The Case Study Assessment Social Work Essay

You will need to introduce the situation, explain the rationale behind your intervention, and analyse the skills and process you have used, reflect on the impact of your work and discuss future action. In addition to discussing the process and its application in practice you will need to show that you understand its theoretical underpinning. and reflect on its effectiveness in relation to social policy and anti oppressive issues.

You will include in the appendix the ‘Case study’ this is the description of what happened

You will need to:

Show ability to apply theory to practice

Analyse your skills and processes in relation to working with an individual.

Apply the theoretical background to the intervention.

Be Critical explain the limitations to the intervention and the positive aspects to the intervention.

You will need to analyse your skills, explain the process you have used drawing from theory, assess possible impact and evaluate the intervention. You may want to discuss the practice in relation to your understanding of risk, resilience, social and cultural aspects and government policy. You should show how you analyse your practical work against theory. That you can analyse reflect on your intervention,

You could reflect on such questions as

Has the environment had an impact?

How did I engage the client?

How did I show empathy?

What did I do to develop the relationship?

Why did I choose a particular intervention?

What is the effect of this on practice?

You will need to:

Read and research around the chosen topic. There is an expectation that you will use and reference at least 6 texts and that at least 4 are from recommended reading provided. In addition evidence of wider reading, field research and learning from the teaching should be documented. Please evidence reading to show you can relate theory to your intervention i.e. humanist approaches/cognitive etc

Anti Oppressive Approaches Show that you have considered this topic in the light of anti oppressive practice.

Presentation Structure your work in a coherent, clear and engaging manner. Clear referencing to appendix evidence

. Submission arrangements

Please submit your assignment together with the appendix to the Faculty Student Advice Centre on the 12th February no later than 10.00am, together with cover sheet marked for the attention of J Flett. Please remember to retain a copy of your assignment and the receipt to prove that you have submitted the work on time. Please ensure that the word count does not exceed the limit by more than 10% as there will be a penalty. Please ensure that the assignment is also submitted through Turnitin or else it will be marked as fail non submission.

Reading List

Highly recommended reading

Geldard K (edt) 2009 Practical Interventions for Young People at Risk: Sage Publications

Buchroth I and Parkin C Using Theory in Youth and Community Work Practice: Learning Matters

Wood J and Hine J (edts) 2009 Work with Young People Sage Publications.

Foley et al (edts) 2001 Children in Society Contemporary Theory Policy and Practice

Palgrave MacMillan/Open University

Sayer T (2008) Critical Practice in Working with Children Palgrave MacMillan

Furlong A and Cartmel F (2nd ed) 2007 Young People and Social Change OU Press

Robb M (edt) 2007 Youth in Context: frameworks settings and encounters OU Sage

Mcleod J (1993) Fourth Edition An Introduction to Counselling McGraw Hill: OU Press

McLeod J (2007) Counselling Skills McGraw Hill: OU Press.

France A (2007) understanding Youth in late modernity Open University Press

Kemshall H (2008) Risk, Rights and Justice: Understanding and responding to youth risk, Youth Justice 8 91) 21-37

Mizen P (2004) The Changing state of Youth, Basingstoke :Palgrave

Pearce N and Hillman J (1998) Wasted Youth IPPR

Thom Bet al (Eds) (2007) Growing up with Risk, Bristol :Policy Press

Dunhill a et al (eds) (2009) effective Communication and engagement with Children and Young people, their Families and Carers, .Learning Matters ( chapters 1-3)

Egan G (1994) The Skilled Helper 5th Edition Brooks: Cole

Heron J (2001) Helping the Client 5th Edition London: Sage

Kidd JM (2006) Understanding Career Counselling Theory Research and Practice London: Sage

Koprowska J (2nd edition 2008) Communication and Interpersonal Skills in Social Work Learning Matters

Lindon J and Lindon L (2008) 2nd edition Mastering Counselling Skills Palgrave Master Series

MacDonald A (2007) Solution Focused Therapy Theory Research and Practice Sage Publications

Miller L (2006) Counselling Skills for Social Work London: Sage

Miller WR and Rollnick S (1991) Motivational Interviewing Guilford: The Guilford Press

Reid H and Fielding AJ (2007) Providing Support to Young People A guide to interviewing in helping relationships London: Routledge

Roberts J (2009) Youth Work Ethics Learning Matters (chapters 2, 6)

Rogers C (1961) On Becoming a Person Boston: Houghton Mifflin

Schon D.A (1983) The Reflective Practitioner New York Basic Books

Thompson N (2002) People Skills 2nd edition Palgrave McMillan

Websites

Informal Education Website www.infed.org

Psychology Theories www.ship.edu/~cgboeree

Assignment 1: Case Study

Introduction

For the purpose of this investigation I shall use a case study from my work placement at a supported housing project in Nottingham.

I work a support worker/project worker ina supported housing unit with places for 13 young people between the ages of 16 to 25 years. All service users are female and are usually referred from Housing Aid. The service users are homeless, some have come from a background of domestic breakdown and the rest have come out of the care system.

The basic needs of the service users have also been addressed in an interview at Housing Aid before being referred to the project.

