Integration – Teamwork

Integration – Teamwork The first step toward peaceful common existence in a multicultural country is integration. It can easily happen that immigrants end up isolated, unable to take part in their new society. This is a problem for both the immigrants and the country they have come to. By not participating they are not doing anything for the country's benefit, and the people of said country may start asking themselves: if they are not taking part, why should they be taken care of?They may fall away from the system, not getting any of the advantages, and at the same time missing their opportunity to raise their voices and do anything about their situation. It all ends up as a downward spiral that makes integration, and thereby also improvement, more and more difficult. Integration is therefore something that has to start happening right away. The first step to integration is often said to be learning the language of the country, and I think this makes a lot of sense. A language barrier is a huge barrier, as communication is essential in almost every situation.But how can we make this happen? Would it be a solution that all immigrants attend language classes in their new country? If you compare a multicultural country to a group of people with completely different personalities, values and ideas stuck together in one tiny house for an extended period of time, it is hardly that difficult to imagine that problems are going to arise; eventually they will find something to argue about. Now this might sound negative, but it is, in fact, not. Arguing, if kept on a reasonable level, is how you become fully aware of your own meanings and views.You may learn to see things from a different perspective, and sometimes the argument brings out new ideas that can lead to solutions. This is part of the reason I believe that migration can only be a good thing, as it makes us learn new things through our differences. (Of course, the types of issues deriving from migration d o differ quite drastically from the types of issues that the members of the hundreds of reality shows we have nowadays have got to deal with, but that also means that the things we learn from them are different as well, and if I may say so, also infinitely more giving. It is not that long ago that we found the whole idea of sharing, mixing and just getting to know the rest of the world somewhat frightening. We were not very good at it, and wanted everything to stay the way it was. The modern world takes pride in being open and new-thinking however, and the word on everyone's lips is â€Å"diversity†. Yes, diversity and sharing our cultures are wonderful things that we should definitely learn to appreciate more, but through our fear of racism we are making it almost impossible to state the fact that there are actually going to be some changes for you if you move to a new country.Of course you do not have to give up on your own culture, of course you can still speak your mother tongue, of course we want diversity. But what we sometimes forget to mention is that you really can't speak only your mother tongue in your new country and that you will have to get in touch with the culture of this new country as well as keeping your own. If you really want your new country to actually be your new country and to accept you as a part of it, then you will have to accept the fact that if you want your country to be multicultural, you will have to be a bit multicultural yourself.Learning a new language does not erase your own language from your brain, getting to know a new culture does not mean you have to let go of your own values, just as making new friends does not mean you can never speak to your old ones again. It is a matter of expanding rather than replacing. However, no relationships are ever one-sided. There has to be will and effort from both sides for it to work. This means that for integration to work smoothly, both the country and the immigrants have to d o their best to make it so.It is much easier for us to say that all immigrants must learn the language right away than it is for the immigrants to learn a whole new language in no time at all. If the attending of language classes are to be made compulsory, then the immigrants should be given the means to do so. It can hardly be expected that they should have the money for language classes at the ready right after they have arrived in a new country. Many of them are moving in order to start up a new life, and being forced to pay for language classes before they have started working is not going to help in any way.The fact that they will have a much easier time finding a job after the language classes does not help if they are already bankrupt before they have begun the search for a job. If the country would be willing to pay for the language classes however, that would be a huge benefit for the immigrants. It would also pay itself off for the country in many cases, once the new citiz ens start working. Though that does not mean that all immigrants will see and understand the necessity and the advantages of such classes, which would make the whole project a waste.This leads me to another important aspect of successful integration: communication between the country and the immigrants. Communication is always present in a healthy relationship, the relationship between country and immigrant being no exception. Now one might wonder how there can be communication about the necessity of learning the language before the immigrants learn the language, but there are ways to get this done. It is simply another matter of will and effort, once again from both sides rather than one.A relationship where only one part is trying to make things work is a doomed relationship. With this said, we can not blame only either immigrant or country if integration is not working, and we can not assign the responsibility of making integration possible to only either immigrant or country. Ye s, it is a definite benefit for the process of integration if the immigrant makes an effort to learn the language, but it can not really be as simply put as â€Å"all immigrants should learn the language of their new country†.No matter how much effort you put in, you will not be able to become a part of something if that â€Å"something† is not willing to accept you. It is like one of those â€Å"help me help you†-cases, if I may put it that simply, and I believe it is also know to be called teamwork. Once this first barrier, which is nothing but a barrier in the way of thinking, is overcome, all the other barriers standing in the way of integration will become a lot less insuperable.

