Child Mistreatment: Developing a Healthcare Policy for Treatment

This report outlines the development of a healthcare policy program designed to address child mistreatment within healthcare organizations. It emphasizes the necessity of such policies to improve child treatment and foster a healthier community. The report details three critical phases of policy development: initiating the policy development process, formulating the policy, and seeking approval and endorsement. Each phase includes specific steps, such as assessing the current situation, raising awareness among colleagues, identifying leaders, involving key stakeholders, defining a framework, setting objectives, selecting interventions, and ensuring policy leads to action. The report also highlights the importance of stakeholder and government approval for successful policy implementation, aiming to provide financial support, appropriate drugs, and increased pediatric specialists to reduce child mistreatment incidents.

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Development of policy for child mistreatment

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Table of Contents
Introduction.................................................................................................................................................3
Health policy for child mistreatment...........................................................................................................4
Phases for the policy development process..................................................................................................4
Phase one: Initiating the policy development process..............................................................................5
Phase two: Formulating policy................................................................................................................7
Phase three: Seeking approval and endorsement.....................................................................................9
Conclusion.................................................................................................................................................11
References.................................................................................................................................................12

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Introduction
At present time, the child mistreatment is a major issue for the healthcare organization. The
healthcare organizations are facing several issues in providing appropriate treatment for children.
In this concern, the report is describing the development of a healthcare program against the
child mistreatment with considering different financial and non-financial issues in treatment. The
aim of the development of care program is to support the child treatment and develop a healthy
community in the region.

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Health policy for child mistreatment
According to Kitson et al., (2013), health policy is written document to take decision, action and
plan to attain the specific healthcare goals and objective in the community. Policy is considered
as a framework which covers the issues related to delivery and of healthcare, quality of care,
access to care and health of equity. WHO (World Health Organization) explicated that a
healthcare policy it is essential for each of the healthcare organization to express the goals or
expression to improve the health of children and manage the child maltreatment to improve
health condition. A set of policies will provide guiding principles to the management to take an
appropriate decision regarding the healthcare issues in children. There are several healthcare
policies and guidelines such as Working with Children Check Policy, Interagency Management
of Children Under 14 Who are Diagnosed With a Sexually Transmitted Infection (STI), Special
Referral to Child Health Services, Guidelines for Protecting Children 2015, Clinical Handover
Policy and Public Health Policy Framework to develop a healthy community and manage the
child mistreatment in Australia (Policy Frameworks, 2018). It is analyzed that the healthcare
organizations are facing several issues in treatment of children so that it is essential for the
healthcare organization to develop appropriate healthcare policies to reduce the concerns in care
services and improve the health of the children. During the development of a policy for children
healthcare, the organization must consider different elements and factors to implement an
effective healthcare policy. Each of the elements can be considered through a systematic policy
development process. A policy development process includes different phases and steps to
establish an effective policy at the workplace. These phases and steps are discussed as below that
will be used in the development of a policy for child treatment at the workplace:

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Phases for the policy development process
As per WHO, there are major three phases that can be used by a healthcare organization to
develop a policy at the workplace to improve the health condition of the community (Goodman
et al., 2013). In my working experience, I have analyzed that these phases are effective in the
development an appropriate healthcare policy for a specific group of the community. These
phases contain different steps for the development of policy in a systematic manner. In this
concern, development process for healthcare policy or program for child mistreatment through
three phases is discussed as below:
Phase one: Initiating the policy development process
In order to maintain the process of policy development, the healthcare organizations require
focus on four things or four steps that are described as below:
Step 1: Assess the current situation:
A sound children healthcare policy can be developed by assessing the current situation,
identifying root causes of healthcare issue, analyzing the risk and caring factors consequences of
the existing healthcare system. I have analyzed the children are not getting proper medical
treatment due to cause of higher cost and shortage of drugs for children. As well as, there is lack
of pediatricians and specialists in the healthcare organization. Due to lack or fewer numbers of
physicians and specialists for child care, the healthcare organizations are not able to provide
proper treatment for the children (Ford, 2017). In this concern, healthcare organizations are
facing complexity in care of children and medicate them in effective manner. The aim of
healthcare policy development is to provide financial support, appropriate drugs and increase the
number of pediatricians and specialist to reduce the events of child mistreatment. In Australia,

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“Child Wellbeing and Child Protection Policies and Procedures for NSW Health” are developed
to provide better healthcare services for children and provide financial support. The major risk
and protective factors examined in child care are determined in the below table:
Risk actors Protective factors
Difficult temperament Easy temperament
Low self-esteem Good social and emotional skills (Robbe et al.,
2013)
Negative thinking style Optimistic coping style
At my workplace, all of the colleagues know about the care procedures and policies to treat the
children with the available medical equipments and resources to provide better child care
services. The existing policy is NDIS (National Disability Insurance Scheme) policy which
provides insurance to the children during the treatment at the workplace against the death.
However, there is need to develop a healthcare program to provide financial support and
affordable treatment for poor families of children. The major stakeholders of this policy are
directors, managers and the social care organizations to make a sound policy against the child
mistreatment. The managers and the social care organization can give advice to the management
or directors of the organization and the directors can take an appropriate decision regarding the
policy development.
Step 2: Raise awareness amongst colleagues at all levels:
It is essential for the organization to raise the awareness about the developing policy among
coworker at all levels. In order to raise the awareness about the developing policy weekly

