Stable Home = Healthy Kids: Effects of Absent Parenthood

Introduction

A stable and healthy relationship is important for both parents and children. Continued erratic parenting may require that children are provided with an alternative safe environment and contact is restricted event for their parents. Domestic conflicts and instability caused by absent parenthood hurt child growth and development. A home environment that is characterized by high levels of hatred and conflict between parents exposes children to risks of developing behavioral, emotional, and social problems. Such problems are likely to affect child concentration and academic performance. When children are exposed to frequent and intense fights between the parents, they become less secure, and lose their sense of security and safety (Bernard, Simons, & Dozier, 2015). Such developments impact negatively on the relationship between the children and their parents and also their relationship with other people. When parental conflict affects children, it results in adjustment problems as older children, like Fred and Tom are likely to consider themselves as reasons for the conflict between their parents. In general, parenting should occur within a structured environment where children enjoy the warmth and emotional support. Parents need to offer their children the needed positive reinforcement.

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Conflict among parents and neglect due to substance abuse have direct effects on children. Parental fights in the presence of children cause distress among children. Children who are exposed to parental conflict develop fear, anxiety, anger, and sadness. Such children are at a higher risk of exposure to health problems. They are also likely to have disturbed sleep and challenges with focusing on their learning environments. Such traits might externalize through hostility, aggression, non-compliance, and anti-social behaviors in later years (Whittaker, 2017). They might also become delinquent or be involved in destructive activities which may lead to the neglect of parents at a time when parents need support. These experiences might also instigate internalized reactions which may lead to their sliding into anxiety, dysphoria, depression, and withdrawal.

As a parent, one needs to mold the child into a dependable member of the community. It is likely that children who are raised in high-conflict domestic environments will develop poor interpersonal skills. Due to the affected wellbeing and self-esteem, such children do not develop problem-solving abilities and have reduced social competence. In their later years, such problems impact on their romantic relationships. This situation occurs especially because conflicts make children attach negative experiences to themselves and their social environments. Therefore, the problems caused by parental conflict are carried on from one generation to the next (Albert, 2017).

It is essential to understand why parental conflict results in all negative impacts on the children. As a parent, the continued engagement in substance use and the unavoidable conflicts breeds poor parenting skills and one becomes a worse parent each day. When a parent cannot retrace their steps, they likely become critical of themselves and their children, develop aggressive tendencies, and are likely to shout and hit their children (Lieberman, Ippen, & Dimmler, 2018). There is also laxity and inconsistent parenting that results from addiction and conflicts among parents. These tendencies have been noted in your relationship previously. Your husband, Fred, has been forced to flee the home for up to over a month while you as the other parent that the children would depend on, was also battling substance use and unable to provide them with care. As a parent, it is not advisable to spend more time satisfying drug addiction and fighting instead of giving care to children.

Legislative Provisions that Determine If the Parent Continues Living with the Children

There are legislative provisions which may require the children to be taken away from an abusive and hostile environment such as one involving fighting parents or those incapacitated by drugs. Such legislation recognize that parental conflict affects children differently depending on their sex, age, and temperament. Children have different coping strategies and their reactions to distress vary. The level of effect of parental conflict on the children also depends on the level of child attachment to the parent, sibling relationship, parent substance use condition and mental health issues (Sheehan, 2018). The way that the children react to the conflict also depends on the socioeconomic pressure that they are exposed to. Increased substance abuse increases socioeconomic pressure on the parents. Consequently, they are more likely to be involved in a vicious cycle of conflicting. Children are not meant to stay in such environments or homes.

Government intervention approaches may recommend that even the parent is not allowed to have contact with their children if they do not show commitment to behavior change. However, before such a decision is made, counselling and advocacy frameworks exist for the parents and victims. Support programs may be provided by caregivers to monitor the progress of the parent before a determination of their suitability to provide basic parental care is made (Glynn et al., 2016). Recommendations for alternative living arrangements could be explored in the event that the conflict or drug use continues. One consideration is an out-of-home placement of the affected children. Considering that Lily is too young to be exposed to distress, intensive service programs may be involved to ensure that they have the best guardian care.