Alcoholism: Alcoholic Beverage and Life Essay

Why do people drink alcohol? To reduce stress, to relax, to show off, or due to peer pressure. One of every thirteen adult drink alcohol. According to the article ‘FTC report cites improvement in alcohol industry self-regulation, â€Å"Fourteen million American suffered health, psychological, social, and genetics problem due to excess drinking of alcohol† (federal trade commission). It has caused a serious problem in the society. Even after executing the law of no drinking and driving, these drinking and driving problem has been frequently seen in the society. Many people has involved in sever accident and also, has lost their precious life. Many people who don’t drink has also been the victim of these alcoholic problem. I decided to choose alcohol addiction as my topic because I was also once a victim of alcohol. Different plans has been made in by the government and other social service organization to control the drinking habit of the person. Since alcoholism has been a serious problem in the present society, the government and other organization has been executing different laws and regulation to control it. One of the major step is establishing the rehabilitation center. The article ‘alcoholism and drug rehab’ stated that, â€Å"Research studies have found that certain approaches to addiction treatment and aftercare works better than other. This approaches in establishing a rehab center can help a lots of citizens† (Recovery Connection). The phrases â€Å"addiction treatment and after care works better† refers that alcoholics rehabilitation is given more priority to the government to reduce the alcoholism. This kinds of plans are frequently executed by the government to help the citizens and to create safe society. Other several laws like no drinking in public areas, age regulation (drinking restriction until the person is 21 years old), ID checking while buying liquor, time to time investigation to make sure that all these rules are followed strictly are run by the government. All this above are the plans and laws used by the government to control the alcoholism. I had been a victim of alcohol by the habit drinking it excessively due to peer pressure. I was living a very luxurious live. I had a wonder job, happy family, and reputation. But one small mistake changed my life. My friend name Anthony bao said, â€Å"Hey! There is a hard drinks in our home inside cupboard. You want to try. It taste really good. There is no one on my home right now† (bao). This small incident occur when I was 16 years old. I taste the liquor that day for the first time in my life and forgot those moments for 4 years. And again I started to drink when I was with my friends. It taste sweet. I started liking it and every day I started to drink a little bit. I got habituated with it and addicted to it. I was kicked out from my house. I lost my job. Eventually I started spending all the money I earned and saved. I act like a homeless. Nobody was willing to help me looking at my condition. I faced a lots of trouble reading the situation. In this way, I faced horrible situation due to alcohol addiction. I overcome the problem with the help of my friend who showed me the right path. He fine the way for me to be a good guy. He admitted me to the rehabilitation center, where I develop my habit and came out as a good guy. My friend name Azam khan said, â€Å"This is the best I can do for you. This is one of the best place I can leave you to develop your habit† (khan). He helped me in the very bad situation where I could develop into a very good person. I was first given very high amount of alcohol to drink, but eventually they reduce the amount and finally stopped it. For the first time in the life I felt good about myself. I felt like I just woke up from the worst dream. I appreciated my friend’s believe that I can be good again. When I sometimes look back to my life, I feel shame on myself. I was back to the good guy again. I showed my sobriety. Therefore, my parents forgave me, my good friends were back with me, and I got a same position job. I started living a wonderful life. During this struggle of life, I learned a valuable experience after this incident. I went to such a terrible time in my life. I shortly got addicted to alcohol, it harmed me for a long time, and it took me a long time to recover. I wish it was just a bitter dream. But still I am trying to forget it as bitter dream. It was such a long process of recovery on the life, but I end up with learning a valuable lesson. I realize that I was living my life as a dead person. All my friends, parents, and relatives used to hate me. I was just living a disgusting life. I said to myself, â€Å"wow! Such a wonderful life I am living right now. A while ago, I was hated and today I am loved by all. Thanks to god. † One famous actor Brian welch, â€Å"In 2005 Brian’s life changed when he experienced a dramatic conversion to a non-alcoholic person. He was addicted to alcohol and then sought solitude in order to cleanse himself of addiction. He credits God with his rehabilitation† (welch). It was just a wonderful moment after I got rid of alcohol. He shared his experience about how he was sought himself and addiction. He gave a credit to the god for helping him to get rid of alcohol. He could never imagine being in that condition again. In this process of life I learn the valuable lesson that alcohol is a poison. I wish even my bad-wisher would not have to live such kind of life. After a long hard treatment, I got a positive result after the recovery within a very short time comparing to other people. Many people were surprised and happy that I recover from that world of alcohol pretty fast. One of the instructor said, â€Å"I was really surprised when I saw him making a gradual progress about ignoring alcohol. Some people takes years and years to completely stop it, but I am glad he made in such short time of eight months†. After I was released from the rehab center, I came as totally as a new person and with new life. I really started appreciating that my life has been changed and everything is back to normal again. I loved the life without conflict with friends, family and no humiliation. Since I showed the positive result I was really happy. According to the casa palmera, â€Å"more than 43% of people have trouble with changing the alcoholic’s habit within less than three years† (alcohol rehabilitation statistics). This above quotation argues that fact that people in US who are send to victim of alcoholism barely show the positive change in very short period of time. It has been a serious problems for the government and many families who have been going through miserable condition due to the alcohol addiction to their family members. My family and I myself was lucky to get out of this horrible addiction in a very short period without being any late. This was one of the best feeling I got. In this way, I showed very good result and improve myself then other people. Therefore, to share my short life with alcohol I decided to choose to write the essay about this alcohol addiction. I was lucky enough to get rid of it now and live a wonderful life. I highly appreciate the hard work and believe of my family, friends, and instructor from rehab center. I would suggest people to never, even by mistake, drink the alcohol. It ruins your life, your money, your reputation, and pretty much everything. People can do their part by showing sobriety, making friends after really knowing them and never falling in the trap of friend circle if they have a bad influence. Credits to: â€Å"Alcoholism and Drug Rehab FAQs. † Alcoholism Treatment and Drug Rehab Related FAQs. N. p. , 2 July 2011. Web. 26 Feb. 2013. Bao, Anthony. â€Å"How I started drinking† personal, 1 February 2007. 26 Feb. 2013. â€Å"Federal Trade CommissionProtecting America’s Consumers. † FTC Report Cites Improvements in Alcohol Industry Self-Regulation. Federal Trade Commision, 9 Sept. 2009. Web. 26 Feb. 2013. Khan, Azam. â€Å"How he helped me improved† personal, 2 may 2008. 26 Feb. 2013. Welch, Brian. â€Å"10 Celebrities Who Overcame Their Addictions. † – Beliefnet. com. Beleifnet, n. d. Web. 26 Feb. 2013. â€Å"866-768-6719 Why Casa Treatments Location Admissions. † Casa Palmera. N. p. , n. d. Web. 26 Feb. 2013.

