Environmental Risk Factors

Many times, parent/caregivers who have had their children taken by Child Protective Services have been exposed to risk factors as children themselves. This could include a history of abuse and neglect from their parent/caregivers, low-education level, drug abuse, etc. All of these factors influence infant/toddler development to the extent that they pose risks to the type of attachment children develop with their parent/caregivers. As you learned in Module 1 and 2, the child-parent/caregiver relationship forms the architecture of the child’s brain, setting up the framework for how the child develops cognitive, language, and social-emotional abilities. In the best circumstances, parent/caregivers must work hard to build a secure, stable, and loving relationship with their children. When parent/caregivers are exposed to or involved in environments that pose risks to their own and their children’s safety and well-being, it takes even more time, effort, and resources to develop healthy relationships. The results of these factors on children’s development can lead to behavior issues,[22] developmental delays, as well as internal stress, which can compromise children’s healthy development. There are a number of parental factors to consider. This module looks at three key factors: teen pregnancy, drug use/abuse, and domestic violence. <<Back to Page 10 Page 11 Continue to Page 12>>