CAFS parenting and caring PDF

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CAFS parenting and caring...

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community and family studies

parenting and caring ⋯ summary

becoming a parent or carer ● ●

parenting/caring can lead to numerous life changes in relation to a person's physical, social, emotional and economic wellbeing being a parent/carer is a full-time, permanent commitment ○ roles and responsibilities of the parent/carer will develop/change as the dependant biomes older and progresses through the life stages types of parents and carers

biological parents ● related to their child by way of pregnancy that was planned or unplanned or was facilitated by the way of a birthing technology ● provide the genetic material to create a child ○ the process of becoming a biological parent pregnancy definition: the period between conception and birth, during which a woman carries a foetus in her uterus

IVF/GIFT ART is an option for couples experiencing difficulties falling pregnant naturally

a child is conceived during sexual intercourse in which a ovum is fertilised by sperm

most common fertility treatments in Australia are in vitro fertilisation and gamete intrafallopian transfer

once a woman is pregnant, unless the baby is born prematurely, the foetus develops over a 40 week period which is split into three trimesters

the health of the sperm and ovum are assessed and may result in treatment for one or both of the parents in order to increase the chances of pregnancy through IVF/GIFT

pregnancy may be planned or unplanned: ➔ planned premeditated; may prepare for the pregnancy by ensuring the parent/s are physically, emotionally and economically ready to have a child ➔ unplanned unintentional; can be emotionally difficult and intense the parent/s need to weigh up the options about the pregnancy: they may choose to terminate the pregnancy, keep the child or give the child up for adoption

IVF occurs when a ova are fertilised with sperm outside the body and placed in incubators to promote the embryos' development; if successful, the embryos are transferred into the uterus GIFT is commonly used when the infertility is unexplained; in this process, the ova and sperm are moved to a fallopian tube and fertilisation occurs naturally

social parents ● social parents are not the biological parents but take on the role of nurturing the child ● social parents may arise from adoption, fostering, step-parenting, or surrogacy ● adoption ○ the legal process of transferring all rights and responsibilities from the biological parents to the adoptive parent ○ in Australia, children can be put up for adoption six days after they are born and adoption can occur up to the time the child turns 18 years of age ○ types of adoption include: ■ local adoption: adoption of a child from within NSW ■ out-of-home care adoption: adoption of a child in NSW from out-of-home care ■ intercountry adoption: adoption of a child from overseas ■ intrafamily adoption: adoption of a step-child/child within family ○ impact of legal, social and technological changes on adoption legislation legal rights/responsibilities transferred = child no longer part of biological family

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community beliefs/attitudes positive portrayal in media

reproductive technology ART = ↓ rate of adoption

↑ prevalence of open adoptions, ↑ social acceptance

fostering ○ when biological parent/s are unable to care for their child, the child is placed in foster care in which foster parents nurture/support the child until the child is able to live with the biological parent/s ○ foster parents are volunteers who are paid a fortnightly allowance to help meet the needs of the child, i.e. to buy the child furniture/clothes ○ types of foster care include: ■ emergency care: immediate placement due to concerns for safety and wellbeing ■ respite care: usually short term, lasting from a day to a week, when the parent/s require a rest from fulfilling their duties as carers ■ short- to medium-term care: when a child is placed in foster care for up to six months ■ long-term/government care: when a child is placed in foster care for longer than six months and are not expected to return to the biological parent/s ○ impact of legal, social and technological changes on fostering legislation Dept. of Community and Justice regularly contact foster carers to ensure the child safe and wellbeing is good.

community beliefs/attitudes positive media portrayal = ↓ stigma

reproductive technology ART = ↓ rates of fostering

readily available support for foster parents may mean more families are willing to foster

foster agencies must be accredited to operate ○

Ideally, the goal is to reacquaint the child with their biological parents and promote effective communication and a long-term healthy relationship.

