Safeguarding children

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
J.C. Harris ◽  
R. Welbury
Keyword(s):  
Young People ◽  
Child Maltreatment ◽  
Child Protection ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Growing Up ◽  
Children And Young People ◽  
Life Chances ◽  
Evil Spirits ◽  
Church Law ◽  
Severe Punishment

It is essential that everyone who provides dental care for children has an understanding of other factors that affect children’s lives. This includes non-dental aspects of their health and wider issues that affect children’s development and well-being. Child maltreatment is one such issue. Abuse and neglect are forms of maltreatment of a child. Child maltreatment involves acts of commission or omission which result in harm to a child. When health professionals work with others to take action to protect children who are suffering, or are at risk of suffering, significant harm as a result of maltreatment, this is known as ‘child protection’. Child protection sits within the context of a wider agenda to ‘safeguard’ children. Safeguarding measures are actions taken to minimize the risks of harm to children and young people. These include: • protecting children from maltreatment • preventing impairment of children’s health or development • ensuring that children are growing up in a safe and caring environment. This should enable children to have optimal life chances and to enter adulthood successfully. The foundation for the success of such work is an acceptance and understanding of children’s internationally agreed human rights. In this context the term ‘child’ includes children and young people up to the age of 18. Violence towards children has been noted between cultures and at different times within the same culture since early civilization. Infanticide has been documented in almost every culture, and ritualistic killing, maiming, and severe punishment of children in an attempt to educate them, exploit them, or rid them of evil spirits has been reported since early times. Ritualistic surgery or mutilation of children has been recorded as part of religious and ethnic traditions. In the seventeenth century values started to change and incest was seen as a crime under church law, but until the eighteenth century society viewed children as possessions of their parents who were at liberty to treat them in any way they wished. In fact, legislation to protect animals was introduced before children were afforded the same ‘privilege’.

The new face of exploited children in Europe

2021 ◽  
pp. 73-80
Author(s):  
Olivier Peyroux
Keyword(s):  
Young People ◽  
Child Protection ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Children And Young People ◽  
Governmental Organizations ◽  
Non Governmental Organizations ◽  
Sexual Trafficking ◽  
Refugees And Asylum Seekers ◽  
Health And Well Being ◽  
Physical And Sexual Abuse

Children and young people are often trafficked for financial gains as a consequence of trafficking for physical and sexual abuse. The number of such refugees and asylum seekers is almost impossible to determine accurately. Children can be used to smuggle drugs across countries. Although small networks for local crime built around drug dealing, cigarette sales, or the resale of stolen goods use children and young people, there are also highly evolved and structured organizations specializing in drug and sexual trafficking. These challenges require new and different ways of approaching them so that mental health and well-being of children and young people can be maintained. Furthermore, it will be helpful to change the terms of child protection, strengthening structures of support, creating community and street teams with appropriate linguistic competencies, better links between countries of origin and European countries, and better cooperation between police, justice, social workers, and non-governmental organizations. Better approaches are indicated.

Commentary: Child Protection Inquiries: Where are the Voices of Children and Young People?

2011 ◽  
Vol 36 (3) ◽  
pp. 106-108
Author(s):  
Sandra Taylor ◽  
Aileen Ashford
Keyword(s):  
Young People ◽  
Child Protection ◽  
Best Practice ◽  
Relevant Literature ◽  
Children And Young People ◽  
Child Protection Services ◽  
Life Chances ◽  
Dominant Feature ◽  
Practice Care

Parliamentary Inquiries into the adequacy of child protection services, as well as best practice care and service delivery in child protection, have been a dominant feature of contemporary Australia in recent times. The direct voices of children and young people in such inquiries are usually missing, despite them being at the very centre of the child protection system and a range of government policies. In this paper we reflect upon this issue and consider why these voices are absent and what factors and barriers limit their inclusion. A review of relevant literature and empirical data indicates that the structures, agendas and processes of such Inquiries are intrinsically adult-oriented endeavours in which the contributions and inclusion of children and young people are not easily accommodated. Through adopting a shift in perspective, orientation and practice, the voices and experiences of children and young people can be included in child protection Inquiries that have critical implications for the quality of their lives and their life chances. Such inclusions uphold the rights of children and young people and support the implementation of government policy in practice.

scholarly journals Growing Up Under COVID-19: Young People’s Agency in Family Dynamics

