Child Protection Services



Abstract

The paper gives an introduction to child protection and child protection services and sheds light on the ethical responsibilities of providers of child protection services. Child safeguarding may be defined as steps taken to prevent and respond to violence against children, or any form of abuse and exploitation. These include child trafficking, sexual abuse, and child labor. The governmental agency that responds to child abuse cases is the Child Protection Services or CPS or Department of Social Services or DSS. This agency is operational in many stated of United States of America. NOHSE standards are the ethical standards to be followed by human services professionals. Social workers working in different domains are bound to confront ethical dilemmas. The level of complexity and the nature of the ethical dilemmas faced by providers of child protection services have changes considerably over time; however, they still struggle with some very complex situations.

Table of Contents

Introduction4

Child Protection Services4

Historical Perspective on Federal Laws5

NOHSE Standards6

Ethical Responsibilities6

Confidentiality7

Change in societal approach8

Conclusion9

References10

Child Protection Services

Introduction

According to UNICEF, child safeguarding may be defined as steps taken to prevent and respond to violence against children, or any form of abuse and exploitation. These include child trafficking, sexual abuse, and child labor. In some countries, the traditional and cultural practices also come in the ambit of child abuse. For instance, the mutilation of female genital and early marriages categorize as serious forms of child abuse. UNICEF has designed several programs to protect children and ensure their safety. These programs include not only the normal children but also children who are in the midst of some conflicting situation such as during war, orphans and others (UNICEF, 2006).

The paper discusses Child Protection Services in the light of ethical responsibilities, confidentiality, Historical perspective on federal laws relating to this profession and NOHSE standards.

Child Protection Services

Unfortunately, many cases of child abuse and neglect remain unreported due to various reasons. The governmental agency that responds to these cases is the Child Protection Services or CPS or Department of Social Services or DSS. This agency is operational in many stated of United States of America. This agency is operational with different names that reflect the scope of their operations. Some of these organizations are family centered while others are child centered. The agency provides various services to children who live in foster care and also provides services to children in their own homes and in their adoptive homes. Not only children are covered by the agency but also the transitioning period from childhood to adulthood is covered.

Child survival and development is at stake in matters of child abuse. Child abuse, unfortunately, is common in both the developing and the developed countries. Children who have gone through any form of child abuse are vulnerable, and some even have distorted personalities (Stevens, 2007). These children have a higher risk of mortality, physical and mental challenges, chronic ailments such as HIV/AIDS infection, homelessness, abandonment from the parents and the society, vagrancy and personally poor skills of parenting in ...