HUSE2002 Child Protection Work Assessment 1 – Australia.

Subject Code & Title : HUSE2002 Child Protection Work
Assignment Type : Written Assessment 1
Word count : 1,200 words
Purpose : Demonstrate knowledge of the theoretical frameworks and historical developments that have shaped current child protection systems. Consider different ways of understanding, and responding to, child abuse.
HUSE2002 Child Protection Work Assessment 1 – Australia.

WHAT YOU NEED TO DO
Write a paper, using three (3) references from the course readings. Your paper should be 1,200 words (excluding your reference list).

Use a recognised referencing style (use Harvard or APA format, unless you regularly use another referencing format in your particular discipline). You must submit your assessment online via the
course Canvas site).

You need to write about both of these topics.

1.How we define, understand and think about child abuse differs depending on our context. In Australia, social and legal definitions of child abuse have changed over time and continue to change. Write a 600 word response (just pick two or three points don’t try to cover everything) to the following questions:

• Why do we now have a broader understanding of what constitutes abuse? (eg. there are more recognised ‘types of abuse’)
• Why is it difficult to define and identify child abuse?
(Note: If your home country is not Australia, please feel free to discuss in relation to your home country).

HUSE2002 Child Protection Work Assessment 1 – Australia.

2.Select two (2) of the following theories of child abuse and neglect.
• Individual
• Attachment
• Learning/socialisation
• Structural
• Anti-oppressive (can include feminist and anti-discriminatory approaches)
• Ecological/systems

Briefly explain each theory (you only need two or three sentences about each theory). Then apply each theory to one of the following scenarios. How might a child protection worker perceive this child and family differently, depending on the theoretical lens they apply?

Anna
Local police have responded to a domestic dispute. While attending the incident the police found a three-year old child, Anna, in a locked bedroom. Anna was wearing only a nappy, which was soiled. When a child protection worker visits Anna’s home, the worker sees that the house is very dirty and rundown. Most of the glass windows are broken. There is rubbish throughout the house and the house smells terribly. Anna is very small for her age and seems malnourished. Anna does not communicate verbally and is very timid. Anna’s mother and father both live in the house and both are known to have histories of substance addiction. Anna’s mother was raised in out-of-home care, having experienced significant abuse and neglect as a child. Anna’s father is unemployed, having lost his job after a local factory closed down two years ago.

HUSE2002 Child Protection Work Assessment 1 – Australia.

Mikey
Mikey is nine years old. His school has made a child protection report. The school staff were concerned that Mikey rarely attends school and that when he does he has no lunch, is dressed in dirty clothes (not uniform) and seems tired and distracted. Mikey lives with his mother. The school has attempted to contact Mikey’s mother numerous times, but she has not responded to their calls, emails or notes. When a child protection worker visits Mikey’s house, the worker sees that Mikey’s mother has a number of serious, chronic health issues. His mother stopped seeing her health professionals six months ago when she became frustrated with her treatment. Mikey does most of the cooking, cleaning and shopping. He and his mother rely on her disability pension payments.They have no other family members living nearby.