Lord of the Flies & To Kill a Mockingbird Essay Example for Free

Lord of the Flies To Kill a Mockingbird Essay John Quincy Adams once said â€Å"Always stand on your principle, even if you stand alone†. The two novels To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee and Lord of the Flies by William Golding, can greatly relate to this quote. The characters that are portrayed in both novels can really relate to one another in terms of the theme in the quote. Also the books themselves share similar themes and moral lessons. Atticus Finch from to kill a mocking bird is a character that plays a father; he is a strong role model and leader. Atticus is a wise man; he learns and teaches moral lessons to his children. Even though the odds are against his favor he still stands by his principle. Someone who can relate to Atticus Finch is Ralph from Lord of the flies. Ralph is a character in Lord of the flies that shows a great deal of leadership just like Atticus he stands by his principle and does whatever is right. Scout from to kill a mocking bird, is the daughter of Atticus Finch, she has very many opportunities to stand but her principle but she is rarely heard. But even though she is not really heard she takes initiative as much as possible. Piggy from Lord of the flies can relate to Scout, Piggy has so much potential to do more than he is capable of. Although Piggy always seems to find a way to get his ideas heard and recognized. Another comparison between the two novels is Miss Maudie and Simon because they are such honest people and that is one of their principles. Ralph and Atticus Finch both portray their characters as role models and leaders; Ralph in particular is a leader that does everything and stays with his accusations to prove that he is doing the right thing. The lord of the flies takes place on a deserted island after a dramatic plane crash and the only survivors are a bunch of little boys. Their first decision is to vote on a leader, the boys all chose Ralph as their leader. At the beginning of the novel, Ralph was leader, but when his followers decided to abandon him he stayed with his beliefs. He can relate to this quote because Ralph was standing on his principle even though he was alone. His friends chose to become savage beast and hunt, while Ralph stayed pure and civilized he showed that he knew his moral and stands up for what he believes in. Ralph comes across trouble thought when hes friends doubt his ideas and suggestions. When his friends turned his back on him, he still decided to stick to his ideas and his plan to be rescued and in the end it was worth it because they were saved. Another person that could relate to Ralph would be Atticus finch in To Kill a Mockingbird. Like Ralph, Atticus is another strong leader and independent leader, but in the novel To kill a mockingbird. Atticus relates to John Quincy Adams quote because Atticus fights for what he believes in, which is exactly what John Quincy Adams is meant by standing by your own principle. Atticus Finch plays a Father in working as a lawyer in the novel, but he lives in a time of discrimination and prejudice. A part of the story is when Atticus is appointed to defend Tom Robinson; a black man that was accused of raping a white woman. Atticus knows that the jury will be prejudice and that there is a slim chance that Tom Robinson will win the case. Even though he knows this information he still does everything in his power to defend Tom. Atticus says that he has nothing but pity for the jury and that he is disappointed that there society is like this (Lee 213). Atticus is a character that truly does stand by his principle and shows respect and leadership. Ralph and Atticus can relate to each other because they have similar characteristics and stand by their principles. Piggy is a character from Lord of the Flies that is discouraged. Piggy plays a huge role in the novel; he is wise and has the potential and the right to be heard. Piggy in the novel was the reason that the boy had fire, he was picked on and his ideas were ignored because of the way he looked. Piggy was wise he had ideas such as making sundials and hats. Ideas like these could have really helped the boys in being successful in being rescued. Piggy was wise and the boys failed to recognize this. When Ralph was abandoned by the boys that wanted to join Jacks hunting tripe it was only Piggy, Simon, Samneric and a few littleuns. With such little people, Ralph and Piggy talked and Piggy was hears and finally recognized for his ideas and wisdom. Piggy has a lot of smart ideas that could be implemented. He can relate to the quote by John Quincy Adams because he doesn’t give up, even though he is alone, he finds a way to be heard. Scout Finch and Piggy are character that can relate to each other, and to the quote said by John Quincy Adams. Scout is a character that plays Atticus’ daughter. Scout is very smart for her age, and has many bright ideas. Although this is true her ideas are not as recognized as they should just because of her age, she is much wiser than she appears to but is not recognized for it. â€Å"We don’t write in the first grade, we print. You won’t learn to write until you’re in the third grade. (Lee 23). This shows that Scout truly does stand by her principles but she is not recognized for it. Scout respects her father very much, but even though this is true she still denies his judgments, if she believes it is the right thing to do. An example if this would be when the Sarum group visited Atticus Finch and threatened him, Scout, Jem and dill all came to protect him. Even though Atticus told his children to return home they stayed there, this ended up helping Atticus bypass the sarum group after all. Simon is a character in Lord of the Flies that portrays a mature and wise. Simon is very honest. When Simon is told that there is a â€Å"beastie† loose on the island he adventures off on his own. He comes across a hanging parachute and realized that, the parachute was the beastie all along. When Simon knew that there could not be such thing as a beastie, he searched for the truth. Simon shows that he stayed with his principles and was determined to find the truth. He does not keep this new found information to himself or only to Ralphs tribe but he tells both Ralph and Jacks tribe. He was honest and wants to make life on the island a lot easier for the boys. He was generous enough to tell the tribes, but it was too late because Jacks tribe was so paranoid about the beastie and that he accidentally killed Simon. Although Simon had died trying to help he kept his principles in mind Simon showed how determined he was to be honest and set his friends straight. The quote by John Quincy Adams can have a lot of themes to express one of those themes that I could tell is honesty. Miss Maudie is a character in To Kill a Mockingbird that plays an honest woman. When Scout asks Miss Maudie about Arthur Radley and if all the rumors about him are true, Miss Maudie sets her straight and gives her full and honest opinion about Arthur Radley (Lee 48). This shows that Miss Maudie shows her moral conscience by admitting to Scout her honest opinion. She is also standing by her principle and passing on her wisdom to Scout. She tells Scout to find the truth and not create rumors and gossip about something that is not for certain. Miss Maudie shows a great deal of respect to the people around her. She stood by her principle as John Quincy Adams said. The quote represents honesty and Miss Maudie is a good example of honesty. There are many relations between the two novels and the quote. The quote by John Quincy Adams â€Å"Always stand on your principle, even if you stand alone† has themes that do relate to the themes and character in the novel To Kill a Mockingbird and Lord of the Flies. Atticus Finch and Ralph both show there leader ship and determination, when times are tough they persevere and try their hardest to make things right. This shows how determined they are to stand by their principle. Also Piggy and Scout, there are two completely different characters that play the same role. They both have such great potential to be a more recognized character; even though they seem ignored they both stand by their principles and become recognized. Simon and Miss Maudie two completely different people yet so similar in the sense that they are honest to one another. Overall there are many comparisons between these two novels and that they both have themes and characters that relate to standing by your principle.

