Coursework 2:

Reflective Essay
NSPCC
Child abuse is a huge issue that many children experience all around the world, and it
has drawn the attention to the world population. Children can be abused by a variety of
persons in his environment and the causes and consequences are the same as with
any other form of abuse. Physical abuse, psychological abuse, sexual abuse, and
neglect are the four categories of child abuse. Each category has its own set of causes
and consequences for children and the community. Children and teenagers
participating in the child welfare system are one of the most vulnerable members of our
society (Cossar, J., et al, 2014). They usually are psychologically vulnerable and the
professional approach to abused children must include listen actively to and
responding to the thoughts of the children (Davis, L., and Duckett, N., 2008). Since the
1989 Children Act, the commitment to promote and protect the well-being of children
and youth has been part of the legislative structure of the child protection system
(Butler, I. and Roberts, G., 2004). Children and young people are now being included in
child protection systems through effective techniques of consultation, allowing them to
participate in the evaluation and Child Protection Procedure (CPP). The NSPCC, that
means National Society of Prevention of Cruelty to Children, is a government-funded
programme that advocates for child welfare issues. It also creates a campaign to raise
awareness about child protection issues. Whether it is over the course of a long time or
a single event, child abuse is the act of intentionally harming a child. Sexual or
emotional abuse can take place in person or online. Another possible cause is a lack
of love, care, and attention that is known as neglect. The effects of abuse on children
may be serious and long-lasting, and they may experience more than one form of
abuse. Child abuse can have a variety of withdrawals. The child’s abuse can lead to
negative effects on health, education, and relations. Some individuals have a difficult
time leading with life stress, creating a good career or even being a good parent due to
the abuse they’ve suffered as a child. Addictions, mental health problems or criminal
behaviour can also be effects of child abuse. For NSPCC, “All children have the right to
speak out and be heard, be safe and get help when they need” (NSPCC, 2016). It
benefits students, teenagers, and families. The NSPCC collects extensive data on
children and their families (Finkelhor, D., 2009). To know whether a child's needs are
being met, it is necessary to identify that child's needs. The NSPCC's experts can also
use gathered information to identify the nature and level of risk a child face. The
NSPCC can utilise the information to make informed decisions about whether or not to
help the child's family and to devise solutions to the situation, particularly if the family is
the root of the issue (Finkelhor, D., 2009). The NSPCC plays an important role in
ensuring the safety of children in schools. The program's professionals assist children
in understanding healthy and safe interactions. They additionally encourage kids to talk
to trusted peers, teachers, or counsellors about their issues. The “speak out. Stay
safe.” Program aim to teach children to comprehend abuse in all of its forms and
recognise the indicators of abuse, learn how to protect themselves from all types of
abuse and neglect and how to obtain assistance, as well as the resources accessible
to them, including their Childline service (NSPCC, 2016). Usually, when the children
finish the workshops, they felt powerful, understanding how to speak up while being
secure. Although, one constant in today's quickly changing culture is children's distinct
needs. These requirements differ widely from kid to child, with some children requiring
a large deal of assistance to attain even minor goals. Every kid has distinct qualities,
interests, talents, and learning demands. It goes on to say that every kid has a basic
right to education, and that educational systems and programmes should be structured
to accommodate the vast range of these qualities and requirements. The objective of
NSPCC is educated children to defend themselves against various sorts of abuse and
violence. Children are also urged to seek assistance, ask for guidance, and report any
problems to the NSPCC through the Child Line service. The Childline is a helpline for
children and teenagers. It's a free 24-hour hotline and internet service in the United
Kingdom. Over 4 million children, teenagers, and adults have benefited directly from it
over the last 30 years. With the support of a social professional, the family can assist
the child in developing cooping abilities. The National Society for the Prevention of
Cruelty to Children's role is to both prevent and intervene in child crises. They
safeguard youngsters from troubles and assist them in coping with crises and
overcoming difficult situations. The National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to
Children (NSPCC) educates teachers and parents on crisis intervention procedures
and techniques to assist in the event that the crisis recurs. The NSPCC also educates
and instructs school employees on how to recognise and identify a troubled child
(Finkelhor, D., 2009). Teachers and all school employees are educated to recognise
indicators of abuse in minors, with the aim of teach youth recognize and understand
all sorts of child abuse, at school and at home. For teachers, there are three programs:
