Every child deserves the right to be raised in a safe and nurturing environment. Getting a good education and receiving support from educators and parents will help a child reduce the risk of failing in school or turning to drugs and violence for reprieve. Children who are at risk for personal and social problems can often fall through the cracks of the public social services system unless an intervention is planned or a support system is in place.
Types
The Child Welfare Information Gateway explains that parents who fail to prevent imminent harm from happening to a child or they themselves physically or emotionally harm a child are guilty of neglect and abuse. A child who has experienced poor living conditions due to a lack of physical care or neglect may be physically at risk for developing disease due to lack of proper nutrient intake. If a child is exposed to physical or sexual abuse as well as drugs or alcohol abuse, these circumstances can seriously alter the child's mental and physical state, putting him at risk for acting out with inappropriate behavior.
Causes
There are several circumstances that can cause at-risk behavior in children. Many of these causes begin in the home due to a lack of parental involvement and follow-up in school. Children who do not have a safe and stable home may spend more time on the streets seeking out attention or refuge from their home life. This can result in making friends in gangs or becoming addicted to drugs and alcohol. The U.S. Census Bureau reports there are other risk factors for children including poverty, having a single parent, having absent parents or having a parent who did not graduate from high school.
Lifestyle
A child who begins to abuse drugs or alcohol may come from a home where the parents use drugs or alcohol or the child's friends begin to use drugs or alcohol, explains the National Institute on Drug Abuse. Children often learn their behavior from their parents. If they are abused either physically or sexually and do not receive the proper help, they could take it out on other peers in the same manner.
Signs
A child who is at risk may exhibit signs of distress. A child who appears detached from other children, has poor personal hygiene or portrays unusual or odd behavior in the classroom or toward his peers, may be at risk. Children whose parents are absent from the home or are unsupportive with their child's issues, may not hold a child accountable for their actions and responsibility. This can result in having problems with other children or adults, explains the Oregon Counseling website.
Solution
Edutopia explains that children who are in at-risk situations need support to reach obtainable goals and follow the right path for themselves. After-school support programs, school-related sports and teen clubs, such as the Boys and Girls Club, can offer a way to provide children with a safe outlet that gives them goals to work with. In extreme situations, social services or child welfare agencies may intervene to remove a child from a high-risk home or offer support services to the parent to help with day care or counseling.
References
- The Child Welfare Information Gateway: What is Child Abuse and Neglect?
- U.S. Census Bureau: America's Children At Risk
- National Institute on Drug Abuse: Why Do Sally And Johnny Use Drugs?
- Oregon Counseling: The Risk Of Violent And Homicidal Behavior In Children
- Edutopia: The Four Keys to Helping At-Risk Kids
