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1.) No matter what, always place the well being of the child ahead of everything else.

2.) Treat every child you are in charge of as your own.

3.) Assume that every child has endured the hardships that they talk about, and do not guilt or shame them.

4.) Be the one person in their life that they can connect with and build/ teach them what healthy relationships look like.

5.) Have patience and understanding no matter what happens. (The brain is a tricky thing.)

6.) Love and care for them and do the best you can within reason to help them.

7.) Know that every child can succeed and never give up on them, even if they give up on themselves.

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#10 Personal Connection to the Legal and Ethical Standards

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#10 Personal Connection to the Legal and Ethical Standards

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I have a standard to help these children who are unable to help themselves. They are unaware of their rights as children and especially as children from trauma who have only known a hard and stressful life.

I will use these newfound ethics and laws to help me work with the children to understand that regardless of their age or stature, they are humans that have rights and are people that matter.

This class has helped me to understand that while there are many regulations and laws that protect children, ultimate as an advocate and case manager for them, it is my duty and life purpose to help them succeed against all odds and help them against the harshness of the world.

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The main Code of Ethics that I am held to is the Arms of Hope Residential Handbook and the Minimum Standards discussed previously. These ethics include service to residents, integrity, social justice and human

relationships. This allows for myself and others to help all of our residents, regardless of the relationship. As Residential Case Manager, I am in charge of all the children on campus in the residential program,

however, I do assist with helping the single mothers and their children as well in multiple activities, educational matters and anything else that might be asked of me. This service to others is what sets Arms of Hope apart from other organizations that might only do what their job description states. Human relationships and social justice are two major factors that determine the environment here at the Boles Campus. There are many times that we come together as a community of Christian staff members to assist one another and help each other in any way that we can. When it comes to integrity, this is for both topics discussed.

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When it comes to the issue of neglect or abuse of a child and their rights as humans, a foundational strategy should be considered. Strategies that should be used are having weekly sessions with the child and ensure that they are doing well with the transition to the home and that they are getting all of their needs met.

-This meeting should be documented, signed and dated and put in their records to show license personnel from the state that everything is being accounted for.

-Another strategy is to use these meetings and sessions to build a trusting relationship with the child and teach them that there are safe adults out there that they can count on and turn to for problems.
Building this rapport will only strengthen the relationship and help the child succeed by having a friend and a mentor to help guide them. These meetings can occur at restaurants, where they can eat their favorite food, something most children did not have where they came from.

-Talking with them after home visits or other tough life situations (losing a game, failing a test, etc.) and supporting and loving them through hard times is another great time to implement building a relationship.

These strategies and impacts will severely reduce the likelihood of dysregulation and help retrain children’s brains to be emotionally mature as well as help build their self-worth to become successful members of society and break the potential cycle of abuse and neglect in their families.

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One policy that we have at Arms of Hope is that no male staff member can be alone with a female resident and no female staff member can be alone with a male resident. This is to protect all parties involved. As a lot of these children come from traumatic experiences involving the opposite sex and sexual abuse it is our policy to ensure that they feel safe and secure while at Arms of Hope Boles Campus. As a male case manager, when I meet with female residents I always have my door open to my office or we will meet outside in public areas to talk. I am not allowed to drive a female anywhere by myself (Job, interview, school function, ect.) This policy helps hold everyone accountable and allows for zero allegations to occur.

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The Texas Human and Health Services Commision provides the regulation for for child care and child-placing activities in Texas. Chapter 748 specifically discusses General Residential Operations. This manual gives Arms of Hope a guideline and expectations in regards to the application process, intake and responsibilities of the GRO, responsibilities of the staff, expectations for care and retention of records, treatment and care for the children, living conditions and inspection process, as well as training and professional development requirements for staff. The minimum standards is what the social services department at Arms of Hope uses everyday to ensure that the safety of the children is always first. It discusses Plans of Service to help the child develop in school and society, medication and the regulation that is needed for records, access to families and guardians, as well as therapeutic counseling and recreational activities for the children (Minimum Standards for General Residential Operations, 2022).

