Critical policy analysis is a systematic procedure of critically analyzing of a policy, government report or an area of social policy (such as an act, strategy, formal authorization, decision or approach).This involves analyzing the contents, relevance and purpose of the policy, to what extent the policy achieves its purpose, that is, the consistency, completeness and use of research in the policy, how the policy is influenced by theories and theoretical perspectives and a critical analysis of those theories and theoretical perspectives (Diem et al., 2014). For this repost, the Child Protection Policies of the Vulnerable Children’s Act 2014 of the New Zealand Government is discussed.
Vulnerable Children Act of 2014 was passed by the New Zealand Government on July 1st, 2014, and it forms an integral part of ‘comprehensive measures’ that aims to develop, safeguard and maintain the wellbeing of young and vulnerable people and also to improve the child protection services. This act along with the Children’s Action Plan is based on the idea that the wellbeing of vulnerable children cannot be comprehensively protected by any single agency. Hence the Vulnerable Children Act of 2014 forms a part of the multi-agency team of professionals who work towards safeguarding the children in New Zealand (legislation.govt.nz, 2018).
The child protection policies under the Vulnerable Children Act 2014 are aims to outline the policies that can ensure safeguarding the wellbeing of children. The policy tries to reduce the risk of harm to young children, and involves people to be engaged in work where they can contact the children overnight for safety checks. The policy is applicable for children’s workers (who makes overnight contact with the children), key agencies (such as Ministry of Social Development, Ministry of Health, Ministry of Education, Ministry of Justice and administrative departments of Oranga Tamariki Act 1989), local authorities, ministries, regulated services, core and non-core workers, state services, screening services and specific organizations (legislation.govt.nz, 2018).
In the following section, the child protection policy will be critically analyzed, its main concepts summarized, highlighting its relevance in New Zealand, the extent to which the policy achieves its purpose, how theoretical perspectives influenced the policy and a critical review of those policies. This can help to understand the effectiveness of the policy to address its stated goals, and to identify any scope for improvement or amendment, that can make the policy better and more fitting for its intended purpose.
Purpose:
The policy’s purpose is to ensure the adoption of the child protection policy by prescribed State Services, District Health Boards (DHB), school boards and by people that are involved in funding arrangements or contracts with these boards or services. The policies additionally should have the provision for the identification and reporting of acts of neglect or abuse on a child. In other words, the policy focuses on the responsibilities of the different agencies in the protection of the wellbeing of child by identifying and reporting any event of child abuse or neglect (legislation.govt.nz, 2018).
This section outlines and clarifies the various meanings of terms included in the policy. The board refers to the publicly owned organizations on health and disability and is a part of the district health board. This also includes the members of the health organizations who work together as a part of the board. The term Child implies young individuals less than 18 years of age. Children Services are the services that include any service that is given to one or more children, service given to adults for one or more children, services given to adults in households that has one or more children and which might affect the wellbeing of the children living in the household or when the service is prescribed under subsection 2 of the Vulnerable Children Act. Independent person refers to individual not associated with the aforesaid boards, and are not employees/officers/chief executives of these boards. The prescribed state service includes different ministries of Business, Innovation, and Employment; Education; Health; Justice; M?ori Development; Social Development as well as the police department and any other agencies under subsection 4 of the act (legislation.govt.nz, 2018).
The policies outline the responsibility of the chief executive of the state services to ensure that the service adheres to certain protocols or actions. These protocols and actions include:
(legislation.govt.nz, 2018)
(legislation.govt.nz, 2018)
(legislation.govt.nz, 2018)
This outlines that child protection policies should be applicable to all children services by the prescribed board, services or independent individuals in contract or financial arrangement. Also, the policy should have documentations and provisions for the identification and reporting of child abuse and child neglect according to Oranga Tamariki Act 1989, section 15 (legislation.govt.nz, 2018).