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meeting will be conducted with al, of the staff members. As well as, the managers or leaders will
be contacted and consulted to increase awareness about the new care services to eliminate
mistreatment in child care (Carman et al., 2013).
Step 3: Identify the leaders of this issue and those that will be needed to foster and be
committed to the issue:
Leadership is an essential element which must be considered by the healthcare organizations to
implement the healthcare policy in successful manner. The organizations can implement the
healthcare policy in effective manner through identifying a leader at the workplace (Oborn et al.,
2013). In this concern, the identified leader is deputy director of the organization who is
responsible to implement the policy in successful manner and integrated into accreditation
documents and sign off on the policy.
Step 4: Involvement of the key stakeholders:
In the writing of a healthcare policy, the engagement of the key stakeholders is essential as each
of the stakeholders will provide own views and approval on the written healthcare policy (Busse
et al., 2014). The aim of the policy is to support the community to take proper treatment to
improve the health condition of the children. The benefits of the policy will be discussed with
each of the stakeholder in care services to involve them in writing of the policy. The involvement
and contribution of the stakeholder will support the policy at the workplace.
Phase two: Formulating policy
According to WHO a policy can be drafted by an individual or a small group of the individuals,
where the policy documents must be structured and written form that can be understood easily by
everyone who has participated in development and implementation of the policy (Oborn et al.,

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2013). In this concern, the formulation of a policy leads to a systematic process. The steps in the
development of the child care policy are discussed as below:
Step 1: Define a framework:
As per the statement of WHO, the planned policy will determine the goals, time frame and the
guiding principles of the policy. At this step, the requirement of the policy is also justified to
implement the policy in effective manner. The framework of the policy determines all of these
elements for successful development of the policy (Sakr and Elgammal, 2016). The goal of this
policy is to establish a platform where the individuals can get better treatment for the children
with full financial support and better pediatric services. The time frame for the development of
the policy is 3 months in which entire formalities will be accomplished by the management in
proper manner. The principle of the policy is that all of the children should have access to health
coverage and care that is affordable, comprehensive and easy to get and keep regardless of
community status. I have analyzed that most of the individuals are not getting better treatment
for this children due to higher cost of treatment and lack of appropriate drugs at the workplace.
In this concern, there is requirement to develop the child care policy to improve health status of
the children through providing appropriate treatment at affordable cost and make available all
necessary drugs to reduce mistreatment of the children.
Step 2: Set objectives and select interventions:
The development of the healthcare policy against the child mistreatment is essential to improve
the health status of the children in the community. According to Tarleton (2013), the major cause
of child mistreatment is lack of specialists for treatment. Due to lack of specialties care providers
the care organizations are not able to provide proper treatment for child illness. In this concern,

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the first objective of the care policy is to make available specialists for child care at the
workplace to improve the quality of care services. In addition, higher cost of the treatment has
also made incapable the individuals to take proper treatment from the care organizations. In this
concern, the second objective of the development of care policy is to provide financial support to
the poor child to take better treatment at affordable cost. For this, generic medicines will be
provided to the patients that are very cheap as compared to branded medicines and works as
similar to branded medicines. As well as, maximum financial support for specific treatment will
also be provided to poor child.
Step 3: Ensure that policy leads to action:
There are different human resources, financial and political matters that can restraint the
implementation phase of the policy. In this concern, it is essential for to consider all of these
matters for the successful implementation of the policy. For the successful implementation of the
policy roles and responsibilities will be distributed to the capable and skilled human resources
with establishment of coordinating mechanism. As well as, appropriate financial resources such
as government funding for the policy and voluntaries will be identified to ensure the financial
support for the policy. In addition, all of the political constraints will be considered while
implementing the policy, as the political support will foster the policy in effective manner.
Phase three: Seeking approval and endorsement
For the successful policy development process, it is essential for the healthcare organization to
take approval from different stakeholders, government and state legislature (Lawless et al.,
2014). The approval and the endorsement will support the policy for successful implementation
at the workplace. The approval will be taken in three steps that are discussed as below:

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Step 1: Stakeholder approval:
For the successful development of child healthcare program, the approval of stakeholders is
essential. The approval of the stakeholders will draft a proposal at first phase of the program. In
order to achieve the approval from stakeholders, a meeting will be conducted in which the aims
and objectives of the program and its role in developing the care services will be discussed. As
well as, the suggestions and opinions of the stakeholders regarding the program will be
considered to make it more effective.
Step 2: Government approval:
Government approval is also essential for successful implementation of a healthcare program at
the workplace. At this step, a draft of the proposed program will be prepared and submitted to
child health department of the government, where the principles of the program will be analyzed.
Based on analysis of the draft the government will provide NOC for the implementation of the
care program and also provide possible support to implement the program as it is a social care
service to develop a healthy environment in the community.
Step 3: State endorsement:
The developing healthcare policy or program will need parliament endorsement to provide the
government subsidies for child treatment. For state endorsement, responsible department of
healthcare will be communicated about the healthcare program. As well as, the role of the
healthcare program in development of healthcare services in the community will be
corresponded with the state authority to attain the state endorsement for the developing
healthcare program. The state authority will also impose some rules and regulations during the
implementation of the program at the workplace.

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Conclusion
From the above discussion, it can be concluded that the development of a healthcare policy is a
critical task for the organizations. For the successful development and implementation, it is
essential for the policy developer to follow each of the phases in proper manner.

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