CAFS - HSC Notes Parenting And Caring (Core Three) PDF

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CAFS - HSC Notes Parenting And Caring (Core Three)...

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COMMUNITY AND FAMILY STUDIES HSC COURSE STUDY NOTES: CORE 3 PARENTING & CARING MODULE FOCUS: BECOMING A PARENT OR CARER Types of parents or carers ● Biological parents Parenting promotes the development of an individual within a family, while caring   involves meeting the needs of a dependant that may or may not be related Parents who produce the genetic material for a child either naturally or through fertility technology, assisted reproductive technology ● Produces genetic makeup, genes ● Most commonly through sexual intercourse ● Men determine the sex of the baby ○ X chromosome (male) uniting with X chromosome (female), produces female ○ Y chromosome (male) uniting with X chromosome (female), produces male Legal—Laws associated to being a parent (protect parents, dependants) Social—External views on certain things, society’s attitude (seeing someone pregnant, saying ‘congratulations’ Technical—One out of 22 people in today’s society have been born through the process of assisted reproductive technologies (IVF, GIZT/GIFT, embryo transfer (becoming incubator), sperm donation) ● In event that couple are together and have been trying to conceive naturally without any success, may need intervention—might need to pay for help and support through the means of getting eggs, sperm checked in a lkab, getting them washed (fertilisation process and put back inside the body)

● Social Parents An individual who cares for the child without providing genetic material ● They might have something to do with genetic material but in most situations they don't ● Can be through adoption, fostering, stepparenting (normally one of the parents is genetically linked) and surrogacy (one person might have a hand in the genetic makeup, but another woman may carry the baby) Carers look after someone who is ill ● May be paid (formal, daycare) or do it voluntarily (informal, grandparents) Roles of all parents include: ● Building positive relationships ● Promoting wellbeing ● Developing specific needs Out-of-home care is a term used for the system where children and young people (up to the age of 18 years) are unable to live with their birth families due to a number of circumstances ● Adoption and fostering may be the options taken here

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Family and Community Services (formal support system)—Out-of-Home Care program provides care to children and young people who are not able to live at home safely

ADOPTION Social Changes ●

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Open adoption arrangements, in which both child, parents benefit More socially acceptable to adopt (Angelina Jolie, Brad Pitt, Nicole Kidman) Positive portrayal of adoption in media Process is long, exhaustive; governing body requires assurance, all aspects of child’s wellbeing can be met Acknowledged that adoption is generally not accepted within Aboriginal communities, differently arranged within Torres Strait Islander communities (kinship group placement) Government support for single parents through Sole Parent payment, sole parenting being more socially accepted, means less adoptions Social acceptance of older parents—less adoptions Social acceptance of gay, lesbian parents means adopting has increased Cultural, religious traditions, heritage shared, passed on

Legal Changes ● ● ●

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Adoption Act 2000 (NSW) Family Law Act 1975 (Cth) All legal rights, responsibilities are transferred from birth to adoptive parents; child’s amended birth certificate reflects this Change is permanent, biological parent/s are only allowed information, contact with Family Court permission If a child is more than 12 years of age, they must consent to their adoption NSW adoptions are made legally binding by Supreme Court For step-parent adoptions in NSW, parents must be married or de facto OR step-parent needs to have lived with child for two or more years Requires consent of both biological parents

Technical changes ●

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Improvements in reproductive technologies may have impacted on number of children available for adoption Access to legal termination Medical, health information on biological parents is made available so health conditions that could be inherited are visible Access to records–other identifying information can be gained from Registry of Births, Deaths and Marriages (certificate details)), can help people search for each other (Adoption Act, 2000) Improvements in contraception, especially among young couples, may have led to less children being available for adoption Those undertaking fertility treatment are not eligible to apply to adopt a child

FOSTERING Social Changes ● ● ● ●

Has become more socially acceptable Can create cultural connections between children, foster family Families feel like they are giving back to community Parents want to make a difference in

Legal Changes ● ●

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Apply with non-government agency; more than 40 accredited agencies in NSW Carer Allowances Child and Young Persons (Care and Protection) Act

Technical changes ●

Social media, technology (Skype)— easier for children, birth parents to stay connected

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lives of other children (and their families) Available support for foster parents may mean more families willing to explore taking on foster children Issues may arise with contact of young person’s birth parents and potential return to their family Families sometimes split up, all children cannot be accommodated, stay together—may cause issues New schools, family rules, situations may put unwanted stress on child Problems between biological family, foster child may force foster family to take out restraining order against biological parents Important to retain cultural identity, knowledge of child Negative stigma attached to fostering as young people often have troubled family background Some members of society are negative about foster parents who are paid by government for care provided—misconception that they foster because of money paid

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1998 (NSW)—Carers have certain rights, responsibilities Partnership Agreement between FACS, foster carers Children and Young Persons (Care and Protection) Regulation 2012 (NSW) Code of Conduct Office of Children’s Guardian’s NSW Standards for Statutory Out-of-HomeCare—Provides minimum standards for accreditation Code of Conduct for Authorised Foster, Relative and Kinship Carers— framework promotes high standards of conduct by authorised carers Must consult with FACS about issues, such as schooling, faith practices Cannot make medical decisions/undertake legal proceedings on behalf of child

