EDE2101 : Early Childhood Education and Care : Families of Children wi

The Need of Families of Children with Disability

It can be challenging at times to understand the needs of disabled children. However, children with special needs can be the beginning of a society’s journey to charming spiritual benedictions. The society needs to move close to God and allow Him to help them. He has the ability to make the community equal to the challenges of raising such children (Pandya, 2017). Children with disabilities deserve friendship, love, and continuity in their lives just like the other children. They all have peaks and valleys in life just like the other individuals. Disabled children should take part in community issues just like the other people. They should receive services just like their counterparts. They should have the freedom to live, recreate and work wherever they choose to. Agencies and the national government should give them resources and services equal to their counterparts. In addition to these services, other needs should be in cooperated to help them feel accommodated in life (O'connell, Owen, & Maeve, 2013). In this section, I will discuss some of the needs that families with special needs children expect to get from the other people.

As a parent, realizing that a child has a disability comes as a blow (Manomano & Kumalo, 2016). Families often have sequences of questions such as what the cause of the disability might be, what they did to deserve such kind of children or even move to the extent of questioning why God allowed for such an act to happen. The realization of the disability is also followed by a series of reactions such as anger, joy, and confusion. The community and professionals deserve to support such families for them not to feel neglected and rejected. A balance between hope and reality must be stricken.

Families with children with disabilities require someone to work with and engage them routinely (Lara & Pinos, 2017). It is fundamental to satisfy the needs of the disabled children and the family as a whole by offering support at the family setting. Determining how needs and expectations can be satisfied by the community or national agencies as well as other willing people such as politicians. It is crucial for the families to be updated with information regarding the disability affecting their children. Information regarding laws, policies, and services that can help their children should also be made available to them.

After the families realize their desires, proper strategies should be put in place to help them access those needs. Creativity is needed to seek finance from agencies and other springs such as the administration to help them. Love, care, and concern should be shown to them for them not to feel neglected. This helps them to feel included in the society.

If by any chance the person or agency that was engaging them routinely gets transferred or desires to shift their support in the case of an agency, it is critical to let them know. If the helper knows who might succeed them, it is advisable for him or her to let families know. This helps them to be psychologically prepared that a change is occurring. They can comfortably fix themselves to accommodate the change without any trauma. It is genuinely true that engaging families with disabilities are a great lift for them to accept the condition with their children.

The Need for Homeless Families

 Homeless families are families living in temporary institutional settings, shelters, transitional settings or in private or public places not designed for sleeping accommodations. They include those people doubled up with other people, those living in trailer parks, hotels, motels, prisons, churches or settings that lack subsequent housing (Abernathy, 2010). They exist in two forms, those with dependent children and those without dependent children.

There is a need to identify and provide support to homeless parents (Conrad & The National Center, 2012). Every family requires support. However, homeless lineages require more congeal help precise to their trial level. Support creates protective factors which enervate families’ resiliency (McCoy-Roth, Mackintosh, & Murphy, 2012). Firm support to meet critical needs may include income support, housing vouchers, food stamps, transport assistance, childcare vouchers and baby supplies for new mums. Homeless parents' specifically young mothers require concrete support to navigate social service systems, obtain employment and access treatment for their young children. Helpers should examine the individual needs of each family setting and help them accordingly to match their needs. Young homeless families require extra help so as not to become overwhelmed by the life challenges (Guarino & Bassuk, 2010).

Community Agencies Working With Families with Children with Disabilities and Homeless Families

Agency: Department of Disabilities and Special Needs (DDSN)

Location: South Carolina

Services provided to young children through eight years

The community agency divides the children through the age of eight years into two groups as shown below. Each group receives different services from each other

High-risk children (birth to 3 years), this is children below the age of age of 36 months whose medical and environmental data indicate that they are at higher risks than the general population for developmental disability are eligible for several services from the agency such as special instructions, respite services, and service coordination

The ones' aged 3 to 6 years who proceed to be at critical risks for developmental disabilities may continue receiving the services above. Other services available for families with disabled children include nursing services, personal care services, audiology and adult dental services.

Agency: Back on My Feet (BoMF)

Location: Philadelphia, United States

This is a nonprofit national agency that aims at helping homeless people to gain independence, connect them with useful community services and living skills.

Talking To Families about Community Services

I will motivate and empower families to seek help from community agencies. I will educate them on how to turn to the agencies for help in increasing their familiarity with the agencies services. Assigning different university and college students to them can help them learn better how to use the agencies services. I will provide the volunteers with enough training and supervision. This will help them to have clear objectives of what they expect from their duties. I will provide them with appropriate information on how to monitor the families and how frequent they use the agencies services. I will commit my resources and aids from well-wishers to reach as many families as possible to advise and motivate them on why they need to utilize the agencies services.

References:

Abernathy, L. (2010). Housing Needs of Homeless Families and Individuals in Florida. Shimberg Center for Housing Studies, 1-15.

Conrad, H. F., & The National Center, F. H. (2012). Meeting the Needs of Young Families Experiencing Homelessness: A Guide for Service Providers and Program Administrators. Strengthening At-Risk and Homeless Young Mothers and Children, 1-36.

Guarino, K., & Bassuk. (2010). Working with Families Experiencing Homelessness: Understanding Trauma and Its Impact. ZERO TO THREE, 11-20.

Lara, E. B., & Pinos, C. C. (2017). Families with a disabled member: impact and family education. Procedia - Social and Behavioral Sciences, 418 – 425.

Manomano, T., & Kumalo, S. E. (2016). Discovering The Child’s Disability: Challenges with Parenting and Implications for Social Work Practice in South Africa. Journal of Sociology and Social Anthropology, 202-206.

McCoy-Roth, M., Mackintosh, B. B., & Murphy, D. (2012). When the Bough Breaks: The Effects of Homelessness on Young Children. Early Childhood Highlights, 1-11.

O'connell, T., Owen, D., & Maeve, O. H. (2013). Raising a child with disability and dealing with life events: A mother's journey. Journal of Intellectual Disabilities, Online.

Pandya, S. P. (2017). Spirituality and Parents of Children With Disability: Views of Practitioners. Journal of Disability & Religion, 64-83.