Navigating Professional Contexts

Children are Citizens The City of Port Phillip, an inner local government city in Melbourne Australia, has developed strategies that will challenge the traditional view of children as citizens of the state by theorising children as major actors in the society who have a valid and important understanding of the world in general and can be able to contribute to the development of the society (City of Port Phillip, 2005).Advertising We will write a custom assessment sample on Navigating Professional Contexts specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More These strategies have been developed as a result of the little recognition children receive when it comes to voicing their opinions or getting their voices heard. Children also lack equal opportunities in the adult world in cases where they are faced with poverty, cultural diversity or disabilities (Smith et al, 2008). The development of the strategies will ensure that the City of Port Phillip has a theoretical and practical framework that will be used to create awareness to the adult community in the city that children should be regarded as citizens who deserve equal opportunities and also to be listened to. The strategies will be used to develop a children’s plan that will reflect on issues such as embedding the concept of children as citizens in the constitution, developing policies and frameworks that will be used to support children’s activities in civic duties within the city and structures of citizenship that will represent the needs of children in Port Phillip (City of Port Phillip, 2009). The decision to include children as citizens of the state arose out of a gap in the Municipal Early Years Plan (MEYP) that did not involve children in its formulation stage. The MEYP was an initiative by the State Government of Victoria which required all councils in Australia to develop a plan for children that would be used in developing strategies that would coordi nate the educational, health care and early childhood development activities of children living in Australia. The City of Port Phillip recognised this gap and decided that a broader approach was needed in dealing with aspects that affected children and promoted new ways of thinking about children’s opportunities in the adult world.Advertising Looking for assessment on education? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More The new way of thinking challenged the State of Victoria’s policies on service delivery to children by proposing that their rights and interests should be considered before any strategic frameworks are developed (City of Port Phillip, 2009). MEYP did not involve any consultation or input from children during the formulation stages of the plan which would create certain gaps when the plan would be used for early childhood development programs and healthcare delivery services for young children (Smith Smale, 2007). The various councils involved in the MEYP plan realised that they did not have the relevant skills and knowledge to develop strategies that are meant for children. The City of Port Phillip took the initiative to consult with children when developing the municipal plan especially during the implementation phase by analysing their ideas and opinions (City of Port Phillip, 2009). To develop a plan that had the incorporation of children’s ideas, the council of Port Phillip analysed the ideas that council staff and community members had about children being viewed as citizens. Most of the staff interviewed were those who had a direct or indirect interaction with children in the community. Their opinions about children were based on the images they had on children and how these images affected their day to day duties. The three images that the council staff and community members had of children were that adults viewed children as objects that could be developed and construc ted by developing policies and procedures to be used in their developmental activities. The other image was that children were seen to be apprentices who could be developed and educated to become future citizens instead of current day citizens. Policies and procedures were developed towards gearing children to become future citizens. These policies were formulated by adults based on their observations on children. The third image about children was that they were viewed as social actors as well as citizens who had valid knowledge about their surrounding community and the world in general. This image represented the fact that children were present day active citizens who were allowed to participate in decision making activities (Smith et al, 2008).Advertising We will write a custom assessment sample on Navigating Professional Contexts specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More The assessment carried out by the City of Port Phillip showed th at children were able to express their views and opinions on matters that affected them when they were given an opportunity to do so; there were hierarchies for citizenship that included children in the society. There was a need for members of the community to view children as citizens who deserved equal opportunities and rights. People who worked in organizations or communities that mostly dealt with children were required to view them as equal opportunity members while they carried out their work. There was also a need to develop a culture that would ensure the participation of children in community developmental activities (Smith et al, 2008). The strategies that were developed by the City of Port Phillip that would be used in recognising children as citizens included championing the cause with influence by involving people in authoritative positions such as politicians, members of parliament