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MY CHALLENGING LIFE IN THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
MY CHALLENGING LIFE IN THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
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My Challenging Life in United States of America
Since I was a small boy, I always wanted to go to one of the Diasporas in this world, see the nature and learn more of the western culture. One of the places that always rang in my head was the United States of America; where I anticipated meeting the people of the other race adapt their way of life just like I used to see in movies and cinemas back in my African country. I had little or no knowledge on the kind of culture I was anticipating meeting, but in my own view, I figured it out as the most fascinating life I could ever have in my entire life.
I studied so hard in my lower grade levels so that I could book myself a chance to get a scholarship in either of the western nations, an ambition which later turned into success when I later received a letter inviting me into one of the precious universities in US. I went to the foreign country at the age of twenty three, with a great vision to learn new concepts, enhance my ability and knowledge of medicine then later go back to help my fellow Africans. The new environment welcomed me with a mixture of surprises and sorrow, as things didn’t turn out like I literally expected.
Adapting a New life in a New Place
The first year was a bit harder for me especially when I remembered the mentality that I was still coping with the way of living there. My financial sponsorship had guaranteed me to get a nice suit in New York, where I attended my daily medical classes at a nearby college. The first challenge I encountered in Diaspora was the sudden change of culture (Hall, 2020). Unlike most of the students who got enrolled in those scholarships, I was the only one who was unaware of the kind of behaviors I could face from the white culture.
US, being one of the countries which have an ancient culture, has citizens who have great love and respect for their way of living, something which sounded so much different from the life I had experienced in Africa. In my originality, culture was respected, but freedom was not incorporated with culture whatsoever way. That statement meant that the western culture had offered freedom to anyone who is freely demonstrating his or her way of living, unlike at my place back home, (Clay, 2011).
One of the worst trait I disliked since my first step on the country was the behavior of asking too many question about an individual especially the visitors and scholars from other nations. Some showed a little concern on our culture, while another group despised the way of living by some visitors. The first week at my school was one of my worst moments ever, as a whole class usually turned me into a questionnaire. The college too, being an international one had all types and kind of races, something which gave the whites a chance to ask my African colleagues and I about any information concerning any aspect from our homelands
Rejection by the Citizens
The second and worst challenge I encountered in the foreign country was rejection. It could be clearly seen on the faces of some of the white students that they were not happy about our stay in their places, (Allen, 2010). Just like any other person could have felt, the whites felt like we had started to overcrowd in their home forcing them to share their original hand with the new visitors. According to my study o the general behavior of the Americans, their attitude towards the idea of Africans coming into their country of Africans invading their country was kinder personal, where they accused us of filling up their country. Emotionally, the idea of being a reject in a foreign nation was never mentioned before I got there, I got hurt all way.
Language Barrier
Language happened to be a barrier to me, to be honest, it is almost impossible for an African to speak American English fluent due to the local influence back in mother country (Hall, 2020). I really struggled to learn and speak like my fellow classmates, something which white students used to mock me. I expected to find welcoming friends, who could teach me how to speak fluently like the citizens of the country. However, things turned, I met people who always minded their own, and got less concerned with any other people especially from African countries.
Anyone who has visited New York will absolutely tell that it is a nice place. Being brought up in African conditions got me on surprises every time I walked through the streets of New York. The new buildings, decent and high mechanized way of living was completed different from the harsh life I used to face in Africa, a condition which made me take a lot of time in adapting the new life (Allen, 2010). The fact that I had no one to guide me on how to cope with some situations made the matter worse, a condition which made me regret coming to US. I had to endure the new lifestyle no matter what, as it was the only way I could have achieved my goals. At this point, everything I saw in movies about US was completely different. I found myself fighting my local way of living and turning to the trending way of living in the global.
Racism and Discrimination
Being a black in a midst of whites in a western country got me in trouble too. The students where racists, something which was acceptable by the administration but the group ended up mocking the Africans due to their complexion under the same set of rules (Hall, 2020). I encountered the first racism case on my admission day, where the administration wanted to give my room to another white student just because he had missed all the places and I was the only African in the place. Luckily, I retained my room miraculously, and focused on my studies till I finished.
