Task 1 Outline All the reasons why children might need to be ‘looked after’ outside the family.
Abuse- If a child is being abused at home by their primary carers and the local authorities find out then the child will have to be taken into care to protect their safety and to give them a better life.
Tom is 10 years old and when he comes home from school he is often too tired to wash the dishes that his parents leave building up from the previous day. When he refuses to wash up his parents will shout at him and then proceed to hit him with whatever comes to hand. I would use compulsory care order for this case study as Tom's parents are breaking the law in a severe manner which means that drastic action needs to be taken.
Neglect- If a child is being neglected, both mentally and physically then their primary care givers are failing to function adequately. This means that the child is in danger of being malnourished, or having physiological problems in the future.
Charlotte is a 5 year old. She often gets meals at school however, when she returns home to her filthy house ridden with disease and vermin, she has no food for the rest of the day. She is severely thin and has scabs all over her body. I would use compulsory care order as Charlotte is being mistreated and it doesn't look like her mum is prepared to admit she can't look after her. Also, Charlotte's state is extremely alarming an she needs drastic action to be taken.
Ill parent- If a child lives with an ill parent then they may have to be taken into care due to the fact their parents are unable to be look after the child or even themselves. A small child is not capable of looking after themselves.
Mark is a 12 year old boy. His dad suffers from Crone's disease which means he is often to ill to look after mark- cooking, cleaning etc. Mark often tries to help his dad as and when he can however, this is not always the case as the demands his dad requires often prove to much for him. Mark has started falling behind in school, the house is becoming a mess and he often returns to school in unwashed clothes. I would use a voluntary care order as Mark's dad knows he cannot look after him and Mark is also aware that he cannot go on living like this.
Death/ Bereavement- If a child has lost their mum due to a terrible incident then they may have no one to look after them. This means they may have to be looked after by extended family, foster or local authority care due to the fact they cannot look after themselves.
Billy is a 10 yea old boy. He has recently lost his mum as she was in a terrible car accident. He now has no one to look after him. Therefore, he has to go live with his uncle and he has to move to a different city leaving his friends. This is a big change for him. I would use a compulsory care order as people around Billy may be unsure of what to do therefore people with experience, the local authorities, will be able to step in and help.
Disability- If a child has a disability their parents may not be able to cope with the needs of the child due to many environmental factors such as, stress of work, responsibilities of other children etc. This means that the child will have to be taken into care so that they can receive the necessary care they need in order to live an adequate life. On the other hand, if the child's parents have a disability this means they are not self dependant. Therefore, they can't look after themselves never mind a child. So the child will have to be taken into care as they cannot look after themselves.
Katie is a 8 year old girl. She has down's syndrome and her parents are unable to cope with her needs as they have just had another baby and her dad is away for 6days out of the week for work. Her mum is young and is suffering from postnatal depression with the new baby. Katie is not receiving the full attention and care which she requires. I would use a voluntary care order as Katie is not in a bad state and her parents know that