Black Children in the Child Protection System

Black Children in the Child Protection System INTRODUCTION In recent years, child abuse among black African families has attracted a lot of attention, academically and politically in British social work practice following the tragic death of Victoria Climbie (Laming, 2003) and Adam (Sale, 2005). Many of the research and literature on child abuse since the 1989 Children Act have not extensively discussed the aspect of poverty and child abuse. For many years social work interventions with black African families and children alleged of cases of child abuse have been a controversial topic. The difficulties black African families experience are not limited only to the foreign culture they find themselves in, but other issues may be significant, such as cultural differences in child-rearing, poverty, government policy and the intervention tools and processes. Research evidence suggests that black African children in the UK are over-represented in the child protection system for a variety of reasons such as physical and sexual abuse or neglect. Chand (1999) research on black African families and the child protection system highlights the over-representation of black families (58%) compared to white families (42%) on referrals involving physical injury. Another research shows that referrals involving inadequate supervision of children are disproportionately higher among black African families than white families. Some black African children are involved in the child protection system because their families are unable to provide adequate care for them. Bernard Gupta (2008) study also found that black African children and families are more likely than white families to be drawn into the child protection system on the basis of inherent differences in beliefs and child-rearing practices. The aim of this work is to suggest that black African children and families, due to a number of reasons, are more or less likely to be investigated of child abuse by social workers and other professions. The possible implications for black families being more or less likely to be investigated are either black African children will become over-represented in local authority care under the child protection system or they will not receive the appropriate intervention by social workers under the child welfare system and make children to be subjected to further abuse or neglect by their parents (Chand, 1999). According to Chand (1999) even when abuse among black families is identified, the service provision for the abused children are hampered by lack of resources and this cause delays in assessment and the provision of treatment where specialized services are required. The 1989 Children Act may classify many African children on the child protection register in the UK as children in need as their parents are more likely to live below the poverty line (DoH, 1989). Poverty is linked with reports of abuse and neglect and African families are proportionately more likely to live in poverty than many of the other communities in the UK (Bernard Gupta, 2008). According to Fontes (2006) people who are affected by child abuse are nestled by a variety of social and material domains that are highly interconnected and interactive. Therefore the poverty status of African families living in the UK is an important factor to be considered by social workers working with African families alleged of child abuse. Many African families have negative perception about social workers who work on cases of alleged child abuse, as they employ an assessment and intervention process that is based on euro-centric child protection procedures and as such view black families, their culture and lifestyle as inherently problematic and need correcting (Chand, 1999). This negative perception of social work practice by African families and children living in the UK breed grounds for mistrust and apprehension and make working with such families a major challenge for social workers. Bernard Gupta (2008) argued that black African children and their families are more likely than white families to be investigated of child abuse and therefore are over-represented on the child protection register under the category of poor parenting behaviours. However, black African families are also under-represented in receiving preventative supports such as housing needs, financial benefits that is required to address any family needs and to improve children welfare. Singh (2006) findings show that African families and their entrenched cultural and social perceptions of parenting behaviours are difficult to understand in the context of contemporary social work practice and therefore social workers may be quick to intervene in such families. Bernard Gupta (2008) also found in their research work that the majority of black African families who have migrated to the UK because of war, poverty, and tribal anarchies in their home countries, also have difficulty not only how to adapt to the western culture in which they find themselves but how they may be viewed by social workers involved in child care. Most social work professionals working with black African families do not appreciate the poverty background of such families and would feel justified to make judgements resulting into mistrust and disengagement from both parties. However, according to Bernard Gupta (2008) the Framework for the Assessment of Children in Need and their Families places a requirement on social workers to consider families backgrounds and cultural perspectives when dealing with cases of child abuse. Korbin (2004) argues that social workers face difficulties in employing appropriate intervention in child abuse cases as the processes involved in chi ld abuse assessment may be complex and parental behaviours may not be the same in different cultures and socio-economic settings. In view of this perception, Bernard Gupta (2008) states that a focus on maltreatment or dysfunction within African families can risk stereotyping this ethnic minority as deficient, thus fostering pathological viewpoint of African family relationships'(p 478 ). This raises the question of what type of social work intervention is needed to be used by social workers working with black African families living in economic poverty so that vulnerable children are fully supported and protected, and not just drawing these children into the child protection system. This professional dilemma in social work practice presents a major challenge and therefore, calls for a new perspective in work ideologies and practices, the way information is disseminated on how the child protection system works, training on child-rearing differences in black African culture, social work values and enhancing collaboration with other professions. With a change in social work practice, social workers will develop the skills to distinguish between the styles of parenting inherent in African families which is not necessarily harmful to children and those parenting behaviours that are harmful. This point will be further discussed in chapter two. The dissertation will draw on social work theories, policies and practice, key models and literature search from electronic journals to web search on child abuse, social work intervention and child protection system. The main emphasis of this dissertation looks at the available literature on black African families involved in the child protection system, focusing on specific poverty-related parenting practices that give rise to issues of child abuse. The methodology for this work is mainly qualitative and the literature obtained from both primary and secondary sources. The dissertation examines various issues such as how social work professionals should perceive and manage child abuse among black African families living below the poverty-line, what interventions social workers need to employ that would support these families to provide