This outlines that the policy does not create any legal rules, legal rights that can be enforced in court of law, limit or influence the function of chief executives or influence the interpretation of any rule of law. It is also neither a legislative instrument nor a disallowable instrument and does not need to be presented to the House of Representatives.
Studies by the University of New South Wales on Social Policy Research show that the child protection services in New Zealand needs modernization. According to the study, several key findings were identified. These findings includes: i) engagement of multiple systems in significant reforms in recent years, ii) increasing costs of child protection services, iii) a change of focus towards early intervention and preventative measures and providing differential responses, iv) a reduction in the out of home care supported children, v) over representation of minority and indigenous children, vi) requirement of multi agency support for child welfare, vii)reconfiguration of the roles of the government, non-governmental bodies and private sectors, viii) shift in the focus to the outcomes instead of the measures or outputs, ix) different workforce related challenges such as training, supervision, coaching, satisfaction of employees and administrative load, x) utilization of big data, xi) the proven efficacy of utilizing evidence based services, xii) challenge faced in cross-jurisdictional comparisons due to differences in the methods of data collection and data measurement. This aspects show that modernization and improvement of child protection services are needed to ensure its optimum efficacy (University of New South Wales, 2018). The relevance of the policy can also be supported through various frameworks such as the Treaty of Waitangi (for Maori Public Health), Ottawa Charter (for the prevention of child abuse), strategies and intersectional (Strategic Result Areas and Crime Prevention Strategy). Also, the Health Gain Priority Areas (HGPA) identified by the government includes the medium term improvement in child health, Maori health, mental health and physical environmental health. These aspects can be addressed through the child protection policy (Orange, 2015; World Health Organization, 2016; Eck & Weisburd, 2015).
The overall purpose of the child protection policy is to incorporate the liability of the authorities, boards and service providers of child services to ensure the identification and reporting of any instance of child abuse and child neglect. The policy ensures that the state services, district health boards, school boards as well as their funded and contracted providers of child service adopts the child protection policy as soon as practically possible which includes practices of identification and reporting of child neglect and abuse. It also introduces to the new standards of safety for children that need to be implemented by these boards, authorities or individuals. It also mandates that the services, boards or individuals prepare annual reports on the implementation of the policy, and reviews the policy in the first 3 years of its adoption. This helps in the development of safe environments for children which promotes their development and well being, and prevents any abuse or neglect to them (legislation.govt.nz).
Consistency:
Consistency of a policy is an important aspect as it helps to better understand the policy supports clarity and improve the efficiency of the policy. According to studies, an inconsistent policy can often confuse people and thereby reduce the affectivity of the policy and result in improper implementation. On the other hand, a consistent policy can support more appropriate implementation. In the context of social policies, consistence is therefore of considerable significance, as it ensures that the policy is able to achieve its selected objectives.
The child protection policy provides a consistent manual for all individuals or organizations working with children or providing child services. The policy provides instructions on the earliest adoption of the policy framework in a soonest practical timeframe, and helps to ensure that the policy is reviewed by everyone who adopts them within the first 3 years and also prepares reports on its implementation. The consistency of the policy is supported through the overarching guidelines that can be followed by anyone responsible for providing child services, by outlining the different responsibilities they have. Also, the policy addresses all the boards, authorities, individuals that work with children such as the district health board (responsible for the healthcare and administration), school boards (responsible for the education of children), state services (that provide children services) as well as any individuals or organizations in contract or financial agreement with these boards or authorities and currently provides child services. The policy also explains that all responsible individuals’ or organizations should have strategies to identify and report any incident of child abuse or neglect. Additionally, the policy outlines that it is not a legal binging or enforceable in the court of law, thereby helping to differentiate the policy from other legal or legislative framework (legislation.govt.nz).
