Crisis intervention, Task centred practice, client centred social work

University Degree Social studies

Bachelor of Social Work

990.503 Social Work Theories 1.

Assignment 2; Social work Practice: Case Study

Course Lecturer: Sue. Foster

Due: 23 June 2006

Name: Bigson Gumbeze ID Number: 4185866

Choose one or more practice models that will support your intervention in this scenario. Crisis intervention, Task centred practice, client centred social work

In order to support my intervention I would choose crisis intervention, task centred intervention, systems model, and the strengths perspective model.

According to Healy (2005, p. 108) “problem solving approaches are characterised by collaborative, highly structured, time limited and problem focussed approaches to practice.” Crisis Intervention and task centred intervention are examples of problem solving approaches. Healy (2005) sees crisis intervention as referring to practice in high stress or high risk situations that is time limited and structured. For example a problem that seems insurmountable and which is an “obstacle to important life goals”. An example of this for Billy (father) is the eviction of the family from their home and Billy being made redundant. As the social worker, the contract between Billy and his family and myself would need to address the finding of alternative suitable accommodation and Billy finding a job as matters of urgency.

Task centred practice basically refers to brief or short term intervention with individuals and families which is structured, time limited and focussed on solving the identified problem/s. Healy (2005) sees task centred practitioners as seeking to maximise clarity between themselves and service users as regards the purpose and the process of intervention, as well as establishing a relationship that is based on realistic expectations of the intervention process. Task centred practitioners aim for small but meaningful changes in the lives of their clients and focus on what is happening right now as opposed to what happened in the past. .Problems have to be mutually defined, agreed and prioritised in order to set specific goals for achievement within the expected timeline. The practitioner needs to ensure that the client is completely on board, in terms of understanding the existing problems and realising that their input is required in order for the problems to go away. The task centred practitioner must impress it upon the client that without his or her commitment to solving the problem, the problem cannot be solved. The social worker is only there to assist the client to resolve their problems.

For example once the most urgent problems for Billy and Mary and their family have been identified and sorted out, and then other problems can start to be addressed. The problem of financial difficulties for example is one that finding a job will not solve in the short term, due to the fact that it may take a while to get the job and then to be paid, other options need to be explored, such as looking at welfare provision (WINZ).

It is apparent that Billy’s gambling problem which came up after he was made redundant is one that is contributing to the financial difficulties. Billy therefore needs to be linked in to a service that deals with gambling addictions so that he can begin to work on solving this problem otherwise even the money that he might be eligible for through WINZ or that he may earn when he starts working may end up being used on gambling.

I would also choose to work from a strength based perspective which according to Healy (2005, p.161) “emphasises the importance of partnerships between the worker and the service user” The strength perspective encourages service user empowerment by “recognising and affirming service users’ resilience and capacities in the face of adversity”, with the social worker’s role being that of facilitating the service user’s capacity to use existing strengths and resources as well as developing new ones, to achieve their hopes and dreams.” Such an approach assumes that solutions that are developed collaboratively are likely to be more useful to the ...

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I would also work from a systems perspective for this case study. According to Coulshed and Orme (2006, p.55) “systems theory is used in work with families, where what is happening to one member in, for example, employment or school can have an impact on the whole family, and members adjust to cope with it.”

Coulshed and Orme (2006) view all parts of a system as being connected with whatever is happening in one part of the system impacting on all the other parts. For example Billy’s (Father) being made redundant and gambling away the money affects the whole family, Mary (Mother) is anxious and tearful because of it, they are unable to access suitable care for Julia probably because they cannot afford it, Grandmother also has medical needs that need to be attended to but this cannot happen as she is responsible for Julia. Their 14 year old son is wagging school, being rude to grandmother and thinks he may be gay could probably be a way of seeking attention from parents who are busy with a myriad of other problems.

Issues that need attention here? Rank them in the order that you would address them and say why.

Issues

Being evicted from their home:

This is a matter of urgency as accommodation is a necessity for the whole family. Without it the problems for this family become much worse.

Billy has recently been made redundant:

Billy needs to have a job in order to adequately support his family

Serious financial difficulties:

Without any money Billy and Mary are not able to meet their financial obligations which results in accommodation problems, and lack of other essentials necessary for a family such as food, clothing and others.