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DeShaney v. Winnebago case (109 S.Ct. 998 (1989)). This case involved a boy and his biological father, the father physically abused the boy and even though the Wisconsin Department of Social Services was informed of the abuse, the abuse became so intense that the boy suffered brain damage

and became mentally retarded. The boy’s mother sued the department on failing to act to protect the boy depriving him of his constitutional right under the 14th amendment (DeShaney v. Winnebago Cty, 1989)

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Texas Statute Law: Texas Business Organizations Code, Title 2, Chapter 22, Sec. 22.353 Availability of Financial Information for Public Inspection. This statute outlines how corporations (nonprofit organizations) keep records, books and annual reports of the corporation’s financial activities. This is the law that allows the public to see donations and fundraising activities (Availability of Financial Information for Public Inspection, 2006). It also allows the individual donors, churches, or businesses that donate to see how their money is being used at Arms of Hope. You can access this via Arms of Hope’s website per regulations.

Texas Administrative Code: Title 26 Health and Human Services, Chapter 748 Minimum Standards for General Residential Operations. This Administrative Law provides all information in regards to Standard Operating Procedures for Arms of Hope Boles Children’s Home. It discusses child treatment and gives instructions on how to properly take

care of children while in a General Residential Operation (GRO) as well as a Residential Treatment Center (RTC) (Minimum Standards for General Residential Operations, 2007).

Federal Administrative Law: The Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment Act (CAPTA), this law provides guidance to states about child protection under the United States Children’s Bureau (CAPTA, 1988).

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Federal Law: Child Abuse Reporting, 34 U.S.C. § 20341 (1990).
This law protects children from abuse and neglect as well as covers professionals and individuals making reports as
designated by the Attorney General as well as what agency will receive the report and take action. This law also
discusses children and homes of members of the Armed Forces. It discusses reporting to the appropriate child welfare
services agency or agencies of the State in which the child resides (Child Abuse Reporting, 1990).

State Law: Tex. Fam. Code § 261.101 Required reporting of neglect
This is the state law that mandates what neglect is, how to report it, the process of investigation and how to report child
abuse in Texas. It also allows discusses the registry of individuals in Texas that have been charged with Child Abuse and gives
organizations and schools an idea of what individuals are safe to be on campuses and around children (2017).

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Texas Department of Family and Protective Services (DFPS) is the main agency that governs child abuse and negelct.

DFPS. Section 261 of Title 5 in the Family Code outlines the general provisions, reporting of abuse and neglect, confidentiality and privileged communication, investigations, investigations of abuse, neglect, or exploitation in certain facilities and protective order in certain cases of abuse or neglect

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Childhood trauma comes in many different forms. From the time a child is in the womb of their mother, they are constantly growing and learning to adapt to their surroundings. Children that have gone through traumatic experience begin to experience brain development different from children raised in a healthy environment. Many factors can contribute to trauma in the womb, such as alcohol, stress, physical and emotional abuse on the mother, the chemicals her body releases affect the child and if continued chemicals are ingested to the child then they will experience brain impairment. Once the child is born, neglect and abuse are the most often factors that contribute to childhood trauma.

Another contribution is the environment they are raised in, if there is violence (physical or verbal) then this could have an impact as well. A child’s brain is most influential the first nine months of their lives and the second stage of brain development occurs between nine months and the age of two. These years of development can severely impact brain growth and the trauma that occurs will stay with them for the rest of their lives. As social workers, we must understand that when children and teenagers that come from trauma act a certain way, it is truly not their fault.

Their brain has been wired for survival and the parts of the brain “normal” children develop over time, might not be matured or have stopped functioning. This includes, emotional regulation, memory, felt-safety and hyper-vigilance. Adults that work with children from trauma must have an understanding of this and the patience to work with and help children that cannot function at a normal capacity in many settings. I chose this topic because as a case manager for these types of children, I see the lasting impacts that trauma can have on adolescents. However, with patience and continuous training, these children can learn to rewire their brains and self-regulate themselves.