The social learning theory posits that individuals commit crimes following exposure to processes that perpetuate incidences of crimes to conform. This realization implies that people are motivated to participate in crimes after witnessing similar incidences for an extended period. In contrast, individuals’ predisposition to commit a crime depends upon the interaction between cognition, behavior, and environmental aspects. Therefore, the theory draws on symbolic interactionism established through works of theorists such as George Herbert. A strategy to manage child endangerment resulting from substance abuse is subject to potential ethical/moral issues.
Ethics/Moral Issues Associated with the Proposed Policy to Prevent Child Endangerment
Firstly, the tragedy of child abuses and neglect attracts public attention. However, there lacks a conceptual framework because of the fragmentation of research to support the effectiveness of strategies to intervene against negligent parents, especially those depended on drugs. Notably, both the short term and long term consequences of treatment and prevention of substance abuse requires a unique system approach to evaluating interventions ( Baldwin-White, 2016 ). Consequently, ethics or moral issues that characterize processes to remove children from violent families and negligent parents with substance abuse history serve to strengthen the infrastructure that supports human resources. Supposedly, central questions on the effectiveness of the scheme pertain to the relationship between deficient parenting and substance dependency ( Snoek & Horstkötter, 2018 ). Morally, it is debatable as to whether grandparents or individuals that are to provide alternative parenting to neglected children would provide a suitable home for affected children, given their tendency to abuse drugs, following their history with substance use ( Snoek & Horstkötter, 2018) . Preceding evidence suggests that addiction is untreatable, while there is little consensus about items that need to be considered as problematic or irresponsible substance abuse, to imply that a distinction cannot be made between substance use or dependency and individuals’ ability to rear children. Therefore, the policy could be discriminating on others and equally endangers the lives of those involved in identifying subjects that are being affected, without objectively considering the effects of substance abuse on individuals and their parenting skills as well.
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Potential Ramifications of Removing Children from their Parents
The potential ramification of removing children from their parents draws on the psychological effects they are likely to endure in the absence of their parents, including distress. Separating children from their parents for an extended period causes stress and equally removes their primary mechanism for coping with stressful situations ( Seijo et al., 2016 ). Consequently, separating children from their parents in favor of institutionalized care could worsen their situations, thus rendering the policy unethical- coupled by the fact that research on the relationship between substance abuse and parenting ability is inconclusive.
To determine the positive and negative impacts of a policy that advocate for the removal of children from families that exhibit violent behavior as a result of substance abuse requires an understanding of the core parenting knowledge, attitudes, and practices. The resulting expertise should allow policymakers to prioritize on items for investment to provide ideal conditions for success in advocating for the overall welfare of affected children ( Seijo et al., 2016, p. 1611 ). Early interactions between parents and children tend to have a long-lasting effect on children’s development. Children’s ability to thrive and ensure their survival and protection from physical and emotional injuries is voided by a lack of care. In contrast, young children rely on parents to act as their ambassadors ( Härkönen, Bernardi, & Boertien, 2017 ). Parents and caregivers should, therefore act on behalf of children to protect their safety and health as both emotive and functional protections are essential to the holistic development of children and must be done in accordance with the law.
Secondly, children need care as it encourages constructive psychological health and overall wellbeing to be able to cope with stressful situations. Therefore, parents and caregivers provide vital resources for children in dealing and dealing with emotional arousals as they provide positive affirmation by conveying love and respect, thereby contributing towards minimizing the risk of internalizing behaviors such as depression and anxiety ( Härkönen, Bernardi, & Boertien, 2017, p. 168 ). Therefore, the objectiveness of the policy and its impacts on the society and families depend upon the ramification that affected children suffer after their removal from their homes.
