Child Endangerment

"Child Endangerment" Pg. 2

Child endangerment is a real issue anywhere. In the grand scale of things there are a lot of different ways to endanger the welfare of children. If violence is allowed in the home, or drugs perhaps, is that not shaping and molding a pattern for our future generations. If social services implemented a policy to take children from their homes after the parents/guardians commit one infraction, I believe it would be both positive and negative.

Let's face it, children learn more from their parents' demeanor and actions. It is subtle sometimes, and others are like Xerox copies. Morally, the police have an obligation to protect and serve. So on a domestic violence call, an officer has a moral and ethical code to keep children safe from their parents. They must get social services involved to prevent the children from being harmed. Another positive note is that this will not be passed on to them hopefully, that way the pattern doesn't pass on to their children as well. Children who have been exposed to family violence suffer symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder, such as bed-wetting or nightmares, and were at greater risk than their peers of having allergies, asthma, gastrointestinal problems, headaches and flu. In addition, women who experience physical abuse as children are at a greater risk of victimization as adults. Many often suffer from depression, obesity, and have a much greater chance of becoming pregnant as a teenager. Men who as children witnessed their parents' domestic violence were twice as likely to abuse their own wives as sons of nonviolent parents. (NOW, 2012) Child services then can make the parents attend anger management classes and learn to control themselves in a better manner, keeping the child safe and ending a pattern of violence.

"Child Endangerment" Pg. 3

Drugs in the household are another key issue. This has been a problem on our society for many decades now. Addicts neglect and abuse their children, due to their incompetence as parents. They could spend all of their money on the drugs so there is no food in the house. They could become erratic creating a chaotic environment for children. Disease is common among drug addicts as well, which could be unknowingly passed to children. It is important to also remember that these traits are also passed on through generations of addicts. Ethically and morally, social services must make an attempt to keep the children safe from these types of people. Violent people and drug addicts are just a different version of a horrible monster no child should be exposed to. With help and rehabilitation, I believe that these people could get on the right track for their childrens sake.

The wellbeing of children is the most important issue, with that said, it is very important to remember what the parents are exposing them too. One drunken driving charge could change a lot for a family, and could rip a child from their home and their loved ones. It is a little extreme if the child was not in the vehicle, and was not put into danger directly. It really depends on the charge given, whether or not the children should be taken away by social services. This could cause serious ramifications down the road, and initiate a public backlash. When families are concerned there is a lot of different parties involved, and what is best for the child may not be with social services. A grandparent or other family member should be notified and given the opportunity to take them in if necessary.

That brings up another key issue. What if only one parent is guilty of committing a

"Child Endangerment" Pg. 4

crime? Should that parent be displaced and given an ultimatum? Either the guilty party moves out and attends rehabilitation, or the child is taken into custody. This could cause major problems for government institutions including welfare,