Child Protection Scenario Risk and Safety Assignment Sample

Biopsychosocial Needs and Resilience In Child Welfare

Q.1 Assessment Of Risk And Safety Concerns?

Emergent Safety Issues

There are several safety issues that are raised by the scenario involving Alex, and these warrant immediate action. The first issue can be found in the episode when Josh provided Alex with the condom and then showed her how to use it. It’s also very improper and may be a sign of grooming or sexual abuse. Josh wanted to keep this a special friendship secret, and this is especially worrisome because he may continue and further abuse his wife. Furthermore, Alex defines Josh as a ‘friend’ she trusts because her mother depends on him; this is a sign of a child at risk of further abuse.

Other potential customer risks arising from the Tiffany business environment concern substance abuse by the company. Tiffany suffers from a drug and alcohol problem, which, combined with her ability to become incredibly sick and therefore unable to properly monitor Alex, puts the child at risk of neglect and unsafe settings (Tiffany, 2022). This risk has been compounded by their high mobility and poor shelter, such as couch hopping, which exposes Alex to uncertain and insecure conditions that can place him in contact with people like Josh.

Besides, the inability to provide Alex with a stable, secure, and supportive environment also increases her vulnerability. Again, lack of contact with her biological father, lack of paternal figure or any authoritative male figure in her life means that Alex lacks some of the protective factors that could so to an extent offset some of the risks that she faces (Mooney, 2022).

Concerns in Relation to Duty of Care

In the capacity of a student counsellor or social worker, the focus is to protect the welfare of Alex in as much as to support him. This includes the process of recognition, evaluation, and recording of risks or potential threats or harm as provided by the child protection laws. The responsibility to safeguard Alex from harm requires the social worker to take all measures that can be seen as preventing Alex from imminent harm, and this, in this case, means reporting to child protective services.

Considering the nature of the concerns, particularly sexual abuse, there is a clear demand to take action. As provided by Australian law, any reasonable suspicion or evidence of child abuse or neglect should be made to the child protection authorities forthwith (Webb et al., 2021). In light of this, as a student counsellor, some procedures should be followed within the educational or social work institution, and these may entail reporting the incident to the immediate supervisor or any other senior personnel.

Safety and Risk Management within the Scope of My Position

As a student counsellor, handling these safety and risk concerns means that it is a complex process (Blake, 2020). First of all, it is crucial to report the report to the child protection services. It is the most vital step to ensure that Alex does not fall victim to further harm or anyone preying on her. Further, it is crucial to help and support Tiffany despite the student counsellor’s limited abilities to do so (Tevis et al., 2021). This may involve supporting her to engage with substance use treatment, helping her to move to safer accommodation and encouraging her to rebuild her relationships with her support network, for example, her mother in Port Pirie. Although these actions can be considered as non-counselling interventions, they are vital in handling other aspects which are equally important in the life of Alex as far as his safety is concerned.

Also, in the course of the counselling process, the counsellor should ensure that he or she establishes a good working relationship with both Alex and Tiffany. This would enable the gathering of more information about the situation of the couple, offering some emotional support to the partner of Alex and persuading them to do things that will protect Alex (Stanley & Markman, 2020). This paper also aims to be cognizant of the fact that there are certain measures that should not be taken when in the student counsellor role due to the professional boundaries and/or competencies set by the institution overseeing the student counsellor.

Q.2 Assessment Of Biopsychosocial Needs?

Physical And Social Condition Of Alex

Alex is an 8-year-old girl, and at the moment, Alex is in a poor condition because she lives in an unstable environment, her mother has substance abuse problems and the recent incident with Josh, who is a friend of her mother. To meet Alex’s biopsychosocial needs, one has to address her physical, mental, social and emotional status (Roberts, 2023).

Physical Health

Alex’s physical well-being is threatened in part because of her housing status, with which she has been struggling for the past three months (Roberts, 2023), living from one friend’s or family member’s couch to another. This lack of stable housing probably implies that she might not be able to have regular meals, wash properly, or even seek medical care. Furthermore, the situation with Josh brings into question possible physical aggression or neglect, which is dangerous for her physically.

Mental Health

Alex’s mental health is also a very big issue to be discussed. Becoming a victim of her mother’s erratic behaviour and living in a home where her mother is often inebriated, as well as experiencing frequent changes in living arrangements, makes her feel insecure, anxious and frightened. The fact that Josh does not disclose information about the condom incident can also be problematic in that it may lead to other forms of conflict, feelings of guilt and misconstrued messages regarding boundaries and relationships (Ashford et al., 2020).

Social Health

Alex’s social health is poor due to the many changes that are going on in her life (Ashford et al., 2020). It hinders her social development since it will affect her ability to make friends and to sustain them, since she is always on the move.

Emotional Health

Cognitively, Alex should be feeling very overwhelmed and emotionally, he is most likely feeling a lot of strain. This might create a rather unstable and tense environment in which she may not receive the love and care she needs from a stable parental figure (Smith, 2021). Further, owing to Alex’s age, she may not trust her mother’s decision, which will only worsen her feelings of betrayal and confusion.