and councillors. The endorsement of children to be viewed as citizens by these people in authoritative positions would ensure that community members would also see the benefits of having children as equal opportunity members of the society. These authoritative figures also had access to state and government funds that could be channelled to awareness activities of viewing children as citizens. The other strategy developed by the council of Port Phillip was to assess the educational opportunities on offer in the city and what the contents of the education system were. This entailed conducting a critical reflection process on the council member’s image of children which required that they should identify and support responsibilities that were targeted towards ensuring children were involved in decision making activities (City of Port Phillips, 2009). The other strategy involved developing protocols that would see children’s views and opinions being used in community development activities. Children’s views and consent would be used in developing prog rams and theoretical frameworks that would not only affect them but the adults in the society as well.Advertising Looking for assessment on education? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Developing these protocols would involve designing tools that would be used in consulting with children in policy and procedure formulation processes. Some of the tools that have been used by the City of Port Phillip include individual interviews where children are interviewed by adults and also by other children, group discussions, and artistic work such as drawing, photographs, painting and videography (City of Port Phillip, 2009). The City of Port Phillip is focused on developing a children’s plan that will incorporate the views of all the children in the city. According to statistics, the past four years have seen more than 400 children who are aged between 0 to 12 years contributing their ideas and opinions on ways of improving the living and learning conditions of Port Phillip. As a result, the information will be used by the local council authorities to develop a MEYP plan that will incorporate the views and needs of children in relation to policy formulation and proce dures (City of Port Phillip, 2009). Children deserve a challenging and safe learning environment The Government of Australia has developed an early learning framework for children in Australia that will be used by child educators to enrich their lives by providing education that prepares them for adult life. The framework is also meant to provide a smooth transition for the children during the various stages of their educational life. The framework is based on the vision that all children have the right to access the best opportunities that will enable them to start their lives on a good note and create a good future for themselves. The framework was developed after gathering input from various sectors such as the early childhood educators, children in early educational programs and the state, territorial governments of Australia (Commonwealth of Australia, 2009). The early childhood framework was developed to ensure that children received quality education and learning experiences that would develop them in the later stages of their lives. The framework outlines learning outcomes that will be used to gauge the skills, knowledge and abilities that children should have once they have complete the educational programs. The learning outcomes that have been outlined include teaching children to have a strong sense of identity and wellbeing, educating children to be connected to the world by equipping them with skills they can use in contributing to the development activities in their communities, and teaching children to be confident and effective communicators (Commonwealth of Australia, 2009). The type of learning that will take place in relation to the outcomes will be influenced by the children’s capabilities and learning preferences, the techniques that the educator uses to teach the children, the learning environment and the integration of the learning practices with learning outcomes. The framework recognises the fact that learning is a continuous pr ocess that is not always predictable and certain.Each child progresses towards the learning outcomes in their own specific way and educators are expected to design their learning programs to meet each child’s specific needs (COA, 2009). The learning outcome that requires children to have a strong sense of identity involves teaching them to be themselves and developing their confidence levels. While they learn about themselves, children build their own identities based on the social settings of the community and their families. Their identities are also based on the types of relationships they have with family members and people that live in their surroundings. Developing a strong sense of identity will involve providing a learning environment that is safe and challenging. Children learn and grow more quickly when they are in a safe and secure environment (COA, 2009). A safe learning environment will ensure that children are able to build secure relationships with their peers, family members, educators and their community members. Safe and secure learning environments will also ensure that they have a sense of belonging in the learning environment as well as enable them to communicate their needs and demands to the people concerned. Safe learning environments allow children to express their feelings and ideas freely without any fear of being reprimanded. Children can also be able to initiate conversations with other people as well as respond to the suggestions offered by other people (HM Government, 2005). The early years learning framework