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step-parenting ○ when two people marry or form a de facto relationship and at least one of the people have a child or children from a past relationship ■ can occur due to divorce, separation, death or other circumstances ○ blended family: a family that include a step-parent ■ ↑ 50% in past 10 years ○ both the step-parent and step-child must be flexible and understanding in the new family situation as the roles and responsibilities of the relationship are established ■ enforcement of discipline is a difficult component of step-parenting, esp. when both biological parents have disciplinary roles in the child's life ○ approx. 50% Australian marriages end in divorce, ∴ blended families are prevalent and on the rise ○ impact of legal, social and technological changes on step-parenting legislation a step-parent has no legal responsibilities for the child and does not legally have to provide financial support for a child a child's name may change to that of the step parent upon permission of the biological parent

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community beliefs/attitudes

reproductive technology

blended families are prevalent and on the rise, ∴ ↑ social acceptance

issues could arise for remarried couple trying to conceive using ART due to conflicting views on discipline, boundaries and rules with respect to technology

positive media representation of blended families/step-parenting, i.e. The Brady Bunch

surrogacy ○ an arrangement between the birth mother and intended parents whereby the birth mother conceives and/or carries and births the child on behalf of the intended parents and there is an agreement the newborn will become the intended parents' child ■ may be required if the intended mother is infertile, has had a hysterectomy or suffers from a serious medical condition or if the intended parents are homosexual couple or a single parent who wishes to have a biological child ■ may involve IVF treatment ○ types of surrogacy include: ■ partial: surrogate's egg fertilised by either intercourse or artificial insemination ■ gestational: embryo implanted into surrogate's uterus ○ impact of legal, social and technological changes on surrogacy legislation

community beliefs/attitudes

reproductive technology

commercial surrogacy is illegal; must be altruistic (voluntary, unpaid) and surrogates must be 25 years or older (except the ACT: 18 years)

moral/ethical dilemmas are associated with surrogacy, some may consider it to commodify a child/selling them as a product/ religiously it is wrong "to play god"

issue of social infertility as some women may choose to freeze their eggs in the hope they will find a suitable partner if natural conception is not achieved these eggs may be used

carers ●

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someone who looks after the needs and wellbeing of another person due to their age, illness and/or disability, whether for payment or on a voluntary basis ○ facilitates the dependant's wellbeing by providing physical and/or emotional support according to the ABS, in 2018: ○ there were 2.65 million carers in Australia (10.8% of population) ■ 12.3% of all females and 9.3% of all males were carers ○ 3.5% of Australians were primary carers ■ 71.8% of primary carers were women ■ 70.1% of primary carers took on a caring role out of a sense of familial responsibility carers may undertake tasks such as: ○ feeding, ○ bathing, ○ dressing, ○ administering medications, ○ transporting, ○ banking, ○ shopping, ○ bill paying, and ○ providing emotional support primary ○ the person who provides the most informal assistance in terms of help/supervision for a dependant ■ the assistance provided has to be ongoing for at least 6 months ○ young carers ■ people aged 25 years and under who provide a caring role for an individual, generally a relative ● children/young people who assume the role of primary carer for a family member who has a long-term physical/mental illness/disability ● according to Kids Helpline, in 2012: ○ young carers accounted for 4% of people aged under 18 ○ 1 in 10 teenagers cared for someone in their family ■ while undertaking study and/or working, young carers take on a variety tasks, including: ● shopping, ● cooking, ● household duties, ● showering, ● toileting, and ● other daily activities informal ○ NSW Health: provide ongoing, unpaid support to any person, such as a family member, neighbour or friend, who requires assistance due to disability, terminal illness, chronic illness, mental illness and/or ageing ■ women are the most common carer ○ some of the reasons reported for taking on the role of informal carer are: ■ emotional obligation ■ alternative care to costly ■ familial responsibility ■ no one else available

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■ feeling of providing care better than anyone else The value of informal care is estimated to be 1.32 billion hours per annum.

