The role of a social counselor to assist victims of CAN syndrome Nowadays, we learn more and more often from the media about children who are exposed to violence at home. If we want to help these victims, it is necessary to know the basic forms, manifestations and consequences of torture, neglect and abuse. An important step to prevent the occurrence of CAN syndrome is undoubtedly the participation of a social counselor, who can already in the initial stages of the manifestation of this syndrome ensure that children are not abused and mistreated. CAN syndrome has various manifestations and forms, and therefore one of the tasks of a social counselor is to know all the symptoms that indicate damage to human dignity. Victims of CAN syndrome are often psychologically and physically abused, neglected, and the role of the social worker is to help them return to society without permanent consequences, but also to prevent further harm.

In social work with children who are or have been victims of abuse and suffer from CAN syndrome, it is necessary to emphasize prevention and related activities that can contribute to the elimination of the occurrence of these socio-pathological phenomena. Preventing children from maltreatment is effective and at the same time less costly in terms of their human suffering than the effort and costs of remediation after the symptoms have appeared (Robertson, 2002).

The family is the most natural environment for a child, but it should also be the safest place in the child's world. One of the functions of the family is to transmit basic moral values, patterns of behavior and attitudes towards society to individuals. Children unconsciously take over from their parents behavior models, ways of communication and emotional relationships, which they then pass on to their children and affect their relationship with their partner. At the beginning of the new century, demands and demands on the family are increasing, and therefore families are increasingly unable to fully fulfill them. On the other hand, the importance of the family as a refuge from the public world is growing, and therefore its role is still irreplaceable (Kraus, 2008).

Today, loving parents are considered a necessary condition for a child's healthy mental and physical development. Emotional well-being between parents and children is necessary for all stages of healthy mental development. Identification with parents is a strong and permanent bond that binds society it allows her to instill in the child the best, but unfortunately also the worst, of the parents' personality (Ríčan, 2006). Another, no less important, condition is the safety of the home as a stable and protected environment. Only family can provide that. A good family gives everyone who belongs to it a feeling of a safe environment (Matoušek, 1997). Education is a very complex process. In his primary environment (family), the child learns the basic model of behavior, takes over habits and values. His parents are especially his role models. Unfortunately, the functioning of the family is not always what we would like for all children.

In the middle of the 20th century, doctors began to notice the seriousness of somatic injuries in children, which were obviously caused by something other than an accidental injury. They called these damages the so-called "non-traumatic injury". Later it was found that the cause of these symptoms was the intentional harming of children by a family member. After 1962, the American Dr. Kempe, based on extensive research on children, called this phenomenon the "beaten or abused child syndrome". At the same time, a revolutionary approach to the understanding of such a phenomenon was developed on its basis, and the gradual adoption of laws on mandatory reporting of abused children was enforced (Hanušová, 2006). Currently, the label "CAN syndrome" - Child Abuse and Neglect - is used for an abused, abused and neglected child.

The syndrome of an abused, abused and neglected child is a set of adverse symptoms in various areas of the child's condition and development as well as his position in society, especially in the family. These symptoms are mostly the result of intentional harm to the child, caused or influenced most often by his closest caregivers, especially parents. In short, it can be described as neglecting the necessary care or intentional harm by parents or persons who have a child in their personal care. Among the basic types of CAN syndrome we can include (Pešová, Šamalík, 2006):

  • physical abuse - bruises, beating, healed and unhealed wounds, suffocation
  • mental abuse - insults, humiliation, bullying, verbal aggression
  • neglect - lack of stimuli, emotional neglect, insufficient health care, nutrition, clothing
  • non-contact sexual abuse - exhibition in front of the child, forcing the child to undress, obscene phone calls
  • touching sexual abuse - grabbing, sexual games, incest, sexual abuse
  • special forms - secondary victimization, systemic abuse, organized abuse, sex tourism, Munchausen syndrome by proxy (in representation).

Table 1 Help for abused, sexually abused and bullied children in 2014 in the Slovak Republic

Source: Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications of the Slovak Republic [online]

The fact that this is a highly topical problem is also indicated by Table 1, which shows the statistics of children who were provided with help due to torture, sexual abuse and bullying, published by the Ministry of Labor, Social Affairs and Family in its Report on the Social Situation of the Population of the Slovak Republic for 2014. According to these statistics, measures for the social protection of children and social guardianship were implemented for 424 children who were victims of torture. abuse or bullying.

The role of the social counselor in the prevention of CAN syndrome Social work plays an important role in working with children suffering from the symptoms of CAN syndrome. These children are one of the target groups that social work deals with and tries to help, drawing knowledge from other scientific disciplines as well. It is a helping profession, which is an important part of the assistance aimed at restoring the original state. Helping with the abuse of a child is not a simple and one-time act. It is a time-consuming process, during which the social worker must constantly deepen his knowledge through theoretical study and social-psychological training, which is oriented to the specific problem of abuse, abuse and neglect of children. Balogová, Gerka, Aleša (2002) list several sources of social work dealing with the protection and assistance of children at risk. These are the laws on which social work is based when working with abused, neglected and abused children, and which a social worker should master:

  • Act on social protection of children and social guardianship No. 305/2005 Coll.,
  • Family Act No. 36/2005 Coll.,
  • Social Services Act No. 448/2008 Coll.,
  • the Constitution of the Slovak Republic,
  • Criminal Act No. 300/2005 Coll.