“Talk PANTS”, “Share Aware” and “Net Aware”. Without using terrifying words or even
addressing sex, the Talk PANTS is known as a simple dialogue to keep children safe
from sexual abuse. The handbook uses the acronym PANTS to teach kids that their
bodies belong to them, and it includes instructions for explaining to kids that the areas
of their bodies covered by their underwear are personal and that no one should touch
or look at them. This programme rules are “private are private”, “always remember your
body belongs to you”, “no means no” “talk about secrets that upset you” and “speak up,
someone can help”. Generally, it is best to discuss it with your child during bath time,
when applying cream or when getting dressed, during car rides, during swimming
explaining that what's covered by swimwear is private, or during a television show that
has a sensitive plotline. The “Share Aware” programme aims to teach the teachers to
help their students how to be safe online. The resources encourage kids to consider
what they should and shouldn't post online, as well as what to do if they come across
anything that disturbs them. The last programme for teachers is the “Net Aware”, that is
a straightforward guide for parents and teachers from the NSPCC and O2 that walks
you through the social media, applications, and games that today's youth utilise. The
NSPCC reviewed social networks and applications that children use with the help of
over 500 parents and over 2,500 Childs (NSPCC,2016). The most important goal is to
keep the children safe at all costs (Bryman, 2016). The child is the most crucial and the
NSPCC prioritises him or her. The goal is to create a world where children's needs are
satisfied, and safety is paramount. If the problem is to be solved, intervention should
begin with the family and progress to friends and individuals. The intervention
programme must include the family. The National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty
to Children have some implication on school prevention. The majority of children in
primary schools have a strong awareness of abuse and injury and are willing to seek
help, a minority do not, and uniformly administered programmes can reach this group
of children and improve their knowledge. However, there is a case to be made for
focusing interventions on boys and children in socially disadvantaged schools. School
culture was found to be closely linked to impact, and treatments must recognise and
connect with the specific school setting in which they are provided in order to attain
school readiness and embed programme messaging. There are some fundraising
obstacles to contend with in addition to the risks. The National Society for the
Prevention of Cruelty to Children is primarily supported by the generosity of its
supporters through voluntary donations. In a competitive and highly regulated market,
relying on voluntary donations raises degrees of uncertainty. We may be hampered in
our ability to deliver if funding support is reduced.
To prevent the consequences that will result if communities do not pursue early
intervention and prevention, it is beneficial to remind people of the loved ones who will
be at risk if necessary, efforts are not taken. "Additionally, the images of missing
children that appeared on milk cartons, billboards, and telephone directories served as
and continue to serve as daily reminders that an unknown number of children have
vanished, some potentially as victims of sexual abuse" (Reppucci & Haugaard, 1989).
Reporting inappropriate behaviour can be a difficult concept to stomach for those most
vulnerable, since they may lack the maturity to realise the gravity of the issue. "First
and foremost, the youngster must acknowledge that they are in an abusive
circumstance. The child must then believe that he or she is capable of and should take
action. Finally, the youngster must develop and employ specialised self-protective
abilities" (Reppucci & Haugaard, 1989). Reppucci and Haugaard (1989) discovered
that in order for programmes to be effective, they must also be age appropriate. Many
experts agree that school-based programmes aimed at preventing child abuse should
focus on educating students about the dangers of abuse as well as equipping them
with self-defense skills that can help protect children from it. (Blakey, J. M., and
Thigpen, J.W., 2015). As all programs it has advantages and disadvantages. The
positive aspects of it are for first, schools are great places to expand programs since
they enable broad public access and a large number of children may be reached at a
low cost (Asawa, L., Hansen, D. and Flood, M., 2008). Many researchers believe that
teaching at school is a crucial technique for reducing child abuse and neglect.
Teachers and other school personnel are often the ones to conduct school-based
programmes that teach students about child abuse prevention and how to recognise
signs of abuse. (Nickerson, A., et al., 2010, 2019). Children may be more willing to
come forward with information about alleged child abuse if their teacher leads the
lesson and starts the topic. Teachers and school personnel are frequently seen by
children as "trusted adults," and the administration of a preventative program by a
teacher may be especially significant when a parent is abusive. Teachers and other
school personnel are often the ones to conduct school-based programmes that teach
students about child abuse prevention and how to recognise signs of abuse.
