Parenting Capacity Assessment: Evaluating Parents' Responsibilities for Child Upbringing - Essay Sample

Introduction

Parenting capacity assessment refers to the ability of a parent to monitor how he or she executes parental responsibility (Conley, 2003). Assessing the ability of parents to bring up their children in a responsible manner is critical. The upbringing stage is among the most essential stages in child growth as it marks the foundation for the children. A child that is brought up properly outstands in a variety of aspects that measure up the human dignity. In this case, there are parents whose parenting capacity is put to the test, depending on how the outcome of the children is. In the execution of this assignment, Steinhauer’s parental capacity guidelines were brought to light.

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Three guidelines, according to Steinhauer's Parenting Capacity Guidelines that are most relevant include:

Guideline 1, the current stressors state that the ethnic and cultural context could affect the child in that issue that was not unresolved due to immigration may affect the parenting capability and general family's mental health. Such is the case in the instance that the boy’s father is an immigrant who has not been having access to the child and his upbringing (Steinhauer & Condray, 2010). The children are of different fathers. Their mother also doesn't relate with either ethnic group, and the child has been in and out of foster care since she was three years of age are some of the factors which play into this guideline. Other factors which play into this guideline are such as an environmental outlook on the ecological factors on the critical areas of social functioning which include the girl's movement from home to home which was exhibited in her learning difficulties in school and can also be the ill factor to blame in terms of substance abuse that was noted later in her childhood and that even led to her teenage pregnancy (Steinhauer & Condray, 2010).

Guideline 2 on child developmental progress measures a child's developmental level. It should be noted that any form of delay in children's development should be attributed to neglect of severe capacity (Steinhauer & Condray, 2010). The girl is purported to be having FASD, and as much as the mother's alcohol abuse rate is yet to be proven the outcome of the girl, such as having a child at the age of 17years, while still a child, leaves a lot to be desired on the developmental process. The girl is also engaging in substance abuse at a young age, and movement in and out of facilities can also be blamed as part of her developmental delay.

The boy has cerebral palsy, which is a congenital disorder, and from the purported sign that the mother is an alcoholic and that the first child the girl was born with cerebral palsy, it can be seen that indeed, there were some developmental delays in the upbringing of this child (Cleaver, & Unell, 2011). This second guideline also takes note of what can be given to court about the home environment, and it should be noted that these children are from two different fathers and that the fathers haven't been fully there children's lives. As a result, it can be exemplified by the fact that their mother lives with her father.

Guideline five, which looks into the parental ability to accept responsibility such as that, the mother is also weak from surgery. She also appears to have no insight on the wellbeing of her children. Due to physical exhaustion, she seems unable to sit with the assessor for 30 minutes, which can be reflected in her technique of parenting back in the home environment (Steinhauer & Condray, 2010). The boy's biological father is an immigrant, 17years of age settling into the country and appears to have no access to the child. He further lacks the chance to interact with his child. The mother is in denial of the challenges being faced by her daughter and even claims to be able to fund her son's medical needs and get him numerous doctor appointments. The girl’s biological father is 22 years of age.

Determine what information is missing by listing it clearly in each section. Discuss why you believe it is essential to obtain this information, and how you would go about achieving it?

The mother's current parenting skills are due to her known history of substance abuse and pregnancy by the age of 17. All this could be the result of a change in foster care systems. Her five-year-old daughter has a history of FASD, which could be related to the mother's substance abuse throughout her pregnancy, although it is yet to be established (Cleaver, & Unell, 2011). The reason as to why her daughter has learning disabilities should also be looked into as this could be as a result of FASD, or either as a result of the parenting skills exhibited by their mother.

What three resources do you think the children need most and why you believe these are important? Be sure to list and describe three resources for each child.

Security is essential. It refers to a shelter, food, clothing, and food is a basic need of any child and is a requirement for the growth and development of every child for proper mental stability and general health (Cleaver, & Unell, 2011). Food is essential in any household for any child. It is a basic need for all human beings more so children as they have the right to food. The shelter is also another essential need for all children, both younger and older children. It is crucial in that if every child can have this resource handed to them.