Business proposal Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Business proposal - Assignment Example In this regard, we would focus on collecting information about the present healthcare and educational issues faced by the lower income group population and provide adequate knowledge through campaigning, in order to improve their living standards. In order to obtain detailed information about the health conditions and educational backgrounds of the locales, we have already prepared a set a program, which can enable our project team to obtain adequate data and formulate effective strategies to achieve the desired objective in improving the living standard of the community population. Therefore, we would highly appreciate your knowledgeable review along with approval regarding the proposed protocol. In this proposal, your questions and further recommendations would be highly acknowledged. We look forward to your kind response regarding the approval of the proposal. Sincerely, Chun Hao EXECUTIVE SUMMARY In relation to the current scenario of the communities, especially the lower income group around the university campus, a significant support is highly essential in order to develop their health and educational background at a greater sustainable level. Correspondingly, the population of the community is often identified to face different health related issues. Moreover, considering the increasing unemployment along with mounting poverty rate of the community population, a substantial degree of need persists to take adequate steps in providing a basic educational support to develop the living standards within the mentioned community. The research proposal aims to conduct knowledge enhancement activities regarding healthcare issues, which can enable them to improve their present living standard, especially that led by the low income group population around the univer

Professionalization of modern sport For Profit or Glory Essay - 1

Professionalization of modern sport For Profit or Glory - Essay Example The twenty-first century has been characterised by numerous transformations that have seen football and in particular the English Premier League being commercialised and turned into a multi-billion business investment from which the owners and investors are reaping billions of pounds in revenues (Roster and Shropshire, 2011). For this reason, the last decade saw the three top-flight league clubs Chelsea, Manchester United, and Manchester City being auctioned and sold out to investors – a move that significantly changed the operations and impacted the management of the clubs. However, some opponents argue that the multi-billion takeovers were healthy for the clubs since the investors have vast amounts of disposable incomes to hire and attract world class players from across the globe as well as be able to maintain their huge wages. Although, this has not been the situation because many of these clubs, currently face various challenges that have become threats to their future competitiveness (Ferguson, 2013). The Manchester United faces a number of governance issues that have their roots in the 2005 take over and the recent challenges of corporate governance practices. The moment the Glazers announced their planned takeover of Manchester United, the news elicited mixed reactions from the loyal and die-hard supporters of the club. A significant number of them were opposed to the move since they wanted Manchester United to remain a community club with no designated owner because they feared a single investor would take over ownership and impose his will on the management of the organisation, which would be against their wish. For this reason, the supporters organised peaceful demonstrations that were coupled with a number of petitions to the ministry of culture to bare and nullify the deal from being procured. Unfortunately, the contract was sealed, and the Glazers obtained a seventy percent stake in

Business Law- Law of Negligence Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Business Law- Law of Negligence - Essay Example Helen’s claim for her injuries and lost earnings against Metro plc. The issues in this case is whether Metro Plc owes Helen a duty of care for failing to secure the wood that passersby were supposed to use to cross over the holes they had dug. Furthermore, the other issue found in this case is to ascertain whether it was Metro Plc negligence, which led her to lose her earnings. The law applicable in this case is law of negligence; negligence is defined as the lack of use of reasonable care resulting into causing harm to the other person or property. Negligence occurs either when an individual does something that a reasonable person would not do or failing to do something that a reasonable man would. There are various precedents have been set over the years concerning the law of negligence. One of those precedents is good neighborship that was set in the case of Donoghue vs. Stevenson and another recent precedent, which is relevant to this case, is Caparo vs. Dickman (1990). Me tro Plc is liable for Helens’ injury since they could not have foreseen the accident. This is because they had already taken action into ensuring that the passersby would not suffer injury; however, their action did not prevent Helen from suffering personal injury. In Caparo vs. Dickman (1990), it was held that the principle of neighbourhood involved more than just a person who was in a contract with the defendant. In addition, there are three principles used to determine whether there is duty of care. The first principle is foreseeability of claimant being harmed, it is clear that the defendants had foreseen possible harm and had not taken enough action to ensure that passersby like Helen would not be at risk of harm. The other principle is the proximity between the defendant and the claimant. In this case, there is an aspect of neighbourhood between Helen and Metro plc since the defendants knew claimant and other passersby used the place. In Donoghue vs. Donoghue (1932), ju dge Atkin stated that a neighbour is not a person with whom one has physical closeness but one that is likely to be affected by the other person’s actions. The third principle of Caparo case states that a person can only be held to owe a duty of care if doing so is reasonable, fair and just. In the case of Helen vs. Metro plc, it was reasonable fair and just that the defendant ensured that the claimant and other passersby were not at risk. On the other claim of losing her earnings, Helen cannot blame Metro Plc this is because she spent more time in hospital because she was not served on arrival. Metro Plc could not have foreseen that she could have lost her earnings as a result, of their actions; therefore, they do not owe them a duty of care. In Spartan steel and Alloys Ltd V Martin & Co. Ltd (1873) it was held that economic loss can only be recoverable only if it results from physical damage that was caused by the defendant’s negligence (Harpwood, 2000). Helenâ€℠¢s claim against Hubble & Co. In this case, Helen is the claimant from Hubble & Co for negligence this is because she relied on the report that Hubble & Co prepared to buy more shares, and this led her into losing money since Bubble &Co’s report was wrong. The issues that arise from this case include whether Bubble &Co are liable since they were merely employees of Metro Plc the company that Helen owned shares. The law applicable in this case is pure economic loss negligence (Matthews, 2012).