(Nickerson, A., et al., 2010, 2019). Children may be more willing to come forward with
information about alleged child abuse if their teacher leads the lesson and starts the
topic (Topping, K. J., and Barron, I. J., 2009). Finkelhor, D., (2007) discuss a number of
criticisms regarding child abuse prevention in school programs that have arisen over
time, such as the fact that the topics taught in these programs are too complicated for
children to comprehend. He also stated that children's activities cannot prevent or
discourage abuse since many youngsters are too weak and fragile to fight abusers who
are generally older, larger, and more violent. Finkelhor (2007) come with the conclusion
that supporting child with high-quality preventative programs is worthwhile, since
current scientific data supports this. The psychoanalytic theory affirm that is important
to recognise the relevance of mental health to children. The child must be aware of the
emotional and biological health. The psychoanalytic theory of Sigmund Freud was
centred on the development and dynamics of the personality. It posed a challenge to
traditional conceptions of human nature and development by claiming that people are
motivated by motivations and emotional conflicts of which they are unconscious, and
that their earliest experiences affect them (Sigelman, C. K., & Rider, E. A., 2011).
Children are motivated by inborn motivations and impulses rather than their
surroundings, according to this notion. Inborn biological inclinations, according to
Freud, drive behaviour, and biological growth guides all individuals through the five
phases of psychosexual development (Sigelman, C. K., & Rider, E. A., 2011). This
theory is characterised for three concepts: id, ego and superego. The id is the
egocentric, impulsive, and irrational component of the personality whose primary goal
is to gratify one's instincts. The ego, or intellectual aspect of the individual, is the
second component, which strives to develop more realistic means of satisfying
inclinations (Sigelman, C. K., & Rider, E. A., 2011). Freud was a firm believer in the
importance of the first five years of one's existence. So, according to this theory it is
important to teach children the importance of their mental and biological health till the
age of 5, because is during the superego stage that the child learn the moral
standards. During this age the child spends most of their time in school, so, the school
have really an important role teaching about child abuse.
It appears that the Ecological theory, which examines the impact of the environment on
a kid's development, is centred on the child and encompasses the whole range of
factors that affect that child's growth. A child's family is the most crucial environment,
according to Bronfenbrenners. Piaget, on the other hand, held that we all had a specific
amount of time in which we may cultivate particular traits. Many qualities, according to
Piaget's theory, were developed as a result of the effect of the environment rather than
the influence of 'who.' Symbolic play, like as constructing pies out of mud or other
everyday things, is especially essential, according to Piaget, since it encourages
children to engage in creative play. Ecological theory explains how the environment
affects a child's development in a variety of ways. These are the microsystems,
mesosystems, exosystems, macrosystems, and lastly the chronosystem. " Children's
immediate surroundings and educational setting are examples of the microsystem,
which has a direct impact on the child's well-being. This includes the child's
interpersonal relationships with family members, caretakers, and personnel at places
like schools or nurseries. A child's microsystem includes all of the relationships and
interactions they have with their local environment. According to Bronfenbrenner,
connections have an influence on a kid at this early time. There is a possibility that the
child's primary caregiver may impose their own ideas and behaviours on him or her,
but there is also the possibility that the child's behaviour will have an impact on his or
her primary caregivers' beliefs and behaviours. As a result, the authors believe that the
environment has a significant impact on children, and that this influence may extend
beyond generations and society as a whole. When a kid moves from microsystem to
mesosystem, all of the interactions that formed in the microsystem come together for
their mutual benefit. When it comes to a child's education and learning, family
members, particularly the primary caregivers, play an important role. This might be the
layer that connects the child's microsystem structures.' Berk (2000) said that (Berk,
2000). Another example may be between the child's home and church, as Berk (2000)
recommends. Exosystems are structures that interact with microsystems to influence a
child's development in the third stage. "Berk, 2000" (Berk). However, this does not
always mean that the kid is directly involved in these other family relationships such as
their parents' workplace, the town where they reside, and their extended relatives and
friends. When describing this from a microsystem perspective, if the parent is satisfied
with their job, their offspring should be satisfied as well. For example, laws, cultural
norms, and economics are all seen as part of the macrosystem at this point. This is
also a situation when individuals and connections to the kid are quite remote, but they
nonetheless exert a significant impact on the youngster. Time and how it affects a
child's growth, both within and outside, is the focus of the last stage, the chronosystem.
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