Family Violence in New Zealand

Sally washed the dishes and began to dry them. All of a sudden, she tryd the door slam. fille Wheres my food? the voice yelled. Sally began shaking and hunting frantically for the dish. Her 7 year old fingers dropped the home plate and it shattered on the floor. Her father stomped into the kitchen and began to threaten to beat her. hazard this tommyrot is horrifying and unrealistic? Think again. Scenarios like this happen to thousands of squirtren of all timey day. Tens of thousands of tykeren each year be traumatized by personal, sexual, and emotional cryrs or by c atomic number 18givers who neglect them, making s restrainr contumely as common as it is shocking.Most of us send wordt imagine what would make an gravid use violence against a small fry, and the worse the behaviour is, the more unsufferable it seems. But the incidence of p atomic number 18nts and an other(prenominal) c begivers consciously, even wilfully, committing acts that harm the very children t heyre supposed to be nurturing is a sad fact of human rescript that cuts across all lines of ethnicity and class. Whether the holler is from the perpetrators rational illness,substance abuse, or inability to allot, the psychological result for each abused child is ofttimes the equal deep emotional scars and a feeling of worth slightness.Statistics show that family violence in New Zealand has increased by 20%. Child, Y breakh and Family had 66,210 notifications of suspected child abuse involving 47,221 children were received by Child, Y emergeh and Family in 2005 and 2006. forthwith it has risen to over 130,000 notifications. Womans hangout stupefy been befriending between 450600 families per month and on aver bestride 14 woman, 6 custody and 10 children be killed each year by a phallus of their family. Police figures report 9,630 male assaults and female assaults increased nationally by 40% in years up to 2008.Police attended 86,545 Family Violence callouts there were ro ughly 200 Family Violence incidents per day whizz every 7 minutes. Police estimate that on average 18% of Family Violence incidents go unreported and at least 74,785 children and small people present at Family Violence incidents, 84% of those arrested are men and 16% are women. in that location were 3,105 temporary encourageion orders and 2,738 final shelterion orders involving approximately 10,000 children that were made by the Family Court in the year to 30 June 2006. Barnados, Personal communications, August 2012) For children 26 child victims were murdered by men and 15 child victims were murdered by women. Men are responsible for 2/3rds of the deaths of children elderly 0 14 years and children under iodin years of age are at a greater risk of being killed Mothers and fathers are equally represented as perpetrators in this age crowd (The First Report July 2006. ) These statistics on abuse is a serious problem for such a broken country. It is horrific to see how m any (prenominal) children get abused everyday around our communities, cities and between the North and south Island.Child abuse is becoming a serious problem in New Zealand and is damaging our childs emotional, physical and cognitive development, which contri providede lead to set up later on in animation. There should be more advertize on child abuse and more people should speak up to get the help they are conducted. Children are our future so we should be protecting them not hurting them. The employment of the adult is to protect their children from any harm or d angerous situations and have a rubber eraser supportive environs for the child to be in.The adults role is to care for the child and checker that their well-being is being met and that they are nutured. Children at a young age are dependent on adults and need the guidance and lose which some children are sadly not getting. The adult needs to be a positive role model in the childs life and communicate with the chil d in a positive counsel. The role of the Early childhood educator is to care for and educate the children in their setting. It is your responsibility to keep these children safe from any harm or possible danger.Early childhood cetres should provide a positive learning purlieu where the child is encouraged, praised and acknowledged. Educators should support families and help when needed. It is our goal to make a difference in a childs life and it should be a positive one. This essay leave alone outline who is abused, the children in our alliance that are particularly susceptible to abuse and lead state the five main types of abuse that are addressed in New Zealand. It pull up stakesing contend the short term and huge term do of physical, emotional, sexual abuse, neglect and family violence for both children and families.It go outing discuss the positive and negative ensnares on a confederation of a suspected child abuse case and discuss why it is crucial for childre n to know how to protect themselves through three strategies. This essay will explain what early childhood teachers should do to protect themselves from allegations when working in an early childhood setting and give two examples of two military volunteer operate in New Zealand which support children who have been abused and support the children and their families these services are Otautahi Refuge and Barnyards.The final part of this essay will evaluate the role of both voluntary and private services in supporting children and their families under pressure these services are Child, Youth and Family and Cholmdeley Childrens Home it will discuss the usefulness and limitations of each service then finally conclude the key aspects. There are four main types of abuse around the world these are emotional abuse, physical abuse, sexual abuse, and neglect. There is excessively a fifth type of abuse in New Zealand which is family violence. Child, Youth and Family, 2011). Every child can b e exposed to violence and many children can be vulnerable to abuse. Children In our society that is support with the following factors can be more vulnerable to abuse. A child with a young mother that has a low self-esteem that whitethorn have little support and is unable to cope with stress. A put up that has a psychiatric history or mental illness. A child who is living with an unrelated adult, a child that lives in an environment with family violence or the parent or family member has a history of abuse.Other factors can include Excessive use of alcohol, drug taking, poverty, lack of essential resources, the parent has dissatisfaction with the child and is unwanted, social isolation where there is no family support and minimal antenatal care. (Simcock, 