The paper is on the child welfare system Im attaching what i wrote so far its a big help https://www.mediafire.com/file/0izhwo2xp8o35s2/Child_Welfare_System.edited_1_.docx/file The foundation of th

Child Welfare System: Overview, Evolution, and Challenges

Tannia Rodriguez

Overview of the Child Welfare System

The child welfare system, in its broadest sense, encompasses all of the formal societal structures, governmental and non-governmental, that have as one of their main objectives the prevention and treatment of child abuse and neglect, as well as efforts to support troubled families (McGowan, 2014). It consists of child abuse cases, child placement, adoption services, and family restoration services. The first goal of the system is to protect children support their healthy development and strengthen families through prevention and rehabilitation services (Center for the Study of Social Policy, n.d.; U.S. Department of Health & Human Services, n.d.).

Who is the System Designed to Help?

The child welfare system are agencies and programs intended for child care and protection to families with high risks of child abuse. It also counts children living in potentially dangerous home situations resulting from conditions like substance abuse, mental and/or emotional health disorders, domestic abuse, and poverty. Besides, the system is to protect children and to make families stronger by responding to these areas, which can require psychotherapy, financial support or passing of programs on how to raise children (U.S. Department of Health & Human Services, n.d.).

Even though the system aims to meet the needs of all the vulnerable population categories, it does not adequately compel support for some categories. Children of color, LGBTQ+ youth, and teen parents are more likely to face disparities in service provision and outcomes. Some reports show that minority children, especially African American and Native American kids, are placed into foster care more often than others, and this is even when their situation could have been prevented with some interventions (Center for the Study of Social Policy, n.d.). Furthermore, systemic discrimination affects the chances of LGBTQ+ youth/teen parents as well as increased disadvantages in receiving these important services.

Who Does it Exclude?

Although the purpose of child welfare systems is to help vulnerable children and families, these systems do not protect or provide sufficient service to those who are not within the range of conventional systematic approaches. For instance, a low-income family getting lost in the system receives either inadequate assistance or improper care. Furthermore, young people who are in foster care and transition to the status of independent adults frequently face adversity. They most often do not have the required support structures which lead to increased homelessness, unemployment, and poor indices in mental health (Center for the Study of Social Policy, n.d.).

Sometimes children who are also often left out are those from families who do not take part in formal systems because they are afraid of being penalized for their actions, especially immigrant families or families who come from historically disadvantaged backgrounds in the context of the state. Such exclusion can deny families the necessary help they need, which deepens the vulnerability of children (National Association of Social Workers, n.d.).

Historical Evolution of the System

The child welfare system has been reshaped many times since it began in the early years of the twentieth century. The concentration was within the institutional care approach, in the orphanages as well as other related centers, with poor attempts to maintain families intact. However, the system has gradually progressed and today the most important goal is the preservation of the family and the provision of community services. The Adoption Assistance and Child Welfare Act passed in 1980 brought a change toward speeding up the process of reunification of the child with his family and for permanent solution to the foster care placement.

The Adoption and Safe Families Act of 1997 followed together with enhancing these changes with further regard to timely decision-making about permanency as well as prioritizing children's safety. Most recent legislative changes have focused on reducing inequalities and improving culturally sensitive approaches to meeting the needs of the diverse population (center of Study of social policy, n.d.). This evolution is consistent with the change in society's attitude to such matters as the preservation of family ties and minimizing children's estrangement from their families.

Strengths and Challenges of the System

Strengths

A notable development in the child welfare system is increasing commitments to the provision of preventive services, that is, efforts made to address concerns that may be present in a family before the child has to be removed from the home. In this capacity, there is an opportunity to prevent and mitigate the incidence of maltreatment through direct steps like parenting education, substance abuse treatment, and mental health services, thus restoring stability and family stability to families involved in the system (National Association of Social Workers, n.d.).

Moreover, the system has in recent past adopted more of the community reforms, whereby children will not have to be detached from their societies as they get to be supported. This approach is useful in preserving family bonds and creating a culture of ensuring that children in care have a positive and stable background (Center for the Study of Social Policy, n.d.).

Challenges

While the system carries out these functions, it is faced with the following major challenges. There are such concerns as systemic racism. Cross-sectional studies have revealed that the child and families are treated unequal depending on their race, economic status, and sexual orientation. These differences create inequalities in the distribution of resources while children of color get placed in foster care than other color children, fewer likely to be returned to join their family (Dettlaff & Boyd, 2020).

Another challenge is scarcity of resources. Huge proportions of the child welfare agencies lack proper funding or have limited funding which therefore limits their potential in delivering various services as well as in catering for the best interest of children under their care as well as the children’s welfare families. This reduces its efficiency because a large number of cases and poor staffing also makes it difficult for the system to meet the needs of children as well as their families as implied by the NASW (n.d.).

Constant perception is another problem of the public that still remains. A staggering number of families are afraid to come to the attention of the child protection services due to the associated social, and therefore, stigmatized, status. This stigma may deter families from seeking assistance despite their necessity for it believing that they will be restricted or punished, or singled out as bad parents.

Conclusion

In conclusion, child protective services or the child welfare system is an important function that safeguards children and assists families in times of difficulty. However, it needs to grow in order to adapt to the current organizational problems such as inequality and lack of resources that reduces its impact. Subsequent changes must be directed to the promotion of cultural competence and further raise anticipatory approaches with the focus on providing timely and effective helping to all children and families whenever they need it.

References

Center for the Study of Social Policy. (n.d.). Child Welfare. Retrieved from https://cssp.org/our-work/focus/child-welfare/

Dettlaff, A. J., & Boyd, R. (2020). Racial disproportionality and disparities in the child welfare system: Why do they exist, and what can be done to address them?. The ANNALS of the American Academy of Political and Social Science, 692(1), 253-274.

McGowan, B. G. (2014). Historical evolution of child welfare services. In Child welfare for the twenty-first century: A handbook of practices, policies, and programs (pp. 11-44). Columbia University Press.

National Association of Social Workers. (n.d.). Child Welfare. Retrieved from https://www.socialworkers.org/Practice/Child-Welfare

U.S. Department of Health & Human Services. (n.d.). Child Welfare Services | The Administration for Children and Families. Retrieved from 234wes

https://www.acf.hhs.gov/cb/focus-areas/child-welfare-services