Essay Sample on Marlon's Safety Threats: Physical Harm by Mother

Introduction

Children are exposed to the various threats within their respective residential areas. In the case of Marlon, several safety threats based on the case appear to exist. One of these safety threats is that the mother has caused physical harm to the child. This comes from the fact that the child has bruises around the neck. The doctor could notice this physical harmed on the child, and thus the mother served a safety threat to the child based on how she executes discipline on her child.

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Another cause of concern is that Marlon a usually talkative child has failed to respond to the question asked by the doctor. In this scenario, the child appears fearful of the mother and thus highlight another safety concern. The failure by Marlon's mother to explain the bruises on his neck serves as a safety concern that emerges based on this case.

Lack of a clear explanation about the bruises on the child's neck is another safety concern. In this case, Marlon's mother explains that injury on the child's neck is mosquito bites, yet they are visibly bruises. This kind of explanation is a safety threat because the mother is unwilling to disclose the cause of the injury as well as not taking the child for medical attention ("Ontario Child Protection Tools Manual", 2019).

Another safety concern is the parent's history with maltreating the child. Based on the information available within the database, Marlon's mother has a history of abusing the child. In the records the mother had been given back custody of the child after she agreed to stop using the excessing discipline that harmed the young child. Based on the case, Marlon's mother has begun abusing the child through the use of harsh punishment as observed from the bruise within the child body.

Another safety is how the mother describes the child. In the interview, the mother is aggressive and tries to justify her action by saying that she is rising her boy the way she was raised. The mother blames the authorities for arresting her and being unfair, yet she is the one that inflicted the injuries on the kid. This is a safety threat because the mother aggressively tries to justify her adverse action that brought harm to the child. It is also an indication that she has not learned from her past to stop using excessive discipline on the child have previously worked with the child aid to change her behaviour ("Ontario Child Protection Tools Manual", 2019).

Methods of Intervention

To mitigate the threats that the child faces, a number of interventions must be put in place for the safety of the child. The first step towards making sure the child is safe is through the intervention of a child protection worker. After the child has been checked, and the results are out, the worker can take immediate action on the measures that can help the child have a stable place where they can stay without being physically harmed.

In this case, the child's mother seems to have forgotten that excessive discipline on the child has repercussion that s why she was arrested. If the mother does not back custody of the child, the child protection worker might suggest various places where the child can be taken to stay. I f the mother successfully gets backs care of Marlon she might need rigorous training on the other ways through which she can discipline the child such as taking away their privildges and teaching them new skills(Morin, 2019). Child protection worker also shall provide a constant check up on the progress of the kid while they are at home or other places; they are placed by the child aid.

Another intervention is by involving the child extended family and the community elders on the possible solutions to the issues facing the child. In any community, there are support systems that can help solve conflicts present within the family and provide ways through which they can be addressed. In this case, the mother seems to have been overwhelmed by other issues prompting her to take out her frustration on the young child.

Extended family can become more involved in raising the kid through continually checking on the mother and advising her on how she ca build Marlon. Another challenge is a lack of both parents whereby the father seems not to be around. If he can be contacted, he should be requested to help the mother in using their child acceptably and adequately. Community elders can also offer words of advice to the mother on how she can approach discipline and how, through experience, have managed to raise their kids to adulthood without harsh forms of discipline. In another situation, if the extended family agrees to take care of the child, they must agree to ensure that the case of violence does not arise once more. They must also ensure that the kid gets all the immediate needs such as food clothing and shelter without feeling threatened but at home ("Ontario Child Protection Tools Manual", 2019).

In the case of the arrest of the mother and successful prosecution, the child might be placed under the child aid service. This happens if there is no close relative's that can guarantee that they can offer appropriate protection of the kid while the mother is in jail. At the CAS, the child will be fully catered for with their safety being the priority as well as other essential needs.

Final Safety Decision

My final safety decision concerning the child is that the child is unsafe and that he should place inappropriate care. Based on the assessment of the child, it is evident that the mother is still using excessive force when disciplining the child. This alone proves that the child is unsafe. Another reason is that the mother is lying about injuring the child and not providing appropriate medical attention afterwards. In this case, the child is insecure and requires urgent intervention for him to remain secure and not live in fear of being mistreated if he speaks out about the mother. ("Ontario Child Protection Tools Manual", 2019)

In the family, there is other valuable information that can help in addressing the case of Marlon. Among this information is the income of the mother and whether she has the capability of raising the child. The family should also provide information about the mother's relation with the extended family and how they intend to solve the significant problems they are facing. It is through this kind of information that the child aid service can determine what makes the parent so harsh on the kid when they should love them instead.

Services Plan

To ensure that the child is not in any danger, a plan to ensure the threats are completely mitigated must be established.

The first step is identifying all the individual that are going to get involved in the safety of the child going forward.

Secondly, the individuals who have agreed to participate in improving the safety of the child will be briefed on the threats the child face and their role in mitigating these problems. This includes informing them about their mother and the actions that resulted in the intervention of child services.

After briefing the individuals involved, they shall each be told on what they are supposed to do and ways in which they can ensure the child safety is achieved. It is at this point that individuals who might include relatives and community members will be told on what to do and how often they should do them to ensure safety. Community elders, for instance, can visit the home o check on the child and assess whether the child is doing or the threat is still within ("Ontario Child Protection Tools Manual", 2019).

The plan shall be monitored by the child aid officer who will regularly keep tabs on the individuals to determine if they are doing as they planned.

It is through this monitoring that a determination can be done to establish whether the plan to mitigate risk is working or not. If the plan is working, then it can continue; however, in case the plans fail to realize any result another plan should be swiftly introduced to enhance the safety of the child.

Family Improvements

When it comes to family, I would like to see more people getting involved in child life and focusing on ensuring the safety of the child. Another issue is the attitude when it comes to dealing with the child. In the case of Marlon, the mother does not seem concerned about the bruises the child has and quickly dismisses them as mosquito bites. The family should be quick to protect the child and help them get medical attention if they get injured.

Another thing that I would like to see from the family is providing accurate information about child safety and the state of their health. Explanations should not differ from the state of the child to avoid being suspected of harassing the child and jeopardizing their safety. The family also must ensure that the kid can speak normally and not feel threatened by the adults around him. In this case, the family must disclose what they intend to do to prevent actions that might negatively affect the safety of the child.

Conclusion

To close the child protection file, I would like to see an end to the harsh form of discipline that the child faces. As a mother, she should know there are better ways of disciplining the child without harming him. Another thing I would like to see is the mother apologizing and not threatening the young kid because of fear of being exposed. In your presence within the family, a child should be comfortable enough to speak as they wish without being in fear. There is also no justification of using harsh punishment just because you were raised that way as a child. Children will grow living in fear because of the brutality meted on them, and they are probably going to engage in violence in their respective families. Lastly, I would like to see the commitment that the child is going to be taken care of from all kinds of threats within the family.

References

Morin, A. (2019). 8 Discipline Strategies That Are More Effective Than Spanking. Retrieved 8 December 2019, from https://www.verywellfamily.com/alternatives-to-spanking-1094834

Ontario Child Protection Tools Manual. (2019). Retrieved 8 December 2019, from http://www.children.gov.on.ca/htdocs/English/documents/childrensaid/Child-Protection-Tools-Manual-2016.pdf