also outlines that children deserve to have a learning environment that is challenging and allows them to develop interdependency skills as well as a sense of resiliency in their lives. A learning environment that is challenging allows children to have an increasing awareness to the needs of their peers as well as allow them to be open to any challenges that might arise while they are learning. Learning programs that are challenging allow children to develop persistency and critical thinking to their learning tasks as well as ensure they have confidence when approaching new and difficult situations (COA, 2009). The educational program should be designed in a way that ensures children are inspired and challenged after completing the learning program. Children who are exposed to a culture of reading and studying only without experiencing any extra curriculum activities such as music, sports and social activities are more likely to develop a negative attitude towards learning. Children should therefore be challenged academically to ensure they are inspired to perform learning tasks to the best of their abilities (Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development, 2010). Children are capable learners whose perspectives should be listened to, respected and integrated into the learning environment This statement is exemplified under the learning outcome of developing a strong sense of identity in the Early Years Learning Framework developed for the educational sector in Australia (Commonwealth of Australia, 2009). Children who are capable learners have a broad variety of ideas, opinions and perspectives on different learning activities. They deserve to have an opportunity to have these perspectives listened to and respected for their value. For children to be viewed as capable learners they should feel recognised and respected for who they are by educators, their peers, their family members and the society. They are also able to share aspects of their upbringing, cultural backgrounds and religion with their friends during the learning process. Integrating children’s perspectives into the learning environment will ensure that they are able to develop a strong foundation in the family setting and also the community setting as well as enable them to reach out for assistance and companionship (State of Victoria, 2009). Enacting the Value Statements into Practice It is im portant to view children as important contributors to the society by ensuring that their voices and opinions are heard when it comes to developing programs that will benefit them in the long term. Children should therefore be accorded citizenship in their respectable communities or societies a fete that can be achieved by incorporating their ideas into educational programs and developing strategies that will ensure they are involved in the formulation of governmental policies and procedures (UNCRC, 2006). Creating a safe and challenging environment for learning will allow children to develop confidence skills and capabilities that will mould them into leadership positions. Having their perspectives and opinions listened to will also ensure that they can become leaders at the later stages of their life. This can be achieved by creating educational programs that have social learning activities which will allow children to demonstrate their leadership abilities and skills like the Mast er in School Leadership (MSL) program developed for all educational schools in Victoria. The program builds a child’s capacity for leadership opportunities within the school and also in the outside world (Matthews et al, 2007). References Association for Supervision and Curriculum, Development (ASCD) (2010). Educating the whole child: the new learning compact. Web. City of Port Phillip (2005). Municipal Early Years Plan- creating a child friendly Port  Phillip: a framework for action and three year implementation plan 2005-2009. Web. City of Port Phillip (2009). Children’s participation in urban settings: respecting children  as active citizens. Melbourne: City of Port Phillip. Commonwealth of Australia (COA) (2009). The early years learning framework for  Australia. Australian Government: Department of Education, Employment and Workplace Relations for the Council of Australian Governments. HM Government (2005).Working together to safeguard children: a guide to i nter-agency  working to safeguard and promote the welfare of children. Web. Matthews, P., Moorman, H., Nusche, D., (2007). School leadership development  strategies: building leadership capacity in Victoria, Australia. Victoria: OECD, Directorate for Education. Smith, K., MacNaughton, G., Alexander, K., (2008). Respecting children as active  citizens: participation in policies and services. Melbourne: University of Melbourne. Web. Smith, K., Smale, J., (2007). Listening to children: local government respecting  children’s rights to citizenship. Brussels: Diversity in Early Childhood Education and Training (DECET). State of Victoria (2009). Victorian early years learning and development framework: for  all children from birth to eight years. Victoria, Australia: Department of Education and Early Childhood Development. United Nations Committee on the Rights of the child (UNCRC) (2006). A guide to  general comment 7: implementing child rights in early childhood. T he Hague: Bernard van Leer Foundation. 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Free Essays on Drugs And Behavior