2011). Infants and children with disabilities are particularly vulnerable and are at a higher risk of being abused. Babies and under twos are the most vulnerable of all children, because they are fully dependent on adults to care for them.It is also easier for parents to become isolated at this time because the child may not be in preschool and will not have much contact with the outside world. This can make it clayeyer professionals or others to identify when things arent quite right. (Child, Youth Family, 2011). Some offenders abuse children because they are attracted to their dependency this combined with societys lieu towards disabled people can increase the risk of disabled children and those that have learning difficulties being abused.Children with disabilities are little likely to receive information on abuse and might not understand the wrongness of abuse and the difference between good and bad touchinging. Children with disabilities may receive less affection from family and friends who can make them be more accepting to sexual attention. Children with disabilities are more vulnerable because they could be less likely to tell soul what has happened because of communication disabilities as w ell as they might not be believed. (Beaver, et al. 2008). There are short term and long term personal do that each type of abuse can have on children and families. Verbal and psychological wounds can leave a child evermore changed. ( see through love, 2012). The cause of emotional abuse are often silent and are often overlooked, disregarded or confused with other causes. Emotional child abuse, attacks a childs self-concept, the child comes to see him or herself as unworthy of love and affection. The long term effects of child abuse may not be shget until the child is older.Less severe forms of early emotional deprivation still can produce drastic effects of emotional abuse such as babies who will grow into anxious and insecure children who are slacken to develop and who may fail to develop a strong sense of self-esteem. (chrome//newtabhttp//www. teach-through-love. com/effects-of-emotional-abuse. html). The long term effect on neglect from poor health show that adults who exper ienced abuse or neglect during childhood are more likely to suffer from physical ailments such as allergies, arthritis, asthma, bronchitis, high blood pressure, and ulcers (Springer, Sheridan, Kuo, & Carnes, 2007).Sexual abuse effects on children and youth can be evident in emotional, physical and behavioural ways. These effects can be just as devastating whether there was only one occurrence or there were repeated occurrences. Sexual abuse cannot be compared, because each abuse experience is unique. When a child is sexually abused she/he learns that adults cannot be leaveed for care and protection their well-being is disregarded, and there is a lack of support and protection.Short term effects could include some form of bruising on the child, long term effects can include depression, extreme dependency, inability to judge trustworthiness in others, mistrust, anger and hostility. Childrens bodies can often respond to the sexual abuse, bringing on shame and guilt. (chrome//newtabhtt p//www. child-abuse-effects. com/sexual-abuse-effects. html). Physical abuse is a behaviour which results in physical harm to a child. Short term effects of physical abuse may include unexplained bruises, welts, cuts and abrasions these can be found in unusual places and should be looked out for in case they are a regular occurrence.Short term effects also include flip ones lid marks and unexplained fractures or dislocations which can be unusual for a child at a young age. The child may not be able to trust and be fearful of physical contact. (Child, Youth and Family, 2011). Family violence is like a war zone in the family household. It is where children live an in environment characterised by fear, frustration, anger, cruelty and violence. Children that are exposed to family violence can have short term effects this could be when the child develops severe behavioural problems, become violent as adolescents and for long term effects they could continue the cycle of violence. chrome //newtabhttp//www. jigsaw. org. nz/Site/Help/Hot_Topics/family_violence. aspx). Family violence can cause the child to have a low self-esteem, poor academic results when older, and can have a fear of developing reason relationships. (chrome//newtabhttp//www. jigsaw. org. nz/Site/Help/Hot_Topics/family_violence. aspx). The long terms effects that abuse can have on the family could be that the abuser might not know they are constantly putting the child down and neglecting them, the adult may not see any harm in it.The child might show signs when they are older that they have been emotionally abused and their parents may question why they are acting or have feelings that way. The victim (child) may have no trust in adults and might not be able to form close relationships. The effects of physical and sexual abuse on the family will be if someone notices the child being abused they could report it to the agency for example CYFS (Child, Youth and Family) and the abuser could be charged a gainst and put into jail depending on the seriousness of the abuse.The family will get a name for themselves and the family will be torn apart. (Child, Youth and Family, 2011). Child abuse can affect anyone, even children in your own residential area. The effects on a suspected child abuse case in the community can have both negative and positive effects. The positive effects are that the community will be aware of what is going on around them and can look out for families that may be vulnerable to abuse The more people there are looking out for children, the safer theyll be (Child, Youth and Family, pg. 25).The community watch will intervene if needed but will keep a look out to see if there is any unexpected behaviour that should not be occurring. Helpful ways that the community can get involved will be listening and supporting the family, putting them in touch with people that can help. The community could send out brochures or have community group meetings that discuss abuse, w hat to look out for and if needed where to get help and support from. This will allow the family to feel a sense of support from the community and get the help that is needed.The negatives about the community suspecting could be that the family may hear gossip that is going around and feel like they are being named and discriminated against. The family may have a feeling of being judged and from that feel isolated from everyone in the community. Children of a young age are often unaware or naive of potential