Implementation reflection paper Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Implementation reflection paper - Essay Example The most usual troubles include cutting trees, blocking rivers, extreme animal grazing, storms, overflows, and fires, notably, not all the ecologically disturbances can be attributed to man since others like flooding are nurture. These are some of the key issues examined under the study of ecological restoration which is a scientific discipline that studies the repairing of disturbed ecologies. To deal with these disturbances, restoration activities have been designed to restore the environment to its initial state before the disturbance occurred or to create a new and appropriate eco system where there had been none previously. Restoration projects are different in terms of objectives and methodology applied, majority of the restoration systems are however focused in re-establishing native species of animals or plants and/or repair of pre-existing ecological systems (Higgs, 2010). Restoration developments vary in their purposes and their ways and means of accomplishing those objecti ves, examples of the common restorative activities include; revegetation, which is the reestablishment of flora in places it had existed previously, this is often done with intention to control erosion by creating plant cover (Vaughn, 2010). Habitat enhancement by which a site’s suitability is enhanced to make it more conducive as a habitat for a given species, remediation involves the improvement of an existing ecosystem or replacing a deteriorated or destroyed ecosystem. Historically, the idea or restoration has been known for centuries but it is not until recently that notable action has been taken. Some of the most wide scale restoration projects in the world include the Florida wetland restoration in the United States and the Mau forest in Kenya where trees were replanted after years of deforestation. The wetlands in Florida had been drained and the indigenous plants cleared in and used as farms and pastures crops in the 60s as the land was reclaimed for crop cultivation , as a result many animal and plant species native to the everglades vanished since the environment had become hostile for them (Nellemann, 2010). However in 2001, efforts to restore the land were put in place, the water level was returned to normal through reduction of water canals in the region and as soon as the required hydrology was achieved the native species were introduced (Hogan, et al, 2011). A total of 143 acres of wetland were restored and 20 listed animal species reintroduced in to the wetlands and currently placed under the protection by the state to prevent future attempts to encroach the nurture habitat. In Kenya high deforestation in the Mau forest which is a critical catchment area that supplied water to the Africa’s largest freshwater Lake (Lake Victoria) this called for mitigate action which included a cessation of tree felling activities and planting of thousands of trees. After the BP oil spillage, the American coastal wetlands are also in need for exten sive restoration efforts as a result of extreme destruction of the ecosystem and consequent ill effects on marine plants and animals (Barbier, 2011). One of the concepts on which restoration draws is the concept of landscape ecology, this is because restored areas are often small and this puts them at risks similar to those that happen in situations of environmental

Tasso Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Tasso - Assignment Example attest to his influence on various artists expression and interpretation of his significant works of which La Gerusalemme liberate was considered his masterpiece. The life and works of Tasso enlighten art enthusiasts in the realization that the concept of love unfulfilled might have contributed to his insanity – as it still happens in contemporary times. In Amita, the object of the shepherd hero’s amorous desires, Sylvia, found pleasure in engaging in a chase for her heart even to the point of death. Tasso, thought to have represented himself in the character of Thyrsis, revealed his inner thoughts through analogies of love with goddesses and beams of emotions like silver and gold: insurmountable, ephemeral, distant. He sees this as a bondage ever seeking freedom and hope of realization even in the face of death. Tasso was credited for various works of arts including Rinaldo, a narrative poem â€Å"meant to combine the regularity of the Virgilian with the attractions of the romantic epic† (NNDB, par. 1); Torrismondo, a meritorious tragedy; Monte Olivet, a poem considered as dull by critics; Gerusalemme Conquistata, a grim revision of his masterpiece; and Le Sette Giornate, â€Å"a prosaic composition in Italian blank verse† ((NNDB, par. 1). Despite his illness and notoriety, he was to be crowned in Rome by Pope Clement VIII as Italys Poet Laureate but died one day before the coronation. (Liukkonen, par. 11) The themes and poetic expression of Tasso clearly reflected the life of the poet with its extreme touches of poverty amidst living in the presence of dukes, duchess, prince and princess of his era. Like his Aminta, his life ended just on the verge of being ascended into the realization of his

Ethics and Morality in the Health Professions Essay

Ethics and Morality in the Health Professions - Essay Example If at all God created every creature, then why should one think of taking his or her life away. It would be quite unethical in my career to leave such an individual to die when I knew in real sense that he or she was going to die. The only way that one could tell if someone else has feelings for suicide, could be through a conversation where he or she will confess such feelings. It was the right step undertaken by a patient who required suicidal assistance to approach you Dr. Deborah. It is quite true that a suicidal person who locks him or herself away tends to feel isolation and for that matter, they may end up attempting suicide without the knowledge of his or her friends and relatives. If at all Dr. Brody you would put yourself in the patient’s shoe, then you would not imagine that someone wishes you to take your life away. In most countries in the west, suicide has significantly shown that it is the foremost cause of death (Gutheil 29). These countries spend anonymous amo unt of money in maintenance of safety on roads but unaware on suicide and its prevention. It is the best option for a country to engage into campaigns on choices to make good life. A person who wants to attempt suicide or has feelings or thoughts of suicide, it is then quite evident that such individuals have symptoms to indicate that they can no more cope up with life. It is repeatedly as a result of series of events or cases that make somebody overwhelmed in distress or trauma. There is no doubt that this patient wanted you to be available in order to listen to him or her and feel about what he or she could be experiencing in life. A problem talked about in my view, sometimes creates a road map towards fundamental solutions. All doctors and even nurses for that matter have no substantial grounds to ignore their patients who request for assistance in suicide. It could be quite unethical if we rather allowed and assist patients to die. When anyone demands for help to die, such a req uest should enhance discussions to ascertain the reasoning of the patient through needs assessment with no grounds of judgment. Therefore Dr. Deborah, it would be my advice that you should not hesitate to assist. Acknowledge this request and oppose the inclination to abandon or ignore the dialogue. Listen to the patient and even more and establish a contract of no-suicide. Ask the patient to make a promise that he or she will eradicate such feelings of suicide. Such issues should be taken seriously to extend that if the patient appears acutely suicidal; endorse him or her under care in the hospital department of emergency. It would be also important to seek opinions from psychologists, counselors and psychiatrists. It is a question that most doctors should continuously ask themselves why people attempt suicide. People who want to avoid emotional pain that is unbearable normally result into suicide (Gutheil 40-42). It is therefore a task ahead of you Dr. Debora Brody to help your pat ient look for better choices that will enable him or her to think critically and analyze every situation in life. Why I would give such an advice to Dr. Brody is a decision that I fundamentally consider. I believe that life is such a precious thing that one should be neither denied nor think of taking it away. Suicide can not be the last option because death does not solve our worst experiences. One would think that it would be the end of our pains. I would not deny that painful life ends at the grave but