Activities and Observations Throughout the course of the last three weeks, the phrase â€Å"moderation is the key† is one that in the end proves itself correct. Excess of any activity can lead to negative consequences, especially when it comes to drug and alcohol use. One might claim that is just common sense that having too much fun will catch up with you. It is the inevitable. However, I have learned through this class that it takes more than just ‘common sense’ to recognize a potential problem. By recording the daily activities of my social life I have actual written proof of what is considered ‘having too much fun’. By having to monitor the consumption, cost, and consequences of the drug and alcohol use around me made me see my social circle and myself from a different perspective. From the dates of September 2 – September 22, my drug log kept me very busy. I kept record of my social life and any thing drug-related. The instructions for the first week of the drug log were to monitor drug-related activity as I normally would encounter them. I was excited to keep the log because it seemed very interesting and I was hoping maybe I would learn something from it. I knew my friends and I socialized frequently and thought at first jotting down our use of alcohol and drugs would be funny. We all know that sometimes we get excessive with partying but we just attribute it to being ‘a crazy night’. I don’t think we have ever taken into account of the reality of what we do. A lot of people make jokes about their drinking and developing addiction problems but no one ever talks about it seriously. There are a few people who everyone knows drinks too much, but that is usually phrased as ‘he or she parties hard’. From Monday September 2nd through Sunday September 8th, the only day that I refrained from using was Sunday. I felt very sick from the previous night, but looking back at the entries now I realize it was from the e... Free Essays on Drugs And Behavior Free Essays on Drugs And Behavior Activities and Observations Throughout the course of the last three weeks, the phrase â€Å"moderation is the key† is one that in the end proves itself correct. Excess of any activity can lead to negative consequences, especially when it comes to drug and alcohol use. One might claim that is just common sense that having too much fun will catch up with you. It is the inevitable. However, I have learned through this class that it takes more than just ‘common sense’ to recognize a potential problem. By recording the daily activities of my social life I have actual written proof of what is considered ‘having too much fun’. By having to monitor the consumption, cost, and consequences of the drug and alcohol use around me made me see my social circle and myself from a different perspective. From the dates of September 2 – September 22, my drug log kept me very busy. I kept record of my social life and any thing drug-related. The instructions for the first week of the drug log were to monitor drug-related activity as I normally would encounter them. I was excited to keep the log because it seemed very interesting and I was hoping maybe I would learn something from it. I knew my friends and I socialized frequently and thought at first jotting down our use of alcohol and drugs would be funny. We all know that sometimes we get excessive with partying but we just attribute it to being ‘a crazy night’. I don’t think we have ever taken into account of the reality of what we do. A lot of people make jokes about their drinking and developing addiction problems but no one ever talks about it seriously. There are a few people who everyone knows drinks too much, but that is usually phrased as ‘he or she parties hard’. From Monday September 2nd through Sunday September 8th, the only day that I refrained from using was Sunday. I felt very sick from the previous night, but looking back at the entries now I realize it was from the e...

Police Brutality Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Police Brutality - Research Paper Example Roberts (2011) pointed that in youtube alone, an e-site containing video records, produced about 497,000 results when "police brutality" is subjected to the search engine. Roberts (2011) described that these videos either depict beaten women, kids and the aged or violent and bloody exaction of testimonies from unwilling suspects. Some testimonies of victims who were able to undergo sad ordeal revealed electrocution; suffocation, psychological torment or threat; emotional shocks; direct physical assault, and the like done by police with psychopathic and sociopath tendencies. Skolnick and Fyfe (1993) explicated that police brutality brought along with it such dehumanizing intent by treating the target with such concealed venality and such degrading impact of violent torture. Roberts (2011) attributed this inhuman way of managing suspects, civilians and victims to militarist treatment as abuse of power. Those who are involved in police brutality tactics are characterized with such nastiness as they were trained to view the public, the people whom they ought to secure, as their enemy. To some extent, some police officers have made policing activity leveled beyond preservation of order into cyclical patterns of injustice as commission of human rights. Often logged without witnesses to corroborate the conduct of brutalities, Bandes (1999) noted that authorities would just label this as an incident which is either isolated, systemic, or part of a larger pattern to suppress a movement. Bandes (1999) explicated that police brutality are often portrayed by court as something anecdotal, fragmented and isolated from institutional pattern (p. 1275) reinforced by causes that could be political, social, psychological and cultural (Bandes, 1999, p. 2). Experts opined that victims of police brutality would have difficulty expressing such unfair victimization because complaints about it are discouraged due to a dearth of evidence, lack of corroborative testimonies, records are expunged, and police records are purposively made inaccessible.

