Post University Future Prospects in Counseling Psychology in Enlightening Responses

One knew that human service professionals are advocates and should constantly seek to further their competency. One did not know until this course module about think tanks and policy frameworks. Think tanks fight for every cause, and even if the professional does not benefit or agree with a think tank, they can share information from heritage or urban.org to clients that will benefit (Karger & Stoesz, 2017). Going to public events and hearing speakers about a cause one is not passionate about adds to their competency. Policy frameworks objectively explain and weigh a policy’s impact on others (2017). Finding an analysis helps professionals know if their clients will have added stress or benefits they qualify for and needs to see the analysis. Lastly, they have learned just how powerful the rich are. The rich choose any treatment with their coverage, while the poor lack options (2017). The rich can privatize any organization or campaign, making it harder to overcome corruption because the means rely on benefactors.

Reference: Karger, H. J., & Stoesz, D. (2017). American Social Welfare Policy (8th Edition). Pearson Education (US). https://bookshelf.vitalsource.com/books/9780134543468

Class,

As a future counseling and human services provider, the scope of this line of work covers such areas as counseling, human services, rehabilitation, and social work. These services are provided to individuals or groups in collaboration with experts such as mental health practitioners and involve counseling, daily living skills training, organizing group activities, and report preparation. It also involves advocacy for individuals to government and local service providers and referral of clients to appropriate facilities. It is, therefore, essential to have a thorough knowledge and access to the relevant legislature that surrounds these issues.

The National Congress of State Legislatures (NCSL) website is essential for such information. One relevant and exciting aspect based on the future line of work is the human services legislation. The NCSL website provides a comprehensive, in-depth collection of human services legislation and policies and a forum where questions on various policies are addressed (NCSL, 2022). Such information is essential as it guides the counselor when assisting clients in diverse situations. For example, the human services section explains why foster care in family-based settings is more successful than in congregate facilities.

The second aspect of interest relevant to this line of work is the legislative news page that updates state policy and politics. One can stay informed on the changes in policy or enactment of new laws that affect counseling and human services. For example, the current news page has an NSCL feature report on the state’s approach to ensure safe pregnancies through prenatal care (NCSL, 2020). The report covers care models, state-level solutions, and available policy solutions. Such information is essential when dealing with clients in such a situation.

References

National Conference of State Legislatures (NCSL). (2020). Legislative News, studies and analysis. Ncsl.org; National Conference of State Legislatures (NCSL). https://www.ncsl.org/

National Conference of State Legislatures (NCSL). (2022). Human services legislation and legislative news from NCSL. Ncsl.org; National Conference of State Legislatures (NCSL). https://www.ncsl.org/research/human-services.aspx

Professor/Class,

According to an NBC News analysis, the number of reported cases of child abuse has significantly decreased during the coronavirus pandemic. Experts are worried that the drop in abuse could be an unseen spike. Data collected by NBC News showed that the number of reported cases of child abuse and neglect dropped by almost 40 percent in April 2020. The experts attributed the decrease in reporting to the school closures caused by the coronavirus pandemic Ingram (2020). They also noted that the economic stresses caused by the coronavirus outbreak could have increased the risk of child abuse. Child advocates and researchers noted that the lack of clarity around the nature of the epidemic has added urgency to efforts to improve the system’s effectiveness. Steven Olender of the Children’s Defense Fund said that the system is now reacting to situations instead of focusing on providing the necessary support and resources to help families Ingram (2020).

Based on data from 2019 to 2020, the monthly totals of child abuse reports decreased by about 14 percent in March, 40.6 percent in April, and 35.1 percent in May. During the outbreak, many schools across the US were temporarily closed. Many of these were required to close within the next couple of weeks. By the end of the week, about half of the country’s states had implemented shelter-in-place orders. Studies suggested that the uptick in unemployment was connected to an increase in the number of child abuse reports. A study conducted in June suggested that the pandemic caused by the coronavirus might have led to a spike in child abuse reports. The report of suspected abuse increased among those who were reported Ingram (2020).

