ÃÂAccording to federal government calculations, about 12 percent of the U.S. population is poor. The poor are a heterogeneous group, but poverty is especially prevalent among children under 18 ÃÂ Poverty figures are highest for children under 6 years old who live in female-headed householdsÃÂ (Downs, Moore, McFadden, Michaud, & Costin, 2004, p.177). I am a non social service major. This is the first time IÃÂve taken a social work class. Therefore, I was incredibly astonished by this statistic. I honestly thought that the word ÃÂpovertyÃÂ does not exist here in the United States. I came to Los Angeles two years ago as an international student from Vietnam. Coming from the country with the poverty rate of 18.1 in 2006, I am well aware of what is it like to live in poverty. Family income plays a tremendously important role in child welfare. It does not mean that every child needs to have rich parents who can buy everything for the child.
A chart showing average monthly welfare benefits (...
Band-aides support
English: Spending on U.S. healthcare as a percenta...The most important thing is that the family income should be able to provide at least the necessity such as appropriate and nutritious food, appropriate clothing for different weathers, a decent roof for security, health care, and, last but not least, education for the children. As weÃÂve discussed numerous times in class, most of us have agreed that parents are responsible and should speak for the right of children. Therefore, they are required to provide necessarily needs for their children. However, if the parents are not able to provide such needs for their children, the government should step in to protect these children. Who else can these children turn to?!The reason why I thought the word ÃÂpovertyÃÂ does not exist in the U.S. is because IÃÂve heard that there are welfare services under the national government organization providing...