LEGAL ASPECTS OF INTL BUSINESS Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 1

LEGAL ASPECTS OF INTL BUSINESS - Essay Example The South Korean resort of Pyeongchang was the favorite to host Games but Putin made it his personal mission to get the bid, travelled to Guatemala City in 2007 and make Russia final pitch and sweet talked members of International Olympic Committee into voting in the favor of Sochi. IOC member Jean-Claude Killy said it was very important to have the presence of Putin and he spoke French that he never speaks. The cost has presently risen (Bloomberg Business Week). Sochi price tag is some sort of embarrassment. The Sochi game is quite relevant in the study of games and sport in class. It is quite agreeable that the cost is high because it is being set in an expensive defying climate. The Krasnaya Polyana is filled with snow every February and the lower slopes have average wintertime temperature of fifty-two degrees. The officials have to drain swamps, store the previous year’s snow and install over four hundred snowmaking machines. Seventy thousand laborers working seven days a week for as little as U.S Dollar five hundred a month to build over twenty thousand new hotel rooms, new roads tunnels and bridges, renovated airport and new railway lines. A more sinister reason for the rise of the budget is the Beijing extravagant expenditure in the 2008 Summer Olympic. In addition, Sochi Olympics are unprecedented thieves. The contractors who are Putin cronies had a phony cost of over twenty six billion. The estimated cost of the road and railway to be constructed was estimated a cost of $ 8.7 billion. Terrorism is also an issue of concern. Doku Umarov a Chechen rebel leader has urged the Islamist fighters in the surrounding area of North Caucasus to cause much bloodshed on the games as possible (Bloomberg Business Week). The Olympics states that Umarov is held on the bones of their ancestors and many dead Muslims are buried on the territory land of the black sea. To prove that the threat was not ideal,

Toyota Case study Essay Example for Free

Toyota Case study Essay Jalopnik The crisis: Toyota recalled a total of 8.8 million vehicles for safety defects, including a problem where the cars accelerator would jam, which caused multiple deaths. How Toyota responded: Toyota initially couldnt figure out the exact problem, but it sent out PR teams to try and stop the media backlash anyway. The upper management was invisible in the early stages of the crisis, skewing public perception further against the company. Toyotas response was slow, with devastating results. But it served as a wake-up call for the company, which somehow turned it around in the months following the debacle. The company failed miserably in its initial crisis management, but thats what makes Toyotas case so intriguing. Despite its monumental mistakes early on, Toyota still bounced back. Why? It didnt take long for the public to remember Toyotas previously stellar reputation. The company offered extended warranties and pumped up marketing, leveraging its long-term track record and reassuring consumers about safety. Its ads in the following months were more thoughtful and sincere, showing the companys dedication to fixing the problem. Toyotas executives especially in the US became more visible, speaking to the media and becoming active in the investigations. The result: The Toyota brand showcased its resiliency, with its positive reputation built up over decades of good performance. The company leveraged this, focusing its marketing once again on safety and its proven track record. It had to show that this disaster including its own horrible mishandling of the situation was an aberration. And it worked, with a little bit a of luck. NASA exonerated Toyota of the blame for most of the accidents in 2011 and the companys brand equity leapt 11% this year, according to WPP.

Comparison Of Mail Communications Essay example -- essays research pap

  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  New technologies have always allowed us to do things faster, more efficiently, and more professionally than ever before. Generally, every new technology is a step forward for speed and productivity. But, despite this paradigm, the coming of the latest mail communications innovation has brought many pros and cons with the package. Electronic mail could be the greatest thing since sliced bread, but there are many who find flaws in it. We are now going to take a moment to compare the speed, ease, reliability, and expense of electronic mail with our general postal system.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The speed of transfer is an important part of the decision to send mail by either protocol. E-mail has a distinct advantage in this category. With the click of a button, your message will be received in a period of 5 to 30 seconds. Whether you are sending e-mail to a person across the street or in Afghanistan, the transfer rate is virtually the same. Also, data files and computer applications can be sent via e-mail; however, large files will slow upload & download time even though they are sent in seconds. Unfortunately, physical packages such as gifts or magazines cannot be attached to e-mail. On the other side of the spectrum, the postal service can send any kind of physical package, from a magazine to a pool table, for a price proportional to its size. The postal service can also transfer data if it is placed on a disk or a CD-ROM. Speed, howe...

