Introduction
Adverse health problems in infancy, adolescence, and adulthood are frequently correlated with child maltreatment, which includes neglect, physical and sexual abuse, and psychological abuse. Deleterious effects of child abuse involve decreased neurocognitive endurance of stress, deteriorated overall physical health, enhanced unsafe health habits, psychiatric problems, inhibited intellectual and cognitive growth, high violent and criminal behavior, and higher mortality throughout adulthood (Maguire-Jack et al., 2018). According to a recent analysis, the overall lifetime cost for children in the U.S. with reported cases of maltreatment was around $585 billion in 2010, or close to 4% of the country’s GDP in that year (Maguire-Jack et al., 2018). Hence, child maltreatment is not only pervasive but costly, and the incidence of child abuse can be more prevalent in areas susceptible to household instability, such as Cleveland, Ohio.
Main Body
Child maltreatment has been prevalent for many decades and has been influenced by many factors. In the 1960s, child abuse became a rising social issue (Gross-Manos et al., 2019-a). However, with time, some initiatives and policies that intend to prevent child abuse have expanded and connected with already-existing programs or interventions. Nevertheless, the correct circumstances and the inclusion of leadership are also necessary for an initiative to be implemented successfully. The ability to offer what is required may be ensured with the aid of the proper infrastructure. The solution should be delivered by local leaders, and participants should be deeply dedicated to enhancing the lives of children. It should be a top priority to fulfil these requirements.
When it comes to studies, there are numerous evaluations of child maltreatment effects and its prevalence in certain regions (Hoyle et al., 2022). For example, child maltreatment is prevalent in areas with high levels of poverty, unemployment, housing instability, and disruption. The housing problem of 2007–2009, which saw an increased incidence of bankruptcies, created additional opportunities to learn more about how neighborhood-level issues may contribute to child abuse (Hoyle et al., 2022). Particularly, bankruptcies may initiate a cycle of abandonment and deterioration, resulting in the growth of elements linked to child abuse, such as homelessness and poverty.
Due to a lack of means, including shelters or legal assistance, and an absence of political influence to demand greater police protection or stronger local services, areas with higher percentages of poverty may be especially vulnerable to child abuse. Predatory lending techniques during the mortgage crisis also unfairly targeted minority areas, which may have made pressures at the local level—like poverty—associated with child abuse greater (Hoyle et al., 2022). In the study of Hoyle et al. (2022), researchers looked at the effect of bankruptcies on child abuse in Cleveland areas. It was discovered that there is a significant association between child abuse and bankruptcy incidence.
However, the incidence of child maltreatment is only rising, and there is no significant decreasing trend. In the U.S., there were almost 7.5 million child maltreatment complaints in 2015 (Maguire-Jack et al., 2018). Child abuse has a negative impact on a children’s ability to develop normally. Children who have suffered abuse are more likely to report having damaged wellbeing, being overweight, struggling with depressive episodes, using alcohol, cigarettes, and other substances, and drinking excessively (Maguire-Jack et al., 2018). Furthermore, studies have indicated that child abuse can have an impact on the nervous system, which can slow down intellectual, linguistic, and mental development.
Moreover, there is an excessive number of black children in the child protection group in the U.S., which has spurred a lot of study on the subject. Understanding the causes behind the increased prevalence of Black children in the child protection system is essential, given the serious detrimental effects of child abuse on children (Maguire-Jack et al., 2018). The misallocation of social services throughout neighbourhoods may be one possible factor by which Black children may be more inclined to engage with the child welfare systems. For example, Black parents in the sample of households in Ohio indicated more physical abuse, researchers discovered (Maguire-Jack et al., 2018). The findings of the study are in line with federal data on racial differences in child abuse.
When trying to explain the phenomena of child maltreatment, it is thought that there is a complicated interaction between risk and preventive variables, which leads to such incidence. Certain social services’ accessibility has previously been linked to reduced incidence of abuse and lower individual propensity for negligent conduct (Maguire-Jack et al., 2018). Lower rates of child maltreatment are specifically linked to more housing and adoption resources being available (Maguire-Jack et al., 2018). Furthermore, the association between alcohol accessibility and rates of maltreatment is mitigated by increased access to drug addiction programmes.