Billy has a gambling problem

Requires to be addressed because this contributes to the financial problems.

Mary is tearful and anxious about the housing situation

There is a possibility that Mary might sink into a depression and may end up being unable to properly care for her family because of this. She may also end up having to access mental health services

14 year old boy wagging school, rude to grandmother, thinks he is gay

These problems need to be addressed as inattention to them may make things so much worse. He may turn to drugs and alcohol; his not attending school may result in him being stood down. His behaviour may even escalate to physical aggression with grandmother as the target. If he is feeling confused about sexual orientation he needs to be supported to access appropriate services that will help him with this.

Bella (grandmother) suffers from diabetes and arthritis also has walking difficulties. Grandmother needs to have identified services looking after her physical health

Mary feels not coping with her mother afraid to leave her with youngest daughter. Mary needs to access a carer for her daughter Julia whom she can trust to look after her properly. At present Mary will continue to be stressed as she worries about leaving Julia with her mother, while also worrying about her mother’s failing health

Show how you would intervene in this case. Show your planning around each issue and what community agencies you might link them with.

Being evicted from their home:

I would find out from Billy what the issues are surrounding the eviction. It may be that the rent is in arrears in which case we might approach Work and Income New Zealand (WINZ) as regards accessing an unemployment benefit to top up Mary’s income so that the family can meet their financial obligations. As the social worker, I would empower Billy by informing him of this option and asking him to approach WINZ and do the application. I might also encourage Billy to apply for a Housing New Zealand home if it turned out that the landlord was set on evicting Billy and his family

Billy has recently been made redundant:

Together with Billy we would look at Billy’s qualifications, then approach various employment agencies as well as Work and Income New Zealand (WINZ) and identify possible jobs that Billy would qualify for. I would also assist Billy by helping him to create Curriculum Vitae that will help him to get the job he wants.

Serious financial difficulties:

The application to Work and Income New Zealand (WINZ) for family assistance should help to start resolving these problems as would finding a job for Billy although this might be slightly longer term.

I would also check to see if Mary’s mother is entitled to a disability benefit or a sickness benefit and assist her to process this.

Billy has a gambling problem

Gambling can become a serious problem because of the element of addiction. The result is that all the money that should be used in the home may then be diverted to feed the habit and therefore contribute to worsening the financial problems. Billy needs intervention from the Gambling Helpline New Zealand. This is a national free phone and offers ongoing motivational support for not only the individual who has the gambling problem but also for the family and friends who may be concerned or adversely affected by the individual’s gambling

Mary is tearful and anxious about the housing situation

There is a possibility that Mary might sink into a depression and may end up being unable to properly care for her family because of this. She may also end up having to access Mental health services

14 year old boy wagging school, rude to grandmother, thinks he is gay

These problems need to be addressed as non attention to them may make things so much worse. He may turn to drugs and alcohol; his not attending school may result in him being stood down. His behaviour may even escalate to physical aggression with grandmother as the target. If he is feeling confused about sexual

orientation he needs to be supported to access appropriate services that will help him with this. I would refer Billy’s son to Rainbow Youth who may be able to counsel him as regards his uncertainties about sexual orientation. I would also encourage the family as a whole to attend family therapy with agencies like the James Family to help with the relationships stuff.

Bella (grandmother) suffers from diabetes and arthritis also has walking difficulties. Grandmother needs to have identified services looking after her physical health. I would refer grandmother to Age Concern. Age concern is dedicated to promoting the quality of life and well-being of older people, advocating positive healthy ageing for people of all ages. Age concern would assist grandmother with ensuring that she is not neglected or abused in her living situation and will also support her with her financial planning so that her life is as comfortable as possible.

Mary feels not coping with her mother and is afraid to leave her with youngest daughter. Mary needs to access a carer for her daughter Julia whom she can trust to look after her properly. At present Mary will continue to be stressed as she worries about leaving Julia with her mother, while also worrying about her mother’s failing health. I would assist Mary to apply for the Working for families’ package, and this would help her to pay for day care for Julia.