formal ○

trained professionals who provide care through formal agencies/institutions and are paid by the receiver ■ include aged care workers, palliative care nurses, childcare workers, teachers, foster parents, au pairs, nannies, doctors and any other specialised individual who receives monetary income for their caring role

the roles of parents and carers ●

parents/carers take on various roles caring for their dependants ○ these roles may change or develop as dependants move through stages of the lifespan

satisfying the specific needs of their dependants ● parents/carers are responsible for ensuring that they do everything in their power to meet their dependents' needs, including: ○ safety/security ○ health ○ education ○ sense of identity ○ employment ○ adequate standard of living ● throughout the lifespan, the priorities of needs of the dependants may change/develop ○ i.e. infants/children require the satisfaction of the needs of learning, socialisation, love/affection, discipline and medical interventions to treat illness/provide immunisation to progress and develop healthily through these stages of the lifespan ■ meeting these needs is the responsibility of the primary carer, but they can also be met by other people the dependant has in their life, such as extended family members, relatives, teachers or family friends ● an important responsibility for parents/carers is to meet the need for an adequate standard of living ○ i.e. parents are expected to provide their dependant with food, clothing and shelter ■ food should be appropriate for the development stage and energy output of the dependant ■ clothing should be regularly laundered and the dependant may also show interest in the types of clothing chosen, which impact sense of identity ■ the provision of appropriate shelter, through housing, as well as parent/s showing love, support and understanding contribute to meeting safety/security needs ● the parent/carer is also responsible for contributing to the basic health needs of their dependant ○ may assist their dependant to be hygienic through: ■ regular showering/bathing, ■ toileting, ■ good oral hygiene, and ■ general cleanliness ○ should also administer basic first aid and provide support for their dependant to meet other health through engaging with the services of medical personnel ■ could be by attending regular medical check-ups and visiting the dentist/other specialists ● education is an important need, especially in the developmental years of the lifespan ○ parents/carers can meet this need by encouraging play, language/literature acquisition, creativity, cultural education and providing opportunities to socialise, particularly during infancy and childhood ○ parents/carers should aim to foster lifelong learning in their dependants by: ■ exposing them to new and different experiences ■ encouraging further education ● it is important that the parent/carer meets their dependant's needs ○ if the parent/carer fails to do so, the dependants health/wellbeing may deteriorate or face complications later in life

building a positive relationship with the dependant ● a positive relationship is one where both people grow as a result of their interaction ○ ↑ social and emotional wellbeing of both the parent/carer and dependant ● In parenting/caring, the responsibility lies with the parent/carer to establish a positive relationship with their dependant. ○ should always treat the dependant with care and respect ■ i.e. speaking to the dependent at eye level ○ can occur through love, bonding, affection, understanding and patience ○ can contribute to a positive relationship by prioritising time with their dependant and showing interest in their activities ● the parent/carer should also provide opportunities for the dependant to develop their resilience and independence ○ by doing so, parents can provide the opportunity for the child to develop self-discipline and maturity by taking on age-appropriate responsibilities ○ carers can best help their dependant by providing assistance when necessary but still providing opportunities to for independence ● through building a positive relationship with their dependant, the parent/carer ensures that the dependant feels valued and affirmed ● parents, in particular, need to model appropriate behaviours for their dependant as skills in relationships ● As roles/responsibilities change, so do the relationships of the parent/carer and the dependant. ○ difficulties may develop when the dependent was formerly of an equal or higher status ■ carers may resent the impact of caring on their social, educational and career aspirations, which may make it difficult to build strong relationships promoting the wellbeing of the dependant ● a person's wellbeing is enhanced by meeting the six facets of wellbeing: ○ social ○ physical ○ emotional ○ economic ○ cultural ○ spiritual ● Parents and carers should provide opportunities to foster, develop and support all facets of their dependants' wellbeing. ● some dependants, particularly children, may need help to learn what is going to be beneficial for their wellbeing, ∴ the parent/carer should help them make decisions on matters including: ○ diet, ○ physical activity, ○ religion/spirituality, ○ socialising, and ○ finances ● similarly to building positive relationships, parents/carers should promote wellbeing by role modelling lifestyle choices that enhance the facets of wellbeing ○ good role modelling → dependants more likely to engage in healthy behaviours that enhance wellbeing