Thirdly, children with necessary social competence can develop and maintain a positive relation with others, though their social competence is depended on other areas of development. However, individuals’ social competence includes a range of presocial behaviors, which further affects their success in both academic and non-academic settings, as fostered by parents and alternative caregivers ( Härkönen, Bernardi, & Boertien, 2017, p. 165 ). Additionally, children’s cognitive competence equally determines their level of success in school and the world at large, whereas a stimulating, challenging, and supportive environment is prerequisite to developing such skills.
Outcomes of Child Separation on the Society and Family
The outcome of child separation on the society and family furnished by the foregoing knowledge provides the context for considering the range of parenting experience, practices, and attitudes to support them and therefore reveals the impact of implementing a policy to remove children from their parents. Parenting knowledge refers to individuals’ predisposition to facts, information, and skills acquired through education or by experience in understanding the concept of parenting ( Perron, 2018 ). Attitudes describe the viewpoints, reactions, and perspectives that highlight aspects of parenting ( Perron, 2018, p. 52 ). Practices represent approaches and behaviors that support childrearing ( Perron, 2018, p. 53 ). Therefore, the implementation of the policy precludes existing knowledge, attitudes, and practices known to foster healthy children growth and development. This realization draws on the fact that the three components intertwine and are reciprocal, both theoretically and empirically, as they bidirectionally inform one another.
Parents must develop knowledge in a wide range of developmental milestones and norms to help keep their children safe and healthy and must equally be aware of the social systems that support parenting, not to mention practices that influence positive outcomes. Therefore, the act of removing children from their original homes exposes them to unconventional structures, which then contributes towards changing the societal understanding of parenting, by eroding existing cultures, ultimately informing on untried practices parenting ( Perron, 2018, p. 55 ). In summary, a shift from normative parenting standards could destabilize the fabrics that hold families together and could also encourage practices that does not guarantee healthy development and wellbeing of children and the entire society.
Justifications for the Implementation of the Policy to prevent Child Endangerment
This study confirms that the reinforcement of social learning includes observation of behavior, rewards, and punishment. The assertion that people acquire new behaviors, especially those qualified as vices through imitation holds true. This notwithstanding, critics of social learning posit that the generalization of concepts of social learning presents a problem associated with simplistic reasoning in that increased association with eccentric characters precludes the fact that the idea could be misinterpreted to favor excuses for criminal conduct through mechanisms of punishment and rewards and could also disadvantage specific individuals. In the context of this undertaking, the board that proposed for the adoption of a policy to aid in combating, instead of preventing children endangerment based on the concept of social learning was misinterpreted, hence misrepresented. Any strategy to separate children from their parent is unwelcome as the ramifications for such are dire. Empirical evidence drawn from cases where children have been separated from parents show that a majority of children end up disoriented and non-functional. Therefore, more research ought to be conducted on the subject to reveal further information that could help address aspects relating to violent parents without interfering with the normative standards of parenting, mainly because children are the most affected party.
References
Baldwin-White, A. (2016). Psychological distress and substance abuse counselors: An exploratory pilot study of multiple dimensions of burnout. Journal of Substance Use , 21 (1), 29-34. https://doi.org/10.3109/14659891.2014.949316.
Härkönen, J., Bernardi, F., & Boertien, D. (2017). Family dynamics and child outcomes: An overview of research and open questions. European Journal of Population , 33 (2), 163-184.
Perron, N. C. (2018). The four Cs of parenting: Applying key counseling concepts for raising healthy children across countries, cultures, and families. The Family Journal , 26 (1), 48-55. https://doi.org/10.1177%2F1066480717753014.
Seijo, D., Fariña, F., Corras, T., Novo, M., & Arce, R. (2016). Estimating the epidemiology and quantifying the damages of parental separation in children and adolescents. Frontiers in psychology , 7 , 1611.
Snoek, A., & Horstkötter, D. (2018). Ethical issues in research on substance‐dependent parents: The risk of implicit normative judgements by researchers. Bioethics , 32 (9), 620-627. https://doi.org/10.1111/bioe.12514.