Decreasing Child Abuse with Nurse Partnership Essay

Child abuse in America is not a new epidemic; our country’s history has been tainted with it since its inception. Children are abused at all ages, indiscriminate of gender, race, or culture. While the abuse of any child is appalling, the abuse of an infant is especially heinous. Dr. John Leventhal, a professor of pediatrics at Yale School of Medicine completed a recent study which highlighted the fact that â€Å"serious abuse-related hospitalizations are more common in infants under the age of one year old and tend to disproportionately affect families on Medicaid,† (Mann, 2012). These incidents occur because parents are ill-prepared for parenthood and lack the resources necessary to appropriately manage the stress of a new infant. A Nurse Partnership Program (NPP) is the answer to our nation’s call to significantly decrease the amount of child abuse cases for infants under the age of 1 year. If appropriately executed and managed, this program could also improve the quality of life for participating families as well as potentially decrease the number of families who receive aid from public welfare and assistance programs. Needs Assessment Child Abuse Statistics According the United States Department of Health & Human Services (USDHSS) (2011), Nevada is tied with Tennessee as the state with the third highest rate of child abuse per capita for children under the age of one year; 16. 9% of Nevada’s infants were abused in 2010, 47. 7% of those cases resulted in fatalities, and 81. 3% of the perpetrators were parents of the victim. The USDHSS (2011) also reports that the federal government’s Fourth National Incident Study of Child Abuse found that abuse is three times more common in poor families and neglect is seven times more common in poor families as well (poor as defined by national poverty line). Poverty Statistics The U. S. Census Bureau reports that 16. 4% of Nevada residents live in poverty, which places Nevada as 38th in the nation (2010). In terms of pure numbers, 306K people receive Medicaid in the state of Nevada (Haynes, Vogel, and Tetreault, 2012). Nevada has a large target population for this program and as the third worst state in the union for child abuse of infants, Nevada has demonstrated a dire need for action. Specific Target Population The target population for the Nurse Partnership Program would be expectant mothers who are Medicaid recipients. The Nevada State Department of Human and Health Services and the Prevent Child Abuse Nevada organization would serve as supporting agencies since both organizations already work to prevent and control child abuse in Nevada. The NPP would also benefit from the participation of dedicated social workers. Community Level Nursing Diagnosis Nursing Diagnosis One The target population is at risk for impaired parenting related to situational characteristics that precipitate child abuse. Previously mentioned statistics prove that a disproportional amount of child abuse cases for children under one year of age occur in families who receive Medicaid. Child abuse, neglect, and maltreatment are classified as impaired parenting. According to the USDHHS (2012), research has uncovered a number of risk factors or situational characteristics that create a higher probability of child abuse within families. These situational characteristics of parents or caretakers include previous trauma history, altered mental health, and an unhealthy or negative response to stress. Research also indicates a link between substance abuse and child maltreatment. There is also an increased risk when children are raised by a single parent, when one parent is already to victim of domestic violence, and when parents are socially isolated. Nursing Diagnosis Two Many young or teenage parents receive public aid and Medicaid, which places them in the target population. These young and teenage parents are at risk for ineffective coping related to lack of social and emotional support, lower economic status, high stress levels, and inadequate education. Brownridge and Douglas found that lack of or inadequate employment, education, social and emotional support, and self-esteem are associated with child abuse among children of adolescent mothers (2008, pp. 9-42). Without a sufficient support system or education to prepare young parents for the monumental task of caring for infants, they are rendered inadequately prepared to cope with the stresses of early parenthood. Cancain, Slack, and Yang (2012) state that researchers and policy makers have long recognized that children living in families with limited economic resources are at a higher risk for maltreatment than children from higher socioeconomic strata. Nursing Diagnosis T hree The children of the target population are risk for trauma related to their dependent role in the parent child relationship. Infants are especially susceptible to maltreatment due to their early developmental status and need for constant care. As Dr. Leventhal (2012) stated, when abuse occurs in children under the age of one year abused, they are more likely to incur serious injuries that require hospitalization than abused children over the age of one year. Project Goals, Objectives, and Interventions  A Nurse Partnership Program would match a registered nurse with an expectant mother, who would in turn provide education and mentorship throughout the pregnancy and first year of the child’s life. The nurse would perform home visits and help the mother prepare the home as well as herself for the safe arrival of the infant. The nurse would advocate for a healthy pregnancy and assist the mother in finding the resources she would need to facilitate that healthy pregnancy. While evaluation of the goals would include comparing the rate of child abuse cases among those enrolled in the NPP with those in the ontrol group, the overall evaluation of the program would include the rate of families who set and meet educational and professional goals as well as achieve and maintain economic independence of government aid programs. Project Goal One The first goal of this program is to improve pregnancy outcomes of the targeted population. This would start with matching an expectant mother with a registered nurse early in the pregnancy. This initial relationship builds the foundation for a successful therapeutic relationship and the overall success of this program. The nurse would educate the woman on