Provide a 5 pages analysis while answering the following question: Meeting the Requirements for Appropriate Professional Practice: The Safeguarding of Children. Prepare this assignment according to th

Provide a 5 pages analysis while answering the following question: Meeting the Requirements for Appropriate Professional Practice: The Safeguarding of Children. Prepare this assignment according to the guidelines found in the APA Style Guide. An abstract is required. Social exclusion and isolation could also contribute to abuse. Additionally, there are also other factors that could be causal elements in contributing to child abuse by making children more vulnerable. If the child represents a pre-term birth or has a congenital abnormality, there is an increased risk of abuse. If the child is experiencing learning difficulties, or if it has a chronic illness or disability, if it is an unwanted child or a difficult child with behavioral problems, then all of these predisposing factors would tend to place the child in a position where there is an increased risk of abuse taking place.

Family patterns are changing in the present day, with more women working and a higher incidence of single parents and divorces. As a result, the present-day social and economic circumstances have created conditions wherein children may be vulnerable to abuse and may, therefore, need to be protected from the risk of such abuse. The most widely accepted definition of “abuse” was offered by Schecter and Roberge (1976) and cited in Baginsky (2003) as follows:

“The involvement of dependent, developmentally immature children and adolescents in sexually abusive activities they do not fully comprehend, to which they are unable to give informed consent or which violate social taboos of family roles.” (Baginsky, 2003:3). In order to explicate further n what exactly “sexually abusive activities” may entail, a more specific definition has been provided by the National Commission of Inquiry on the prevention of child abuse as follows:

“Child abuse consists of anything which individuals, institutions, or processes do or fail to do which directly or indirectly harms children or damages their prospects of safe and healthy development into adulthood.” (Chahal-May, 2003:5).

The question of child protection has arisen in the context of abuse, with several societies being set up in order to prevent cruelty to children (Chahal-May, 2003:2).