Are nurses as cost effective as doctors in urgent care centres UK Essay

Are nurses as cost effective as doctors in urgent care centres UK - Essay Example Most hospitals and other medical facilities in London and elsewhere across the country have successfully commissioned or are on the verge of commissioning service models related to urgent care centers, especially at the frontage of the emergency departments. In particular, the urgent care centers provide appropriate response to patients with minor injuries and illnesses that do not require specialized or intensive care. In addition, urgent care centers foster greater integration between urgent services delivered in communities and care services provided in hospitals. Incidentally, most primary care practitioners have stronger links with community services thus enhancing rapid and seamless transfer of patients to relevant pathways (Healthcare for London 2010, p. 29). These care centers have also facilitated integration of the provisions of emergency and urgent care. Virtually all the studies indicated that nurse practitioners provide quality medical care services at comparatively lowe r costs, as well as provide more disease prevention counseling, health promotion activities, health education, and successfully achieve higher levels of patient satisfaction than doctors. According to the National Institute for Health Research (March, 2014), the effectiveness of nurses or nurse practitioners would only be compared with that of junior doctors in relation to treating of patients with minor injuries in urgent care centers and emergency department settings (National Institute for Health Research 2014, p. 5). However, the study offered limited evidence that could prove that nurses reduced the waiting time for patients during assessment or even treatment, as well as patients’ overall length of stay in urgent care centers and emergency departments in entirety. In addition, the study revealed that most patients were satisfied with the nurse practitioner’s high levels of acceptance

The Vices and the Virtues of the Middle Ages Essay Example for Free

The Vices and the Virtues of the Middle Ages Essay The Middle Ages reflected a continuum of events that greatly influenced the way of living of the people in Europe. It was a very long period of struggle among the social classes, invasion of barbarians, cross cultural influences, feudalism and its decline, famine, plague, strong Roman Catholic influence, series of wars lasting for almost a century, as well as the dawn of reformation and humanism. Thus, it is very hard to conclude a particular value distinct in this era (Benton, 192). If we are going to compare Europe in its earlier days when the Roman Empire fell as to the latter part when Europe began to experience reformation, we would definitely see a big difference. European civilization at the start of the Middle Ages was more chaotic and primitive. On the other hand, the latter part of the epoch was more peaceful and new inventions made the lives of people easier and paved the way for urbanization (Benton 193). During the start of the Middle Ages, the Roman Empire was on the verge of collapse. It can be attributed to poor governance and illogical decisions of the Roman emperors. The government dwelled too much on rigorous military training and preparation for warfare. It had forgotten the other needs of its constituents such as food and proper education. There was a very slow development in culture and arts as well as in trade. As a result, people lived in fear and submission. Their virtues were greatly influenced by war and survival. Evidently, they care less about human life and its worth (Benton 193). When the Roman Empire suffered from attacks and invasions from barbarians, most of the Roman heritage was devastated. Some Roman edifices were unnecessarily destroyed. There were series of migration from one area to another in search of a better place. During this time, only the strong and victorious in war got the power to rule the land. Along with that, influences from other culture began to enter Europe that left remnants like the design of the architectural edifices. Since the people were weary of wars and fears of barbaric invasion, they seek citadel from someone who was capable to protect them. Thus, the era of feudalism began. The hierarchy in the society was formed based on land ownership. The land was subdivided among feudal lords who would give protection and lease the land to the subject and in turn, the latter needed to work for the former. In this system, the feudal lords became very wealthy while the peasants became very poor. The wealthy lords became very abusive and greedy towards their subjects while the latter at first were tolerant and submissive. In this system, only the rich and the powerful had access to a comfortable and abundant life. There was a big distinction between the wealthy and the poor. Thus, it was almost impossible for peasants to improve their quality of life. The abuse of feudal lords sparked the revolt of medieval towns and formation of guilds that caused the decline of feudalism (â€Å"Feudalism†). Through the formation of guilds, a better system of governance was created. There was greater emphasis on human relations and alliance. People with the same expertise group together and formed guilds. The people were encouraged to enhance their craft. The system of trade and business improved during this time and a new class or level of society emerged (Benton 193). The influence of the Roman Catholic Church was placidly reflected on the lives of the medieval people. Their outlook in life and social relations were based on the teachings of the Church. People were encouraged to live a pious life. The Church also played a major role in the formation of formal schools and universities. Thus, a lot of people started to have a formal schooling. Thus a system of education began to form. Thus Europe began to learn and establish fundamental (Benton 193). I could say that wars, famine and plague infested Europe on the latter part of the century that adversely affected the lives of the people. Because of massive deaths, hunger and unending wars, people tend to doubt the existence of God and the Catholic Church. It was aggravated by the abusive and greedy religious rulers that led to the revolt and rise of different sects and religion. Thus, Christianity was divided and people have an alternate doctrine to believe. Liberal