Parents are responsible for the upbringing and development of their children. They are obliged to take care of their physical, mental, spiritual, and moral development. They have priority over all other persons to teach them. However, parents are often guided by their ethnic and societal considerations in the way they bring up their little ones. The paper aims at discussing how cultural factors might affect child welfare policy.
In the case with the Hernandez family, social workers were concerned by the fact that parents punished Juan Hernandez Junior. The boy’s father made him hold heavy books in his hands for a long time (Laureate Education, 2013). From the viewpoint of the social worker, this method can hardly be called humane and effective, being nothing more than education through suffering (Plummer et al, 2014). However, parents did not think they inflicted any harm on their child, posing a threat to his life or health. The boy did not experience fear of physical contact with adults or the desire to hide the cause of injuries (Laureate Education, 2013). This punishment was a consequence of cultural and ethnic considerations of Juan Hernandez Junior’s parents.
The responsibility of a social worker is to make a family genogram which can show how the patterns of behavior are passed from generation to generation (Plummer et al, 2014). These considerations affected the actual behavioral motifs of the Hernandes family. A holistic picture of family life made it clear that for Juan Hernandez Senior, this punishment was a form of raising a child in their culture. The responsibilities of a social worker are also to further monitor and support the family in addressing their child welfare needs.
Cultural considerations of the parents influence the formation of the child’s worldview, which allows the formation of his or her norms, views, and ideas. The development of a little personality depends on various family factors. Growing up, children copy the behavior of their parents; thus, it is useful to think about the general laws of psychological contact between them. Understanding cultural background of the families is important to effectively advocate for policies that support their needs.
Child Welfare and Family Preservation
Parents play the most important role in every child’s life. The family gives support, helps to develop character, and teaches to overcome difficulties. The first and most significant foundations of the personality are laid there. For the full and harmonious development, a child needs to grow up in a family environment, in the atmosphere of happiness, love, and understanding. This paper aims at analyzing the role of family preservation in child welfare.
The degree of protection of the child’s rights is an important indicator of the level of social guarantees of the state. The family has been and remains one of the main mechanisms for the reproduction and improvement of society through the accumulation and transfer of experience, traditions, and basic values to future generations (Popple & Leighninger, 2019). Increasing the social significance of the family and strengthening family relations are directly related to the further development of society.
Implementation of programs aimed at developing and strengthening the institution of the family, as well as protecting families and children are the priority areas of social workers. It is important to create a system of support and rehabilitation for families with children in difficult life situations (Edwards et al., 2011). Ensuring family placement of orphans and children left without parental care, as well as the adaptation of graduates of boarding schools are the main tasks, entrusted to social workers.
The family is a natural environment for the growth and well-being of all its members, especially children. It is the foundation of both society and the state. One of the basic conditions is that it gives a sense of security, which provides a child with safety when interacting with the outside world. Therefore, family preservation is one of the most important factors of child welfare and society development.
References
Edwards, H. R., Bryant, D. U., & Bent-Goodley, T. B. (2011). Participation and influence in federal child welfare policymaking. Journal of Public Child Welfare, 5(2/3), 145–166.
Laureate Education (Producer). (2013). Sessions: Hernandez family (Episode 3 of 42) [Video file]. Web.
Popple, P. R., & Leighninger, L. (2019). The policy-based profession: An introduction to social welfare policy analysis for social workers (7th ed.). Pearson Education.
Plummer, S. B., Makris, S., & Brocksen, S. (Eds.). (2014). Sessions: Case histories. Laureate International Universities Publishing.