Community Agency, Networking & Intervention
Kearney Guidelines (Knowledge of Content)
As seen this case involves a child abuse case in which a little child of age 8 years is reported to have been abuse by her uncle. Her mother feels she is responsible because she had left the child with her aunt have secured a full-time job. The case is even worse due to the fact that the child has contracted a sexually transmitted infection after sexual abuse. It is important to find the best intervention that can be used to help the child as the counselor in charge to whom the case has been presented. One of the best ways to examine this case is by looking at the guidelines that have been presented in Kearney’s (2001)’s text.
First, it is noted that the book can best be used to understand community agencies and how to work with children or other clients who may need social support. The book offers a brief history of Child Enrichment Child Advocacy Center (CAC), its mission, and the purpose of why it was formed. It states that this agency was started in 1978 by healthcare professionals in collaboration with social workers to works closely with and offers interventions to children who may have been abused. The main mission is to help rehabilitate and offer other forms of intervention to children who may have been victims of abuse. It focuses not just on sexual abuse victims but also on children who have been neglected or abandoned. It offers a platform for children and families of abuse to successfully move through such trauma and resiliently address the psychological and physical problems that they have suffered.
In Kearney (2001)’s text, it is further noted that the program is accredited both nationally and in the U.S states. Counseling is one of the best ways to help children and famines who are victims of abuse. The program offers free counseling and therapeutic services to such children. It also works closely with law enforcement to ensure that justice is served for the children and the perpetrators of such heinous acts are apprehended and charged. Some of the law enforcement agencies that it collaborates with include the District Attorney’s office and the police. Importantly, it is worth mentioning that CAC is a nonprofit organization that is founded on strictly moral values and the need to offer assistance to children who are victims of abuse. It implies that it is run by people who understand and appreciate the need to help the children of abuse and not take advantage of the victims and mint money from them. This has been a very important program that has changed the lives of many children across the United States. Its funding comes from donors and the community.
The method used in this program varies. In some cases, forensic interviews of the victim are conducted in which video recordings are made about the accusations these children are making. This is important because it can be used in the court of law to convict the perpetrators. In the text, it is further noted that follow-up is normally done to ensure that even after the rehabilitation and counseling service are offered the victims are confirmed to be recovering well as expected.
Another important aspect that has been provided in the discussion is the role of Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA). This individual is appointed by the courts to help support and speak for the victims. They maintain close contact and communication with children who may have been neglected in foster care homes. They strive to ensure that the children integrate well into the community and that they are placed in a safe environment where they cannot be abused again.
Another program that is accredited to help abused children, as discussed in the text, is Neighbor to Family. This is essential in providing sibling foster care, as well as other services like parenting, clinical healthcare, and safety management. The aim of safety management, for instance, is to ensure that children who are in new homes are safe from any harm that they may encounter, including abuse. Other groups that try to off safety placement include Family In-Home Resource & Support Team (FIRST). Their role is to evaluate the settings in which children are placed to ascertain that they are free from any form of abuse. However, Neighbor to family’s role is to ensure that the well-being and bonding of children with their families are preserved. This text has offered fine details about how abused children are helped to overcome the psychological and physical challenges they may have experienced. The services offered by the mentioned organizations are extremely phenomenal in reshaping the lives of children after abuse.
Agency Involvement Based on Kearney (Application of Core Information):
Addressing the case of Andrea and helping her overcome the trauma she is facing requires a robust strategy. One of the most important things to consider as a faith-based counselor working, in this case, is the age of the child, nature of the abuse, and other needs that she may have. I am also expected to identify different organizations that can help meet these needs. As already been mentioned, it is not only the abused child who is suffering trauma in this case. The parents, especially the mother and the aunt, may also be under great trauma because they feel they were responsible for the abuse. The thought of this may be very devastating for the parents. It means they will also need to be helped. First, I would help the child by taking her through intensive counseling in which I try to address different psychological problems that may arise after this unfortunate ordeal. This will be important in ensuring that they easily overcome psychological problems. I may use psychoanalytic or cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) to conduct the counseling. Similarly, the mother can be counseled through CBT because she needs to be persuaded that it was not her fault that the child was abused. This can involve changing her negative thoughts and reassuring her that it was the fault of the perpetrator and not herself.