Love is another essential resource, love is vital in that every child has the ability to achieve significant milestones in his or her life through the impaction of love (Cleaver, & Unell, 2011). Parental love is essential in the upbringing of children, and it should be noted as a necessary resource in the upbringing of children from all walks of life. Health is also another essential resource for children. In this instance, the daughter at five years old has a possible diagnosis of FASD, whereas the son at five years of age has a confirmed diagnosis of cerebral palsy. This should be noted of importance in the upbringing of any child to ensure the best outcome for both the mother and the child. Health is an essential resource in ensuring the proper upbringing of every child (Cleaver, & Unell, 2011).

Another resource that is of importance is an education in that education is empowering for all citizens, and it is inclusive of children of all ages, races, and cultural backgrounds (Cleaver, & Unell, 2011). How the child interacts with his or her educational environment is key to their development and, in turn, speaks volumes about the upbringing of the child. It can be seen in this instance the mother had learning difficulties in school, and what was evident in her case was that she even suffered from anorexia, something that would have been easily noted within the school.

The following are the long term recommendations that should be given to this mother in terms of the children's upbringing.

The mother should focus on her younger ones as much as she was a victim of the CAS, as much as she underwent sexual violation at a tender age and was pregnant by the age of 17 shows that she needs the help of a counselor in sorting out her issues within her life (Conley, 2003). The mother should encourage her co-parents to assist in bringing up the five-year-old daughter and her two-year-old son, and she should make an effort to ensure the needs of these children are made of importance (Conley, 2003). In doing so, the children would feel more appreciated and loved by the family, thus exhibiting proper parenting capacity.

Another long term recommendation would be that of making the mother aware of the needs of her children, and if need be, she should be able to help out the children in ensuring they get proper care as she is battling for her own health (Conley, 2003). She should get someone to assist her in all activities of daily living. It is evident that she seems to get tired easily [even after a conversation that lasts for as few as 30 minutes, it truly must be exhausting for her to cope with a child with cerebral palsy and a five year old daughter as the outcome of this is bound to be that the older daughter at five years of age will feel responsible for taking care of the whole family thus putting Steinhauer’s parenting capacity guidelines to the test.

The most challenging aspect of the findings, as explained to the family include:

Those other relatives should be asked to assist in raising the family. Consequently, any other relative would be of utmost importance in raising the children, by ensuring all their needs are met, in this instance especially their medical needs are being met to the best of their capacity, considering the son has cerebral palsy, and the daughter has a probable diagnosis of FASD (Conley, 2003). The reaction of the mother would be that uttermost disbelief in that her children would be taken away from her, but she would also understand that she needs time to recover after her surgery correctly. The mother is also expected to know that the children's medical needs cannot be fully met by her just being in the home (Conley, 2003). Therefore, she should be counseled on her medical condition and the urgency to receive help at all times to ensure the best outcome for both her and her children.

In this instance, parental ability to accept responsibility would help understand this parent’s inability to function in the situation that the mother is claiming is unable to take adequate care for the child with cerebral palsy. The mother isn't accepting responsibility of remaining with the children as well as taking care of herself after the operation.

Recommendation

I would highly recommend that the mother in cooperate co-parenting with the parents of both children as she is still trying to recover from the surgery. If they are unable to liaise with the parents of these children, she should seek alternative support from other friends and possible relatives. Still, where there is a lack of genuine support and care for the children, then she should allow them to be referred to children's homes for proper care, especially for the child with cerebral palsy who needs extra care and attention. Her daughter also needs proper medical care to ensure the best outcome for her and the appropriate diagnosis of the probable FASD. It would also be recommended that the mother receives counseling and guidance.

In writing recommendations for these guidelines, it should be noted that different parents experience different struggles in their parenting; hence, at an individual capacity, different parents react differently to situations in matters of their parenting. First, treatment of every family as a particular family different from other families; thus, in this case, counseling the family and even encouraging the mother to choose what is best for her children, which is to be with them than having them separated at the foster care facilities (Cleaver & Unell, 2011). Additionally, each parent should be assessed individually as well and not as a whole, thereby leaving either of the parents with a chance to take up the responsibility of the children single-handedly in failure by the co-parent. Thirdly, before taking children to foster care facilities, the parents should be counseled and asked to make amends to unacceptable behavior. That way, both the parents and children get a second chance in how they relate to each other.

Reference

Cleaver, H., & Unell, I. (2011). Children's needs-parenting capacity: child abuse, parental mental illness, learning disability, substance misuse, and domestic violence. The Stationery Office.

Conley C. (2003). A review of parenting capacity assessment reports. Ontario Association of Children Aid societies, Journa...