Issues Surrounding Representing Needs

All the needs of Alex, which are the physical, emotional and socio-developmental, are in one way or the other connected with the problems in the environment. One of them is her mother Tiffany’s substance abuse problem which plays a crucial role in their lives (Martin et al., 2021). Tiffany’s addiction may have a hand in the current volatility of their living situation as well as her decision-making in regard to friends like Josh, and her lack of ability to ensure that Alex is well cared for.

A further factor is that Tiffany has a history of abusive relationships with men. It may have also desensitised Alex to unhealthy relationships and unsafe environments thereby increasing the risk to her significantly. Also, the main character Tiffany has her own traumatic childhood and adolescent experience that might interfere with her parenting skills, which makes her to engage in the cycle of neglect and child abuse.

Explaining Alex’s Needs Using Ecological Systems Theory

In the light of Bronfenbrenner’s Ecological Systems Theory, Alex’s development can be comprehended in relation to her environment, interactions with other systems and the overall culture (El Zaatari & Maalouf, 2022). The microsystem that has to do with her relationship with her mother and her mother’s friends is also chaotic and possibly detrimental to Alex’s health. The mesosystem, which can comprise the interactions that she has with schools, healthcare givers and other family members, seems to be unfavourable or even absent, thus preventing Alex from accessing much-needed support systems.

Basic Needs and Child-Centred Principles

In this assessment, it is important to take into account the developmental aspect of the children and young people. As for Alex, who is 8 years old, he is in a very sensitive age where he needs to have stability, security and be surrounded by positive role models. Child-centred principles require that the environment be developed in a way that would enhance the physical, emotional, and social development of the child. Specifically for Alex, that entails focusing on her safety, making sure that she is in a safe and healthy environment and treating her for the trauma that she has probably gone through.

Q.3 Resilience and protective factors?

Primary Prevention: Protective Factors and Capacity for Resilience

Risk and resilience Resources For today’s Discussion: Adverse experiences are those which are likely to result in adverse outcomes, whereas protective factors are favourable features in the individuals, families or communities (Zamir, 2021). Turning to the individual arenas of Alex’s life, the eagerness to help and protect her can be offset by:

Protective Factors for Alex

1. Nanna’s Support: In the Dennis's life one of the major sources of strength that has protected Alex is her nanna. Alex’s ECEC Worm narrative tells several key focuses in the context of summer holidays where she is depicted to spend most of her time with her nanna most likely giving her the much-needed boost of stability. Concerning vitality, Alex has a haven in Nanna’s home and a positive model of an adult person in Nanna’s person.
2. Connection with School: It is important to note that the fact that Alex is 8 years old suggests that he goes to school but this fact is not contained in the given scenario. Education is a force that can act as a protective factor; schools mean daily routine, schedule, and the presence of people who can help the child (Austin et al., 2020). The positive experiences a student has at school, for instance, interaction with teachers and students, can at least mitigate the unstable home environment she has.
3. Innate Resilience: In particular, children like Alex are endowed with a certain in-born immunity to certain situations in terms of exploit development (Anomaly, 2024). That she was able to build and sustain friendships, however erroneous this time, as was evident in her interaction with adult persons such as Josh indicates that she is well capable of possing and seeking relationships. Tiffany’s Aspiration for Education: Tiffany’s willingness to go to university can be considered a hidden positive asset since she made the statement even in her current circumstances. It can also enhance Tiffany’s self-esteem, provide her with a productive role in life, and perhaps help stabilise both Tiffany’s and Alex’s lives.

Family Resilience and Strengths

1. Tiffany’s Relationship with Her Mother: Another possible source of resilience that Tiffany has is her relationship with her mother, Dianne. Nurses like Dianne might have the aptitude and tools that might be vital in helping Tiffany and Alex emotionally and in other areas of their lives.
2. Social Connections: Tiffany may lack the social relationships and the contacts are rather limited and conflicted due to her situation, still the fact that she has two best friends for years is a strength.

Holistic Assessment: Biosocial Determinants

Social Factors

The irregularity of Alex’s living conditions, and the dangers that stem from her mother’s behaviour, are social problems. Nonetheless, the fact that her grandmother remains a constant, the possibility of the school environment being a safe and healthy place, as well as the prospect of reintroducing Tiffany to her social context can be used as a means of constructing resilience. The society services that encompass child protection and family support services might also help in reducing risks that are faced and at the same time help in building resilience by availing counselling services, housing among other necessities (Bekaert et al., 2021).

Biological Factors

As for the notion of biological and health problems, there are no References to these aspects in the novel with respect to Alex; however, thinking of her prolonged condition in the given environment, one has to mention the negative consequences for her physical and psychological health. This is half-baked with chronic stress and instability during childhood, affecting brain growth and general health. Teenage pregnancy and a child’s poor development have thus been found to be the adverse effects of stress, hence the need to employ stemming measures that will protect the child from stress and ensure that he/she exercises good health (Morgan et al., 2022).