Bshs 408 - Child Abuse and Neglect Assessment Case Study

Child Abuse and Neglect Assessment Case Study

Tabitha Locke

BSHS/408

October 09, 2017

Chiffone N. Shelton

Child Abuse and Neglect Assessment Case Study

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 within the community. There are four types of abuse and in this case study of the Bernandez family, three of the four types appear.

        The Bernandez family has a mother, father, two children, a paternal grandmother and maternal grandparents. The parents both use drugs, however the mother has started to use cocaine without the knowledge of her husband. Mr. Bernandez finds out about Mrs. Bernandez’s other habit and becomes enraged. She is refusing to stop and has even begun to use drugs in front of the children.

        Upon researching the case and looking over the information provided there are a few forms of neglect present in the family. In this case both parents argue and fight in front of the children. This is where the physical and emotional abuse will come into place, as well as the neglect of the children by being left dirty and hungry two different occasions.  Emotional and psychological abuse are similar, while neglect is not. Both types of emotional and psychological abuse tend to be hidden and individuals on the outside of the situation are not aware. However, the individual may notice the abuse if he or she can get close to the victim and the victim opens up to the individual about the abuse. Psychological abuse tends to be "worse" or hard to overcome as most often when the situation gets into the psyche of the victim, it will then be difficult to remove. 

        Since neglect, emotional abuse, and physical abuse are issues in the home the children are impact by the abuse. The neglect created by the mother will put the children in danger because they are not given proper nutrition to survive and failure to given basic needs of the children. The physical abuse that happens within the home 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 and they can become wary or anxious.

The challenges that child welfare comes across on a daily basis is managing the conflict amongst 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 family, 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.