Children thrive and reach their potential as adults when they inhabit an environment where they feel safe, secure and happy because they experience love and proper care. Yet children’s health, well-being, development and future can be adversely affected by early life events. Numerous research, like that on brain development, has highlighted the detrimental effects of children living amongst inconsistency, chaos or danger, synonymous with problems such as family dysfunction and often associated with trauma, abuse or neglect. According to NSPCC (2016) domestic abuse is a common occurrence within the lives of many children, despite the fact that witnessing violence is emotional abuse. Domestic abuse is a form of ‘toxic stress’ which, if children
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These aspects pose as risk factors which frequently compound caregiver’s physical and mental ability to adequately look after their children. As a result, there is an increased likelihood that the offspring of affected caregivers’ become directly or indirectly subjected to neglect, abuse or a combination and thus classed as ‘in need’ (Barnardo’s 2011). The legal definition of ‘in need’ refers to a child under 18 when there are concerns that a) their health or development is, or is likely to be, significantly impaired; b) they are unlikely, or lack the opportunity, to achieve or maintain a reasonable standard of health and development, or c) they are disabled. However the 5 concepts behind every child matters, taking into account human rights by stating entitlements of all children; to be healthy, safe, achieve economically, contribute to society positively and enjoy life, has been influential in giving children in need newfound rights as a way to enable them to flourish (ECM, …show more content…
The framework is a holistic evidence-based approach of the child’s world concentrating on three key areas, namely; child’s developmental needs, such as whether the child’s self-care skills reflect their age, parenting capacity, including the caregiver’s ability to respond with emotional warmth; and family and environmental factors, like housing and overcrowding (DOH, 2000). However everyone’s experience is unique, having different needs and alternative thoughts so separate assessments should be done for each
These aspects pose as risk factors which frequently compound caregiver’s physical and mental ability to adequately look after their children. As a result, there is an increased likelihood that the offspring of affected caregivers’ become directly or indirectly subjected to neglect, abuse or a combination and thus classed as ‘in need’ (Barnardo’s 2011). The legal definition of ‘in need’ refers to a child under 18 when there are concerns that a) their health or development is, or is likely to be, significantly impaired; b) they are unlikely, or lack the opportunity, to achieve or maintain a reasonable standard of health and development, or c) they are disabled. However the 5 concepts behind every child matters, taking into account human rights by stating entitlements of all children; to be healthy, safe, achieve economically, contribute to society positively and enjoy life, has been influential in giving children in need newfound rights as a way to enable them to flourish (ECM, …show more content…
The framework is a holistic evidence-based approach of the child’s world concentrating on three key areas, namely; child’s developmental needs, such as whether the child’s self-care skills reflect their age, parenting capacity, including the caregiver’s ability to respond with emotional warmth; and family and environmental factors, like housing and overcrowding (DOH, 2000). However everyone’s experience is unique, having different needs and alternative thoughts so separate assessments should be done for each