minds began to emerge. The widespread epidemic made people become resourceful and determined in exploring the human anatomy and trying to find a cure for the disease. Thus, these series of unfortunate events probably served as a good driving force that made people appreciate humanity, thirst for more knowledge and invent things to improve the lives of the people (Benton 193). How have the Great Plague, the Crusades, and the Spanish Inquisition influenced modern thought? The Great Plague caused massive devastation ever recorded in European history. It was the worst plague that caused the death of millions of people. It happened in 1665 when the Bubonic plague spread in Europe in the spring and summer. This disease, also known as the Black Death in England, was acquired from fleas and characterized by swelling of the gland, darkening of the skin accompanied with fever and severe pain (Defoe). In the book â€Å"History of plague in London† (Defoe), the author Daniel Defoe placidly elaborated a great number of people who died in the disease as recorded in the parish and how it spread across Europe. The disease was widespread that it almost wiped off the population. (Defoe 9) I could say that this tragedy compelled great minds to explore further the human anatomy. They tried to study how the human body works and tried to find a cure to this disease. Our modern medicine will not be as advanced and effective as it is today without these rudiments. Through a series of failures and success, cures for a variety of disease were found. The importance of proper sanitation to prevent the spread of disease was also considered. The Crusaders were soldiers who vowed to protect the Christendom and the Holy Land. The period of their realm lasted for centuries. The helped protect the Roman Catholic Church against its opponents. It stirred up the people to defend their faith against the non-believers. They also traveled far to protect the Holy Land. The Crusaders acquired great influence and power that they were able to contribute a lot in the political structure, economy as well as socio-cultural heritage of the Western Civilization. To sustain the needs of the army, the Crusaders traveled far and wide and fostered trade in areas they visit. Thus, trade among areas in Europe began to develop until this day. Along with that, their great influence in politics might have led to the formation of a bureaucratic government. During the voyage, they were able to find religious and cultural artifacts that enriched our modern history (â€Å"The Crusades†). The Spanish Inquisition was a period that occurred when the monarch of Spain wanted to unify Spain in the Catholic religion. During those times, a lot of other religions thrived in Spain like Judaism and Islam. The rulers of Spain collaborated with the pope to perform an inquisition and get rid of non-Catholic believers in Spain. The government and Church authorities were given the privilege to conduct an investigation to identify the non-believers. This was a ruthless procedure that was more political rather than religious. It greatly influenced the culture and history of Spain. Their culture today still reflects the Catholic faith as well as their festivities and devotion. The abuse and havoc caused by the Spanish inquisition were some of the factors that stirred up revolt and rise of Protestantism and paved way for the separation of the Church and the State (â€Å"The Spanish Inquisition†). What were the vices and virtues of this relatively homogenous Christian European experience? During the Middle Ages, it can be noted that the Roman Catholic Church held the seat of power as they greatly influenced the beliefs and the moral standards of the people. Since the Church led the development of formal education, its main course focused on religion. They set a standard of what is right and wrong thing to do. They have defined vice as a sin against the God and His people. It is an offense against the Absolute being. The repercussions of vices would be punishment after death. However, this can be absolved by penance through confession. The Church had identified series of vices that should be avoided. However, the list changed through time. The recent list that requires absolution from a priest includes gluttony, pride, envy, lust, anger, greed and sloth. Gluttony is getting too much of what one can consume. Pride refers to too much belief in oneself and failure to consider God’s authority. Envy refers to excessive desire on what others have. Lust refers to the excessive desires of the body and sex. Anger refers to hatred and grudge against another person. Greed refers to the excessive craving for material things. Lastly, Sloth refers to excessive laziness. These are considered as the deadly sin because they cause the death of the soul (â€Å"The Virtues and Vices in Medieval Society†). Of course, the Church also exemplified a pious life through practice of virtues. These virtues were categorized into cardinal, theological, contrary, heavenly virtues and the corporal works of mercy. It can be observed that there are seven in each. The Seven Heavenly virtues were faith, hope, charity, fortitude, justice, temperance, prudence. The 7 The Seven Contrary Virtues were humility, kindness, abstinence, chastity, patience, liberality and diligence. The Seven Corporal Works of Mercy were also encouraged like giving food to the hungry people, offering a drink to the thirsty, sharing a shelter with the homeless, helping in burying the dead, spending time with the sick, enlightening the prisoners and giving clothes to the cold and naked. These were the virtues greatly encouraged by the Church up until this day (â€Å"The Virtues and Vices in Medieval Society†). Works Cited Benton, William. â€Å"Middle Ages. † Encyclopaedia Britannica. 1971 ed. â€Å"Crusades. † On-line Reference Book for Medieval Studies. 4 April 2009 http://www.the-orb. net/encyclop/religion/crusades/legacy. html Defoe, Daniel. History of the Plague in London. N. p: n. p, 2005. â€Å"The Spanish Inquisition. † Koeller, David W. 5 May 1997. Western and Central Europe Chronology. 04 April 2009 http://www. thenagain. info/WebChron/westeurope/SpanInqui. html â€Å"The Virtues and Vices in Medieval Society. † Library of St. Nicholas. 4 April 2009 http://nicolaa5. tripod. com/articles/vice. html â€Å"Feudalism. † Vinogradoff, Paul. 1924. Cambridge Medieval History. 4 April 2009 http://socserv. mcmaster. ca/~econ/ugcm/3ll3/vinogradoff/feudal

