Child abuse occurs when the caregiver endangers a child by afflicting him or her sexually, physically, emotionally or by neglect. The negative effects of abuse on children cannot be underestimated. However, there are legal aspects that have been pronounced in various regions of the world to deter this practice of child abuse. Child abuse is common in virtually all cultures globally, bringing about both moral and ethical concerns to the society (Snoek & Horstkötter, 2018; Vaughn, 2016) . This paper will determine and elaborate the possible ethical and moral concerns that could come up by Anytown’s Department of Job and Family Services adoption of the new policy. Secondly, there will be a discussion and identification of the negative and positive effects the implementation of the new policy may bring. Finally, it will also be significant to determine if Anytown’s Department of Job and Family Services utilization of the social learning theory in preparing and rolling out the new policy could have been misinterpreted or implemented incorrectly. Consequently, it will be clear whether or not it is feasible to adopt the new policy in terms of its relevance to homes and particularly the children. Not long ago, Anytown’s Department of Job and Family Services adopted a new policy. The new policy specified that a child in any home with even one documented offense that relate to abuse, drugs or violence will be taken away from the caregivers until the lawbreaker is declared free from any wrongdoing for at least half a year (Snoek & Horstkötter, 2018) . There are mixed reactions towards this new policy, with many supporting its implementation as others castigate it. Those on the proposition side do not consider the fact that suddenly relocating a child from their home of residence to a different environment may expose them to psychological challenges. The demands of the new policy disfavor both the careless caregivers and the children who they have abused. On the other side of the policy, the offender is given a chance and a proper support system that enables them to be a productive citizen in times to come, with the child being brought to safety. An appropriate step should be considered to protect or translocate the child from harmful behavior, as they are likely to adopt the same tendencies as they mature to adulthood (Meysen & Kelly, 2018) . Ultimately, the children could be grouped as aggressive as they are susceptible to misbehaving in the classrooms. They are either bullying their colleagues, performing poorly in class and possibly may end up engaging in deviant activities. A study that involved 1575 scenarios (909 with records and 666 with no records on abuse or being neglected) indicated that even though several people in both categories had not being convicted before, the abuse or neglect on the child increased their likelihood of them being arrested as juveniles and for brutal crimes when they mature (Snoek & Horstkötter, 2018) . Some scholars also indicate that the new policy was designed to particularly focus on needy families and communities, and communities that are characterized by increased criminal activities. Nonetheless, as much as child abuse and neglect is closely linked to these groups, any home that has a child can still be affected. To only restrict child abuse tendencies to be prevalent among low income earning homes is to be ignorant of the facts. The essence of the new policy is so that irrespective of the financial position of homes or environments, children are safe from being abused and maltreated. Some critics of the policy will insist that it infringes the privacy of the occurrences of the home such that children should be owned just in the same way businesses and properties are (Snoek & Horstkötter, 2018) . However, if such occurrences within the confines of homes are exposed and the law enforcement officers are involved, then the same become a state matter. The state takes cognizance of the concern that may be termed as an abuse or neglect of a child, and provides security for the child’s welfare and eliminate any possible danger he or she could be exposed to. The impacts, either positive or negative, will be attributed to the children affected in most cases. Familial violence has a destructive impact to those that have participated in it, for example, the children that could have witnessed the victimization process. They may not have been directly victimized, but psychologically they will be tortured by that event. Developments in neuroscience as well as child development have confirmed that the emotional disturbances that the children display when they exposed to any form of violence in the homes challenges their potential to grow cognitively and emotionally (Snoek & Horstkötter, 2018) . They could travel with the scars both physically and emotional even to their adulthood. The implementation of the new policy is therefore significant as it will enable children be isolated from such circumstances and from homes that are violent. Vaughn (2016) elaborates that the parents or caregivers are even given the chance to transform their nuisance behaviors through the treatment processes. Nevertheless, if the home has not record on offence against them, the new policy may be not be implemented in anyone’s defense. The awareness of the existence of the policy can prompt the parents or caregivers with the tendencies to abuse, to seek for treatment if they fear acting in a destructive way to their loved ones. Anytown’s Department of Job and Family Services preparation and adoption of the new policy incorporated the social learning theory in its implementation process. Admittedly, the theory might have been misinterpreted or not correctly implemented. The social learning theory is the perspective that human conduct is shaped through observation as people interact socially, either through being keen on others who are around them or those who they are intimately involved, or even not indirectly through the media platforms (Vaughn, 2016). Rewarding engagements can be adopted, whereas unworthy interactions are avoided. The social learning theory indicates that the mixture of environmental and psychological aspects affects the way we behave. The social learning theory was developed by Albert Bandura, who suggested four meditational courses: attention, retention, reproduction, and motivation. Attention is the level to which one is in contact with a behavior until he or she get interested (Snoek & Horstkötter, 2018) . Retention is the extent to which someone is able to remember the behavior of the other. Reproduction is the potential to display a behavior, and it is beyond just being attentive and recalling an event, but even able to imitate it (Meysen & Kelly, 2018) . Motivation is the drive to behave in a particular way by considering whether a move can be rewarded or punished. The new policy on child endangerment concentrates on the four meditational processes of behavior. It uses these processes to protect the child from destructive actions of others as well as hinder them from behaving that way in their course of living. When a caregiver or parent has an offence that has been leveled against him, the process of attention and retention is evident. Their behavior is figured out and reported to the police officers, who will officially record their statements (Vaughn, 2016). According to Meysen and Kelly (2018), a child that is exposed to victimization for a longer time has the potential to replicate the same behavior on others, in what we call reproduction. Considering the negative impacts of these behaviors, the children may opt to avoid behaving that way when they mature to adulthood, incorporating the course of motivation. Thus, to a large extent Anytown’s Department of Jobs and Family Services thoughtfully selected the social learning model in the implementation process of the new policy. In closing, the possible success level of adopting such a new policy will be profitable to both the homes and children, and overshadow any potential dangers of the move. The policy would shape the parent or caregiver into positively inspiring the children in their households. The parents and even the children will turn out to be better citizens that appreciate others. Many critics of this policy are the supposed recipients of it. The critics are likely to be the ones who abuse and neglect the children and thus, fear to be on the negative side of the law. The policy is instrumental to shield the children, as they are the leaders of tomorrow. They should develop to be responsible adults that can be good role models for the subsequent generations.
References
Meysen, T., & Kelly, L. (2018). Child protection systems between professional cooperation and trustful relationships: A comparison of professional practical and ethical dilemmas in England/Wales, Germany, Portugal, and Slovenia. Child & Family Social Work , 23 (2), 222-229.
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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.
Vaughn, M. G. (2016). Policy implications of biosocial criminology: Toward a renewed commitment to prevention science. Criminology & Pub. Pol'y , 15 , 703.