There exist programs to help parents with a history of substance use and domestic conflict. A parent in such a situation may choose to go through coursework while therapeutic services could help to prepare them with knowledge on parenting, counseling at the family unit, and leadership in the provision of support and counseling for the children. Both parents need to be actively involved in the intervention process because they need to be introduced to particular services that are helpful for their behavior change such as income support initiatives. It is noteworthy that programs like protective services that target children are provided by the state and are dependent on the availability of resources. Therefore, personal initiative is important.

There are child arrangement orders which define provisions aimed at protecting the child if their setting is not conducive for their wellbeing. Certain factors may need to be considered to determine if the condition of the parents enable them to be entrusted with child care. The first factor that is considered is who stays with the child, whom they can have contact with, and whom they can spend time with. In the case of your children, the parents are already classified as substance abusers and involved in constant domestic conflicts. These factors might lead to your being barred from having any contact with your children. Fred may particularly be prevented from sharing an environment with the children because he has demonstrated violence against their mother in the past and has for at least two months abandoned the children. Persons, such as Fred, who are categorized as hostile and dangerous to the children might be prevented from having contact or spending time with them until the children have grown into adulthood (Beckett & Campbell, 2015). If this were to happen, Fred would need to wait for about 18 years before he can meet and interact with Lilly who is 11 months old. However, it may be too late then to start a parent-child relationship. The earliest it could take to meet any of the children would be eight years for Fred who is currently 10 years.

When parents are confirmed to be incapacitated by drugs and conflict, the Child Arrangement Order may be used to determine another party whom the children will live with, and who will assume the full responsibilities of the parent. However, considering that one or both parents may show behavior change over time, the courts may grant any other person named in the parental order duties if need be. If parents are not considered to be incapacitated by drugs and conflict, they may be allowed to agree on whether they both need to be given parental responsibilities. However, this can only be granted when the agreement between the two parties is ascertained (Pelton, 2015). For your case, a relationship lasting over a decade may make both of you dependable on each other, especially for emotional support. However, given that Fred has previously been abusive, you may not allow him to have joint responsibilities over the children. Since Fred has a history of neglecting the family, and that the family is composed of very young children, he may be restricted from seeing the children, until he makes a trustable commitment to change.

Considering your current situation and that of the children, the local authority regarding child welfare has been enhanced. They may determine when the children need the services of caregivers. The children will be monitored to ensure that provisions barring parents from having time with the children are adhered to. Child Arrangement Orders will apply when determining a child's continued welfare by ensuring that the child is removed from a hostile environment and taken to conducive one. If the parents do not reform and are denied custody of the children, the government will determine whether the children need to have contact with their parents. There are many related factors which call for the application of these orders. If there is evidence of domestic violence, this provision comes in handy to protect the child. That implies that a Child Arrangement Order will most likely be required for Fred and her siblings.

Domestic conflict alone will not be used to determine if is safe for the children to remain in the custody of their parents. Once the conditions at home are determined to be unsafe for the children, a fast hearing is convened so that no delays risk the safety of the child or impact negatively on the recommended caregiving processes. Such urgency will apply to cases that have a history of mediation information and assessment meetings. At least two groups are mandated to use for such order. Parents or guardians may apply as a matter of right to provide the best support for the growth and development of the child. Persons named as having parental responsibilities may also apply for such order as a matter of right. Other persons that fall under this category will be stepparents, caretakers who have had extended contact with the child. Other persons may require the express consent of parents or guardians. A second group that will need to take the legal route before they can apply for such orders include all persons who do not qualify to apply for the Child Arrangements Order.

Several legislations relate to the caring of children if their separation with parents is necessary. Residence orders determine who lives with a child. They can be designed to favor any party, including members of the child's extended family such as aunts and grandparents. However, the priority is given to the parents of the child if they are in a capacity to take care of the children. In the case of Julie and Fred, this may be considered depending on their substance use level. There are also shared residence orders which provide that a child lives for a certain period with one party, and another period with a second party. This applies especially when parents have to separate. The order determines the best amount of time is enough for each party. There is also the contact order which determines who is allowed to be in touch with the chil...