Risk Assessments in Child Protection

Risk Assessments in Child Protection Before the introduction of risk assessment methods in child protection in the 1980’s the assessment and prediction of children at risk from abuse was a capricious business: care workers had no theory, or methodology and no strategy by which to determine which children were more at risk than others – they worked almost in the dark. When risk assessment strategies were introduced their enormous advantage was to give some orientation and means of prediction to social workers in their efforts to determine which children were at the highest risk. Moreover, in pre-risk assessment days, decisions about child protection were taken individually by scattered organizations and institutions without any inter-communication. The desperate consequence of this lack of cohesion was often complete confusion about which authority should make the decision about whether to and how to protect a child from abuse. Risk assessment required much closer participation between various agencies and therefore more efficient and individualistic protection care for children. Risk assessment takes into consideration a number of risk factors that affect a child – parental, family, environmental etc., – and analyzes these collectively to produce a total risk overview. Risk assessment has evolved considerably since its introduction in the 1980’s and various methods and theories of risk assessment have been experimented with; this essay looks at several of these methods, analyzing the relative worth of each. It also examines the introduction of schemes such as child protection conferences and child protection plans and evaluates the improvements to child protection brought by these schemes. Finally, this essay will discuss the future or risk assessment and its influence upon government policy and direction. Vulnerable children face five principal types of risk: sexual abuse, emotional abuse, institutional abuse, physical neglect, and non-organic failure to thrive. This essay now details and describes the implications for risk assessment of each of these types of abuse. The NSPCC gives the following definition of sexual abuse: ‘The sexual abuse of children may include sexual touching, masturbation, intercourse, indecent exposure, use of children in or showing children pornographic films or pictures, encouraging or forcing children into prostitution or encouraging or forcing children to witness sexual acts. Children and young people of all ages can be victims of abuse.’ (NSPCC). Children then are at potential risk from all of the types of abuse described in the above quotation; each of which, if undetected and unprevented causes a deep physical and emotional trauma for the child. Physical abuse is defined by the National Centre on Child Abuse and Neglect as The physical injur y or maltreatment of a child under the age of eighteen by a person who is responsible for the childs welfare under circumstances which indicate that the childs health or welfare is harmed or threatened thereby’. Children may also encounter physical abuse by way of domestic violence, and this together with physical abuse is nationally one the most frequently experienced types of abuse against children. The emotional abuse of children is defined by the American National Committee for the Prevention of Child Abuse as ‘†¦ a pattern of behaviour that attacks a childs emotional development and sense of self-worth. Emotional abuse includes excessive, aggressive or unreasonable demands that place expectations on a child beyond his or her capacity. Constant criticizing, belittling, insulting, rejecting and teasing are some of the forms these verbal attacks can take. Emotional abuse also includes failure to provide the psychological nurturing necessary for a childs psycholog ical growth and development providing no love, support or guidance (National Committee for the Prevention of Child Abuse, 1987). This definition then describes the myriad forms of emotional abuse that children can be subjected to – and thus the inherent difficulties of prediction and prevention in child protection. Non-organic failure to thrive is a further possible risk that children are exposed to. It is defined by the Lucy Packard Children’s Hospital as ‘†¦decelerated or arrested physical growth (height and weight measurements fall below the fifth percentile, or a downward change in growth across two major growth percentiles) associated with poor developmental and emotional functioning.’ Non-organic failure to thrive is often difficult to detect, and risk assessment is vital to guarantee this detection. Institutional abuse is also a broad term, but within its scope are included bullying, racial discrimination, disability discrimination and many ot hers. Risk assessment then has to draw together all of these potential risks and must consider factors that influence them. These factors include parenting capacity, child developmental needs, housing, the child’s family and the child’s environment. This essay now discusses each of these factors succinctly before describing the various methods used to assess them. Parenting capacity and the family environment are intimately connected as factors for assessment of possible risks to a child. A healthy relationship between his/her parents and a stable family environment is extremely important for the physical and emotional welfare of a child.   When this healthy environment deteriorates because of domestic violence, parental arguments, parental divorce, change of circumstances etc., the child is put at a higher risk of abuse. The influence of extended family (grandparents, aunts/uncles, cousins etc.,) is likewise very considerable and must be considered as a risk assessment factor. Child developmental needs refer to the needs of a child for access to education and social development, and for children with learning disabilities to get access to professional help and services. If this development is negatively affected in some way, then the risk to a child increases significantly. Poor quality housing is clearly a risk factor for the welfare of a child, particularly those with disabilities. Children with disabilities require special facilities and equipment, and all children require basic amenities and utilities depending upon the age and development of that child. Interior and exterior conditions, hygiene, sleeping environment, and local surroundings can all become risk factors if neglected or abused. This essay now examines the three dominant theories or methods of risk assessment in the past decade of child protection: the actuarial model and the theoretical-empirical approach. (1) Theoretical-Empirical (Consensus-Based) Models. Within the theoretical-empirical model risk is determined according to a decided group of empirically grounded risk factors, and by these the social worker produces a total assessment of risk founded upon witnessed combinations of risk factors (Boer, Webster, 1997). Scientific research has demonstrated that the theoretical-empirical model achieves average predictive success. (Epperson, 1998). The inherent difficulty of this method is that the care worker must equate identified risk factors into a recidivism likelihood. The model can therefore be argued to be undermined   by its lack of integration of risk factors (Wolfe McGee, 1994) so important in child protection. Risk assessment for the theoretical-empirical model is founded upon theories about parental abuse of children. The classic model of this type was the Ecological Model of Maltreatment (Brofenbrenner 1979, Belsky, 1993). The idea within this model is that numerous factors and the identification of risk factors determine the likelihood of abuse. The Ecological Model of Maltreatment considers risks related to children themselves, to caregivers, caregiver and child interaction, the family, and wider social and institutional factors. According to the theoretical-empirical model potential risk is determined in the investigation and influences case-choice at the beginning of the assessment process, during investigations, decisions about beginning cases, service strategy, child placement, and at the closure of cases.  Ã‚   (2)PureActuarial Models. These models supply definite principles for integrating risk factors (identified by retrospective empirically founded case reviews) into certain probability figures. The difference with such models is that they are not tethered to any particular theory of child abuse, or theory of parental abuse of children, but instead make use of all factors that are empirically joined to a risk assessment decision and put these in the assessment scales nonetheless. An advantage of such models is that they give specific weights of scale to individual risk factors and so can be transformed into scales that show the important associations between risk variables and the resolution of interest. Thus these associations imply that a particular variable is present, so too is the concomitant variable – though one should not necessarily infer that one variable produces the other. Such a distinction is vital when evaluating whether the aim of risk assessment should be short te rm or long term prediction and prevention, and intervention. Recent scientific investigation reveals that actuarial scales such as these are better at prediction of risk than clinical judgement usually is (Groove Meehl, 1996). Nonetheless, several authorities and risk assessment theoreticians have implied that this actuarial superiority is based upon inaccurate research (Serin, 1995). Sjosted and Grann (2002) have further questioned the methodology of actuarial models.