The policy is both comprehensive and complete in its recommendations on the actions that needs to be taken by the individuals or organizations working with children and in the providence of child service as a part of their duties, contract or financial agreement. However, the policy lacks details on the strategies that can be used to identify or report the incidents of child abuse and neglect. This leaves a wide scope of using different methods for identification and reporting, which can affect the accuracy, efficiency and efficacy of the process and thereby influencing its outcomes. Identifying or recommending effective strategies to identify or report events of child abuse and neglect can help in the policy to be followed and adopted in a more efficient and effective manner (legislation.govt.nz).
Additionally, even though the policy mentions that adoption of the policy should be as soon as practically possible, it does not recommend any rage of timeframe that can be considered as practical in the context of various organizations, individuals or processes. This leaves a wide scope of interpretation and can cause the practical timeframe to be misinterpreted or miscalculated, which can delay the adoption of the policy. Thus outlining the timeframe which can be considered within the practical limit can help in quicker and prompt adoption of such policies (legislation.govt.nz).
The policy is supported by different studies that support the development and modernization of the child protection policy. These studies helps to understand the state of care provided by the child protection services, the needs of the children and how to address such needs in a more comprehensive and effective manner. Some of the important studies have been discussed next.
Modernizing Child Protection in New Zealand: Learning from system reforms in other jurisdictions by University of South Wales: This report was prepared by the Social Policy Evaluation and research Unit (SUPARU) comparing the current child protection system of New Zealand, with systems in other nations to identify the common themes and challenges encountered by the services and how they have or have not being addressed. The study shows that effective child protection requires the involvement of multiple agencies and remodeling of the role of the government as well as non-governmental and private organizations to safeguard the wellbeing of children. Such aspects have been included in the child protection policy of New Zealand (University of New South Wales, 2016).
Child protection in New Zealand: A history of the future, Hyslop (2017). The study compares the child protection services of New Zealand and England in the last 30 years, and shows that social services, professional associations, advocacy groups and academic boards can play a pivotal part in the protection of the well being of the children. The child protection policy utilizes such an insight to involve every organization and individuals involved in child service into the policy guidelines (Hyslop, 2017).
Investing In Children Legislative Reform: Paper Seven Transition To Independence: Discretion To Support Young People Up To Age 25 by the Cabinet of Social Policy Committee (New Zealand). This study proposes that support given to young people should extend up to the age of 25 and improve support to them as well as provide advice and assistance. Such aspect has been addressed though the Child Protection Policy (msd.govt.nz, 2018).
Child Protection Policies aim at the reduction and prevention of child abuse and neglect. Different sociological theories explain how child abuse and neglect can affect the health and wellbeing of children, which supports actions and strategies to protect their wellbeing though the prevention of abuse and neglect. These theories are discussed next:
This theory considers learning as a cognitive process which occurs within a social context and that learning can happen through direct observations or instructions and does not necessarily require motor reproduction (practice) or direct reinforcement (reward or punishment). This theory implies that deviant behavior can be learnt by children through exposure and observation of similar or same behaviors in others, and thus abuse and neglect can be learnt by the victims of such actions during their childhood (Akers, 2017).
Attachment Theory:
This theory proposes that children can grow a sense of stability and security through the physical and emotional attachment they form with others, such as their parents or caregivers. This attachment has significant importance to personal development of a child and the development of behavior patterns, and exposure to abuse and neglect can impede the development of the attachment and thus adversely affect the development of the child and promote the development of negative behavior (Fonagy, 2018).
This theory implies that several factors (which can be of four types: individual, family, community and culture) contributes to abuse and neglect, and that each of the four category of factors can have differential influences under different environments (home or school), which leads to the perpetuation of abusive and neglectful behavior. Therefore in order to prevent such behavior, the ecological factors that influence them should be addressed (Bogaert et al., 2016).
This theory has similarities with the ecological theory but focuses solely on the family. The theory supports the problematic behavior is often the result of a dysfunctional family and dysfunctional relationships. Also, repeated abuse can occur when a family member is reluctant to report or intervene any instance of an abuse or neglect perpetrated by another member of the family (Titelman, 2014).
