Vulnerability is the extent to which a certain section of the population or an organization is not in a position to recover, resist or cope with the effects of disasters and habitual situations. The World Health Organization has categorized groups such as pregnant women, the malnourished, and children as vulnerable. This is because they take a bigger portion of burden during emergency situations such as diseases, civil war, political upheavals among others. The paper seeks to discuss the vulnerability children and young people in substance misusing, efforts towards protecting them, and laws and policies targeting this group.
Substance Abuse
Children and young people in substance abuse is a growing concern in the society, as Canadian Center on Substance Abuse reports. This presents the need to deal with the challenge of vulnerability in this group of the population. The majority of children and youths in substance abuse have mental, cognitive and physical issues, but they fail to seek for assistance. Intervention and risk assessment measures should be approached in a multidisciplinary manner. This will help in understanding the factors posing health challenge to this group of the population.
A case scenario took place in Canada in 2006 where 23.1% of the Canadian citizens were below 18. Those between 18 and 35 constituted 39.51% of the population. This group of people had unparalleled social and psychological needs which presented a serious challenge to the health care industry. For instance, there were increasing cases of child abuse, neglect, and substance abuse in the category. Specialists such as doctors and psychiatrists were often engaged in assessment and management of the young generation. The group under scrutiny does not give attention to facility placement and medical advice. Other noted challenges facing this group in Canada are exploitation, peer pressure, and self-neglect. There are both external and internal factors that contribute to the vulnerability of children and youth in substance misusing.
Internal Factors
Internal factors are those inherent, and only psychological intervention measures can help to deal with such factors. Among the internal factors is rebellion or alienation, which is known to cause early substance use. According to Glicken, whenever children are not well attached to their parents, there are high chances of abuse. Other rebellious factors that may contribute to this behavior are poor school attendance and violation of social norms. In order to link these factors to vulnerability, one needs to consider the psychological effects of these factors on the group in question. Due to withdrawal effects of alienation, children or the youths feel detached. As a result, they seek relief in drugs. Other internal factors contributing to drug misuse are anxiety or depression, favorable attitudes towards drinking, lack of religious commitment, and sensation seeking among others.
External Factors
External factors are those aspects that are beyond the control of the individual since they originate from outside. Among the external factors are family risk aspects, such as adapting to divorce, strained family relations, or remarriage. When children and youths undergo transitions in the family, they are likely to experience short-term psychological issues. These transitions have dire consequences on the psychological health of the child. Consequently, substance misusing offers them a solace.
Secondly, distant parenting has also been linked with substance abuse. Research has shown that close and authoritative parental care leads to a decrease in the probability of drug abuse by children and youths. Authoritative approach in parenting entails aspects such as responsiveness and warmth and has moderated level of child control. Other external factors that weigh in the vulnerability of youths and children include lack of communication between the parent and the child, poor or lack of parental monitoring, loose or the absence of family rules, and poor role modeling by parents who misuse drugs.
Multidisciplinary and Multiagency Efforts in Safeguarding Children and Youth Vulnerability
There have been efforts to protect or mitigate the vulnerability of children and youths in substance abuse. These efforts are both multidisciplinary and multiagency, according to the Canadian Center on Substance Abuse . Multidisciplinary actions entail the contribution of different groups such as psychiatrists, nurses, teachers, parents, and religious leaders among others. Psychiatrists have the responsibility of counseling the children and youths. It has been established before that low self-esteem, depression, and self-neglect are among the contributing factors in children and youth substance abuse. There are internal factors that can only be addressed by a psychiatrist through focused counseling sessions.
Teachers have the responsibility of monitoring the behavior of this group. Most of the times children start substance misuse when at school as a result of peer pressure. During this time, the child or the youth develops behaviors such as detachment, sneaking out of school, and even bullying other students at school. A teacher should address these behavior patterns carefully by establishing the root cause for such behaviors. Religious leaders have their portion as well. It is their responsibility to inculcate value systems into this group. These value systems are critical from the onset in determining how the child responds to an environment where substance misuse is rampant.
Nurses have their contribution in helping safeguard children and youth against substance use. They help in informing them about competence and how to make positive choices. This should not wait until the child or the youth is already in drugs. It should begin as early as possible, before the youths and the children get vulnerable. In the light of what Jenson and Fraser propose, nurses may begin programs that target school through platforms such as school health forums. In these forums, the subject of alcohol and drugs can be raised in a holistic and a clear manner. The above method should help establish or build the skills, attitudes, and the knowledge that the youths possess. To facilitate effective communication with the youths, the nurses need to have sound interpersonal skills. For instance, they are not supposed to be arrogant or authoritative. Instead, they ought to display a warm and cheerful attitude when interacting with such a group.
