Seven-year-old Ralph has been in foster care for 14 months. They have been the worst 14 months of his life. It just seems like forever. His caseworker told him he would be going home within a year but that has not happened. He misses his mother and half-sister. He wants to tell his caseworker, George, to send him back home but he rarely sees him and his foster mother is always in the room when George comes. George told him his mother has a severe drug problem that is hard for her to kick. That is why she can't take care of him now. His neighbor told CPS that his mother always left him and his sister home alone overnight to do drugs but why is that bad? His 11-year-old half sister took care of him just fine. His mother said that where she is from in the Caribbean, it was considered okay for kids 11 years old to watch younger siblings when parents were away. His neighbor just hates his mother and wanted to get back at her.

It is true that Ralph was sometimes scared when his mother's last boyfriend would yell and hit his mother, but no one ever hit him. They did not know he had sneaked out of his room and was watching. He feels sorry for his sister though because his sister said the boyfriend tried to do nasty things to her like touching her in private places. His sister told their mother. His mother said she did not believe his sister but then his mother sent her to live with their grandmother. It is not fair that she got to go to his grandmother and he had to go to foster care.

He hates foster care and wants to be with his mother. At least with his mother he did not have to go to school all the time. She did not care if he said he was not feeling well a few times a week. She let him stay home even if she knew he was lying. His foster mother makes a big deal about going to school. His mother says his foster mother is a bad person and is just in it for the money. Sometimes his mother would get mad at him and spank him. She never really hurt him but he was glad she could not do that anymore. He was really upset when his foster mother started spanking him. George told him foster parents are taught good ways to discipline kids when they are trained to be foster parents but his foster mother says spanking is okay because that is the way most parents she knows disciplines kids. She feels George is okay but he doesn't know everything.

All Ralph knows is that he feels so alone and confused. He just wants to punch someone.

In an essay, respond to the following based on what you have learned this semester.

• What forms of maltreatment can you tease out? Explain.
• Are there any factors, while they may be controversial, do not rise to the level of maltreatment?
• Can you identify any possible short term and long term effects that might impact Ralph? Consider not only the possible effects of child maltreatment but also the possible effects of being involved in the child welfare system.
• What are some of the cultural issues that may be present?
• What treatment and prevention options can you identify that might be helpful to all those involved in this scenario?