What is noteworthy is that the first stage in deeper comprehension and reaction to child maltreatment is to precisely measure lifelong exposure to it, however, the majority of big research and available data collections only measure maltreatment over the course of one year. According to Kim et al. (2017), from birth to age 10 in Cleveland, Ohio, child protection services (CPS) examined 31.0% of children for possible abuse, and 19.5% of those inquiries revealed enough evidence to support abuse in court for 19.5% of the children. By the time they were 18 years old, it was calculated that 12.5% of U.S. children had experienced child abuse in their lives (Kim et al., 2017). However, they only took into account CPS-verified claims of abuse.
The timeline is another important consideration in studies on child abuse. The biggest challenge in properly remembering events that occurred many years ago or before the onset of juvenile amnesia is one of the main drawbacks of this retrospective research (Kim et al., 2017). Given the devastating neurologic and health effects of very early mistreatment, this is an issue. According to the most current round of the three public polls on children’s experiences with violence, 38.1% of children had been mistreated by the time they turned 17 years old (Kim et al., 2017). Adults were polled in 2001-2002, which discovered an incidence of lifetime maltreatment of 41.5% for supervisory negligence, 11.8% for physical neglect, 28.4% for physical assault, and 4.5% for sexual assault (Kim et al., 2017). Thus, in Cleveland, numerous individuals experienced maltreatment as children.
Given the socioeconomic and demographic shifts that have occurred in Cleveland, Ohio, over the past 20 years, caregivers’ beliefs about the causes of child abuse have remained mostly consistent during two time periods that were separated by 20 years. The most significant causes of child maltreatment, according to caregivers’ overall rankings of the categories, were drugs, alcohol, and psychological or emotional issues, whereas the least significant causes were divorced, single parents, and lack of faith (Gross-Manos et al., 2019-b). Narcotics, alcoholism, and psychological/emotional issues all received strong and consistent ratings of extremely high (Gross-Manos et al., 2019-b). The lack of variation in caregiver evaluations across individual and neighbourhood characteristics, as well as overtime, prevented statistical evaluation of alterations in caregiver ratings over time through regression models (Gross-Manos et al., 2019-b). This result is in line with the notion that irrespective of socioeconomic circumstances, substance abuse and mental health issues can have a significant impact on child wellbeing.
Violent crime and drug crimes were mostly steady over time, with little variance among communities in comparison to neighborhood-level factors. Nevertheless, SNAP rates and maltreatment inquiry rates increased from the previous time point to 2014-2015, and they also varied more between the study communities (Gross-Manos et al., 2019-b). It is noteworthy that Cleveland had an inquiry rate in 2014–2015 that was more than double the national average, at almost 100 per 1,000 kids (Gross-Manos et al., 2019-b). This much higher prevalence highlights the necessity for more research into this Cleveland trend.
Lastly, local-based solutions have been proposed as useful in assisting in and reducing child maltreatment since it has been demonstrated that neighbourhood dynamics have an impact on child abuse rates. Despite being at the frontline of the fight against child abuse, little is known about how closely child welfare professionals and local people’s opinions on neighbourhood processes connected to child abuse agree (Gross-Manos et al., 2019-a). A sizable amount of research has examined how child welfare employees make judgments in relation to child protection services (Gross-Manos et al., 2019-a). While some investigations have found a link between neighbourhood traits and abuse report rates, there hasn’t been much focus on how areas could directly affect child protection employees’ choices.
The study by Gross-Manos et al. demonstrated that neighbourhood perceptions of social dysfunction and collective effectiveness may differ between locals and child welfare professionals. The fact that there are disparities in perceptions, which may have practical ramifications, is more crucial. Likewise, the attitudes of citizens and child welfare workers may differ, which might hinder or help an intervention (Gross-Manos et al., 2019-a). If residents believe their area already has appropriate levels of team effectiveness, they may be less motivated to participate in an intervention to increase it (Gross-Manos et al., 2019-a). Child welfare professionals may be less likely to work in specific neighbourhoods if they have a tendency to perceive those communities less favourably than locals do.