adequate child-care for their children and the possible reasons why black African children and their families may be over-represented in the child pro tection systems. The first chapter examines the literature on black African children and the child protection system. Chapter two provides a discussion on the increased complexity of social work intervention in child abuse cases involving black African families living in poverty. It also analyse how poverty could complicate parenting behaviours that impact on child-rearing which, tends to draw black African children living in the UK into the child protection arena. Then chapter three draws on legislations and policies regulating social work practices in the UK. It also examines contemporary social work practice in child abuse cases among African families. Chapter four critically analyses the various methods of interventions available to social workers when working with black African families. Finally chapter five discusses the implications of social work intervention among African families living in poverty. CHAPTER ONE BLACK AFRICAN CHILDREN AND CHILD PROTECTION SYSTEMS The prevalence of Black children in the child protection system Many children are drawn into the child protection system for many different reasons. The majority of these children go through distressing and damaging experiences, which may include physical, emotional, sexual abuse and neglect. Some children living with poor families come under the child protection system as result of families parenting behaviours and practices, oppression, discriminations and cultural values. Considering the child protection system and black African families, Bernard Gupta (2006) have critically analysed the evidence on the disproportionate representation of black African families on the child protection register. Brophy et al (2003) study highlights the proportion of minority ethnic families and their children represented on the child protection register involve several allegations about parental behaviours and practices. Chand (1999) states that different child-rearing methods used in different cultures mean that as an outsider, understanding what is the norm a nd what is deviant is problematicand trying to distinguish the risks in one family from the another, social workers may fall back on moral judgements'(p.72). In contemporary social work practice many social workers are faced with difficulty situations when assessing and making decisions on child care issues among African children and their families who are living in poverty. It is paramount in view of available literature to say that when social workers acknowledge and understands these families financial backgrounds and their cultural identity through effective communications, it is possible they will come to terms with some of their parenting behaviours and practices. However, where families go over the boundaries of child-rearing to inflict physical and emotional harm on their children, which is evident in Victoria Climbie inquiry, it should be understood that such families have gone beyond what is acceptable not only within the western culture but in their own culture (Chand, 1999). Therefore, if social workers understand the causes of parental behavioural patterns of African families, they will be well-informed to determine whether a particular parenting behaviours should be considered within the protection process or to provide advice and support for such families under children in need (Chand, 1999). The challenges social work practitioners experience when using the assessment processes as detailed in the Climbie Inquiry (Laming, 2003) is crucial to the safety and protection of black children whose families have immigrated into the UK. Sometimes social workers may be stereotyped as racist and ethnocentric, as they do not acknowledge and address issues of poverty-related parental behaviours of African families in the assessment process of a child abuse case (Chand, 1999). Under the Governments Every Child Matters policy, social workers first priority is to ensure children live with their families if it is best to do so. In addition to this policy, it is the responsibility of the social services or local authorities to create the enabling environment for the provision of preventative services to families so that these families can provide appropriate care for their children. According to the Department for Education and Skills (2006b) statistical data a significant proportion of bl ack African children are on the child protection register. A number of studies tend to support the view that families of these children lives in poverty and struggle to raise their children to the standard set up by government legislation. Therefore it is difficult to say whether social services are meeting the agenda detailed in the Framework for the Assessment of Children in Need and their Families (Department of Health, 2000) which places on social workers the responsibility to consider families backgrounds and cultural values when dealing with child care issues. Thoburn et al.s (2005) review of the nature and outcomes of child welfare services for black children concluded that African children are almost twice as likely to be looked after than the white majority children in the population as a whole, which then suggest, that some of these children will be accommodated under section 20 of the 1989 Children Act, by virtue of being raised by families living in poverty. However, there are a number of contributory factors which could be perceived as important in understanding the involvement of black African families with social work agencies and the resultant over-representation of their children in the child protection system. Child abuse and neglects may be linked to poor parental practices and poverty by families who are supposed to be responsible for looking after these children. Therefore the poverty experienced by many African families and children may be resolved through a more preventative welfare services rather than child protection se rvices. Platt (2006) study on the refocusing initiative on social work practices from the child protection orientation to a child welfare orientation underpins government legislation, policies and procedures and management efforts to redirect social work interventions more towards welfare services. Also through child welfare practices social workers may appreciate the difficulties that families experience and may endeavour to meet children and their family financial and social needs through a range of social and preventative services. The government legislations and policies The most relevant legislation in the UK that aims to protect children from abuse and harm is the Children Act (1989), of which Section 47 expects local authorities to make enquiries into cases where they have reasonable cause to suspect that a child is suffering or likely to suffer significant harm and Section 17 makes provision for a child to be assessed with a view to the provision of services to children in need (Platt, 2006). Therefore there are two definitive objectives of the Children Act (1989), the child protection focus and the child welfare focus. Many black African children referred to social services under the child protection system may not necessarily be suffering from any harm or neglect if the situation is considered in the context of parenting behaviours and practices (Chand, 1999). According to Platt (2006), the Audit Commission recommendation to shift from the popular investigational work use by social workers to a family support services, was a result of many fail ings identified by many other government bodies. This wind of change for social work practice was accepted by the Department of Health, after examining the publication, Child Protection: Messages from Research (Department of Health, 1995). Chand (1999) argues that the child protection system tends to draw too