she can become independent, responsible and confident. Social work tends to implement this
approach in order to cover all the areas of growth and development including social, emotional
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and physical (Davis, 2015). The care providers engage with children by interacting with them in
order to enhance the motivation of child which helps in prevention of isolation of child. One of
the most significant benefit from this approach is enhancement in children protection from child
abuse and engagement of family members for support. Children and young people’s
relationships before coming into the care are often abusive, violent and chaotic. Growing focus
on the relationships of children and young people in care emphasis on a number of developments
such as investigations into the deaths of children living at home which are known to social
services.
The children, young people and their families experience a range of needs at different
times in their lives. Developmental needs and life worlds of children and young people are
identified as education, health, identity, social presentations, family relationships, emotional and
behavioral developments and self-care skills (Brouard and Larivet, 2010). Evidences and
research suggests that more attention needs to be given to the development of high quality
relationships between children, young people and their families. Severe case reviews and child
abuse investigations shows the prominence of teachers, health visitors, police and child
protection workers who shares responsibility of developing meaningful relationships with
children whom they work. This means that relationships must be at the heart of the care system.
And there is a range of other people with whom children and young people network and derive
support.
These include caregivers, residential child protection workers, youth workers, birth
family, carers and others in inter professional settings. Experience of positive, safe and stable
relationships helps children and young people build secure attachments, develop self-confidence,
self-esteem and self-reliance thereby contributing to a strong sense of identity and belonging.
Absence of a secure attachment relationship makes some children find it difficult to trust adults
in the face of previous negative and abusive encounters (Viner, 2015). These mistrust feelings
can worsen continuous change of child protection workers, lack of time to form relationships and
taking professional decisions that are made about the lives of children and young people to
which a child or young person does not agree. Voices of children and experiences are often
dominated as a conscious effort to ensure children’s participation in processes are not been
made. By providing children a voice and a chance to convey any issue concerning themselves
would help in reducing the depressing behavior in child.
Rigid procedures and inadequate decision making power is considered as another hurdle
which impact on child centered practices provided by the social care workers. Listening to
children improves the accuracy and relevancy of decision making which in turn increases the
possibility of their protection. Children and young people should be given with direct and
indirect opportunities to express their feelings, wishes (Yorio and Ye, 2012). Child centered
approach recognizes the importance of experience and knowledge which is actively shared
among child protection workers and children. The decisions relating to legal and administrative
which affect children and young people must be informed to them. They must also be provided
with information’s about child protection processes, making complaints, forums in which they
are expected to be a part of.
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Parameters of relevant state and federal legislation pertaining to treatment of children and young
people
Child centered is formed by several contextual factors, influences and social work
practices. These includes working for and with children together putting into concepts of 3P’s-
Provision, Participation and Protection. The UN Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC) in
late 1980s world’s recognized children as citizens with provision, protection and participation
(Kim and Vandenabeele, 2010). This resolution has an important influence on politics,
legislation and attitudes to children worldwide and their rights. A good example of the child
centered approach which have a significant influence on assessment, planning, intervention and
review in more than fifteen countries is looking after Children System (LAC) developed in Great
Britain. The different orientations to child centered social work carried out through guidelines of
Looking after Children (LAF) and Assessment framework in Australia, Canada and Sweden are
taken into consideration. The differences between three countries shows structural and related
factors that forms child centered practices.
In the Australian context, child centered approach expresses a way which shows a
balance between meeting children’s needs for protecting and caring their rights to participate in
the care process (Brown 1, Gong and Jing, 2012 ). Laisses-faire, Paternalism and child
protection, Modern defense of birth family and children’s rights are used as theoretical points for
training on attitudes and values. The theory of child centered is not used openly but the key
concepts in the Australian training material published by the original British LAC publication
are: The corporate parent, Parenting, Partnership and Outcomes. Barnardos Australia takes the
role of corporate parent and ensures that children looked after can take the advantage of
opportunities available to them and fully develop their lives (Australian child protection
legislation, 2018). This works for charity and gives permanent and temporary care for children
and young people, abuse or neglect prevention services to the community and child welfare
research and development. The AUS-LAC further describes the importance of listening to
children, their views, wishes and feelings and involving children in decision making which all
will define strengthen partnership with children and young people. The main aim of looking after
children away from home is not just preventing harm but to promote well-being and growth.
Child centered practice in LAC context of Canada is expressed in two different ways; the
training materials and AAR-C2. Rationales are explained by materials for using LAC focuses on
improving outcomes for children whereas, AAR-C2 emphases on partnership and participation
of children (Johnson, 2016). AAR forms is used as a discussion document, planning tool and
instrument to gather information, source of outcome evidence. Its use renders child welfare
practitioners with an extensive range of interventions which will allow them to explore and
encourage developing of several skills and abilities in children and young people. Building of
effective partnerships between people of unequal power provides relationship acknowledgement
and clarifies this inequality. According to the AAR form partnership needs listening to users,
carers, anti-discriminatory practices, agreement and forming of progress, providing sufficient
information, honesty, openness and genuine participation. The description of main principles of
LAC clearly refers to a child centered approach as it is a youth centered developmental way of
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working not a bureaucratic system. They uses a resilience theory which is indirectly connected to
a child centered approach.
