Question by J: I am having a problem understanding what kind of ramifications this policy could create as far as ethical.?
In this scenario I have to answer a question. “Based on the conclusions you reach after taking all this into account, share your opinion on whether the policy is considered an ethical one, based on its potential ramifications.

The scenario is:
A recent policy was implemented by Anytown’s Department of Job and Family Services regarding the issue of child endangerment. Any household that has one or more documented offense of domestic violence, child abuse, or drug or alcohol related offenses committed by the mother, father, guardian, and or caregiver, will result in the removal of any child or children from the home.
The child will be placed in the care of the state, or foster care services, until Documentation can prove that the offender has undergone any or all the following, and has thus been “offense free” for a period of no less than six months: alcohol and or drug treatment, counseling, family therapy sessions, mental health treatment, anger management, life skills classes. and or parenting classes.
The Department of Job and Family Services made reference to the social learning theory as providing support for this approach, as evidenced by research indicating that “aggressive children have parents who use similar tactics when dealing with others. For example, the children of wife batterers are more likely to use aggressive tactics themselves than children in the general population, especially if the victims (thier mothers) suffer psychological distress from the abuse” (Siegel, 2007, p. 110).

Best answer:

Answer by Melanie
I see a few problems with this policy:

1.) It is not specific about the level of offense that the guardian commits. There are varying degrees of drug and alcohol offenses, and taking a child away for small offenses seems overreactive.

2.) It mentions putting the child directly into foster care rather than seeking guardianship within the family, such as placing the child with grandparents if the father is in custody.

3.) Six months is a long time to act as a minimum time for the child to be in foster care, this length of time can be detrimental to the child forming and maintaining attachment.

Answer by Matt
I would say no based on the loose definition of “domestic violence”. Often times people are convicted of minor domestic violence charges that are false or erroneous just because the law is written requiring a person to be arrested for the offense regardless of evidence. Alcohol related offenses are similar. Just because something happened one night that looks really bad to the outside worlds, isn’t a reason to remove the child from their custody. The ramifications of foster families is often significantly worse than if they had stayed in their own parents care. If not from the foster parents, from exposure to the other foster children they may have, who often are involved in drugs, gangs, and much worse. This should always be on a case by case basis with the specific incidents being microscopically viewed on their merits.

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