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Child Abuse: Political Agenda Setting For Social Problems

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The book, “Making an Issue of Child Abuse: Political Agenda Setting for Social Problems,” was an interesting read about child abuse in America and the policies that were created due to special cases. It is mind boggling to realize that the public did not blink twice back then about the way children were mistreated. When I state back then, it was not long ago that policies were passed to protect our children. Another factor to consider during this time is that individuals would not question the way parents raised or punished their children. It was only the business of the family, and no one else. This made children vulnerable and susceptible to abuse and neglect. I enjoyed reading about the history of how policies started and the way …show more content…

This ensures that any person who suspects any form of child abuse was required to report it (Nelson, 1984). An interesting thing I read was that the Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment Act was reauthorized in 2010. Provisions included were things such as language to make policies more clear and representation of children, newborns with fetal alcohol syndrome disorder, and criminal order and child abuse/neglect registry checks (Davidson, 2011). Before, even doctors who were presented with abuse could only report it to prosecutors. Now, any teacher, doctor, or those who are in contact with children must report it. I found this extremely imperative to keep our children safe from those who continue to hurt children. In 1973, a great change was added to the policy that allowed doctors and physicians to take abused children into protective custody. This is one of many valuable policies that continued to aid children in abusive homes. It is extremely difficult to stress how critical it is to report child abuse. But individuals who have knowledge of abuse and do not report it, do not have a harsh enough punishment. They only receive a misdemeanor, and in some special cases where extreme child abuse was not reported is a felony. Harsher punishments should be enacted in order to further protect the children who experience pain on a daily basis. Harsher punishments …show more content…

Their policy address to end child abuse by creating and modifying policies to make them stronger since 1989 up to 2015. Their motto is, “ every childhood is worth fighting for,” and have policies that support this motto. All throughout the world, children are abused and neglected by their guardians. According to Statitsa, a website that pulls statistics and studies from more than 18,000 sources, England’s child abuse numbers have risen since 2002. The first report was in 2002 at approximately 4,000 cases, wherein 2015 there was approximately 9,000 cases (Statista, 2016). The Department of Education sets their policies, legislation, and statutory guidance for the prevention of child abuse in their country. The Children Act of 1989 is the base for protecting children from abuse. According to the NSPCC, “the key principles established by the act includes the paramount nature of the child’s welfare and the expectations/requirements around duties of care to children” (NSPCC, 2015). To my surprise, there is no legal requirement to report child abuse, but there are guidelines for those who work with children such as teachers to aid them step by step. The act goes into depth with each section that is well organized and easy to read. Sections include orders with respect to children and family proceedings, local authority support for children and

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