preventative practices during pregnancy to include prenatal care, appropriate diets, and any behavior modifications that may need to occur such as the use of cigarettes, alcohol, or drugs. The success of interventions and determination of meeting this goal would be evaluated by comparing the rate of healthy births by mothers enrolled in the program with the rate of healthy births by mothers in a control group not participating in the NPP. Project Goal Two The second goal of this program would be to create a safe home environment for children to reduce the likelihood of accidental injuries. This process would also create confidence in young parents as they take control and responsibility for the safety of their child. Duva & Metzger (2010) found that a lack of confidence and self-esteem increase the risk of children suffering from abuse. Ongoing evaluation of this goal would occur during the home visits and overall evaluation of this goal would include the comparison of accidental injuries to children whose family is enrolled in the NPP to the control group. Project Goal Three Project goal three would include teaching the young parents how to build an appropriate support system. Young parents need to be able to communicate to others what their needs are. Something as simple as asking someone to watch their child so they can have a break could benefit the parents and child, providing a stress management tool which can decrease the likelihood of child abuse. Support systems include families, friends, and community networks (such as other parents, churches, etc. ). Evaluation consists of comparing the rate of child abuse cases among those enrolled in the NPP with those in the control group. Child abuse cases among the participants would be screened to determine if they were successful at building that special support system. Nurses can evaluate the progress of this goal during their home visits throughout the first year of the child’s life. Project Goal Four Project goal four includes improving child health and development. Nurses would work hand in hand with a licensed social worker to help parents provide responsible and competent care. This goal revolves around the main intervention of education. Their education would include stress management techniques, effective parenting skills, early childhood development, and the development of realistic expectations for themselves as parents and their children. This goal would include home visits by both the social worker and nurse throughout the first year of the infant’s life. Participants in this program are both students and parents. This unique compilation creates a situation ideal for the involvement of social workers. According to the Illinois Association of School Social Workers (2012), social workers help people understand themselves and others, cope with stress, develop decision making skills, help parents to meet and understand the needs of their children’s social and emotional needs, how to identify and utilize resources effectively, provide counseling services, and advocate for patients. They are a valued partner in the proposed program as the collaboration between the social worker, nurse, and parents are fundamental to the success of the NPP. Evaluation of this goal outcome includes comparing the rate of child abuse cases among those enrolled in the NPP with those in the control group. Project Goal Five Project goal five is the lynchpin for the overall success of the program. The final goal is to improve the economic self-sufficiency of parents. This would include the nurse and the social worker collaborating with the participants to develop goals for their own futures by completing their education, developing employable skills, finding employment, and planning future pregnancies. The success of this goal would be determined by the umber of cases who achieve economic independence, no longer utilize government aid programs, and have no unplanned pregnancies within two years of the child’s birth. That number would then be compared to the control group. Estimated Cost Discussing the cost of the program would by an injustice without discussing the possible savings the program could also produce. Child abuse and neglect costs the U. S. $124 billion from just one year of confirmed cases of child maltreatment and the lifetime cost for each victim of child maltreatment who lived was $210,012 (Fang, X. , Brown, D. , Florence, C. , & Mercy, J. 2012). The Nurse-Family Partnership organization reports that a recent cost-benefit update by Washington State Institute for Public Policy (2012) determined that long term benefits could equal as much as $23,000 per participant of a NPP. As families gain economic independence of government aid programs, the government saves money. This program would also decrease the amount of Medicaid dollars spent as children are expected to be born within a healthy birth weight and generally healthy overall when compared to the control group. In comparison, the cost of the program would be significantly less per family. The supporting agencies are already in place in the targeted community. The Nevada State Department of Human and Health Services and the Prevent Child Abuse Nevada organization both work to prevent and control child abuse in Nevada; the infrastructure is already established. The cost would be allocated to initiate a new program within the Prevent Child Abuse Nevada organization with the oversight of the Nevada State Department of Human and Health Services. The Nurse-Family Partnership organization has estimated the cost of such a program to be approximately $5,000 per family per year. Ideally, in order to establish and maintain continuity and oversight throughout the program, it would be managed by a single entity such as the Prevent Child Abuse Nevada organization. This is different than other programs which are managed individually by hospitals and smaller organizations. Some may balk at utilizing government funds, but funding this program is more economical than paying the price of child abuse. Fang et al. (2012) determined the lifetime cost for each victim of child maltreatment who lived was $210,012, which includes medical and legal costs, as well as other costs associated with child abuse (social services, etc. . It is definitely cheaper to teach them than it is to treat them. Collaboration With a Licensed Social Worker This program proposal was discussed with a licensed social worker, Mandy