United States is one of the nations which are highly developed, and whose economy grew a long time ago. Being in such state, the cost of living in the country was a bit high for a mere college student, as one was required to be in a position to pay for all the bills required for a living. Being a poor and ordinary student, I always found myself struggling to meet some bills in the country so that I cannot starve (Clay, 2011). I expected a cheaper life just like in my African way of living, something which was rare or completely unavailable in the states. I started looking for side hustles in my third year of the stay at the country so that I could gather some income to sustain the cost of living there.
Being in Diaspora means that one is in fear of any danger. Of all the states in America, New York is known for having a lot of activities, people and services running in all hours of the day. Being a black and a foreigner got me in a position where white cop got suspicious when he or she sees me, something which really got questions in, my, mind where we were being treated separately from the other. Violence and constant attacks became normal to me, until I adapted how to live like any other American.
My biggest flex was to get a job in the states immediately am done with my studies so that at least life could get a bit better than back at my place. Things didn’t turn out like I expected earlier. I finished school after my four-year stay at the college but still got myself struggling to get a chance at medical centers even after scoring high grades in the final examinations (Allen, 2010). I applied for jobs all over New York, until I got a chance at a small dispensary where the owner employed me just because of a little mercy she had for me. Since then, life in the foreign country taught me that freedom was offered at home; as it was the only place I had a legit citizen. I endured all the challenges I encountered in Diaspora in order to fulfill my goal of becoming a learned doctor and later go back to save my people.
Since I started staying in US, I got the information that I was not able to participate in any conditional matter concerning voting or any constitutional duty as I was not termed as a citizen of the foreign nation. The rule meant that I was not in a position to make any decision concerning the country’s administration, but I was expected to obey every rule. Lastly, as much as I enjoyed my stay at the country, I felt that the Diaspora should also consider helping people who go there to look for a living to be considered and their treatment made fair. O[oppressing the visitors due to superiority should be eliminated and avoided by such countries, and instead look for ways to help the people who pay such visits.
References
Allen, J. S. (2010). ‘In the life’in diaspora: Autonomy/desire/community. In Routledge Handbook of Sexuality, Health and Rights (pp. 475-483). Routledge.
Clay, E. (2011). Mediated science, genetics and identity in the US African diaspora. Media, spiritualities and social change, 25-36.
Hall, S. (2020). Cultural identity and diaspora (pp. 231-242). Routledge.
Child Protective Services Report I was privileged to have gotten an opportunity to work for the Department of Child Protectiv
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Child Protective Services Report
I was privileged to have gotten an opportunity to work for the Department of Child Protective Services. I have had passion to try and ensure that children stay in loving homes where they are accorded the love that they need. Since time immemorial, there have often been cases of child abuse but unlike in the past when they could not be protected, things are now a little bit different. Child protective services is among the agency that have been created. With child abuse cases became rife in America, the government found the need to protect the children from cases of abuse and neglect. the system is quite complex and it varies from state to state. Child services collaborates with other entities such as; community based organisations and private child welfare agencies. Whereby they are able to accord services such as; parenting skill classes, rehabilitation, foster care, domestic violence, housing and employment assistance. This report generally looks at my experience at the Child Protective services including the skills that I did pick up there.
The first thing that I learnt was that Children Protective Agency is generally responsible for the general social welfare of the children. There was a team that were required to follow up on cases of children abuse that were reported. Social welfare services were mandated to remove neglected and abused children from their guardians and the streets. These children were later on placed with other families and orphanages. Child Protective Services normally, receives and investigates reports of possible child neglect and abuse. It also provides services for affected families, who are in need for protection and care for their children. Child services is also tasked with arranging for living arrangements with, foster families or next of kin. Child protection services also provides arrangement for adoption, permanent family relations for kids living foster care and adoption. As mentioned above the welfare services is tasked with various duties. In case of possible child abuse or neglect, the concerned individual can issue a report. CPS case workers receive the reports and they are screened in or out. Screening in happens when there is sufficient evidence of child abuse or neglect, therefore warranting an investigation. Screening out is undertaken if the evidence presented does not meet a states legal definition of child abuse or neglect. In such instance the social worker can refer to the person who initially reported the case or the community for assistance. After screening case workers respond, however the response time varies and is dependent on the type of alleged maltreatment. Case workers may interrogate the people in contact with the child, they can also speak with the child solely or with a caregiver present this is dependent on the child’s age. Given the amount of risk a child who is believed to be in immediate danger can be moved to safer accommodations. In some states if the risk is considered low CPS case workers focus on identifying support and services that the family will need, rather than collecting evidence for conviction.
