The Duty of Social Workers to Intervene Essay

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Child Abuse CaseGabriel Fernandez was only eight years old when in 2013 he suffered from repetitive, violent, torturous abuse from his mother, Pearl Fernandez, and her boyfriend, Isauro Aguirre. The abuse was so horrific that when news of it hit the wire it received national attention. Gabriel was beaten with a belt buckle, shot with a BB gun, forced to eat cat litter, and locked in a small cabinet for hours at a time, basically treated like an animal and abused inhumanely, starved, burned with cigarettes, and pepper-sprayed. The tragic end result of all this abuse was that Gabriel was one day found unresponsive with a fractured skull. His ribs had been broken and he had serious burns on his body. Within two days, he was dead. This level of abuse may seem rare or extraordinary, but it is not, and it also does not happen in a bubble. There are ways to spot it and prevent it.Gabriel’s situation can be explained by the presence of multiple risk factors that made him very vulnerable to this level of abuse. One of the most serious factors was the family situation, characterized by extreme domestic violence. Gabriel’s mother had a history of criminal behavior and drug abuse, and her relationship with Aguirre was volatile and abusive.

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These should have been red flags for social workers. Research has shown that children living in households…

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…when the mother refused to leave the room during interviews with children who changed their stories because she was present in the room (Child Welfare Monitor, 2018). The threatening presence has to be removed—that is just common sense—but social workers did not follow protocol. This tragic situation could have been avoided—if only!The abuse and death of Gabriel shows why it is so important that social workers do their jobs well and that domestic violence situations be especially and carefully monitored—for it can all come back on the children ten-fold and harm them exponentially. It is the responsibility of the social worker to pay attention and follow the protocols when conducting an investigation and making sure the interventions….....

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"The Duty Of Social Workers To Intervene" (2024, August 31) Retrieved June 5, 2026, from
https://www.aceyourpaper.com/essays/duty-social-workers-intervene-2181743

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"The Duty Of Social Workers To Intervene" 31 August 2024. Web.5 June. 2026. <
https://www.aceyourpaper.com/essays/duty-social-workers-intervene-2181743>

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"The Duty Of Social Workers To Intervene", 31 August 2024, Accessed.5 June. 2026,
https://www.aceyourpaper.com/essays/duty-social-workers-intervene-2181743