ABSTRACT: The concept of a shame-based family system in which parents shame their children was applied to the relationship between Child Protective Services (CPS) and families accused of child abuse. Twenty families who reported that they had been wrongly accused of child abuse completed a questionnaire. Content analysis of the questionnaires supported the hypothesis that the elements of a shame-based family system are present in the relationship between CPS and the families they investigate. The respondents indicated feelings of powerlessness, self- doubt, depression, and isolation, and perceived the CPS as omnipotent, abandoning them, quickly accusing them, and acting in emotionally harmful ways towards them.
Whats more important, welfare or retribution?
- Details
- Category: What are people saying about child protection / social services / welfare workers
- Created: Saturday, 10 December 2011 10:37
- Written by Alecomm2
Hello Australia, do you see the similarity between this and other children? - Click here to view the YouTube Video in Reference.
The problem is the response on facebook is focused on retribution towards the perpetrator, rather than the welfare, safety and development of the young boy.
Responses to child abuse should be focused on the welfare and development of the child. What was done for this child to ensure this wouldn't happen again? Autistic and developmentally delayed children that have "challenging behaviours" will always be at risk of harm until the behaviours are addressed. That is what 'challenging behaviours' is defined as. There are many people that cannot handle people of all ages with challenging behaviours including parents, carers, hospital staff (e.g. the recent death of a difficult patient in WA) and even police.
While it is important to highlight the situation it is even more important that focus remains on the victim's human rights and those rights include both the minimisation of future harm and maximization of welfare and development.