International documents ensuring child protection include, for example, the Convention on the Rights of the Child, the Geneva Charter of the Rights of the Child, the Declaration of the Rights of the Child, the Convention on the Protection of Children and on Cooperation in Intercountry Adoptions, and the Convention on the Enforcement of Maintenance Abroad. Petr (2010, p. 219) says that: "a social worker is an indispensable person for victims affected by CAN syndrome. His task is to determine, confirm and especially ensure the safety of a child who has been abused, neglected or abused. His application consists mainly in claims and decisions, to what extent children have become victims of CAN syndrome, who is the perpetrator and to ensure the elimination of the negative effects of abuse on the children."

A social worker in child abuse, neglect, or neglect cases acts as a third party who seeks to understand clients at all levels. He always defends the interests of the victim and tries to take such support measures as to enable the child to eliminate all negative influences and impacts on his psychological and physical development. For victims of CAN syndrome, it creates a certain protection system that is activated against significant damage to their emotional development. CAN syndrome in children is a problem for social workers, but also for legal professions. Social workers often believe that legal decision-making in these cases favors the caregiver over the child. However, if the social worker and the lawyer come together, they create a background for victims of CAN syndrome, where the child can turn, and where the consequences of emotional abuse can be reduced (Iwaniec, 2006).

Peterson et al. (2003) report the application of the social worker in different sectors and at different levels of victims who have been abused. It cooperates at the level of psycho-social needs. He often encounters cases and symptoms of child abuse, neglect or abuse, and is therefore mainly responsible for:

  • identification, assessment and coordination of intervention to ensure the protection of a child suffering from CAN syndrome,
  • ensuring interdisciplinarity, cooperation of several bodies capable of acting in the given matter, including family and relatives of CAN syndrome victims,
  • documenting psycho-social interviews with children who are victims of CAN syndrome and their parents
  • ensuring and complying with reports on abuse and neglect, child abuse,
  • a retrospective check to see if children have become victims of CAN syndrome again,
  • providing crisis intervention,
  • provision and monitoring of potential potential victims of abuse.

The work of a social worker in helping victims of CAN syndrome is not easy, it is affected not only by the child's emotional trauma, but also by problems growing in the family environment. When such a child is removed from the family, a number of problems may arise that affect the management of social changes. An important tool in helping victims of CAN syndrome is a conversation with the victim based on trust, which is a prerequisite for successful cooperation (Juššiková, 2011).

Kenneth et al. (2009) state that the application of a social counselor in helping victims of CAN syndrome is aimed at a wide range of services and needs of his clients. As part of his professional relationship, he not only provides valid information about procedures, he informs his clients about his services and the work he performs, the risks associated with solving cases of child abuse, abuse or neglect. Victims of CAN syndrome have a long road of recovery ahead of them, and a social counselor is a support point for them who can perceive, feel, but also act in crimes committed against children.

A social counselor constantly tries to help abused and neglected children to overcome this social problem. He works directly with the individual, but tries to include the family in the help. As a follow-up to the aid, it also cooperates with communities and organizations that deal with abused, neglected and abused children. Here they help them overcome all the emotional and physical problems they have been exposed to. For the social worker in such a case, the priority is the mental health of the child and its subsequent development. Social work is a unique approach among the helping professions as it focuses on people's problems in the context of the social environment (Sehgal, 2005).

In the case of CAN syndrome, it is very important to support primary prevention, which should prevent the child from being harmed at all. It represents a very extensive field of social practice. In the primary prevention of violence against children, it is necessary to focus on:

  • increasing public awareness of the issue of neglect, torture and sexual abuse of children,
  • creation and implementation of educational programs for teachers and educators, focused on recognizing signs of torture and sexual abuse, as well as on reporting procedures,
  • creation of preventive programs for pupils and students,
  • support for the education of young professionals and support for the further education of professionals who work with this clientele,
  • work with risk groups of the population,
  • supporting education and training on children's rights.

Secondary prevention focuses on families in which abuse, neglect or abuse has occurred or is occurring. The success of secondary prevention depends on whether the outcome has been successfully identified in at-risk families with the help of primary services provided by social workers (O'Brian, Ling, Rhind, 1997). The purpose of tertiary prevention is to prevent further violence or abuse of a child. It is also possible to include the whole family in therapy and rehabilitation, if it is in the child's interest. If possible, it is necessary to include the school and other professionals in this process. It is necessary to start from interdisciplinary cooperation (Hanušová, 2006).

Conclusion

Child abuse, maltreatment and neglect have devastating effects on a child's emotional and physical development. A social worker is an essential part of solving this problem, addressing the symptoms of abuse and trying to help these children. It identifies the symptoms of CAN syndrome, offers childcare services, both at home and in alternative home care (McClennen, 2010). The social counselor is closely associated with children who suffer from CAN syndrome. It directly participates in solving the problems that these children have, actively intervenes in the upbringing and functioning of the child in the family, diagnoses psychological and physical disorders of children and tries to provide children with a full life again.

The application of a social counselor in helping victims of CAN syndrome means obtaining certain information about the feelings of the abused child, but also about the persons who abused the children. The social worker must gain respect from the people who abused the child, while helping the child to eliminate the negative influence of these people. It must prevent child maltreatment, express empathy to the child and lead him to the needs of positive changes (Zastrow, 2010). Prevention is more effective the earlier it is carried out. Consistent identification and understanding of risk factors in the occurrence of injury form the basic starting point for effective prevention.

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