Child Protection Intervention Report: Policy and Practice

This report provides a comprehensive child protection intervention plan based on a case study involving an Aboriginal woman and her children, addressing domestic violence and its impact. The report begins with a summary of a prior assessment, identifying key outcomes for the family, including anxiety and anger management for the mother, better health for the children, improved relationships, and financial/emotional wellbeing. It then details evidence-based interventions such as therapy, counselling, community-based work, and job placement, justifying their appropriateness. The report outlines monitoring and assessment procedures, including counselling sessions, home visits, and feedback from community workers and teachers. It aligns the intervention with current legislation, policies, and practice developments, emphasizing mandatory reporting and the National Framework for Protecting Australia’s Children. Finally, the report discusses the author's personal values and their influence on the intervention approach, highlighting the importance of human rights, social justice, and individual liberty. The report concludes that through effective assessment and supervision, the family can improve and children can grow in a positive environment.

Running head: CHILD PROTECTION INTERVENTION
Child Protection Intervention
Name of the Student:
Name of the University:
Author Note:

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Table of Contents
Introduction................................................................................................................................2
Discussion..................................................................................................................................2
Assessment summary Assignment part A..............................................................................2
Intervention planning.............................................................................................................3
Key outcomes.....................................................................................................................3
Justification of the intervention..........................................................................................4
Monitoring and assessment procedure...............................................................................5
Current legislation, policy and practice developments..........................................................6
Effects of personal values, attitudes and beliefs....................................................................7
Conclusion..................................................................................................................................7
References..................................................................................................................................9

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Introduction
Child violence is one of the most pressing concern for social workers and policy
makers. More than 60% of the children are subjected different forms of child abuse and
violence or in the least neglect that leads to abnormal growth of their psyche and hinders their
cognitive development (Wathen & MacMillan, 2013). Many of them repeat the same
behavior in their future thus creating a vicious cycle, which has become difficult to
overcome. In Australia, the aboriginals are particularly prone to domestic violence and the
children too, become the victims of the family issues. Children might become the subjects or
spectators of abuse in the family, which is equally effective in creating trauma. The lack of
financial support and awareness makes the situation complex (Shea, Nahwegahbow &
Andersson, 2010). This report is based on the intervention recommendation that was made in
assessment part A. based on the assessment key outcomes and justifications for the
interventions have been elaborated. Additionally, the current policies and legislatures that
support the interventions are also analyzed. Finally, personal emotions and attitudes that
might have affected the intervention choice have been evaluated.
Discussion
Assessment summary Assignment part A
The first assessment was based on the signs and impacts that children victims of
domestic violence have. It has been seen through research that domestic violence have
negative effects on the psychological and behavioral developments of children. Violence
against children cannot be limited to a certain scenarios where the exposure if clear. It also
includes negative responses and neglect on part of the parents. Children often are exposed
multiple victimization including sexual, physical and emotional abuse (Turner et al. 2017).

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The case is based on an aboriginal woman named Lizzie whose current partner is in jail for
domestic violence. She also had earlier experience of domestic abuse, which has contributed
to her present condition of continuous anxiety and negative behavior towards her children.
The socio-economic condition and support from helpful agencies are also important
factor for assisting abused victims. The aboriginals have low rate of employment and Lizzy’s
husband is about to get out of jail. This leads to her increased anxiety and irritation. She is
unable to take care of her children but is also unwilling to send them to foster care. The
interventions are focused on building the physical and mental health of the mother and the
children, creating awareness and providing medical and financial support.
Intervention planning
Key outcomes
The key outcomes from the proposed intervention is as follows:
 Anxiety and anger management for Lizzy
Lizzy needs to manage her anxiety and anger for the difficulties that she is
facing she has a habit of finding and replacing the father figure for her
children as she believes that she cannot manage on her own (Qld Government,
Department of Child Safety, Youth and Women). She is an example of poor
parenting and through awareness creation and support from other single
mothers from the aboriginal community that she lives in, she will be able to
cope up with the situation. Personal and family counselling will help her
manage the anxiety.
 Better health for the children
The children needs better care and Lizzy is unable to take care of all three
children. The youngest one is too young but the other too can be put into

