The Children

One of the most important people a social worker has to deal with may not be the biggest of people, but do infact tend to carry the biggest problems with them and these little people would be the children. Whether they are from America usually having problems through a divorce, a loss of a parent, a disability in learning, all-in-all just problems, or whether they’re a case within another country dealing mainly with health care, and the wealthiness of the child. As you can see social work covers many different aspects of a childs life, and as Melrose Biagas, a social worker working to recover the young victimes of Hurricane Katrina, stated in her interview, “This is a job you can’t really prepare for, you just have to experience it.”There are so many difficulties/obstacles that a child has to face while growing up, that could in fact end up going wrong, there will be a social worker who is going to be there doing the best that they can do get that child through his or her problems.

Whether the Child is in America or across sea’s, they both seem to have the common generality within HELPING the child. There is one quite distinct difference though that we might/you might be able to notice within the world or within the two different “areas” on Social work. Within the United States a vast majority of the children who are entered into the social work system are those who are going through drastic domestic changes. Specifically focusing mainly on the child care, and through divorces. As you all seem to know about today divorce rates have SKY ROCKETED and over half of marriages are ending in divorce. And half of the half of divorces are leaving children lost, unwanted, and more than anything deeply impacted. Simon Vevers, author of Piecing the abuse Jigsaw together, reports “Emotional abuse of children is difficult to discern but there are signs that should alert professionals.” These children depending on their age and of the harshness of the situation end up having serious issues later down the road whether parents or people around them realize it or not, they are suffering. And those who are suffering may end up suffering in ways that most people may not think. Eric Wharton, a Social Worker from the childcare services in Alaska said,” the most unnoticed impact on a childs life as they grow up appears when a relationship forms with a “boyfriend” or “girlfriend”, it is then that the child within starts to feel it, and why this is, really has not clearly been firgured out.” Now if you where to look at social work with children across the sea’s you would find a much different occurence of issues, although the divorce can still be one, it is the little of their problem. Children across the sea’s are mainly suffering due to the fact of malnutrition, and in general not being cared for or raised properly. This issue is especially noticed within Africa. Although there are many people who try to help this problem it just seems to be a growing pandimic. What is it really going to take for children to be cared for properly? Fed right? And to just be in generally loved and wanted by their parents? Whether it’s in the United states or across the Seas, will it ever happen?

 

Citations:

Ruth, Dawn. New Orleans Magazine(April 2008, Vol 42. Iss. 7; pg. 40)
Vevers, Simon. Journal, Community Care Jan. 31st, 2008
Wharton, Eric. Social Worker (interview) Called Jun. 6th, 2008

Image:

www.google.com/images/socialwork