According to this theory, the functioning or dynamics within a family is significantly influenced by the child’s personal characteristics as well his/her parents. Also, behavior and motivations of the child are impacted through the expectations of the parents and helps to bridge the gap between behavior and knowledge. The theory supports that abusive or neglectful behavior can continue when the parents think that they cannot act in a way that can prevent the abuse and neglect towards their children (Eppel, 2015).
This theory suggests that the severity and frequency of the abuse, age of the child and relationship between the child and the perpetrator can significantly influence the extent of the trauma caused by abuse and neglect. Also, factors such as social support, affection of parents and a healthy relation between the children with a supportive adult can help in healthy development and prevent delinquent behavior among the child. The theory supports that resilient children can cope better with adverse life experiences (Riel-Salvatore & Grimm, 2016).
Each of the theories discussed above explains how abuse and neglect can adversely affect the health and wellbeing of the children and the development of delinquent behavior and how the experiences, environment, relationships and personal characteristics of the children can help in the mitigation of the adverse effects. However, each theory has its own weaknesses, which are critically analyzed below:
The Social Learning Theory assumes that aggression is a learnt behavior, learning can occur through the observation of behavior and social diffusion of ideas, behavior and values can occur though symbolic modeling. Authors have pointed out that aggression is not always a learnt behavior and that bio-psycho-social factors can play an important role in it. Also, learning might not always occur through observation as many forms of learning require practicing and repetition. Similarly, symbolic modeling might not always be involved in the development of behavior patterns (Akers, 2017).
Attachment theory has the assumption that the quality of relationship between the child and parent/caregiver can affect their behavior that is a secure attachment can support a nurturing behavior of the caregiver and insecure attachment can lead to neglectful and abusive behavior. However this theory fails to acknowledge the effect of the environment and the mental health on such behavior. For example addiction and social deprivation can also lead to neglectful and abusive behavior patterns (Fonagy, 2018).
The Ecological theory assumes that abuse and neglect can cause isolation of the child from its environment, however, it does not explain how the different factors can affect the mental well being of the child and how the extent of the neglect and abuse can influence the behavior of the child (Bogaert et al., 2016).
The family systems theory primarily focuses on the family and how problems can occur though dysfunctional relations. According to critics however, the theory fails to recognize how society and poser can influence human behavior. Also, this theory seems to overemphasize the role of the victim and bystanders in an event of abuse or neglect and relieves the perpetrator of their responsibility for such actions (Titelman, 2014).
According to the self efficacy theory, the family functioning is influenced by personal characteristics of the child and parent. This theory does not incorporate the developmental perspective of how the different stages of development can affect the behavior of the child or parent. Also, this theory is unable to explain how personal characteristics itself is influenced by the bio-psycho-social factors and the environment (Eppel, 2015).
The resilience theory focuses on the effect resilience in the maintenance or disruption of abusive or neglectful behavior. This theory however, does not address why such behavior occur in the first place. The theory also does not consider how exactly resilience is developed and what factors can support or impede resiliency (Riel-Salvatore & Grimm, 2016).
Conclusion:
Critical policy analysis can be understood as the practice of systematically and critically analyzing a policy to understand its contents, relevance, and purpose and to understand how much the policy is able to achieve the said purpose. The Vulnerable Children Act 2014 was passed in New Zealand in order to protect the wellbeing of children involving multiple agencies and professionals. Under this act, the child protection policy aims to provide strategies for the safeguarding of the children from abuse and neglect. Critical analysis of the child protection policy shows that the policy prescribes the role of different authorities such as State Policies, District Health Boards, School Boards and any individual or organizations (non-governmental or private) involved in the provision of child services. The main responsibilities recommended by the policy includes the identification and reporting of any incident of child abuse or neglect, and also the early adoption of the policy, review of the policy (in 3 years of adoption) preparation of reports and maintaining an online cope of the policy in their websites. This policy has supported by different studies that shows the importance of involving multiple agencies in child protection and incorporating a comprehensive strategy for the same. Various sociological theories can also be applied in this policy such as social learning theory, attachment theory, ecological theory, family systems theory, self efficacy theory and resilience theory. Each of these theories helps to understand how the experiences, environment, relationships and emotional resilience can influence abusive or neglectful behavior as well as how the behavior of abuse and neglect can help in the perpetuation of such behaviors. It can be understood from such theoretical underpinnings that child protection services should be able to address such factors in order to ensure better protection of children and their well being.
