The general goal for this term paper is for you to learn to apply concepts from the field of child abuse and neglect to a particular case. This is not a book report, in which you review what happened. It is your job to critically examine what is reported in the book in terms of the material you learn about during the semester.
2. The book is available through amazon.com, and is available in paperback. You should get the book and begin reading it immediately, to get an overall sense of the account. It is likely that you will have to re-read the book as you learn more about the field of child abuse and neglect and begin to apply concepts you have learned to this particular account.
3. You are expected to read at least five additional scholarly articles (from peer-reviewed journals, not from newspapers or magazines), in addition to the assigned readings for this course, in order to complete this paper. These articles should have been published in the last 15 years (i.e. 2004-2019). Course powerpoints are not to be used for this assignment.
4. You will use these outside readings, as well as your required reading and notes from class discussions, to complete the sections of the paper discussed below.
5. You may choose to focus your outside research (scholarly articles) on one or more of the following:ocauses/risk factors for the type of maltreatment you are reading about – Possible instances of neglect, physical, sexual and psychological abuse suffered by the main character/writer and whether abuse/neglect are terms that can be applied to the character’s/writer’s situation. Students are expected to also identify risk factors for abuse/neglect (i.e. temperament, age, Stockholm Syndrome, etc.)o the effects of such maltreatment and/or the sources of resiliency within the child and within the child’s environment o interventions for such maltreatment and/or the missed opportunities for systemic interventions (police, school, neighbors, etc.).
6. Papers will include sections consistent with the above requirements or they may include three sections: Introduction (including the introduction of the topic and the causes and risk factors for maltreatment), the second section which should highlight the impact and effects of maltreatment described in the book, and the third section which should include the interventions and/or the missed opportunities for effective intervention. These three sections are described below in detail:
7. This first section focuses on introducing the maltreatment described in the book and the characteristics of maltreatment. This section should include the following information:
Full book citation (author, name of book, publisher, date of publication) in APA-style. Identification of the writer as the child victim, a therapist, or someone to whom the story was told. Identification of the child: sex, ages covered in the book, cultural group, socioeconomic status, family constellation (e.g., mother, grandparents, 3 children), living circumstances covered in the book. Characteristics of Maltreatment:Identify the types of maltreatment described in the book (neglect, physical, sexual, psychological). Give specific examples. You must be thorough and identify all of the types of maltreatment discussed in the book.Discuss the role of family and community risk factors that played a role in the child maltreatment. Your discussion should include references to the journal articles that you have found, as well as to the required readings. . When identifying the types of maltreatment, you must also provide a description of each, with appropriate citations from the literature and/or textbook.
8. The second section of your paper focuses on the impact of maltreatment and should include the following information: Impact of Maltreatment. Discuss the impact that the maltreatment had on the child. Think about the way the child behaved and thought. Think about symptoms the child reports or that you identify based on what the book describes. Discuss the cycle of violence and resilience. Is this child likely to go on to maltreat children or not? Is this child likely to have long-term problems in adulthood? What factors can you identify that are likely to lead down one road or the other? Be sure to examine evidence of strengths in the child, in the family, and in the environment that might be the bases of resiliency. Discuss and identify the sources of resilience in the child. What internal (e.g. child’s temperament) or external factors (e.g. sources of support to the child) contributed to the child’s survival Your discussion should include references to the journal articles that you have found, as well as to the required readings.
9. The third section of your paper focuses on the opportunities for intervention. In the final section, you will discuss: Opportunities for Intervention and Missed Opportunities. Discuss whether there were opportunities for helping people to become involved that were never taken or opportunities for helping people to become involved earlier than they did if they eventually became involved. Discuss why those opportunities were lost. Were there mandated reporters who failed to report? If so, why do you think they did not do this? If helpers eventually became involved, discuss what factors seem to have been present that made those helpers available and made them act. Use a systemic approach in this discussion focusing not only on the child’s close circle, but also on the familial, social, legislative, etc. layers that were/ or were not effective in rescuing the child.
Your discussion should include references to the journal articles that you have found, as well as to the required readings.