Besides counseling, a forensic interview in the child is taken through a video-recorded question to help her file a complaint about the uncle. This interview is important in ensuring that there is enough evidence to grill the perpetrator. It would be important to work closely with law enforcement, including the District Attorney, to apprehend the individual and charge him in a court of law. Andrea deserves justice, and only through this video recording and forensic cross-examination can this be made possible. It may also be important to work with several other organizations including Child Enrichment Child Advocacy Center (CAC) to help the child overcome the problems she is facing. This is an appropriate organization because it offers an intensive program at no cost. Moreover, I would also work with Neighbor to Family, which offers foster care services. It would be an important program to help the family of Andrea to address the challenge and reconcile them after this incident. This would mean I make official communication with the organization and ask them to intervene. It would also be important to work with Family In-Home Resource & Support Team (FIRST) to help prevent the child from being placed in foster care. First, the mother cannot be blamed for what happened, and it would be unfair to say that she neglected her child. She took the initiative and had the child being looked after by her aunt. Therefore, saying that she was abused because the mother neglected her is not informed. I strongly believe that with the strategy I have outlined, Andrea will be able to overcome the trauma resiliently. While she may never forget the incident, I believe she will be able to live with the problem boldly and without many problems. My goal in this endeavor is not to make her forget but to help her overcome the trauma and normally live again.
Networking & Collaboration
It is essential to collaborate with different agencies mentioned above to ensure that Andrea and her family get the necessary needs that can help them overcome the trauma they are facing. However, one thing I must admit is that working with these organizations can be very challenging, especially for a Christian-based counsellor who might not share the same values. It is important that one selects the best organization that share the same goals and objectives. First, I must reiterate that the organizations I have selected are very important and would be helpful in helping Andrea. They include Child Enrichment Child Advocacy Center (CAC) and Neighbor to Family. As already been mentioned, ensuring that good communication is established is very important in keeping contact with these organizations. I can either communicate physically by visiting their premises and presenting my case or writing emails and making phone calls. However, I consider emails effective because of the formality involved. I will explain the situation of Andrea and seek their help in the best way they can to ensure that the child gets her needs attended to. I believe that the best way I can the assistance i need for my client from these organizations may require me to create a good rapport with them. The offices from these organizations will be more willing to help if they realize we share the same value and interest. However, this may still require me to conduct even more extensive research to try to understand all details about the two organizations. It is through this that it will be possible to create this good relationship in a way that can benefit the client.
There are several benefits that come with effective collaboration, especially in a case like this that involves this client. First, I will be able to gain greater knowledge about the best the client can be helped. The organizations have greater expertise in abuse-related problems, such as the one that Andrea faced. By collaborating, we will be able to share knowledge and ideas on how to effectively offer help to the client. Second, there will be a shared responsibility. As a counselor, I may not be able to shoulder all the burden and handle all the responsibilities that are involved in addressing the needs of the abused child and those of her family members like the mother. This collaboration will help me share the responsibilities with other members of staff from the two organizations. Importantly, shared resources are another benefit that I stand to gain. I may not have all the resources required to address the issues, including having the perpetrator apprehended. By collaborating positively, there will be shared resources allowing me to deliver the best services to the child.
Interdisciplinary collaboration will also be important in ensuring that the situation of Andrea is well-handled. Besides the mentioned organizations, I may also need to coordinate with other professionals, including the teachers of Andrea to ensure she gets comprehensive help. She may face problems in school that require someone who understands. This means that I may need to explain to her teachers about her situation and discuss how best she can be helped. Other professionals who may need to be engaged, including lawyers, as well as social workers working within the community.
Ethical Considerations (Knowledge of Ethics):
Ethics is a very critical issue that cannot be overlooked when handling a case like this, especially when dealing with an issue involving children. I understand I have to observe various different ethical principles. First, the ‘do no harm’ is an ethical tenet that I have to be very careful to observe. The child is already traumatized, and even how I will be communicating should be designed in a way that does not cause more harm than she has already faced. I will ensure that I stay careful about the choice of words or questions that I ask her or communicate to her about to ensure that I keep her safer and assure her she will be okay.
Another important ethical consideration to look into when working with the abused child is confidentiality. This is a very and critical case that may haunt the child even until adulthood if she realizes the issue has been exposed. It would be important to keep the trauma a secret and only professionals with whom I handling the case be informed about it. She may face bullying in school by her peers if they get to realize what happened to her. Therefore, it would be very unethical if I fail to protect the child’s confidentiality. It is upon her to talk about her ordeal someday in adulthood is she wants to, but it should not be me to expose her. Finally, it would be necessary to involve her family members, especially her mother or any other caregiver, when interacting with her. This should strictly be observed when conducting a forensic interview. She is a minor, and the presence of her parents is important and a serious ethical issue that should be observed. I strongly believe that these ethical concerns be considered and not be overlooked.
References
Graham, I. D., Harrison, M. B., Moffat, C., & Franks, P. (2011). Leg ulcer care: nursing attitudes and knowledge. The Canadian Nurse, 97(3), 19.
Adams, C. E., & Cook, D. L. (2014). The impact of a diabetes nurse educator on nurses’ knowledge of diabetes and nursing interventions in a home care setting. The Diabetes Educator, 20(1), 49-53.