many cases inappropriately onto the child protection register, of which many may be classified as border-line cases, that could have being managed under the children welfare services. Whilst other research findings support the view that the child protection system seems to have achieved as much as could be expected in terms of preventing further abuse of vulnerable children. Hayes and Spratt (2008) argue that such achievement is not in ways most readily understood by those who legislate, set policy and measure performance. Bernard Gupta (2008) highlights in their study that, in situations in which there is a risk of abuse or neglect of African children, as with other minority ethnic children, the literature suggests that fear of difference, combined with racist stereotypes, may both exacerbate defensive practice, leading to avoidance that can leave children unprotected (p486). The Department of Health (1995) emphasises that social work professionals need to rely on various policies and measures since child abuse is not an absolute concept and most family behaviours have to be seen in context before decisions of abuse are made (Chand 1999, p. 70). Although child protection social workers in the UK are trained to follow the official guidance as set out in the Department of Health (1988) Protecting Children: A guide for Social Workers undertaking a Comprehensive Assessment, this guidance in the context of black African children and their families, fall short in addressing their basic needs (Chand, 1999). Against this background, the quality of social work assessment and, hence intervention process used by social workers may stereotype black African families, their parenting behaviours and practice and culture as inherent indicators of child abuse and need correcting (Chand, 1999). The fundamental dilemma facing contemporary social work practice is the manner and extent social workers should engage in social welfare services rather than in investigational procedures and processes, so as to redirect its efforts primarily to the poor and needy in society (Karger Hernandez, 2004). From the 1990s there have been proactive and sustai ned efforts on behalf of the UK government to develop and promote legislation and policies, which challenge the influence of a child protection culture on management and social work practice, which notably are perceived as distorting the balance of service provision to children and families (Spratt Callan, 2004). Pringle (1998) argued that the family support strategies may focus on the generalization of responses compared with child protection procedures that target actual nature of the alleged abuse. Cleaver Walker (2004) argued in their research, that the implementation of this switch from child protection to child welfare services by social work agencies can have negative and difficult impact on the government Framework for the Assessment of Children in Need and their Families. According to Hayes Spratt (2008) the government has seen a remarkable reduction in the number of children drawn into the child protection system, which commends local authorities effort to help achieve performance targets. Spratt Callan (2004) criticized the reductions in number of children on the child protection register, as being achieved largely due to modern governance and measures to promote compliance with performance targets. However, following Baby P report childrens services watchdog, Ofsted, reported t hat a review of 173 serious cases in April 2009, found that social workers and other agencies, failed to act swiftly to put children suffering from physical and neglect abuse onto the child protection register (www.ofstednews.ofsted.gov.uk/article). Ofsted also identified certain poor social work practices such as the failure of social services workers to identify and report signs of abuse, poor recording and communication, and limited knowledge and application of basic policies and procedures (www.ofstednews.ofsted.gov.uk/article).This report has since seen an increase in the number of children drawn into the child protection system. According to Chand (1999), the UK government reiterated that the primary and official duties of local authorities within the context of the 1989 Children Act is to focus more on safeguarding children through the provision of advice and support services under children in need. In Spratt Callan (2004) study the Department of Health estimates four million children living in England are vulnerable to harm or neglect, due to their families living far below the poverty line, yet only 300-400,000 of these children are known to social services at any given time. Thoburn et al (2000) study on families, whose children were at risk of suffering emotional abuse and neglect, shows that 98% of the children brought to the attention of child protection system, their families live in poverty. Parton (1997) argued that due to the correlation between poverty and the need for provision of public services, only the very small number of vulnerable children who are designated as children in need receive s ervices under the welfare service. Spratt Callan (2004) suggest that a more effective way social work can help such vulnerable children, particularly black African children, who may be over-represented on the child protection register, is the government increasing resources to local authorities, increasing the number of social workers and reshaping the social services system. Therefore, with regard to the governments provision of resources, legislation and policies, the model or intervention approach social workers may employ when working with black African families living in extreme poverty, will determine whether a family receives a child protection service or a child welfare service. CHAPTER TWO POVERTY AND BLACK AFRICAN FAMILIES Poverty and Child Protection The area of poverty and child protection with black African families has been the source of controversy in British social work research for many decades. Many researchers find a correlation between economic deprivation such as poverty and social exclusion and parenting behaviour and practice, child-rearing capabilities and skills which are a prerequisite for proper child development anywhere in the world. Moreover, according to Jordan (2001) poverty is correlated with reports of abuse and neglect. For instance, the National Centre for Children in Poverty found in 1990 that the incidence of child abuse and neglect, as well as the severity of the maltreatment reported, is much greater for children from low-income families than for others (Jordan, 2001 p.1). As a large number of Africans in the UK live below the poverty line, it may be reckoned that most black African children on the child protection register live below the poverty line. Brophy et al (2003) argue that many families brought to the attention of the child protection system lives in extreme poverty and may experience social exclusion. Black African children living in the UK may be over-represented in the child protection system for reasons such as physical abuse or neglect; therefore it is understandable to say that there is a correlation between abuse and parenting behaviours and practices. The question is why African families and their children living in poverty, who are alleged of child abuse, are over-represented in the child protection system? Sossou Yogtiba (2008) noted in their study that a child is the most valuable asset of any traditional African family, as children symbolise status, respect and completeness of the nuclear family, if that is the case, then it is ironical to see African families and their children to be over-represented in the child protection system. Many black African families in the UK still lives below the poverty-line though they undertake different types of unskilled or skilled jobs, as they support large families in their countries of origin (Anane-Agyei, 2002). It may be