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   (3)Clinically Adjusted Actuarial Models. The essential difference between pure actuarial models and clinically adjusted actuarial models is that the later use an actuarial method to ascertain risk factors as determined by a risk scale, but a medical or care practitioner can vary the actuarial level plus or minus depending upon the factor of his clinical judgement. Thus clinically adjusted models place are more individualistic since they permit the inclusion of possible individual risk factors that were unable to be documented empirically. There is much debate and argument about the strengths and weaknesses of these various methods. Within the actuarial school of thought there is a separate question as to which of the pure actuarial models or the clinically adjusted actuarial models is superior. It is probably true to say that actuarial models (of both types) are now thought to provide greater accuracy of prediction of child risk than theoretical-empirically based models. Clinically adjusted actuarial models are argued to give the best results, combining the advantages of an integrated risk assessment scale with the experience of a clinician and his ability to spot the individualistic risks in particular case that the model may not have noticed. The future of risk assessment perhaps lies then with a refinement of the clinically adjusted actuarial model. Important issues of methodology to be addressed include poor reliability, validity of measures, dilemmas of terminology, lack of base rate information, incorporation of individualistic risks and sensitivity of investigation.  Ã‚   In pre-risk assessment days a profound flaw of the child protection system was the failure of various independent agencies to pool together their skills and the knowledge they had acquired about the risk to a particular child; inter-agency communication was poor, and as a consequence many children were harmed, or even killed, who might otherwise have been saved. The advent of risk assessment in child protection improved the co-ordination of information between professional care services, and the recent introduction of child protection conferences have led to a far greater and more efficient sharing of information between agencies. Child protection conferences are convened after social services and the police have made initial inquiries about the health of a child and then seek to extend these enquires. A child protection conference brings together all professionals concerned with the welfare of a child, and thus has the enormous advantage of bringing all possible helpful information together at the same time. The purpose of such conferences is to determine the welfare of the child, to evaluate the risk of physical or emotional harm to the child, and to decide whether the child should be transferred onto the Child Protection Register. Conferences also consider whether legal proceedings ought to be brought on behalf of the child, and whether the police are required to investigate a crime against the child. If it is felt necessary to put a child on the Child Protection Register, then the conference must also produce a Child Protection Plan for the future welfare of the child. Such plans are essential because they explicitly stipulate what the responsibilities and duties are of each agency involved in the care of the child. The usefulness and thoroughness of these conferences is enhanced by the practice of a follow-up conferences after three months to determine progress, and then further conferences after six month intervals if necessary. Moreover, the inter-agency dialogue introduced by child conferences greatly improves the chances of these professionals spotting a specific risk to a child that might be missed by individual agencies. Child protection conferences are vital then to ensure and maximise the accuracy of individual risk assessments.   In short, child protection conferences have improved enormously the co-operation and inter-communication of the various agencies involved in the care of a particular child and so reduced considerably the risk posed to that child.   Ã‚   A further area that needs to be investigated by risk assessment is parental capacity to care for children. It is usually assumed that parents have a right to care for their children in all circumstances; an idea influenced by the normal reluctance of British society to tolerate intensive state intervention into private family life. It is believed that the state should remain at a distance, stepping in only in emergencies or cases of dire need. Professional care workers now argue however that this attitude of non-intervention often ignores the actual capacity of some parents to care for their children, particularly those with intensive needs. Thus this attitude can frequently threaten a child’s safety and security. Future risk assessment needs to develop a theoretical and practical model for possible state intervention in cases where parental ability to care for a child is suspect. The British government will be required to play a significant role here; updating existing legislation and creating new strong legislation to allow for intervention by care services in the most high risk cases of child abuse. This demand upon the government is an outcome of the philosophy of risk now prevalent in the United Kingdom, where it is assumed that the government has the ability to foresee and prevent abuse and maltreatment – and so the government is to be held to account when this does not happen. In the final analysis, it must be seen that risk assessment for child protection has had an   enormous success compared with the vacuum and capricious nature of prediction and prevention that existed before its introduction. Care workers and clinicians now have a theoretical, empirical and practical model by which to best determine the various risks that affect vulnerable children. The future progress and evolution of risk assessment seems to lie with an actuarial model – probably a clinically adjusted actuarial model. Such models at present appear to integrate risk factors most successfully and therefore to offer the best rates of prediction. This said, methodology needs to be thoroughly revised to evaluate and consider reliability of data, reliability of measures, integration of clinical opinion, individualistic risks etc., So too risk assessment needs to develop clear concepts and to push for government legislation to produce a model for state intervention into cases wher e parental ability to care for children is insufficient. Risk assessment theory must seek to modify the attitude of the British public that assumes parental right to care is absolute; showing that in certain circumstances this is not the case. BIBLIOGRAPHY Books Journals   Ã‚   Belsky, J. (1993). Etiology of Child Maltreatment: A DevelopmentalEcological Analysis. Psychological Bulletin. Vol 114, No 3, 413-434. Boer, D.P. Webster, C.D. (1997) Manual for the Sexual Violence Risk 20. Vancouver, B.C. The British Colombia Institute Against Family Violence. Brofenbrenner, U. (1979). The Ecology of Human Development. Cambridge, MA, Harvard University Press. Corby, B. (1990) Risk Assessment in Child Protection Work. International Conference of Risk Assessment in Child Protection. Epperson, D.L. (1998). Final Report on the Development of the Sex Offender Screening Tool: Presentation at the Association for the Treatment of Sexual Abusers. 17th Annual Conference. Groove, W.M. Meehl, P.E. (1996). Comparative Efficiency of Informal and Formal Predictive Procedures: The Clinical-Statistical Controversy. Public Policy and Law, 2. 293-323.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Kemshall, H. (2002). Risk, Social Policy and Welfare. Open University Press, Buckingham. Parsloe, P. (1999) (2001). Risk Assessment in Social Care and Social Work. Jessica Kingsley, London.    Serin, R.C. (1995). Violent Recidivism in Criminal Psychopaths. Law and Human Behaviour, 20, 207-217.    Sjostedt, G, Grann, M. (2002). Risk Assessment: What is Being Predicted by Actuarial Prediction Instruments. International Journal of Forensic Mental Health. Vol 1, No 2, 179-183. Websites National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty Against Children, (NSPCC).   www.nspcc.org.uk    National Centre on Child Abuse and Neglect  Ã‚   www.nccanch.acf.hhs.gov