Bshs 408 - Child Abuse Neglect Assessment Case Study

Child Abuse Neglect Assessment Case Study

Keisha Zachary

November 14, 2016

BSHS408

Amy Willey

Day after day, the safety and well-being of many children around the world are threatened by child abuse and neglect. Being able to intervene effectively in the lives of these children and their families is not the sole responsibility of any one agency or organization, however it is a shared responsibility as well as the community is concerned. There are four type of abuse to consider and in this case three of the four types appear.

        The Bernandez family consist of a mother, father, two children, paternal grandmother and maternal grandparents. The parents both use drugs of some form together, however the mother has started to use cocaine without the knowledge of the husband. Mr. Bernandez finds out about Mrs. Bernandez other habit and becomes extremely upset because she is refusing to stop and has even started going drugs in front of the children.

        Upon researching the case and looking over the information provided I noticed that there are a few forms of neglect present in the family. In this case you have the both parents arguing and fighting in front of their children which is where the physical and emotional abuse come into place as well as the neglect of the children by being left dirty and hungry in two occasions.  Emotional and psychological abuse are similar, while neglect is not. Both types of emotional and psychological abuse tend to be hidden and outsiders aren't aware unless they get close to the victim and the victim opens themselves up to the other person. I believe psychological abuse tends to be "worse" or hardest to overcome as most often when something gets into the psyche it is difficult to remove. 

        Since neglect, emotional abuse, and physical abuse are issues in the home the children are impact by such issues. The neglect done by mom put the children in danger because they are not given proper nutrition’s to survive and failure to given basic needs of the children. The physical abuse that happens amongst the parent can have

psychological implications causing the children to suffer from depression or anxiety. Being that the children have experience such behavior the emotional abuse may leave the children to have lack of confidence, become wary or anxious.

The challenge that child welfare face is managing the conflict amongst the partnering with families to prevent out-of-home placement or reunifying children with their families while also addressing safety concerns.  Family preservation is short term and focuses on services for families to assist in crisis to improve parenting skills and focusing on what important while the children are safe. In the case of the Bernandez although limited the children are given a safe environment to live in while their parents seek the treatment and proper help needed to aid them a normal way of living.