Cobra Bubbles

Here's an interesting take on social workers from the Lilo and Stitch Movie! (sorry about the Fandubbing, can't seem to find any original footage from Youtube)

Here in Singapore, there isn't much of the stereotype of the big bad social worker coming down to take away your children if you don't care about them, simply because social workers here do not have any mandate to just take your children away. Social workers here work with the Child Protection Officers under the Ministry of Community Development, Youth and Sports (MCYS) to ensure that the children's safety needs are in place.

This may in fact be a good thing, for we as social workers then can come in to ally with the family in order to work collaboratively towards ensuring child safety and protection, instead of utilising the power to remove the children. However the drawback of such an approach would be that the social worker's alliance with the family may also blur the realities of child abuse or neglect that may possibly be taking place. This may occur with the social worker possibly wanting to give the parent a chance of caring for the child on her own, or fears that the relationship so painstakingly woven over months of engagement could be destroyed in one fell swoop. This are fears that are very real, and hence its important for us to consult views of others in addressing issues of child protection.

But the bigger question a latchkey-kid-since-age-9 has would be: what determines the scope and boundaries of child protection? Indeed when it comes to physical abuse, things are pretty much clear cut, and we intervene to ensure the child's immediate safety. Systems are in place for us to engage the hospitals, MCYS, and other formal resources to take action for the child's safety.

However when it comes to borderline issues of neglect, where parent may be leaving children alone at home, or may be placing added responsibilities to a young child unbecoming of her developmental life span, the boundaries of collaboration and utilising state-mandated actions are more hazy. It is difficult, especially when both child and parents prefer the status quo as opposed to the possibility that the child may be taken away from the parent.

In the face of these several issues, these may be questions that need to be reflected

1. What are all the possible risks of status quo? (Assessments may also need to include how long things have been happening at the current status quo, how many incidents of risks that have occured over the time span, safety of the house, to what extent the parent is engaged to ensure optimal monitoring, etc)

2. What are the available alternatives for the family in terms of finding appropriate solutions to ensure that child is supported: i.e not left home alone whilst parent goes out to work, not given too much responsibilities for someone her age, etc. Have all the possible alternatives been exhausted that this current status quo is the path of least danger?

3. Are the different stakeholders (schools, social work agencies, hospitals, etc) willing to work towards family preservation? This is an important question that all professionals involved need to answer, before collaborative work can begin. The opposite of family preservation, for me unfortunately is the idea of covering one's own rear, where the feeling that taking the child away from the family would be the best solution to confirm the child's safety. Such an intervention, if not contemplated and assessed appropriately, may ultimately disempower the family's ability to sustain themselves.

To parents: It is not easy caring for children, especially in a society where the family needs to survive on a dual income structure. Stay at home mothers are often a rarity in our culture.

1. Society changes with time.

The common excuse of "this was how I was raised" is an overused adage that does not hold true. Parenting has to be taken into the context of societal norms. Physical punishment, though well accepted in the past, is no longer relevant in the current context, especially in light of the extent of trauma such experiences can cause a child. The same goes for leaving your young children home alone.

2. Safety First

All parents care for their children, and within this belief, there is a need to think about all the available alternatives to ensure their safety and care. Attend parenting workshops, speak to your friendly neighbourhood social worker, explore available childcare and student care options, and address issues of anger management of stress you may have in parenting. There are many resources available in our country today, so please make use of them.

Comments

You can follow this conversation by subscribing to the comment feed for this post.

The composition of very good. Give me a lot of help, gave me a big inspiration! Hope to continue trying to write something better!

Posted by: Monster LadyGaga | 05/07/2012 at 04:12 PM

Awesome blog! Is your theme custom made or did you download it from somewhere? A design like yours with a few simple tweeks would really make my blog stand out. Please let me know where you got your design. Kudos [url=http://www.oakleyrakuten.com/アクティブサングラス-c-247.html]オークリー通販[/url] オークリー通販

Posted by: オークリー通販 | 05/16/2013 at 11:05 AM

This design is wicked! You obviously know how to keep a reader entertained. Between your wit and your videos, I was almost moved to start my own blog (well, almost...HaHa!) Wonderful job. I really enjoyed what you had to say, and more than that, how you presented it. Too cool! オークリーサングラス http://www.oakleyrakuten.com/ オークリーサングラス

Posted by: オークリーサングラス | 05/16/2013 at 11:06 AM

India's education system, marked by an elaborately constructed multitrack schooling, is among the most exclusionary ones in the world. With neoliberalism sweeping across the country, the has triumphed and knowledge stands commoditised. Children are pushed into a merciless and mercenary world of fierce competition. What we have today is unabashed, unapologetic class education.

Posted by: cheap pandora charms | 06/20/2013 at 12:24 PM