Sweden follows BBIC, an integrated approach to undertake the key processes of
assessment, planning, intervention and review based on understanding of children’s
developmental needs. BBIC takes child development, parenting capacity and environment and
several other underpinned principles which are focused on child welfare services (Zainuddin,
Previte, and Russell-Bennett, 2011). It is used with children in care and their parents who
receives community based services. The main aim of BBIC is to strengthen the child’s position
within the child welfare services in accordance with the Social Services Act and CRC. Several
concepts like children’s participation in decision making, advocacy, children’s rights, views and
wishes, partnership and listening are used to define child centered approach or children’s needs
in focus. To bring a balanced approach to the relationship between provision and protection, risk
or protective factors as well as equal opportunities for all children are described and interpreted.
BBIC is a rights based approach in which children are partners in care planning and decision
making. The Swedish National Board of Health and Welfare is the country’s supervisory
authority for social services. It offers general advice, guides on application of law, development
methods and approaches including BBIC thereby supporting child welfare services.
As discussed from the training materials and parameters and federal legislation pertaining
to treatment of children and young people from three countries can be classified into different
categories in relation to three P’s and the needs and rights approaches (Hicks and Cinner, 2014).
Australia balances needs and rights with a focus on provision of combination with protection and
participation. Canada is more need oriented with lesser emphasis on rights. Provision succeeds
protection which is focused more than participation. Sweden is more rights oriented as the
children’s needs are focused clearly.
CONCLUSION
The above essay on social work discussed the child centered practices or approach which
is necessary to increase motivation, strengthen and build confidence in children who have been
deprived in the community. The importance of this practice and its benefits to child welfare
workers, children, families, carers and other inter professionals were also covered in the report.
In this context, the concept of childcare centre and its importance has been discussed which
explicitly states that to avoid child isolation, it is essential for social workers to engage with
children. Also the essay analyzed a range of issues and interventions which were focused on
children and young people, birth families etc. The parameters of different states or countries and
federal legislations pertaining to the treatment of children and young people, their families,
carers were also explained and evaluated in the above essay.
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REFERENCES
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Ashdown, M., & Brown, S. C. (2013). Social service and mental health: an essay on psychiatric
social workers. Routledge.
Perry, J. L., Hondeghem, A., & Wise, L. R. (2010). Revisiting the motivational bases of public
service: Twenty years of research and an agenda for the future. Public administration
review, 70(5), 681-690.
Wilson, J. (2012). Volunteerism research: A review essay. Nonprofit and Voluntary Sector
Quarterly, 41(2), 176-212.
Davis, J. (2015). People of the Mediterranean: an essay in comparative social anthropology.
Routledge.
Brouard, F., & Larivet, S. (2010). Essay of clarifications and definitions of the related concepts
of social enterprise, social entrepreneur and social entrepreneurship. Handbook of
research on social entrepreneurship, 29-56.
Viner, J. (2015). The role of providence in the social order: an essay in intellectual history.
Princeton University Press.
Yorio, P. L., & Ye, F. (2012). A meta-analysis on the effects of service-learning on the social,
personal, and cognitive outcomes of learning. Academy of Management Learning &
Education, 11(1), 9-27.
Kim, S., & Vandenabeele, W. (2010). A strategy for building public service motivation research
internationally. Public administration review, 70(5), 701-709.
Brown 1, T. L., Gong, T., & Jing, Y. (2012). Collaborative governance in mainland China and
Hong Kong: Introductory essay. International Public Management Journal, 15(4), 393-
404.
Johnson, T. J. (2016). Professions and Power (Routledge Revivals). Routledge.
Zainuddin, N., Previte, J., & Russell-Bennett, R. (2011). A social marketing approach to value
creation in a well-women's health service. Journal of Marketing Management, 27(3-4),
361-385.
Hicks, C. C., & Cinner, J. E. (2014). Social, institutional, and knowledge mechanisms mediate
diverse ecosystem service benefits from coral reefs. Proceedings of the National
Academy of Sciences, 111(50), 17791-17796.
Cantillon, B. (2011). The paradox of the social investment state: growth, employment and
poverty in the Lisbon era. Journal of European social policy, 21(5), 432-449.
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Online:
Australian child protection legislation. 2018. [Online]. Available through:
<https://aifs.gov.au/cfca/publications/australian-child-protection-legislation>
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