Back in the days where parents were ‘involved’ in their children’s lives and worry free of any abuse of substances, abuse/neglect to the children, there was no need for any state agencies to control and help what, if anything, went on. In today’s society, though, there is a greater need than ever for Texas State agencies to do what they do.
Also, more and more people today are joining in on the convenience and ease of the World Wide Web that provides research, help/support and facts/statistics. From here, we can go on to research and review the Texas Commission on Alcohol and Drug Abuse (TCADA), Protective and Regulatory Services (PRS) and Texas Interagency Council on Early Childhood (ECI). All which deal with one of the most important issues that teens and parents are battling over: the fact that alcohol can damage and even prove to be fatal if underage drinking occurs. Kids always think they know more than their parents, growing up later in life, they learn that parents are usually the wisest people they know, but until that time, kids will be kids. Parents will continue to be naive and more kids will die because of alcohol relations.
The website on TCADA is quite resourceful in showing how a parent can child from this number one drug for teens. From helping a parent to being aware, consequences about teen drinking, warning signs, protecting your child by giving straight talk from the start of pre-school until the age of eighteen, providing tips for parents, to knowing the facts, danger, penalties, resources, which help parents and getting involved in an action plan, the Texas Commission on Alcohol and Drug Abuse is the main research tool any parent could want in Texas.
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A very helpful part of the site, the parents link provides parents with advice on getting more involved with their kids, giving reasonable support and rules and getting to know the kids they hang around along with their parents. TCADA’s number one idea is in the Straight Talk link section to start talking with your kids when they are young. “Set a good example. ‘Do as I say, not as I do’ doesn’t cut it with teens. Adolescents can understand that some things appropriate for adults are not acceptable for teens. But keep that distinction sharp.
Do not allow children to mix cocktails, bring you a beer or sip from your wine glass”(Protect your Child; Tips for Parents, TCADA). This is how most children get to know their liking for alcohol, which makes sense, considering parents are role models for a good majority of the child’s life, monkey see, monkey do. In the Know the Facts section of TCADA’s website there are nine additional sites to refer to if needed. The Get Involved link provides action plans and help from national, state and local groups fighting underage drinking. It can never be too early to start talking to about abuse of alcohol and other drugs.
Another form of abuse takes place by a parent to a child. It is sickening that there must be a site for children’s protection, but none the less, it also provides information quite useful for a parent or a person who is witnessing or hearing about child abuse/neglect in Texas. The Protective and Regulatory Services of Texas states, “In Texas, in FY in 1997, 103 children died of abuse or neglect. In FY 1998, that number increased to 176 children died of abuse or neglect. For both of the years, 36 percent of the children had prior involvement with CPS”. Scroll down further on this site, and you will find the regions in Texas and how many children were abused/neglected. This site is informative in giving facts of 97-98 of child abuse reports.
It also gives a 1998-99 Child Abuse Prevention Kit, Adoption registry, Volunteering opportunities and the Childrens Justice Act. The Legal Child Protective Definitions link is very helpful in describing what child abuse actually is. So many people see abuse, not realizing what it actually is or even thinking it’s a good form a discipline the parent is using, when in all reality, we all know better. The Texas Child Fatality Review Team goes on to provide links to which can help you or someone you know help for children and their well-being. Perhaps, though, the most useful link is the 1999 Child Abuse Prevention Kit. It gives a list of resources you can use. It even has tips for parents/coaches, education, and basis of religion. According to the Child Abuse and Neglect fact sheet, “The effects of child abuse are sometimes obvious even decades later. The effects are often pervasive: mental, physical and social in nature.
Suicide, violence, delinquency, drug and alcohol abuse and other forms of criminality are frequently child abuse-related.” In this website the statistics are alarming, the problem will never go away, and anyone who sees abuse must report it to the Department of Protective and Regulatory Services.
A parent who has noticed in their infant or toddler under the age of three any developmental delays or disabilities, has the option of referring to the Texas Interagency Council on Early Childhood Intervention. The site includes a section on how babies develop, resources, events, about ECI and finding ECI services. To receive eligibility and a medical diagnosis, you must look at ‘Make a Difference to Texas Babies.’ This link has the best resources to view from the site. It provides basically a step by step procedure in which you can identify and refer any disability or delay in a child’s development in Texas.
Best of all, it’s free and if you call the ECI Care Line at 1(800)2502246, you can find a local program to assist the child. “There are local ECI programs throughout Texas that help children during the first three years of life. Texas ECI programs are funded through the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act. The state agency is governed by a board with help from an advisory committee and program directors from the Directors Forum” (About ECI). ECI encourages families to help children reach their potential through developmental processes. Children can be helped based on their cognitive, communication, social, motor and other self-help skills through this program in Texas.
Since times have changed and things aren’t what they used to be, Texas has come to form helpful agencies and guidelines in those agencies for us to follow. Children are an important part in our society because they are our future and without the guidance and support from the elders today, the leaders of tomorrow will instead become less likely to succeed and more likely to become criminals or victims of tomorrows society.