In the future, I would like to lead an agency that focuses on the victims of sexual assault and their wellbeing. I am already the Executive Director of the Sexual Assault Coalition, and I believe that there can be more contributions to society. I think that among the most crucial leadership aspects required will pertain to communication style, ability to work with diverse employees, management information security, secondary trauma as a retention tool, and interdisciplinary teamwork.
First, it is vital to communicate effectively with both a victim and an employee. One of the most important and sometimes undervalued communication skills for experts is the capacity to build rapport (Sabin, 2022). In leadership, one must show that they are dependable, consistent, and friendly and that they genuinely care about others (Sabin, 2022). As for information security management, in leadership, it is vital to ensure the protection of data assets from threats and weaknesses. Without such quality, the organization and its safety will be undermined. In leadership, it is also crucial to get further training in trauma-informed practises, particularly secondary trauma, which may be very helpful in maintaining empathy and learning specific ways for reducing stress and later enhancing retention rate.
Additionally, interdisciplinary approaches rely on experts from many fields and individuals working together as a team. The most successful teams encourage position interdependence and responsibility sharing while honouring the expertise and individuality of each team participant (Rauvola et al., 2019). As a result, it is important to encourage and implement interdisciplinary approaches as a leader. With this, it is necessary to have the ability to work with diverse employees. Such ability will help with relationship-building, cultural awareness, and self-awareness.
As for the managerial competencies I would like to display, these include problem-solving, focus on the client, motivation, and practical communication skills. When working in an agency that helps the victims of sexual assault, it is vital to demonstrate communication skills and a client-oriented approach. I believe that by steering the employee toward a more empathetic work style, it will be possible to reach the best outcomes. Moreover, I think that motivation and problem-solving skills will be an excellent addition to such a set of competencies since it allows to find solutions to client’s problems.
Conclusion
Neglect, physical and sexual abuse and psychological abuse are all examples of child maltreatment, which is commonly linked to adverse health issues in infancy, adolescence, and adulthood. Child abuse grew in significance as a societal concern in the 1960s. Child protection services (CPS) in Cleveland, Ohio, generally assessed 31.0% of children from birth to age 10 for potential abuse. It is notable that Cleveland had an inquiry rate of approximately 100 per 1,000 children in 2014–2015, which was more than double the national average. As a result, there is a widespread issue that requires attention. In the future, I hope to run a group that prioritizes the welfare of sexual assault victims. For this, I will need to focus on leadership qualities that involve communication, trauma-informed practices, and the embracement of team diversity. I will also need to focus on managerial competencies, such as problem-solving, focus on the client, motivation, and practical communication skills.
References
Gross-Manos, D., Haas, B. M., Richter, F., Crampton, D., Korbin, J. E., Coulton, C. J., & Spilsbury, J. C. (2019-a). Two sides of the same neighborhood? Multilevel analysis of residents’ and child-welfare workers’ perspectives on neighborhood social disorder and collective efficacy. American Journal of Orthopsychiatry, 89(6), 682. Web.
Gross-Manos, D., Haas, B. M., Richter, F., Korbin, J. E., Coulton, C. J., Crampton, D., & Spilsbury, J. C. (2019-b). Why does child maltreatment occur? Caregiver perspectives and analyses of neighborhood structural factors across twenty years. Children and Youth Services Review, 99, 138-145. Web.
Hoyle, M. E., Chamberlain, A. W., & Wallace, D. (2022). The effect of home foreclosures on child maltreatment rates: A longitudinal examination of neighborhoods in Cleveland, Ohio. Journal of Interpersonal Violence, 37(5-6), 2768-2790. Web.
Kim, H., Wildeman, C., Jonson-Reid, M., & Drake, B. (2017). Lifetime prevalence of investigating child maltreatment among US children. American Journal of Public Health, 107(2), 274-280. Web.
Maguire-Jack, K., Cao, Y., & Yoon, S. (2018). Racial disparities in child maltreatment: The role of social service availability. Children and Youth Services Review, 86, 49-55. Web.
Rauvola, R. S., Vega, D. M., & Lavigne, K. N. (2019). Compassion fatigue, secondary traumatic stress, and vicarious traumatization: A qualitative review and research agenda. Occupational Health Science, 3(3), 297-336. Web.
Sabin, N. (2022). Communicating with children: A guide for those working with children who have or may have been sexually abused. CSA Centre. Web.