Another role that the Child protective services are tasked with is that they ensure that guardians who are found guilty of child abuse and neglect are offered support by; ensuring they undergo treatment services and ensure that they also undergo services mandated by juvenile courts. In low risk cases caregivers are provide with in-home services and support; child care, parent education, counselling and so on. However, in high risk cases, police are called upon to investigate and may file charges in a court of law. Perpetrators of child abuse are placed on a state maltreatment registry, when there is confirmation of child abuse, these registries are confidential. However, for professions that involves working with children, the registry can be used to perform background checks. CPS workers are mandated to follow standard procedures when responding to cases of child maltreatment. CPS workers are guide by basic philosophical tenets; a permanent home is the safest place for a child to grow. CPS case worker’s efforts are more effective if the affected party is involved.During my internship I was also able to learn of the connection between child protective services and the foster care system. Foster care is whereby a child is placed with another family for a while and this family or the caregiver needs to be approved by the government. Placement of children is done by the government and is arranged by social services agency, parents or caregivers that are selected are then compensated for expenses. The parent although is the primary caregiver meaning they offer day-to-day care to the family, the state through the court as well as chill protective agency act as “in loco parentis” meaning they get to make the major decisions that may affect the child. For child protective services, I was able to find out how they liaise with the foster care system to ensure children who are placed in the system are treated well. The foster care system is one institution that is often viewed in bad eye. This is because most people are often aware of the mistreatment that children in the foster care go through including the physical abuse, emotional, sexual abuse. Child Protective Services is tasked with ensuring that the children in these homes get out and are taken to homes where they are loved and given the care that they deserve.
While at the internship, there were cases that I really got to study. One was the Gabriel Fernandez case. Gabriel Fernandez case is among the most looked at case and how Child Protective Services failed the boy. Typically, Child Protective Services are often tasked with following up cases that may involve a child being harmed this may include calls from the school teacher or the neighbors. When such distress calls come in, the social workers are often dispatched so that they can go and interview the child or siblings and remove the children from the said home. Gabriel’s teacher had tried making several calls explaining that the boy was being hurt but nothing seemed to have taken place. Gabriel’s case was not the only case that may have such issues, there are a few other cases where children who were harmed had tried seeking for help from Child Protection Services but it seems they were never able to get this help. One key issue that I related as to why such cases happened was because of the many cases that are reported but the officers are not as many. The Department of Child Protective Services often mandates that all accidents that affect dependent of children be reported. For most caseworkers, they try looking into cases of children who cannot have access to the outside world as they are more vulnerable to abuse. Children who are of school going age, most social workers often believe or at least have faith that the teachers or the neighbors may be able to notice the abuse and report it. With most CPS being understaffed, at times a caseworker may lose track of a certain child. For Gabriel’s case, it was quite unfortunate because even the software used to calculate a child’s likelihood of abuse had proved that Gabriel was likely to be abused yet no steps were taken. Encountering such cases made me scared if ever I will ever be in such a position. I was however encouraged with steps CPS were taking in trying to ensure caseworkers were not overloaded with work and thus such cases are not as common as the past.
A child’s behavior and their upbringing was also a lesson that I learnt and was able to experience firsthand. Children from foster care or those who have undergone abuse are likely to portray delinquency because of what they have gone through especially those that have been abused. Lack of a permanent home can be frustrating for a child as they need stability in their life. Abuse that the child experience, lack of affection and love as well as multiple moves create impetus for delinquency. Some children get into drugs as a way to cope with what they are feeling including use of alcohol, cocaine, heroin among other drugs. Some of the foster youth may also get easily recruited into gangs as they may find a sense of belonging from these gangs. Due to violence inflicted on them, they too may tend to be violent or even bullies in school as measure to try and protect themselves. There have been organizations that have come up to try and help foster care children that have been through abuse by providing counselling and support in order to help them not to get into juvenile delinquency or the life of crime.