Multiagency efforts are needed whereby the government and the non-governmental organizations take up their responsibilities. For example, government should consider putting up rehabilitation centers for children and youths who have become addicted. In these rehabs, efforts to inculcate values and healthy attitudes ought to be the endeavor of those in charge of the facilities. To shield the group of children and youths who are potentially vulnerable, the government may consider reviewing the school curriculum to include the subject of substance misuse in a comprehensive manner. According to the Canadian Center on Substance Abuse, the government should also help to fund orphan care centers as part of its obligations. Orphans are more likely to get into substance misuse due to lack of parental care and monitoring. Orphan care facilities can go a long way in shielding the vulnerable orphan youths and children.
Non-governmental organizations have been very vibrant in establishing social care facilities that target the vulnerable. These NGOs have established care centers that accommodate vulnerable groups such as orphans, victims of child abuse, and youths or children from poor families. Again, in this category of support agencies, the nurses have their input. As part of their cooperative efforts, nurses have the responsibility of identifying young people and children in vulnerable circumstances. As Jenson and Fraser advice, it is imperative for them to realize that a childs welfare is critical and should always take actions on behalf of the child. After identifying such vulnerable children, efforts should be made to report such cases to the child care facilities. Therefore, interpersonal skills are needed here while dealing with both the child and the NGO in question. Skills such as openness, effective communication, accountability and transparency can help establish a good rapport.
Safeguarding Laws and Policies
The highest responsibility of the government in safeguarding the youths and children vulnerable to substance misuse is through the enactment of laws and formulation of policies. These laws and policies should be followed by strict enforcement to ensure that the citizens adhere to them. Association of Nurses in Substance Abuse highlights some of the laws that can help safeguard vulnerable children and youths.
Misuse of Drugs Act 1971
This Act categorizes controlled drugs into three parts, whereby the punitive measures for illegal use are based on the part of the drug. Part A bears the most severe punitive measures and includes cocaine, LSD, heroin, methadone, and cannabis oil among others. Part B constitutes, among others, Barbiturate tranquilizers, cannabis oil, amphetamine, and cannabis resin. Injection part B drugs automatically fall into part A drugs. Part C drugs include anabolic steroids and benzodiazepines. As Glicken reports, the extent of the punitive measures for violating the law depends on the nature of the offense which can be classified in terms of intent to supply, supply, and possession of drugs. It is also dependent on the amount of the drug, the nature of previous convictions for related offenses, and the number of dissimilar drug types in possession.
The Children Act of 1989
This Act became operational in 1991, and it helped to bring together enactments geared towards protecting children. The Act is anchored on a number of values. The first is the welfare principle which recognizes a childs wellbeing as paramount in decisions that are likely to affect them. This Act gives room for inclusion of childrens welfare either personally or through their representatives when making decisions that will affect them. There are penalties for not considering their views as stipulated by the Act.
The Act also defines the responsibility of the parents which give them, in conjunction with the local authority, a duty of caring for the child. According to Glicken, this Act stipulates severe punishments for parents who neglect their children. The neglect may be lack of provision of their basic necessities. In addition to this, a parent who is economically able to pay for their childrens education is expected to take up the responsibility of educating them. Enshrined in this Act is also the principle of giving attention to a childs voice. Their feelings and wishes must be prudently considered when making decisions that are likely to affect them.
Conclusion
In conclusion, the vulnerability of youths and children in substance misuse is a social menace that requires informed and collective approaches when dealing with it. There is a number of factors that increase the risks of vulnerability of this group. Such factors can be both external and internal. When addressing the issue of vulnerability, both multidisciplinary and multiagency efforts are required to ensure inclusivity and sustainability. Multidisciplinary efforts may include the input of teachers, psychiatrists, and nurses among others. As a nurse, it is my responsibility to promote the welfare of vulnerable children and youths. There are Acts that help in protecting vulnerable children and youths. These Acts stipulate the penalties for illegal handling and misuse of substances. They also give a clear outline regarding the responsibilities of parents in taking care of their children.
About author
Monica is the author at https://essaysleader.com/ib-extended-essay-writing/. She always dreamed of working in this position, working with texts and new information. After all, her credo in life is to develop daily in different fields and be an interesting person. She is fluent in three languages and holds a Masters Degree in Philology and Translator, and is also trying to master new fields in order to be knowledgeable in everything.