reckon that poverty is linked with other social disadvantages such as poor education, limited employment opportunities, and poor health and may have devastating consequences for childrens development and life chances. Research shows that many African families and their children may have insecure immigration status and their existing financial predicaments only help to complicate their parenting behaviours and practices. Penrose (2002) study shows that African families seeking asylum are often forced to live at level of poverty that is just unacceptable, and this puts financial constraint on them to provide adequate childcare for their children. Unemployment levels are known to be very high among African families, and they are also subject of stigmatization and prejudice by the larger community that are suppose to accept them. According to Bernard Gupta (2008) immigration and asylum status determines income, employment opportunities and access to support services for many African people in the UK and these issues of entitlement to services only complicate their cases. Some African families living in the UK may be without jobs and may not also be entitled to social and economic benefit and therefore may find it difficult to care for their children. Children growing up with parents living in poverty may be deprived of proper childhood development ( Montith Eithne, 2005). African families living in poverty and failing to provide good care for their children may be perceived by social work professionals as failing in their parental responsibilities (Chand, 1999). For this reason, social workers may intervene in such families and often than not they are drawn into the child protection system. Amin Oppenheim (2002) argue that the unfamiliar cultural expectation of black African families living in the UK somehow contribute to the high level of poverty they experience. Research shows that many African families suffer from institutional oppression including housing, employment, education and health which not only means that they are more likely to experience poverty and deprivation, but also more susceptible to social work interventions in child abuse or maltreatment allegations. Corby (1993) noted that it may be expected that black African children are over-represented in child abuse cases because their families are more open to surveillance as they show high levels of poverty that complicate their parenting behaviours (Chand, 1999 p73). In a broader perspective, Pearce Bozalek (2004) emphasise that the child protection system that exist in Britain will be unfamiliar to many African families, especially those more recently arrived, as similar state systems do not exist in most African countries, particularly where socio-economic factors, political instability and violence overshadow intra-familial child maltreatment and effective intervention into child abuse and neglect (Bernard Gupta, 2006 p481). Brophy et al (2003) study supports the above assertion that African families experience discrimination and insecurity in child abuse cases, as the tools for assessing abuse are often euro-centric bias and prejudice the families. Chand (1999) study expresses the awareness that black African families are disadvantaged through oppression in all areas of society and this should not reflect in social work practice. Gibbon et al (2003) findings show that the child protection system was picking up more alleged child abuse cases inappropriately and putting more families and children on the child protection register than children who are subject to social welfare procedures. Therefore the over-representation of African families on the child protection register somehow, undermines the government aim of keeping children with families and reducing the number of children that are drawn onto the child protection register. The Department of Health (1995) document on child protection identified some pertinent shortcomings with the child protection system, as it seems to encourage unnecessary child protection interventions in border-line child abuse cases. Bernard Gupta (2008) in their study of black African children and the child protection system suggest that there are a series of interactions between environmental factors such as poverty, immigration status and social exclusion that affect the life cha nces of many African children and the capacity of their parents to provide adequate care. Dowling (1999) realise that social work practice in the UK focus less on poverty-alleviating strategies but throw more resources behind safeguarding and protecting vulnerable children from abuse or maltreatment. Social workers need to understand the context in which abuse occurs, irrespective of race and culture, to develop an assessment and intervention process that is fairer for black families as they are more likely to suffer racism and oppression. In view of the above argument, it is pertinent that social workers know when to employ preventative measures to support black African families who have financial needs and when to take such families through the child protection system in the quest for safeguarding children. All these factors together create complex needs for many African children living in the UK, and, in many circumstances increase their vulnerabilities which draw them into the child protection arena. Bernard Gupta (2008) argued that only by developing effective relationships with African families can social work professionals can begin to understand their parenting behaviours and practices. Poverty and Child Welfare Services Current literature shows that poverty experience by most black African families living in the UK could be alleviated by social work services that offer a pragmatic welfare services rather than drawing these families and children into the child protection system. Brophy et al (2003) study suggests that immigration and asylum issues, combined with poverty, are likely to be some of the reasons for the increased complexity for social work professionals assessing and intervening child abuse cases involving black African children. The Department of Health challenges social workers with the responsibility to work with Section 17 of the Children Act 1995, so as to provide adequate social support for children in need via the child welfare services (Platt, 2006). However, social work agencies have not fully achieved the government agenda of alleviating poverty experience by many families and children due to inadequate resources at all levels of social work practice. The Department of Health have indicated that most families, struggle to bring up their children in conditions of material and emotional adversity (DoH, 2001). For instance black African families experiencing poverty may fail in their responsibility to provide proper care for their children as they spent almost all their time working to make ends meet. Such children hardly experience family treats such as going on a family holiday trip, having birthday parties and they are deprived of having basic playing toys and games that help children to learn and grow into adulthood. The lack of affordable basic needs for children of poor families complicated with other social adversities may contribute to poor children developing aggressive behaviours, low self-esteem, picking up awkward attitudes, and may to suffer from social deprivation. Fontes (2005) realises that many traditional immigrant families, where black Africans are part of, may use an authoritative style of parenting, demanding tot al obedience and respect from their children. Although these parental practices may not necessarily constitute child abuse, it may clash with the child-rearing norms, and thus seems to bring African children and families to the attention of the child protection system (Fontes, 2005). When social workers start acknowledging borderline child abuse cases and understand the difficulties families living in poverty experience in raising their children, they would be able to strike a good balance between when to employ a child protection intervention and a child welfare intervention (Spratt Callan, 2004). It is evident that children living in poverty may benefit from the child welfare services as stipulated in section 17 of the 1989 Children Act, as it aims at alleviating poverty in families

