Children�s Rights

When you think of a child�s rights what do you think of? Well it could mean a number of things. It could mean a child�s right to be taken care of. His/her right to be free of abuse and neglect. It could mean the right to an education. It could mean a number of things. But I�m going to address something a lot of people don�t even consider and that is a child�s right to make adult choices. I have chosen this because as a parent I faced a number of problems while living in the state of Washington that I would have never imagined and am still appalled by the barriers I faced as a parent while seeking help for my then 16 year old child.

For the record, as a parent I believe that a child is the parent�s responsibility until they reach the age of majority which in most states is 18 years of age. Most states agree with this concept and therefore have consequences for children who disobey their parents. This usually means that when parents request help they get it. NOT in the state of Washington .

When I started having problems with my eldest daughter I begged for assistance. Guess what? No one helped. She over dosed. No hospital would admit her into a drug rehab program. She ran away, there was no juvenile court to press charges with or a juvenile facility to place her in. When I sought counseling, I was told she had to agree! Every avenue I turned on was a dead end until she became pregnant by a 23 year old man and then and only then did I find a way to control this child and I can�t say it was a very ethical one. I basically blackmailed her by telling her it would be my way and she�d get a husband or her way and he would get a husband because I would press charges and he would go to prison. So I guess you can say that I do not feel Washington State has a very good system for kids especially since I was told a child can run away after age 13 and the police will not look for them. Now if they do something wrong or accidentally get caught they will simply bring them home (which they did do for my daughter). Anyway� As I said I was in disagreement w/ the system. Which brings me to what I would do if the role was reversed.

Obviously the parent is aggregated, frustrated beyond compare. They want the best for their child and their child is in danger. The system has not given them help as of yet and I am new to the scene. First I would find out what the parent has tried. Once I realized all my ideas had been used or are unacceptable to the client, I would begin to ask myself what the code of ethics demands of me.

Basically, IF I am beyond my limits then I am required to refer this client out, however if the client has suggestions then I do believe that I am obligated by the code to assist the client in their mission such as aiding in providing addresses and phone numbers or other things before referring the client out. Either way I do not believe that abandoning the child is acceptable especially when the child is clearly at risk and the family is in need of services.

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