2021 ◽  
Vol 6 ◽  
Author(s):  
Malika Shah ◽  
Sara Rizzo ◽  
Barry Percy-Smith ◽  
Leanne Monchuk ◽  
Enrica Lorusso ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Young People ◽  
Family Relationships ◽  
Family Life ◽  
Media Coverage ◽  
Family Dynamics ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Research Approach ◽  
Growing Up ◽  
Children And Young People ◽  
The Impact

The COVID-19 pandemic transformed the nature of family life in countries across the world. School, and workplace closures meant that families spent more time at home and had to confront new economic, social, and psychological challenges as a result of lockdowns and the greater proximity of family members. Policy, research and media coverage of the pandemic’s impact on family life has focused primarily on the economic costs borne by households. This article draws on the findings from an empirical research project funded by the UK Nuffield Foundation on “Politics, Participation and Pandemics: Growing up under COVID-19”, which worked with young people as co-researchers, to present an innovative perspective on the impact of lockdown on family relationships. The research team adopted a longitudinal ethnographic action research approach to document and make sense of the experiences of young people (aged 14–18) in four countries: Italy, Lebanon Singapore and the United Kingdom. The project used digital ethnography and participatory methods to track the responses of 70 young people to the challenges created by the pandemic. The study used the family as a prism for understanding how the lives of children and young people in different family circumstances and relationships were affected by the crisis. This article analyses, firstly, the complex shifting dynamics within households to identify the transformative effects of the pandemic on family life in various socio-cultural contexts. Secondly, it examines how young people’s agency shaped family dynamics. In conclusion, the authors recommend how the findings from the study can be used to inform government interventions designed to minimise the impacts of the pandemic on the social well-being and rights of children and young people, and to recognise them as active participants in family and civic life both during and after the pandemic

Ecosystems of Educational Disadvantage: Supporting Children and Young People receiving Child Protection and Welfare Services in Ireland

2020 ◽  
Vol 21 (3) ◽  
Author(s):  
Susan Flynn
Keyword(s):  
Young People ◽  
Child Protection ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Literature Discussion ◽  
Long Term Effects ◽  
Children And Young People ◽  
Welfare Services ◽  
Educational Disadvantage ◽  
The Republic

Theoretically-informed focused commentary on the literature in this paper, considers the position of children and young people, as embedded within socio-ecological systems. The specific focus is on the educational disadvantage of children and young people susceptible to involvement from child protection and welfare services in the Republic of Ireland. To inform this, the utility of socio-ecological theory is emphasised, and from here, a Personal–Cultural–Structural (PCS) analysis is applied, to achieve an ecologically sensitive anti-discriminatory framework. Following a qualitative thematic review of literature, discussion addresses the question of what practitioners can do to promote the educational welfare of children and young people. The article is timely and necessary as existing evidence indicates that factors associated with educational disadvantage also increase susceptibility for involvement with child protection and welfare services. Yet, despite the compounded disadvantage this implies, little is understood about how these factors interact in practice. Overall, better understanding of educational underachievement is required, in the context of its negative and pervasive long-term effects, including decreased well-being, poorer health, and unemployment.

Moral anguish and systemic failure: Notes on state child care and protection in Australia

1997 ◽  
Vol 22 (4) ◽  
pp. 22-26 ◽  
Author(s):  
Judith Bessant ◽  
Richard Hil
Keyword(s):  
Young People ◽  
Child Protection ◽  
Equal Opportunity ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Vulnerable Groups ◽  
Vulnerable Children ◽  
Children And Young People ◽  
State Child ◽  
The Media ◽  
Provision Of Care

A recent, widely-publicised report based on a two year inquiry by the Australian Law Reform Commission and the Equal Opportunity Commission highlighted a range of serious shortcomings in the provision of care and protection for some of Australia’s most vulnerable children and young people. According to the report, Australia’s child protection system has failed in its basic duty of protecting children and young people from abuse and exploitation. The report confirms the argument presented in this paper that the abuse and neglect experienced by children and young people while under the care and protection of the state is systemic and widespread. While the media prefers to devote attention to ‘spectacular’ instances of departmental failure in regard to care and protection, the extent of the failures is far more routine than was initially apparent. One of the more vulnerable groups of young people ‘in care’ are state wards. Unfortunately the government’s record in respect to these young people indicates that many may be placed at greater risk in terms of their health, safety and general well-being after they have been taken into state ‘care’.