preparations for becoming a parent or carer ● ●

becoming a parent/carer → aspects of lifestyle must be altered to accommodate for role to be well-prepared for the change and new demands and to effectively manage the role and satisfy the changing needs of the dependant, the parent/carer will need to utilise a variety of personal management skills, such as planning, organising, communication, decision making and problem solving, as well as: ○ change health behaviours ○ organise finances ○ modify the physical environment ○ enhance knowledge and skills

changing health behaviours ● includes: ○ nutrition, ○ physical activity, and ○ social and/or spiritual connections ● parents and health behaviours ○ parents must make positive lifestyle choices before trying to conceive a baby and throughout pregnancy ○ some nutritional and physical activity guidelines for parents include: ■ maintain a healthy, balanced diet ● unprocessed and unrefined foods are most beneficial ● develop an awareness of special nutritional needs during pregnancy ○ i.e. avoid foods with the listeria bacteria, such as soft cheeses ■ drink two or more litres of water per day ■ cease using alcohol or other drugs, including tobacco and caffeine ■ increase folic acid intake before and during pregnancy ■ participate in regular physical activity throughout pregnancy ● avoid impact sports ■ attend regular appointments with a GP, midwife or obstetrician to monitor the baby's growth and development ● undertake ultrasounds and other tests as required ■ attend antenatal courses to learn about physical/emotional needs during pregnancy and birth ■ get 7-8 hours of sleep per night ○ social and spiritual connections for parents may be developed by: ■ attending prenatal classes to meet other in the same situation ● these friendships may continue past delivery and may begin lifelong connections between the families ■ inquiring into parenting groups in the local area ■ investigating child-friendly social activities in the local area ● i.e. play centres, parks and local cafes ■ investigating and practising relaxation techniques, such as meditation, yoga and pilates

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carers and health behaviours ○ carers must also make positive change in their health behaviours for their benefit and the benefit of their dependant ○ some nutritional and physical activity guidelines for carers include: ■ maintain a healthy, balanced diet for both the carer and dependant ■ engage in a variety of physical activities ● maintains a healthy lifestyle ● enable them to carry out physical activities/tasks such as playing, lifting, showering and bathing ○ social and spiritual connections for carers may be developed by: ■ investigating into local support groups ● interact with other carers in similar situations ■ meeting with other carers to gain more exposure to the role ■ inquiring into caring groups in the local area ■ investigating and practising relaxation techniques, such as meditation, yoga and pilates

organising finances ● includes: ○ budgeting, ○ saving, and ○ setting up support payments ● ensures the parent/carer is financially prepared for the arrival of the dependant ● budgeting ○ may involve the family working together on budgeting and/or in consultation with the family's accountant ○ may involve investigating the potential costs of services and equipment required for the care of the dependant ■ parents may need to investigate the costs of obstetricians, hospitalisation, other medical care, equipments, clothing, nappies and other expenses involved in caring for an infant ■ carers may need to investigate the costs of modifying the environment, education/training, specialised equipment and other ongoing expenses ● saving ○ parents/carers may need to consider building up their savings to provide financial relief while they are off work caring for the dependant ■ i.e. parental leave for the arrival of their baby ○ savings may be used for: ■ the arrival of the dependant ■ ongoing costs of living, including mortgages, bills and buying groceries ● support payments ○ the high costs associated with parenting/caring may mean that the parent/carer may benefit from support payments ■ support payments may come in the form of: ● employer-paid parental leave ● government-provided payments via Centrelink ○ examples of support payments include Parental Leave Pay, Dad and Partner Pay, Family Tax Benefit, Child Care Rebate, Carer Payment and Carer Allowance

modifying the physical environment ● includes modifying: ○ housing, ○ amenities, and ○ equipment ● parents/carers may need to: ○ assess their current housing arrangement to cater for future dependants ■ i.e. a parent may move from a single-bedroom house to a house with...