During the first two months of the outbreak, pediatricians reported an increase in the number of cases of severe injuries and fatalities. A three-year-old Texas boy was rushed to a hospital on April 10 with fractures in his ribs, arms, and brain. Then, about two days later, the child died due to the effects of abuse. In total, nine kids were admitted to a hospital within the next couple of days due to the same injuries. Five children from Fort Worth died at a hospital after suffering fatal injuries. One of them was Amari Boone, who died at the hospital. The foster parents of Amari brought him to the hospital after he was severely injured. He was on life support until his condition worsened Ingram (2020).

His death was ruled a homicide. However, the case is still under investigation. Kiceshi Iaymon, the grandmother of Amari, blamed his foster parents for his death. However, Deon Foley, one of his foster caregivers, disputed the allegations. After the number of child abuse reports dropped in the US, calls to a national hotline spiked Ingram (2020). The Child help service, which is not affiliated with social welfare agencies, received over 30 percent more calls in March, April, and May. According to Child help’s executive director Andrew Young, the number of calls received increased due to the increasing number of people experiencing sexual and verbal abuse. Although the number of child abuse reports decreased, it was still higher than the total reports submitted by the agencies. An analysis conducted by NBC News noted that the reports involving more serious cases still remained the same Ingram (2020).

Due to the complexity of investigations, it can take months for agencies to gather enough information about the number of cases of child abuse. Due to the lack of information about the epidemic of abuse, caseworkers are forced to shift their attention toward prevention instead of intervention. Melissa Merrick, the head of Prevent Child Abuse America, said that changing the systems could help prevent child abuse. In 2018, a law was passed that allowed states to divert their child welfare funds toward prevention programs instead of intervention. This benefit can help prevent kids from being removed from their homes Ingram (2020).

Although the law has been implemented, some programs, such as those that deal with childcare, are not eligible to receive funding. Experts believe these types of programs can help prevent child abuse. A study conducted by Merrick revealed that increasing the minimum wage reduced the number of reports of child abuse. Richard Wexler, an advocate for child welfare reform, said that focusing on the issue of poverty can help prevent child abuse. With the rise of the pandemic, agencies are forced to tighten their budgets. This is why it is important that the federal government provides funds for child welfare prevention programs Ingram (2020).

Another strategy to prevent child abuse is to expand the reach of mandatory reporters by reaching out to other agencies and programs that can help families. Amy Templeman and Brian Olender noted that teachers and other individuals can also help avoid placing children in danger by reaching out to food banks or home visitation services. Amari’s grandmother, Iaymon, said that her grandson could have been saved if the authorities had acted swiftly after he was taken in by foster parents. According to the Department of Family and Protective Services, it conducted background checks on the individuals who were supposed to care for the child. However, it declined to confirm or deny reports that home visits were conducted in the weeks preceding the child’s death Ingram (2020).

References

Ingram, J. (2020, July 26). Has child abuse surged under COVID-19? Despite alarming stories from ERs, there is no answer. Https://Www.Nbcnews.Com/Health/Kids-Health/Has-Child-Abuse-Surged-under-Covid-19-despite-Alarming-Stories-N1234713. https://www.nbcnews.com/health/kids-health/has-chi…

One feels that people will regret a policy the less they benefit from it. Even if statistics show how effective it is, people will not care about policies that do not directly affect them (Trattner, 2007). For example, businesses’ covid relief and recovery policies will look back with mixed reviews. Depending on how some operations thrived before covid-19, gaining service contracts either grew or broke even after payouts (Sunio et al., 2022). Some may like that their local businesses got help to stay open, and others will not like money being used on businesses that closed down over families. The business that lacked profits may not appreciate the policies that helped them. However, policies like paternity leave will be reviewed with praise. Paternity leaves make other businesses competitive with benefits, making them reconsider family in the workplace and returning women’s work benefits (FT.com, 2022).

References: Is paternity leave the key to workplace equality? (2022, March 2). Www.ft.com. https://www.ft.com/content/9cd2d174-c7e1-426d-8740-1b0404a57b02

Sunio, V., Joseph Li, W., Pontawe, J., Dizon, A., Bienne Valderrama, J., & Robang, A. (2022). Service contracting as a policy response for public transport recovery during the Covid-19 Pandemic: A preliminary evaluation. Transportation research interdisciplinary perspectives, 13, 100559. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8828415/

Trattner, W. I. (2007). From Poor Law to Welfare State, 6th Edition. Simon & Schuster. https://bookshelf.vitalsource.com/books/9781416593188