Echoing Footsteps: Rape, Victims, Survivors, and What We Can Do Essay

Echoing Footsteps: Rape, Victims, Survivors, and What We Can Do Rape is devastating to its victims. I feel as if this statement should stand alone, underlined and in bold typeface. It is crucial that we, as a society, come to a deep understanding and awareness of this message. For that reason, I will state it again: Rape is devastating to its victims. Thirty percent of rape victims will contemplate suicide. Slightly more will seek therapy. Slightly less will invest in some form of self-defense. The overwhelming majority, 82%, will tell you that their lives have been permanently changed. The way they view men will be permanently changed as well (Warshaw 66). Forty-one percent of victims go through life believing every day that they will be raped again (Warshaw 64). Therefore, it is of the utmost importance that we do what we can to spread knowledge of this crime, protect its victims, prosecute its perpetrators, and prevent it from ever happening again. Acquaintance rape, sometimes called date rape, is the most common form of this crime. Yet, until the 1980s, it was virtually unheard of (Warshaw 2). We believed that rape was fairly rare. When it did take place, we wrongfully assumed that the victim was an idealized virginal school girl and that her attacker was a ruthless and depraved psychopath, armed and lurking in the shadows (Warshaw 14). This image needs to be destroyed. Rape is common. One in four women will be raped during her lifetime. Current statistics say that a woman is raped every four seconds in this country (Anderson 213). These women will be assaulted by people they know, most often by people they trust. They will be disbelieved when they tell their story. They will... ...Violence 14 (1999): 62-79. Dervarics, Charles. â€Å"Date Rape, Hate Crimes May Get Hill Attention.† Black Issues in Higher Education 15 (1999): 6. Foege, Alec and Jennifer Mendelsohn. â€Å"Silent No More.† People 50 (1998): 185-188. Henderson, Alan. â€Å"Study: Women Using ‘Date Rape Drug’.† Women’s Health Weekly (01/11/99): 8. Koss, Dr. Mary. Arizona Rape and Sexual Assault Surveillance Project. December 1997. Online. Internet http://www.u.arizona.edu/~sexasslt/text.html 28 March 1999. Rubenzahl, Samuel A. â€Å"The Prevalence and Characteristics of Male Perpetrators of Acquaintance Rape New Research Methodology Reveals New Findings.† Violence Against Women 4 (1998): 713-726. Warshaw, Robin. I Never Called it Rape: The Ms. Report on Recognizing, Fighting and Surviving Date and Acquaintance Rape. New York: HarperCollins Publishers, Inc., 1994.

The Evolution of Ichthyosaurs- Large Aquatic Reptiles Essay -- Anthrop

The Evolution of Ichthyosaurs- Large Aquatic Reptiles In the early 1800’s, a new discovery that left paleontologists in awe was the fossil finding of the immeasurable amount of species of reptiles, Ichthyosaurs. Greek for â€Å"fish lizards†, these fossils were found all over the world. Because these large aquatic reptiles migrated just as whales do today, paleontologists have had the amazing advantage of collecting fascinating bone fragments throughout the past 177 years. Ichthyosaurs swam the ocean life from about 245 million until about 90 million years ago- approximately the same time dinosaurs ruled the land. The earliest Ichthyosaur fossil findings were in parts of Canada, China, Japan, and possibly Thailand. Countless fossils came from coatings of limestone produced out of the ocean-floor ooze that was predominantly superior at preserving very well facts of the creatures it digested (Perkins 2). Andrea Fildani and Michael Shultz, graduate students in the Department of Geological and Environmental Sciences, uncovered the bones of an Ichthyosaur near the southernmost tip of Chilean Patagonia. These rock layers were initially deposited at the floor of an ocean more than 100 million years ago. In their findings of the Chilean boulder, they were fortunate enough to find 17 vertebrae along with neural arches that encircle the spinal cord as well as some ribs. Paleontologists firmly agreed with Fildani’s notion that the bones had been 8 to 9 feet long and had existed around 140 million years ago (Mason 1). As time progressed, Ichthyosaurs transitioned their body like features from a lizard-shaped body plan to a fish-shaped one through the early and middle Triassic periods. In 1927, the first bone fragments were foun... ...tyles in Jurassic ichthyosaurs†. Journal of Vertebrae Paleontology 21 (No. 1): 61-73. Mason, Betsy. â€Å"Ichthyosaur find may challenge notions about prehistoric migrations†. Stanford Report.com 7 February 2003. 20 March 2004. < http://news service.stanford.edu/news/2003/february12/ichthyosaur-25.html> Motani, Ryosuke. â€Å"Rulers of the Jurassic Seas†. ScientificAmerican.com 19 December 2000. 22 March 2004. Perkins, Sid. â€Å"Sea Dragons†. Science News Online 162 (No. 8): 1-11. 24 Aug. 2002. Pickrell, John. â€Å"Ichthyosaur’s Turtle Supper Causes Extinction Debate†. National Geographic News.com 5 August 2003. 22 March 2004.

Of Mice And Men - The Importance Of George :: essays research papers

Even from the very start of John Steinbeck’s novel, Of Mice and Men, the uniqueness of George, as a character, is already noticeable. He is described as â€Å"small and quick, dark of face, with restless eyes and sharp strong features† and has an obvious dominance over the relationship between Lennie and himself. This lets the reader know from a very early stage in the book that George is different, and probably the essential character. George’s character seems to be used by Steinbeck to reflect the major themes of the novel: loneliness, prejudice, the importance of companionship, the danger of devoted companionships, and the harshness of Californian ranch life. George’s relationship with Lennie has made him selfless; his conversations, with and with out Lennie, are generally revolving around Lennie, although in the case of their dream-ranch George seems to find fulfilment for himself as well. Due to these altruistic tendencies that he shows throughout the novel, a danger is bestowed upon George; he tends to care for Lennie far too much, and too little for himself. In occasional moments, he escapes his sympathy and compassion for Lennie, and realises the burden that he causes. This usually results in George taking his frustration out on Lennie, which can often harm his simple mind, leaving Lennie upset and forced to confess to his own uselessness, and George feeling guilty for what he has caused. We can learn very little about George through his actual conversations, which made it necessary for Steinbeck to focus the novel on him in particular, and let the reader gain an closer insight on him through his actions. Generally, he seems t o be caring, intelligent and sensible, but is greatly worn by the constant attention Lennie requires. This illustrates a major theme in Of Mice and Men, the dangers that arise when one becomes involved in a dedicated relationship. Despite the frustration that Lennie causes, without him George would probably be a lot like the other men on the ranch; simply roaming the country-side of California looking for work, and although he often prides himself on being different, he sometimes complains, usually after Lennie has caused trouble, and wishes that he could be like a normal guy and not have to live with Lennie’s hindrance. An example of this is seen when George responds sharply to Lennie's constant request for ketchup. "If I was alone I could live so easy†¦no trouble†¦no mess at all.