danger and therefore vulnerable to abuse or bullying. Because of this it is authorized that children know how to protect themselves from abuse, bullying and to be aware when they could be in possible danger.The best way to protect children is to empower them to protect themselves, by doing this they need to feel good about them and then will have a high level of confidence, self-esteem and be assertive therefore making them less vulnerable to abuse and bullying. The childcare p ractician has a professional duty and responsibility to protect the eudaemonia of the children in their care. Children should feel that they are able to come to the childcare practitioner for help and protection, but will only be able to do this once a trusting relationship has been built up between them.The childcare practitioner also has a responsibility to involve the parents in helping children to protect themselves, as the message given to the children needs to be consistent. (Beaver, et al. , 2008). One way that I would teach a child to protect themselves would be through a learning experience that involves how to take care of the babies in the centre. I will demonstrate and role model how to care for the babies by being gentle, bathing them fitly being calm and feeding them the right foods.I will show them how to correctly hold a featherbed and have conversations on why you should never drop or shake a baby. From this experience children will develop awareness of what is di vert and what is inappropriate and if you have a strong relationship with the child they may approach you and say that its not the way their younger siblings are being treated at home, this will then lead to questioning of abuse. Hide and seek is not only just a game but it can be used to prevent children from family violence, physical and sexual abuse.As a practitioner you can talk to the children about being in an uncomfortable situation for example if there is a lot of yelling or someone being hit in the household or if you ever feel unsafe to run and hide under their bed or lock themselves in the bottom if there is a lock on the door and not to come out until it is safe. This is a hard strategy to tell children because you do not want to scare or upset the children so you have to say it in a relaxed way. This can help prevent the child from the abuser or witnessing any forms of abuse.Another strategy that I can teach would be teaching the children about their body parts and wha t is appropriate to touch and what is inappropriate to touch. This is a hard subject to address because you could explain to the children that no one other than someone they trust can touch their private areas for example when nappy changing and washing but other than that they should not touch them. Your body is your own. (Finkelhor, D. pg. 59, 2007). Teaching children that their body is their own and that no one can touch it without permission.Establishing open and direct communication at a very early age about sexuality and private body parts, using the correct names for genitals and other parts of the body, will help children understand what is and what is not allowed for adults in contact with them. This will also help them recognise embarrassing or abusive behaviour. To teach this to children I could use a board story of the body and get the children to identify each part and whether it is okay for other children and adults they dont trust to touch them there or not, this coul d allow conversations to start and the children may ask questions. Finkelhor, D. 2007). Safe and unsafe touching. Teach children the difference between safe/appropriate and unsafe/inappropriate touching. Tell children it is not okay if someone looks at or touches their private parts or asks them to look at or touch someones private parts, and that inappropriate touches are wrong and against the law. If they are not sure whether someone elses behaviour towards them is acceptable, make sure they know to ask a trusted adult for help. (Finkelhor, D. 2007).Early childhood teachers need to protect themselves when working in an early childhood setting to protect ourselves from allegations of child abuse. Centres should have a set of policies and procedures set in place so that parents, caregivers and whanau can view these at any time. If a child has an accidental injury it must be recorded in a book stating what happened, how you persistent it and ensure that it is signed by a witness. If a child makes false allegations against you, record the dates and time it was utter and get another adult to witness if it is possible.If a child touches a teacher inappropriately, record what happened and allow another adult know what happened. When you go on school trips ensure that you have enough provide for ratios. As a teacher you need to make sure you dont place yourself in a position where you are spending a huge amount of time alone with one child this could lead to assumptions. (Beaver, et al. , 2008). If you are an early childhood teacher in a home base setting, never take a child into your bedroom or take children in the car by yourself unless you have that trust with the parent/caregiver.When changing a childs nappy, clothing and bathing ensure that there is someone with you, most centres have see-through windows in there whoremongering area. When it comes toileting never wipe a childs bottom when they are capable of doing it for themselves, avoid going on your ow n to the toilet with children. Keep in mind of how and where you touch a child. If a child is really young or disabled consider a cushion for your lap when they sit on your knee. If a child hugs you or kisses you be careful if it extends.If you are going out of the room with a child for example to the retentiveness room to help get paint make sure you tell another teacher or adult where youre going and make sure you are not out there for a long period of time. Early childhood teachers need to ensure that they follow these procedures in order to protect themselves. (Beaver, et al. , 2008). Otautahi womans refuge is a community based, voluntary organisation that have been operating since 1989 with the mark of supporting whanau Maori to escape family violence and move towards wellbeing.Otautahi empower and support whanau Maori and communities who choose a free life from violence and abuse in all forms. Otautahi have a safe house which is primarily for female Maori and tamariki who a re involved or in immediate family violence situations this allows the family to be safe from harm, confidential and administrate at all times, Otautahi also have outreach support to both perpetrator and victim. They provide a 24hour seven days a week support