The child protective services just like any other entity is faced with its own share of challenges. The institution is faced with an increase in caseloads and intricate social problems, this is all summed up by the agency not being able to maintain a skilled workforce. Cases of absence of good record keeping, hindrance the maintenance of useful case data. Service delivery is also hindered due to the stigma associated with child abuse. Difference in beliefs and necessary approach to be taken by both service providers and family, proves to be a challenge. However, CPS workers are tasked with ensuring the safety of children. The main aim being finding safe permanent residence for affected children. It is key to note that CPS job can be quite stressful and there are high chances of burn out, however it is quite rewarding.
The experience was generally a good experience. I worked under people who had the passion and the zeal that would ensure that the children get the best care from the homes that they leave in. Although I had learnt a few things theoretically such as challenges faced by children and importance of CPS in protecting them, challenges in foster care, and challenges in CPS, getting to experience them first hand and coming up with solutions was an amazing experience. By the end of the internship I had acquired problem solving, critical thinking, team work and leadership skills all which I know will be vital as I embark on my career.
CHILD NEGLECT
CHILD NEGLECT
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Child neglect
Child neglect is defined as any confirmed or suspected act by a caregiver or the parent. They do not provide adequate create and protection to their children, thus exposing them to factors that can endanger them emotionally, physically, or mentally. This happens most of the time due to the parents trying to throw their emotional burden on the children as a way for them to get relieved. The caretakers have also increased this child neglect to a very high degree, and they act most of the time as the perpetrators of this concept. It is a very harmful experience for the children as they get into bad company and they view themselves as not loved from the very early. This has devastating effects on the formation of the children and the general society as well. This is because the kids who are neglected grow up to become adults who have complications with their social life and how they do everything about their lives. Child neglect, abandonment, lack of supervision, inability to provide the necessary education, nourishment, clothing, and medical care are some of the different ways neglect is performed (Panagiotis, 2019).
Therefore all of these factors combined make the child inaccessible, and most of the time, the children who go through this tend to keep to themselves and are unable to open up at any point. The children who go through this also get to be silent most of the time, and they are not very visible. Therefore this even leads to them being neglected and forgotten even more because their presence is never recognized. Child neglect happens primarily at home. However, it can still occur in schools, religious organizations like churches, and other places like social gatherings and events. At home, child neglect is dominant, and it is at home whereby child neglect has very devastating effects, which are discussed below. Therefore this paper summary delves deep into discussing the role of the family in bringing up their children. The paper summary will also focus on the causes, the effects, the family situation, the treatment of the effects, and how these challenges, especially in parenting, can be addressed. The address is to create a sound and good society sound and good society in how it interacts with one another and generally the quality of a person’s social life (Stoltenborgh, 2013).
The United States department of health and human resources indicates in its 2016 report that one out of every 1000 children is neglected in the whole of the United States. This is a worrying figure since compared to other forms of mistreatment like physical abuse, which has reduced over time, the child neglect figures have not reduced. One of the leading issues that are very difficult to identify is that since neglect is an act or omission, it is very easy to be unable to identify it. Therefore people focus on other forms of mistreatment while the major silent form of mistreatment, which is child neglect, is never looked into. Child neglect does not have instant effects, and therefore most people assume it can always be assumed, which is not the case. It is the abuse that should be mostly looked into and addressed to a very great degree. It should be considered because its effects are devastating, and they occur gradually over some time. The effects are also not easy to deal with since the period within which it happens; the effects are so much ingrained into a person’s behavior and character that it is not easy to do away with them.
The types of child neglect include; supervisory, physical, medical, educational, and emotional. Supervisory child neglect is whereby the child is never supervised and is always left alone to do what they wish to do without the parent’s involvement. Physical child neglect occurs when the child does most receive basic physical needs; this is majorly caused by the child not being availed of clothing, food, water, or shelter, among other factors. Medical child neglect is a situation whereby medical needs are never taken as a priority. Therefore they are not attended to promptly even when the child is having great difficulty in their medical condition. Educational neglect is where the parents are not concerned about the education of their children. Therefore, the parents do not provide special needs education even when needed if they have a physically challenged child. Emotional neglect is whereby the child is not given their emotional needs such that they do not feel secure, loved, wanted, worthy, etc.