Brave New World Essay

BNW Rough Draft Morally, the novel: Brave New World by Aldous Huxley is not acceptable to me. The plot, suggestive actions, and even the overall standards in the book do not appeal to me as a reader. One example that demonstrates my dislike for the book, Brave New World, is on (pg 19-20): â€Å"’Bokanovsky’s Process,’ †¦ One egg, one embryo, one adult – normality. †¦ A Bokanovskified egg will bud, will proliferate, will divide. † This instance from chapter one, personally as a reader, makes me dislike the book. I personally don’t like reading about scientific facts; and/or uncanny extraterrestrial-like customs.I think it is just, very plainly, odd. A second reason that shows my dislike for Brave New World is on (pg 88): â€Å"Swallowing †¦ that second dose of soma had raised a quite impenetrable wall between the actual universe and their minds. † This case from Chapter 5 [part 1] is a huge reason why I do not like this p articular novel. Soma is a reference to a perfect drug. Supposedly, there is nothing wrong with it at all, and it makes you completely happy; leaving behind no negative effects whatsoever. I think this is a very bad idea to put into a book due to today’s society of teenagers.Due to the already very enormous number of kids who use drugs, they might become influenced and argue that the characters in BNW can take Soma and not be affected. So then this leaves them to rationalizing that maybe everything will be perfectly satisfactory after consuming a certain drug in the real world. My last instance that shows my disapproval for BNW is how the word ‘Pneumatic’ is used especially by Henry Foster and Benito Hoover to describe what it’s like to have sex with Lenina. She herself remarks that her lovers usually find her â€Å"pneumatic,† patting her legs as she does so.In reference to Lenina it means well-rounded, balloon-like, or bouncy, in reference to her flesh, and in particular her bosom. And the use of this odd word to describe the physical characteristics of both a woman and a piece of furniture underscores the novel’s theme that human sexuality has been degraded to the level of a commodity. Personally, I dislike the very thought that the novel basically revolves around drugs and sex, and being a Junior in High School currently, I don’t really appreciate reading such material.Weird material as such often revolts the attention of the youth. In deduction, the overall content, plot, characters, and drug references make me, as a reader, ill-fated. I personally don’t like the overall message/theme in which it presents either which is that human sexuality has been degraded to the level of a commodity. I just don’t think this is suitable reading material for people like me who are in High School. Let alone, I’m just not that interested in a book with topics like so. Brave New World Essay Brave New World Essay In Aldous Huxley’s novel, Brave New World, the citizens of the World State are bred into specific caste systems. These consist of Alphas, Betas, Gammas, Deltas, and Epsilons. The different caste systems differ from each other in many ways, and have multiple purposes. There are many differences between the different groups in the caste system. Alphas are the most intelligent of them all. They wear the color grey, and are the tallest and most good looking. While developing inside the faux womb, they were given the most oxygen.They usually work as wardens, psychologists (Bernard), Director of hatcheries, and all World Controllers are Alphas. Betas are a little less intelligent then Alphas, but still higher in the caste system. They wear mulberry colored clothing and there jobs consist of mechanics and nurses. Alphas and Betas usually associate with each other. Gammas, Deltas, and Epsilons are in the lower half of the cast system. Gammas wear the color green. They are usually butlers and other jobs that do not consist of much thinking.Deltas wear khaki, and usually are helicopter attendants. The are mass produced and have no individuality. â€Å"Bokanovsky’s Process is one of the major instruments of social stability! † (Huxley, 7). This being said means the the World State does not think individuality is important. Epsilons are on the verge of being morons. They wear black, and received the least amount of oxygen in the womb. They are very stupid and usually press elevator buttons. The purpose of this cast system is that people will be happy with their jobs.An example is that an Alpha would have a job in the medical field, and an Epsilon would have a job pressing buttons. â€Å"Every one works for every one else. We can't do without any one. Even Epsilons are useful. We couldn't do without Epsilons. â€Å"(Huxley, 60). You need every caste system to maintain ‘the perfect World State’. I personally do not th ink that they reflect an aspect of our society today. I think it is just a consequence of the society of the World State. In the end, everyone needs everyone. The Alphas and Betas could not survive with out the Gammas, Deltas, and Epsilons, and vice versa.