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community day care and crèche. This way, they will receive proper hygiene
and Lizzy will get time to manage the affairs of the house. She might also help
around in the day care to earn. This will give her the chance to spend with her
children and become financially independent.
 Better relationship building
The family needs counselling and support for relationship building. There is
already estrangement in the family as the father is convicted. The mother does
not share a close bond (Lawson, 2019). Through family counselling and
creating community support groups, Lizzy will be able to find solutions for
her problems.
 Financial and emotional wellbeing of Lizzy
The emotional and financial wellbeing is necessary for Lizzie for her to able to
feel more confident and in control of her life. Finding her proper placement
and assisting her to reduce her anxiety through counselling and support groups
will be a positive intervention.
Justification of the intervention
The interventions that have been recommended in the assessment are: therapy,
counselling, community based work and group participation and job placement. Community
based approach to mitigating the problems in Lizzies family is most appropriate. According
to Sweet (2018), medicalization and institutionalization of the victims leads to increase in
their likelihood of further victimization and trauma that comes with living in foster care.
Women face great stigma and hardships when they are institutionalized. Thus, therapy is the
first step that would help them in combating the situation.
Counselling are also effective in learning about the present condition of the victims.
Both the mother and the children need counselling sessions both personal and family, where

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they will be able to discuss their issues and find solutions effectively (Australian Institute for
Family Studies. 2016). Research says that systematic counselling can help domestic abuse
victims to overcome the trauma and fear that they have and gain their confidence. The
problem with Lizzy and her family is that she lacks the self-esteem and confidence that is
needed for her to take care of her children. Community based work and group engagement is
another method that are likely to bring fulfilment to the victims (Turner et al., 2017). Through
community activities, the victims are able to find support and empathy from the fellow beings
that they live with and people help each other more. The community exercises also help
developing their self-esteem and confidence as they see people with similar issues living a
better life. Job placement of the victims help in empowering them financially and
emotionally. Thus, these interventions are likely to help the family in question to recover
from the current situation.
Monitoring and assessment procedure
For monitoring and assessment of the progress that the family makes, counselling and
informal visits to neighborhood could be an effective measure. Along with that, surprise visit
to the household and taking the feedback of the community workers and the teachers are also
effective. Each of these steps will serve varied purposes. Counselling will help gathering data
on the individual mental state and the changing psyche of the people in the family (Hackett,
McWhirter & Lesher, 2016). Neighborhood visits will help in gathering data about the
changes that the family experiences. Surprise visits to the house of the victims will give real
insights into the changes that they have implemented or the current condition of their life.
Teacher and community worker feedbacks are necessary in assessing the educational and
placement achievements of the mother and the children.
For monitoring their progress, an increases mental health and physical health,
improvement in physical appearance including clean clothes, bonding with the mother and

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better conversations among the members of the family will be the key indicators that will
mark progress (O’Connor, Wilson & Setterlund, 2003). Along with that, increase in
confidence and self-esteem for the mother and reduction of weariness of the children from
their mother are also indicative of their progress. Improved grades and increased financial
stability is also other indicators of successful intervention and thus, are key to understanding
the improvement that the family has experiences.
Current legislation, policy and practice developments
Current legislations and policies suggest that teachers, social workers and common
people are mandatory reporters of child and other domestic abuses. In Australian context,
child protection practitioners must report abuses that they are aware of. In many cases,
teachers are also responsible for reporting such crimes. The ground on which they can report
the crime is the need of the child for protection. The Children and Young People Act 2008,
the Children and Young Persons Act 1998, Care and Protection of Children 2007, Child
Protection Act 1999 and many other laws of different states are created in support of
protecting a child from physical, emotional and sexual abuse (Australian child protection
legislation. 2018). The laws include conditions like education, employment, protection
against labor and trafficking, domestic and family violence, information, wellbeing and safety
and many others.
The government also creates different provisions for aboriginal people in their
legislation as they recognize the higher percentage of abuse victims in the population. The
laws that are in effect are crated keeping in mind the best interest of the child,, early
intervention and the participation of the children in the decision making for their family. The
intervention that have been recommended are built closely keeping alignment with the
current policies and legislature. The Australian government has created the National