Child neglect can also vary depending on how severe it is. In this category, there is severe, moderate, and mild child neglect. This order follows in the manner and eh extent of the neglect, and it is also what defines the effects. The causes of child neglect are divided or classified under; family, social-economical, and intra-personal causes. Along with these causes, other factors that play a very big role in child neglect are; substance abuse, unemployment, mental health issues of parents, and poverty among the parents.
In the intra-personal causes of child neglect, the focus is on the parents’ behavior and tries to explain the link between the behaviors and the neglecting ability or trait. Some of the intra-personal causes include the inability of a parent to plan, the inability to spend money appropriately, heightened stress levels, and other factors. This mainly focuses on mothers and evaluates their nurturing ability and nature and, therefore, the above intra-personal causative tenets. However, the role of the father is not widely observed, and it is not highly discussed. Interpersonal child neglect causative factors are the factors that are based in the family and at home generally. Neglectful families are made up of transient males, or most of the time, they are of a single parent who has to work very hard to provide for the kids and therefore lacking time to look after the children. Family child neglect can also be focused on abusive relationships, making it difficult for the parents to look after the children.
The link between poverty and child neglect is a very significant one as poverty drives the parents far away from family as they try to think and come up with ways to prevent the family from being bankrupt. Therefore as the parents struggle to maintain financial fluidity, they also get to neglect their children. However, poverty in itself is not an entirely causative agent of neglect. This factor is because a humble background can provide love and care for their children. Therefore if poverty co-exists with other undesirable factors, child neglect may be realized (Garbarino, 1999).
The parenting styles play a big role in ensuring the children’s protection from this kind of mistreatment. Therefore, it comes out that the children who have emotional abuse are less likely to develop good quality relationships later in their lives due to their experiences when they were children. Therefore, this goes along to encourage parents to be available for their children to avoid these kinds of effects and issues from arising later in their children’s lives when they are grown.
The effects of child neglect are varied and many. However, if a child is neglected during their first two years, they may likely suffer from this neglect’s effects in a more great manner than if they experienced the neglect at older ages. The effects can be categorized into behavioral, cognitive, and emotional child neglect effects. It is the neglect a person receives during their childhood years that determines their behavior and how they fit in socially compared to other individuals. The people who receive neglect during their childhood years are likely to have difficulties fitting in and socializing with people around them. Apart from the social effects of child neglect, the neglected children may experience academic deficits due to their neglect when they were little children.
According to Dr. Wilson, children who are neglected when they are young have a three times probability of getting a stroke than the child who was never neglected. This research he conducted and based the results on those under the age of 18 years. Therefore, this acts as proof to the studies that suggest that neglect, abuse, and bullying have changed in the brains of grey and white matter. Therefore this is a health effect of child neglect.
In conclusion, we can say that it is important that parents and caregivers be enlightened on how they should always check up on their daily manner of doing things so that they never neglect the children under their care. They should be encouraged to keep a close watch over their children and provide the emotional care and support which are highly needed for the children so that they can be able to grow up into adults who are socially bright and dependable. The government should also create ample conditions for the parents and the caregivers to provide good care for their kids and help them grow into fully mature people.
References
Erickson, M. F., & Egeland, B. (2002). Child neglect.
Crittenden, P. M. (1999). Child neglect. Neglected children. Research, practice, and policy. Thousand Oaks, 47-68.
Garbarino, J. (1999). Child neglect. Neglected children: Research, practice, and policy, 1.
Hildyard, K. L., & Wolfe, D. A. (2002). Child neglect: developmental issues and outcomes☆. Child abuse & neglect, 26(6-7), 679-695.
Panagiotis Karamitsos. (2019, September 6). Child Neglect: What Are Its Types, Causes, and Long-Lasting Effects? Life Advancer. https://www.lifeadvancer.com/child-neglect-types-causes-effects/
Stoltenborgh, M., Bakermans-Kranenburg, M. J., & Van Ijzendoorn, M. H. (2013). The neglect of child neglect: a meta-analytic review of the prevalence of neglect. Social psychiatry and psychiatric epidemiology, 48(3), 345-355.