Electronic Health Records Essay

The medical and healthcare field is characterized with the cumbersome practice of obtaining and maintaining extensive documentation of patient information. Medical staff, physicians and healthcare practitioners are legally responsible to maintain a comprehensive, efficient as well as effective way to collect, maintain and archive patient information. Traditionally, this process of information collection and maintenance was accomplished manually resulting in an endless paper trail of information. Everything from patient encounters to informational charts to billing was executed in a paper based environment and soon this record keeping method became too overbearing and tedious to manage. The integrity of this manual paper-based process continued to be compromised with issues surrounding the convenience, data mining ability, cost and safety of this method. The advent of new health care disciplines such as nursing, medical technologists and associated health care disciplines, and the emergence of hospitals, infirmaries and clinics as formalized structures of health care delivery expanded the scale of interaction between health care providers and health care consumers. However, in spite of these and associated developments, the tradition of privacy and confidentiality remained. Operationally, the new health care professions were seen as extensions of, and as subsidiary to, the medical profession and similar injunctions concerning privacy and confidentiality applied. (Doyle, 2001) Further, health care decision making continued to centre in the direct and interpersonal relationship between the professional and the client that had characterized it from its very beginning. An important step in the transformation of this scenario occurred with the introduction of electronic means of storing and manipulating patient data. The pace of this transformation was accelerated by the development of advanced computer-based information technology. At first glance, these developments may seem like purely technological improvements: mere steps, as it were, along the road to the greater ease of collecting, storing and manipulating patient data. However, what actually happened was more profound. The advent of electronic means of data storage, retrieval and manipulation facilitated the evolution of health care decision-making structures away from the small-scale immediate-contact model that had characterized medicine and health care from the beginning to a new model that no longer dealt with the physician-patient encounter as sole decision-resource but instead centered on the information package that described and defined the patient from a decision-making perspective. That is to say, considered in one way, the modern electronically based data package that describes the patient can be seen as a mere variation on the traditional package that was paper-based and that involved the manual manipulation of a material medium. From that perspective, electronic records do not differ fundamentally from paper-based records. While electronically based records may be more compact, more easily available, etc. , this is merely a peripheral difference as far as their nature as records is concerned. Therefore in this sense, there is nothing about electronic patient records that in principle makes them different from paper based records. It’s a normal trend for clinical departments to work for years with their own people, budget, and vendors to come up with a method of capturing their patient and billing data electronically, and that personalized method is one definition of an EHR. In actual fact, one point of argument regarding EHRs is simply a question of semantics. There are various definitions for an EHR. At one end of the scale, an EHR includes everything from patient’s past medical history to diet and lifestyle preferences. At the other end, it can be as simple as an e-mail message to a fellow clinician. Our definition of an EHR is simply a repository of clinically important data that may be accessed and searched with relative ease and in a rapid manner. Today, the use of EHR systems has revolutionized the medical field industry by facilitating a more efficient record keeping process and a more effective communication medium for medical personnel to exchange information. Many healthcare personnel now understand the importance and the impact these EHR systems are having on the overall delivery of customer service and the general administration of healthcare. Medical practitioners are constantly faced with challenges including the need to improve the quality of care, adhere to new clinical restrictions and processes, reduce waste and reduce errors. In recent times these challenges have been less of a burden as automated integrated systems help coordinate such process much better. Computerized systems like EHR systems help in reducing the amount of paperwork for medical offices, providing an easier way to access patient information, promoting more uniform delivery of processes and in some respects suggesting appropriate diagnosis and treatment for certain conditions. While the health care information superhighway has brought such benefits as detailed health and medical information and has increased the efficiency of managed care organizations in data collection and analysis, outsiders who have access to patient s’ medical histories are using them as tools of discrimination in employment, promotions, insurance coverage, and even politics. Dr.  Denise Nagel, president of Coalition for Patient Rights of New England, state, â€Å"The traditional right of medical privacy, protected by the Hippocratic Oath, is being eroded as our medical records become transformed into commodities desired by insurers, employers, researchers, and yes, even police. † (Gellman, 2002) She goes on to give the example of a woman, who with only average computer skills, was able to access information about the psychiatric condition from her medical record in an insurance company’s database. Concerned that future employers would obtain it as easily as she had, she requested its removal, but was turned d own by the company (Tobler, 2002). When a confidential list of 4,000 AIDS patients wound up in newsrooms in Tampa, Florida, last year, it was discovered that the computerized medical records had been tapped by a major pharmaceutical company (Bennett, 2002). These examples arouse concern about how private medical data really is. Patients have the right to keep their medical history private for their own protection, but that privacy is increasingly being threatened by the growth of the information superhighway. There would have to be a provision that even for legitimate purposes, the subjects of the records would have to be notified if patients’ records were to be accessed, the reason why they were being accessed, and the extent to which such an intrusion into the privacy of the individual was going to take place. This would have to go hand-in-hand with the right of the subject of the record to challenge the claim that privacy must be breached by the duly empowered social agency. Similar remarks apply to the activities of other duly authorized social institutions. For example, some jurisdictions have started to construct networked data sharing agencies that monitor the filling of medical prescriptions. (Bennett, 2002) The alleged purpose of such a surveillance network is safety: It is to ensure that the prescriptions that are actually being filled for a given patient do not conflict or synergetically interact with each other, or otherwise have a deleterious effect on the patient’s health. Another, ancillary purpose is to control the misuse of drugs, to prevent physician-shopping for multiple prescriptions of controlled substances that are then sold illegally, etc. Specifically, one may distinguish between social harm that would be avoided or minimized and personal harm for the individual patient. If the claim is that societal harm would be minimized by such an intrusion into personal privacy, certain considerations must be borne in mind. First, any action that limits the application of a principle has consequences that extend beyond the immediate action itself. Thus, abandoning the principle of privacy on a given occasion has the tendency to undermine the sense of trust that people have in social institutions and in the maintenance of their rights. Consequently, when such an intrusion for security purposes occurs, care must be taken that the potential harm in undermining confidence in societal protection of individual privacy is outweighed by the harm that it is intended to prevent. Second, the Principle of Equality and Justice would entail that any such abrogation of the individual’s right of privacy must be demonstrably necessary and could not be achieved by a less intrusive course of action. Third, any such abrogation of the individual’s right of privacy would have to be limited in extent, such that it may not go beyond the limits necessary to achieve the otherwise legitimate aims that have been justified by the preceding two considerations. In other words, it must adhere to the principle of the least intrusive alternative. By contrast, intrusions into privacy that focus in the welfare of the individual patient could not be justified in such a fashion. The reason is to be found in the Principle of Non-Malfeasance itself. The core of the Principle of Non-Malfeasance is not simply that harm should be minimized, but harm should be minimized where the nature of that harm is determined not by the agent but by the intended recipient of the action.