Illiteracy as a Social Problem

5514 Words23 Pages
Case Study: Three-year-old girl was found covered in scars, scabs and bruises only weighing 19 pounds. The little girl called four times the child protective services but in two cases they sent the worker after couple of weeks. Records show when the caseworker went to the home; she spoke only to the mother taking her word that the children were fine. Eyewitnesses told police of abuse they had witnessed including spankings with a belt. During another incident, a woman watched as the father beat the toddler with a set of 15 keys. The father said he threw the keys at the girl, but denies repeatedly beating her. He did admit to "whooping" her for not making it to the bathroom on time, when she was only two years old. The mother told the caseworker that she become very angry and burns out at her daughter when she doesn’t listen to her. Parents are young, and alcoholic. The father barely works, they are both uneducated. This is a family case, where both parents abused their three years old child. There are many times when children experience significant abuse and neglect such that their safety and well-being is in danger. Thus when this occurs, protective action is necessary, children cannot protect themselves. Assessment, the second step in the problem-solving process, in which data is collected from the child using different methods, skills and theories. In this part the social worker will have a clearer idea about the child's case and environment. There are number of different and sometimes conflicting theories about the causes of abuse. No theory can simply explain the complex nature of child abuse, but the following theories might offer some clues as to why children are abused. 1. Attachment theories Attachment theories focused on the importance of the attachment between mother and child in explaining physical abuse. Attachment behavior in adults towards
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