Explain how an understanding of the strengths perspective would inform the way you would work with this family.

According to Healy (2005, p.152) “the strengths perspective focuses on the capacities and potentialities of service users.” Sheafor and Horejsi (2006. p. 93) view the strength perspective as necessary for ensuring that the social worker is attentive to client strengths during assessment and intervention. Further to this, they feel that “it is much easier to help a client achieve positive and lasting change by building on his or her strengths than by trying to eliminate his or her problems or deficiencies.” I would encourage the whole family to access resources for themselves. My role would be to suggest resources that may help the situation and point them in the right direction. All necessary applications would then be done by the relevant family members. This is a way to empower the family and enable them to achieve their goals and objectives on their own terms. This way they come to understand that they are capable of making positive changes in their lives utilising their own skills base.

What aspects of anti discriminatory practice might you have to be aware of when undertaking work with this family.

I would have to be aware discrimination on the basis of social and economic class. Given the fact that this family can at present be described as poor, Sheafor and Horejsi (2006) see poverty as “an issue of social and economic justice.” related to fairness in the distribution of resources. Further to this they believe that once an individual is poor a multitude of forces and barriers conspire to keep him poor. As a social worker I have to be aware of this and advocate for the family so that they receive the needed services and begin to work their way out of poverty. I also need to be aware of the possibility of discrimination on the basis of sexuality. This may be relevant in this case given that the 14year old son thinks he may be gay.

Explain how an understanding of Social work ethics would inform the way you work with this family.

An understanding of Ethics would inform the way I work with this family as follows:

Privacy and Confidentiality

As a social work practitioner I must be able to assure the family that all information given to me is private and confidential to me and the agency and will remain so unless there is a possibility of someone being harmed if the information is not disclosed. According to Chenoweth and McAuliffe (2005) the issue of secrecy is a common ethical dilemma when working with families and couples. I need to be very clear to the family under what circumstances I would share their information. This is especially relevant in the case of Billy’s son who is currently uncertain about his sexual orientation. Disclosure of such information to his school or the community may have a detrimental effect on his well being.

Rights

I need to also acknowledge the importance of human rights in my practice with this family. This involves the family’s right to dignity and respect and takes into account being non judgemental. According to Chenoweth and McAuliffe (2005, p.55) this requires that as a practitioner I take into account the family’s current circumstances within the context of life opportunities and experiences, socialisation and cultural background. This also requires my being conscious of my own values and beliefs and being able to set these aside to avoid imposing them on this family. The family also has the right to expect and receive a quality service with the practitioner being honest with them about the specific issues. The family has the right to petition for a different practitioner if they felt that their needs are not being met. I am accountable to the family, the agency, the community as well as the social work profession.

Valuing choice

I must also work in such a way that the family does not feel as if it is being dictated to. The family has to be made to feel that they have a right to self determination and are free to make choices as regards the nature of intervention that they receive from me.

Choose 3 books/articles that you think are relevant to the case study and write a review of each of them.

Sheafor and Horejsi (2006)

Sheafor and Horejsi (2006, p.71) state that the social worker should challenge social injustices. I agree with this and believe that it is especially relevant to the case study given that this family is one that is currently experiencing poverty and if the social worker does not fight to make a change in their lives the likelihood is that the family will sink further into poverty. This may have a ricochet effect with the family maybe turning to crime as well as drugs and alcohol to try and make a difference. As stated by Sheafor and Horejsi (2006, p.71) “if not addressed, these social injustices will continue to burden the individuals affected and the society as a whole.

Coulshed and Orme (2006)

Coulshed and Orme (2006) see task centred practice as making a significant contribution because it moves social workers from individualised therapeutic approaches to problem solving techniques. It encourages empowerment and partnership in social work intervention. I agree with this and see it as particularly useful given the old adage “give a man a fishing rod and teach him to fish and he will eat everyday”. I believe that individuals and families are able to resolve their problems if enabled to do so.

Healey (2005)

According to Healey (2005) in task centred practice social workers are required to aim for small achievements rather than large changes. I agree with this. For example Billy who has a gambling problem needs to first work on getting a job. Once he is working, he is unlikely to have time to spend at the gambling tables.