iam so stuck on how to word my answer Q :Why is it important that the information on a record of harm/abuse is free of judgement?
A:
It is important to make sure that the information that you have given is as immediately as possible,take notes,dates times,childs name dob, make sure your observations are clearly stated, injury or abuse ,names frequenlty used, timeframe of the abuse,timeframe of identifying disclosure occured how who where,have no assumptioms,what peopole do or do not,know or think is present,facts are presented clearly.
by doing this the information which you are providing will be more accurate, the statements which you record need to be objective non judgemental in the possible situatioon of child abuse/neglect as they may be used in future. your records can go to Your service,health services,various courts (childrens court,family court,criminal court an civil court) other investigations,police,refferal agengies. Why: legal responsibilties,chid protection,future in case other concerns arise,childrens files can be subpoeoned,courts may ask for information,police may ask for written information,child protection may ask for written information,other workers can access the information if required in the future,give to other agensies which refer the child and family to, and families may also ask for written information. there is reperccussions of a biased report; parents could be wrongly accused,and investigated, educator could loose their job, the centre could loose its families from word of mouth for poor judgements, court could be involved. if the information is not correct you could waste the time of the child protection officers.
You need to show clarity,objective,accuracy and fact.
Clarity assists the reader to understand your message,objectivly means being fair in your work and showing appropriate balance.Avoid bias.Accuracy ensures the correct information is given. Your work is percieved as more proffessional and believable.Helps avoid making value judgements. reduces complaints about what you have written. Ensuring your reports meet these standards also helps to ensure your reports are in the best intrest of the child about whom you are writting.
you should show empathy,put youreself in the shoes of the parent and situation. You dont know what is happening in their life or at home, which could be a factor in the month that you have observed neglect/abuse, do not have youre personal conclusions or assumptions about the type of abuse, or situation.Just by stating everything correctly and promptly your report will help the acting child saftey officer understand and work out what is the best outcome for that child.
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