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Framework for Protecting Australia’s Children 2009-2020, which aims in making the
childcare and protections, provided across all states uniform and just.
The practice developments regarding child protection has also incorporated recent
studies and frameworks for better service. The child protection providers are available all the
time and they respond in a timely manner. They take steps for all the reports and community
based reform is promoted. They follow the frameworks like the “eggs diagram” of Shannon
and Young that includes four aspects that guide their working principles. The personal
perspectives of social workers, the explanatory theory, the intervention theory and child
protection models (Parton, Ed. 2015).
Effects of personal values, attitudes and beliefs
Personal values like respect for human rights, idea of social justice and individual
liberty affect the approach that I have taken in the assessment and intervention. I believe that
every individual has the right to live life on his or her own terms and support from the society
and the community that they live in are significant for their growth. Every child in the society
are entitled to protection from the society if there are any concerns about their emotional and
physical harm. In my experience, I have seen many children growing up in neglect and abuse
becoming depressed or committing suicide. There have been incidents where they show
criminal behavior or dependence towards addiction. The attitude that guide my approach are
respect for individuals and their dignity. People have the right to live with dignity and respect
and thus emotional wellbeing and financial stability are necessary for that.
Conclusion
From the above discussion, it can be concluded that the interventions that have been
recommended for Lizzy and her family are based on current policy, legislature and practice

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developments. Through effective assessments of the progress and regular supervision, the
family will be able to function better and the children will be able to grow up in a positive
environment.

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References
Australian child protection legislation. (2018). Retrieved 24 January 2020, from
https://aifs.gov.au/cfca/publications/australian-child-protection-legislation
Australian Institute for Family Studies. (2016). Risk assessment instruments in child
protection. Retrieved from: https://aifs.gov.au/cfca/publications/risk-assessment-
child-protection
Hackett, S., McWhirter, P. T., & Lesher, S. (2016). The therapeutic efficacy of domestic
violence victim interventions. Trauma, Violence, & Abuse, 17(2), 123-132.
https://www.csyw.qld.gov.au/child-family/protecting-children/about-child-protection
Lawson, J. (2019). Domestic violence as child maltreatment: Differential risks and outcomes
among cases referred to child welfare agencies for domestic violence
exposure. Children and Youth Services Review, 98, 32-41.
doi:10.1016/j.childyouth.2018.12.017
O’Connor, I., Wilson, J., & Setterlund, D. (2003). Social Work and welfare practice, Pearson
NSW
Parton, N. (Ed.). (2015). Contemporary Developments in Child Protection. MDPI.
Qld Government, Department of Child Safety, Youth and Women
Shea, B., Nahwegahbow, A., & Andersson, N. (2010). Reduction of family violence in
Aboriginal communities: A systematic review of interventions and
approaches. Pimatisiwin, 8(2), 35.

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Sweet, P. L. (2019). The paradox of legibility: domestic violence and institutional
survivorhood. Social problems, 66(3), 411-427.
Turner, H. A., Shattuck, A., Finkelhor, D., & Hamby, S. (2017). Effects of Poly-
Victimization on Adolescent Social Support, Self-Concept, and Psychological
Distress. Journal of Interpersonal Violence, 32(5), 755–780.
https://doi.org/10.1177/0886260515586376
Turner, W., Hester, M., Broad, J., Szilassy, E., Feder, G., Drinkwater, J., ... & Stanley, N.
(2017). Interventions to improve the response of professionals to children exposed to
domestic violence and abuse: a systematic review. Child abuse review, 26(1), 19-39.
Wathen, C. N., & MacMillan, H. L. (2013). Children’s exposure to intimate partner violence:
impacts and interventions. Paediatrics & Child Health, 18(8), 419-422.