References:
Akers, R. (2017). Social learning and social structure: A general theory of crime and deviance. Routledge.
Bogaert, S., Boone, C., Negro, G., & van Witteloostuijn, A. (2016). Organizational form emergence: A meta-analysis of the ecological theory of legitimation. Journal of Management, 42(5), 1344-1373.
Diem, S., Young, M. D., Welton, A. D., Mansfield, K. C., & Lee, P. L. (2014). The intellectual landscape of critical policy analysis. International Journal of Qualitative Studies in Education, 27(9), 1068-1090.
Eck, J., & Weisburd, D. L. (2015). Crime places in crime theory.
Eppel, A. B. (2015). Self-Efficacy Theory. Phobias: The Psychology of Irrational Fear: The Psychology of Irrational Fear, 346.
Fonagy, P. (2018). Attachment theory and psychoanalysis. Routledge.
Hyslop, I. (2017). Child protection in New Zealand: A history of the future. British Journal of Social Work, 47(6), 1800-1817.
Hyslop, I. (2017). Child protection in New Zealand: A history of the future. British Journal of Social Work, 47(6), 1800-1817.
legislation.govt.nz. (2018). Vulnerable Children Act 2014. Retrieved on August 18,2018, from: https://www.legislation.govt.nz/act/public/2014/0040/latest/whole.html
msd.govt.nz. (2018). Investing In Children Legislative Reform: Paper Seven Transition To Independence. Retrieved on August 8, 2018, from: https://www.msd.govt.nz/documents/about-msd-and-our-work/work-programmes/investing-in-children/cabinet-paper-transition-up-to-25.pdf
Orange, C. (2015). The treaty of Waitangi. Bridget Williams Books.
Riel-Salvatore, J., & Grimm, S. (2016). Resilience theory in archaeological practice â An annotated review. Quaternary International.
Titelman, P. (2014). Clinical applications of Bowen family systems theory. Routledge.
University of New South Wales. Social Policy Research Centre, Katz, I., Cortis, N., Shlonsky, A., & Mildon, R. (2016). Modernising child protection in New Zealand: learning from system reforms in other jurisdictions. Superu.
World Health Organization. (2016). Ottawa Charter for Health Promotion. Geneva: WHO, 1986. Google Scholar.
Essay Writing Service Features
Our Experience
No matter how complex your assignment is, we can find the right professional for your specific task. Contact Essay is an essay writing company that hires only the smartest minds to help you with your projects. Our expertise allows us to provide students with high-quality academic writing, editing & proofreading services.
Free Features
Free revision policy
$10Free bibliography & reference
$8Free title page
$8Free formatting
$8How Our Essay Writing Service Works
First, you will need to complete an order form. It's not difficult but, in case there is anything you find not to be clear, you may always call us so that we can guide you through it. On the order form, you will need to include some basic information concerning your order: subject, topic, number of pages, etc. We also encourage our clients to upload any relevant information or sources that will help.
Complete the order form
Once we have all the information and instructions that we need, we select the most suitable writer for your assignment. While everything seems to be clear, the writer, who has complete knowledge of the subject, may need clarification from you. It is at that point that you would receive a call or email from us.
Writer’s assignment
As soon as the writer has finished, it will be delivered both to the website and to your email address so that you will not miss it. If your deadline is close at hand, we will place a call to you to make sure that you receive the paper on time.
Completing the order and download