The impact of algorithmic decision-making processes on young people’s well-being (Preprint)

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Elvira Perez Vallejos ◽  
Liz Dowthwaite ◽  
Helen Creswich ◽  
Virginia Portillo ◽  
Ansgar Koene ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Young People ◽  
Significant Proportion ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Early Years ◽  
Negative Experiences ◽  
Children And Young People ◽  
Online Platforms ◽  
Internet Users ◽  
Decision Making Processes ◽  
The Impact

BACKGROUND Algorithms rule the online environments and are essential for performing data processing, filtering, personalisation and other tasks. Research has shown that children and young people make up a significant proportion of Internet users, however little attention has been given to their experiences of algorithmically-mediated online platforms, or the impact of them on their mental health and well-being. The algorithms that govern online platforms are often obfuscated by a lack of transparency in their online Terms and Conditions and user agreements. This lack of transparency speaks to the need for protecting the most vulnerable users from potential online harms. OBJECTIVE To capture young people's experiences when being online and perceived impact on their well-being. METHODS In this paper, we draw on qualitative and quantitative data from a total of 260 children and young people who took part in a ‘Youth Jury’ to bring their opinions to the forefront, elicit discussion of their experiences of using online platforms, and perceived psychosocial impact on users. RESULTS The results of the study revealed the young people’s positive as well as negative experiences of using online platforms. Benefits such as being convenient and providing entertainment and personalised search results were identified. However, the data also reveals participants’ concerns for their privacy, safety and trust when online, which can have a significant impact on their well-being. CONCLUSIONS We conclude by making recommendations that online platforms acknowledge and enact on their responsibility to protect the privacy of their young users, recognising the significant developmental milestones that this group experience during these early years, and the impact that technology may have on them. We argue that governments need to incorporate policies that require technologists and others to embed the safeguarding of users’ well-being within the core of the design of Internet products and services to improve the user experiences and psychological well-being of all, but especially those of children and young people. CLINICALTRIAL N/A

scholarly journals Mental health and wellbeing implications of the COVID-19 quarantine for disabled and disadvantaged children and young people: evidence from a cross-cultural study in Zambia and Sierra Leone

2021 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Darren Sharpe ◽  
Mohsen Rajabi ◽  
Clement Chileshe ◽  
Sitali Mayamba Joseph ◽  
Ibrahim Sesay ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Young People ◽  
Sierra Leone ◽  
Peer Relationships ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Mental Wellbeing ◽  
Planning Tool ◽  
Income Loss ◽  
Convenience Sample ◽  
Children And Young People

Abstract Background The mental health impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and quarantining on children and young people (CYP) living in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) has yet to be fully comprehended. CYP in LMICs are at utmost risk, given the COVID-19-related restrictions and social distancing measures, resulting in reduced access to school-based services for nutritional and mental health needs. This study examined mental health of CYP during the first COVID-19 lockdown in Zambia and Sierra Leone. Method A total of 468 disabled and disadvantaged CYP aged 12 to 25 completed a planning tool that comprised the short Warwick-Edinburgh Mental Wellbeing Scale (SWEMWBS), as well as open-ended questions covering social connectedness, physical distancing and educational challenges during the lockdown. The community coaches screened individuals and families who could be eligible to receive emergency aid, and based on a convenience sample following distribution of aid, recipients were invited to complete the planning tool. Results The data showed that participants in the global south have increasing anxieties and fears centred on accessing offline educational resources and income loss in the family effecting food security and their ability to return to education. Mean (SD) SWEMWBS scores for all participants in Zambia and Sierra Leone, were 19.61 (3.45) and 21.65 (2.84), respectively. Mental well-being scores were lower in females, children aged 12–14 and participants with two or more disabilities. Factors significantly associated with poor mental wellbeing in the sample were: type of disability, nationality, peer relationships, connection to others during the pandemic, knowledge about COVID-19, worry about the long-term impact of COVID-19, and the types of self-isolating. Conclusion The study shows that participants who self-reported low levels of COVID-19 health literacy also scored low on the mental wellbeing self-assessment. Yet, despite undoubted limited resources, these CYP are doing well in identifying their needs and maintaining hope in the face of the problems associated with COVID-19 in countries where stigma persists around mental ill-health.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document