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while children are in foster care Positive stories on fostering in media, on internet may improve the somewhat negative stigma surrounding foster children Advancements in reproductive technologies has led to decrease in number of children put up for adoption— as a result, there has been a decrease in number of children placed in foster families

STEP PARENTING Social Changes ●

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Much more common— could be directly related to social acceptance, remarrying, increasing divorce rates Conflict between children, step-parents is apparent, especially in older children Traditions of family, new step-parent may be in conflict with each other Rules set down by step-parent may cause undue stress, tension among family High cost of living may put pressure on step-families in terms of housing, transport, food, clothing Community perceptions are often that an intact original nuclear family is superior to any variety of

Legal Changes ● ●

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No legal responsibility for child Can apply to Family Court for Parenting Order through Federal Magistrates Court Step-parent adoption: legal relationship between step-parent, child; equal rights to child support and inheritance Guardianship Medical authorities may consult step-parent if neither biological parent is available Child’s name can be changed to that of stepparent, pending

Technical changes ●

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Step-parents would probably experience same/similar issues as biological parents with regard to safety, costs, pressures associated with technological changes Issues around conflicting views on discipline, boundaries, rules with respect to technology may be apparent Issues could arise for remarried couples trying to conceive a child; may need to turn to birth

blended family—stepfamily seen as ‘deficient’ form of nuclear family

permission from non-custodial parent

technologies, especially if they are older couple

SURROGACY Social Changes ● ●

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Because of legally ‘grey’ area in NSW, rights of each party are not clear Very specific criteria need to be established for both parties based on honour agreement that is not legally binding Society tends to have mixed view on surrogacy Still very controversial area Many religions still against any form of intervention with natural conception Some people within community are concerned by fact that, in some Australian states, IVF is not available to gay couples

Legal Changes ●

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Surrogacy Act 2010 (NSW) makes commercial surrogacy illegal Many couples travel to India, Thailand to undergo commercial surrogacy Fines of up to $110000, max of two years imprisonment apply for commercial surrogacy Altruistic surrogacy is legal in NSW, ACT, QLD, Vic, WA, Tasmania In WA, SA, single people, samesex couples banned from using surrogacy

Technical changes Issue of ‘social infertility’: some women choose to freeze their viable eggs in the hope that they will find a suitable partner; if natural conception is not achieved, the frozen eggs may be used instead

● Carers ● ● ● ●

Definition varies between organisations Caring involves meeting the needs of a dependant that may or may not be related Consider also that carers can be parents and parents can be carers, but not all carers are parents Broadly, it covers primary carers, formal and informal carers

Primary Carers ● Person who provides the most informal assistance, in terms of help or supervision, to a person with one or more disabilities or who is aged 60 years and over—Australian Bureau of Statistics (2010) ● Assistance has to be ongoing for at least six months, be provided for one or more core activities (communication, mobility, self-care) ○ Main care provider could be a father caring for his disabled son or a woman caring for her elderly mother ● Primary carers are different to paid care workers or volunteers arranged by formal services ● Approximately 2.7 million carers in Australia (12% of population—Australian Bureau of Statistics (2012a) ○ Of these, 770 000 (3.4%) are recorded as the primary carer—they are the main care provider for the dependant and assist them with one or more of their core activities ● Primary carers were more likely to be the partner of the dependant, their participation in the workforce was lower than that of non-carers ● Young carers make up a significant number of carers across Australia ○ Defined as children, young people who care for, support family member who has long-term physical illness, mental illness, disability, drug/alcohol problem (Young Carers NSW, 2014) ● In Australia, almost 4% of young people aged under 18 are carers, one in 10 teenagers care for someone in their family (Kids Helpline, 2012) ● Young carers take on a variety of different tasks within their role (shopping, cooking, household