S. , in the state of Nevada. This licensed social worker stated individual programs exist through hospitals and smaller organizations, but agreed that a larger program w ith a single point of managerial oversight in the county would be the most beneficial. I proposed the ideal situation would include State Legislature mandating Medicaid recipients to participate in such a program in order to receive benefits of Medicaid and other public assistance programs such as welfare, food stamps, and Women, Infants, and Children (WIC). WIC â€Å"provides Federal grants to states for supplemental foods, health care referrals, and nutrition education for low-income pregnant, breastfeeding, and non-breastfeeding postpartum women, and to infants and children up to age five who are found to be at nutritional risk† (Food & Nutrition Service, 2012). Mandy S. stated that this legislative push would be a goal to pursue after the success rate of the NPP could be established. Implementation The program would be administered and managed by the Prevent Child Abuse Nevada organization. The Nevada State Department of Human and Health Services would maintain oversight and monitor outcomes of the program. It also requires the cooperation of hospitals and physician offices as they will be the initial referral source for patients to the program. Ideally, if successful, patients would refer their friends and family to the program as well. There are only two qualification standards for participation in the program. First, the woman must be less than 24 weeks pregnant to ensure adequate time for prenatal care to maximize the success rate of project goal one. Second, the family must be at or below the government established poverty line. A registered nurse and licensed social worker would be assigned to the woman to complete the project goals and planning with the patient in her home. The same registered nurse and licensed social worker would complete home visits ever one or two weeks throughout the pregnancy and first year of the infant’s life. The frequency of visits would be determined during the initial assessment and re-evaluated as required to ensure participants are receiving the interventions they need to ensure success in the program. Each goal is monitored by the nurse and social worker throughout the family’s participation in the program and changes or new interventions are developed as required. The participation would continue during the pregnancy thru the child’s first birthday. During that year participants are armed with the knowledge and resources to ensure safe and healthy environments for their children, healthy support networks, reduce or eliminate negative behaviors, provide responsible and competent care to their children, and to be economically independent of government aid programs. If patients are determined to not be safely discharged from the program, they may be determined eligible for additional assistance. Evaluation of Project Overall evaluation of the program is difficult to ascertain as this program would take over a year to achieve results. However, nurse partnership programs have begun to gain popularity throughout our country and have achieved wonderful results. So much so, that the Centers for Disease Control have named these programs as effective with a great potential to reduce economic burden of child maltreatment. Further collaboration with the licensed social worker, Mandy S. , determined a weakness in this program. While the original goal was to decrease the number of child abuse cases in children under the age of one year, it was determined by the social worker that many of her clients had children under the age of two and required much assistance from her. My initial plan to provide services thought the first year of the child’s life was inadequate. Together, we determined participation through the second year of the child’s life would be most beneficial to participants. Mandy S. was a great resource as she stated that the majority of child abuse cases she personally supervises are due to a lack of support, resources, and most importantly, education. This program provides those things to participants, thus decreasing the risk of child abuse and trauma, increasing positive parenting skills, and developing positive coping skills. Interviews with young mothers proved positive. When asked if they would be interested in participating in a NPP program or would have liked to have a program available when they were expecting, 22 of the 25 polled stated yes, they would have been excited to participate. Those 22 mothers unanimously stated they felt they would benefit from such a program. Although the original program did not include support groups of participants, the polled mothers stated they would enjoy the social benefits of participating in support group comprised of participants. This would be a great resource for those participants who do not have a family or other social circle to rely on for support. The community overall benefits from a program that decreases the rate of child abuse. It breaks a cycle that research has proven exists. Many times people who have been abused continue the cycle of abuse; Clark County has the opportunity to stop that cycle. Children who are subject to abuse are at a higher risk of developing mental health issues, substance abuse problems, and overall negative health behaviors (Herrenkohl, R. Harrenkohl, T. , Moylan, C. , & Sousa, C. , Tajima, E. 2008). The community not only saves money with this program, but it builds a strong community where healthy families thrive and prosper. Summary Parenting can be a challenging and lonely experience. The course of this project has taught me that preparation is the key to success. The more we can prepare young mothers for the challenges of parenthood, the more we are likely to decrease the rate of child abuse among children under the age of one year. Young parents are often faced with the stress of financial dependence on others and government programs; the NPP provides resources to set and meet goals to complete education and achieve employment to maximize financial independence. This is not a lifelong program. The intention of the program is to provide parents the mental tool box and resources they need in order to provide a healthy life and economical independent life for their children. The concept is relatively new, and I am excited to see the proven long term effects in the years to come.