duties), as well as assisting with showering, toileting and the daily activities of a family member (most commonly their parents) ○ They do this while undertaking study and/or working Informal Carers ● Any person (family member, friend, neighbour) who is giving regular, ongoing assistance to another person without payment—Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (2013b) ● More often than not, these carers are women ● Grandmother who cares for three-year-old granddaughter twice a week while parents are at work ○ Grandmother receives no payment for this role ● Family friend who comes to assist his frail 85-year-old friend to shower every evening ○ Family friend receives no payment for his voluntary assistance ● There are a large proportion of informal carers who are also the primary carer for an individual ● Of the many reasons primary carers reported for taking on the role of the main informal care provider, the most common was a sense of family  responsibility (63%) ○ Next most common reason was a feeling that they could provide better care than anybody else (50%), followed by a feeling of emotional obligation to undertake the role (41%). ● When the person being cared for was an older person, it was more likely that no other friends or family were available to take on the caring role ● Annual value of informal care was estimated to be 1.32 billion hours per annum ○ If paid care, collective cost would exceed $40 billion dollars (Access Economics, 2010) ● People who provide informal care earn significantly less than the average person ○ Estimated that just over 100000 young people (under 25 years) are carers (ABS, 2012a) ● Informal carers are often women, with 70% of primary carers and 56% of all carers in Australia being women (ABS, 2012a) ○ Traditionally, female takes on nurturing, caring role; this task is designated as ‘women’s work’ ● In many sole-parent families, percentage of disabled or chronically ill children is higher than in families that are still intact ● In many cases, the pressure of looking after the dependant puts added strain on the relationship ● Additional factor is the gap  between females’ and males’ income ○ If choice between who stays in workforce is made, will most likely be higher income earner Formal Carers ● Include trained professionals who provide care through formal agencies/institutions and are paid for by the receiver (AIHW, 2013c) ● Aged carer, nurse, palliative carer, childcare worker, preschool teacher, family day care worker, before- and after-school carer, primary and high school teacher, au pair, nanny, doctor, any other specialised individuals who receives monetary income for their caring role

The Roles of parents and carers | PBS ● Satisfying the specific needs of the dependant ● ● ●

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SHESEAS—Safety and security, health, education, sense of identity, employment, adequate standard of living Safety and security: Involves making sure the dependant feels safe, secure within the home, as well as protecting them from any threat (external, within the family) Health: Includes physical, spiritual, social, emotional, mental health, can be taken care of through providing nutrition (diet), exercise, taking dependants to medical appointments as needed, maintaining hygiene standards Education: Early, reading, writing, singing, playing, socialisation, other life skills ○ Parent or carer needs to ensure child is enrolled in preschool and support the education process Sense of Identity: Formed through positive self-esteem and encouragement, parents and carers should ensure their dependant is exposed to different activities so they can determine their likes and

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dislikes ○ Also relates to positive emotional, social wellbeing Employment: Not directly correlated to early childhood, but a parent can promote employment in later life by holding employment, providing for the family Adequate Standard of Living: Most important, provides basics of food, clothing, shelter ○ Maslow’s hierarchy—If basic needs aren't met unlikely the dependant will be able to develop any further Food should be wholesome, fresh, nutritious and appropriate to the developmental stage and energy output of the dependant Clothing should be regularly laundered and dependants may also show interest in the type of clothing chosen—choices may impact sense of identity Appropriate shelter, through housing, also contributes to meeting other needs, safety and security ○ Can also contribute to this need by showing their dependant understanding, love, support, consistency and routines assist the dependant to develop security It is important for a carer to foster lifelong learning in their dependant by exposing them to new and different experiences They can assist by encouraging further education, and knowledge about their disability or condition, technological developments and their world

● Building a positive relationship with the dependant ● ● ●

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Positive relationships allow people to feel loved and valued People need boundaries and direction to help them develop important life skills—leads to enhanced social, emotional wellbeing In caring relationships, a certain amount of independence is beneficial ○ Person with disability—Can assist them with daily needs, but allowing them to do some things on their own can enhance sense of identity, improves relationship between carer and dependant Without positive relationships, other life lessons will be difficult to teach Positive relationship is one where both people grow as a result of their interaction—in parenting, the responsibility lies with the parent Can occur from birth through love, bonding, affection, understanding, patience Parents can contribute to a positive relationship by prioritising time with their child, showing genuine interest in their activities, provide opportunities for resilience and independence to develop Important to help children develop self-discipline, maturity through taking on age-appropriate responsibilities Need to model appropriate behaviour with others, as skills in relationships are ‘caught, not taught’

● Promoting the wellbeing of the dependant ● ● ●

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Wellbeing is the degree of satisfaction achieved by individuals and groups, affected by how well needs are met SPEECS—Social, physical, emotional, economic, cultural, spiritual Social: Refers to dependant’s development of social skills ○ Can also enhance cognitive development in a child ○ Ensuring they have enough time outside family, interacting with others their own age, people from other family backgrounds is really important to development Physical: Keeping the dependant physically healthy ○ Nutrition, exercise, medical appointments Emotional: Promoting regulation and expression of emotions in the dependant through role modelling, affection, play ○ To develop it, may engage in play time, be affectionate towards dependant, love has a lot to do with this aspect of wellbeing ○ Parents should how how to regulate emotions Economic: Parents or carers earning an income to support the child

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Cultural: Involves responsibility of the parent to provide a connection to the family’s culture ○ Important if not in homeland ○ Ensure practice of traditions and customs Spiritual: Parents or carers imparting religious or spiritual beliefs onto their dependant ○ Sense of identity, morals, right from wrong Parents and carers should provide opportunities to foster, develop, support these aspects with their dependants

Preparing for becoming a parent or carer | COME ● Changing health behaviours ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ●

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Obstetrician—When pregnant, person who monitors the woman and child Parents—Nutrition:  Eat healthier, nutritious foods, avoiding the listeria bacteria Drink 2+ litres of water a day Increase folic acid intake Get 7-8 hours sleep a night Physica...