When the young person has been with Housing Aid they have undertaken an initial assessment of need. The assessment covers several different needs. Physical and wellbeing needs such as any medication or health concerns. The young person may smoke or even have drug or alcohol issues and these will be on the referral. Next the young person’s mental health will have been looked at. Sometimes there may be additional reports from social workers or schools. High risk service users such as ex-offenders may be referred and these cases may have probation workers involved.

Introduce your case study eg “MARY”

Mary is 18years; they are both Portuguese parents and separated. Mary’s father lives in West Midlands; mother lives in Nottingham. She was living between mum and dad for a while; deciding to live with dad. On school holiday stayed with her mum. Father assaulted her at an early age of 10 years old; hit her with a belt and with a metal bar. She was placed in care after police and social services involvement. Her close contact lives in Wales; does not see her regularly. She has friends whom she avoids now ; are getting into criminal behaviour and friends who are not into trouble.

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The rationale behind the project intervention

The needs of young women arriving at the project are further assessed through another informal interview. Each young woman is welcomed. The care package offered to young women who arrive at the hostel is to sign up to a tenancy agreement giving them their accommodation in the project. Each young woman gets a self-contained flat within the project. The flat has a bedroom, kitchen and bathroom. Usually all accommodation costs are met through housing benefits. (This may be set to change or be affected by the introduction of Universal Credits in April 2013.) If the young person is working they pay part of the service charge after assessment.

The educational needs of the young person are also looked at. Basic needs in numeracy and literacy are assessed. Personal , social development and health are also taken into account and the young person’s ability to budget their money.

QUOTE

Without this type of project’s intervention, many young people would be homeless and at great risk of exploitation and/or bad health.

An analysis of the skills and processes used in the intervention.

One of the most important skills for this type of intervention is for project workers to be able to listen. Active listening is vital. Verbal and non-verbal skills are needed in order to establish a rapport and good relationship between worker and service user. In a person-centred approach listening skills are the most vital skills.

As a practitioner, is asking the sort of questions that helped the service user’s clarify own thought; avoid authoritarian language, treating people as equal encouraged to think and act for themselves.

QUOTE Rogers here

Any personal feelings in the project worker are left outside the workplace in order to be professional and keep boundaries.

Empathy skills are also very important. ROGERS QUOTE AGAIN-

General people skills, and knowledge of drugs and alcohol and their effects on the body and well being are important and also understanding youth and self-image, personal awareness and personal development in terms of physical, intellectual, emotional and social.

Social power

Values

Values are in essence a set of beliefs, ideas and assumptions that both individuals

and groups hold about themselves and the society they live in.

Values are a part of the culture and societal norms that guide people’s daily

lives’ (Eby, 2000: 118) and are used in everyday language to refer ‘to one or all

of religious, moral, political or ideological principles, beliefs or attitudes’

(Banks, 2001: 6).

Values and principles of being a youth worker are present in all areas of their work especially as an educator delivering lessons. Harrison and Wise (2010 p17) states

“Youth work is informed by a set of beliefs which include a commitment to equal opportunity, to young people in learning and decision making and to help young people to develop their own set of values”

Anti-oppressive

For us, anti-oppressive practice encompasses a number of ‘identifiable values’, principles or value statements, such as social justice and personal caring (Lynn, 1999); compassion (Simey,1996); respect for the individual, valuing uniqueness and diversity, promotion of user self-determination (Banks, 1995: 92); and challenging discrimination and oppression (Burke and Harrison, 1998).

Practitioners will in this situation be required to critically reflect on the different value positions, which will enable them to understand how different discourses impact on their decision-making.

QUOTE

How did I engage the client?

How did I show empathy?

What did I do to develop the relationship with Mary?

Why did I choose a particular intervention wit Mary?

What is the effect of this on practice?

The intervention’s application in practice

Aims and objectives of your project.

Key session (see Appendix 2)

NAOMI

The NAOMIE framework is used to identify the needs of the young people (Ingram et al, 2001). This tool is used to identify the young people’s need and works well. This has identified some of the barriers in anti- discriminatory practice on working together on issues of inequality, discrimination and oppression (Thompson, 1994). So they need to be openly clear to discuss issues

The theoretical underpinning of the intervention

Thompson’s Model: Person, Culture, Structural talks about anti-oppressive practice (explain)

Personal (P) level

Individual actions that I come into contact with, for example service user.

Cultural (C) Level

This analysis is related to the ‘shared values’ or ‘commonalties’. For example, shared beliefs about what is right and wrong, good or bad, can form a consensus.

Structural (S) Level

This analysis demonstrates how oppression is ‘sewn into the fabric’ of society through institutions that support both cultural norms and personal beliefs. Some institutions such as sections of the media, religion and the government can cement the beliefs.

Example: homeless young person

P: Young person 16 years old sharing at her friend’s home. She has been expelled from her mother’s home due to an argument over her mother’s boyfriend. There is no communication between them and she is not attending school but is staying at her friend’s home where she feels safe.

C: being homeless within the community she is sharing her thoughts and feelings with different groups.

S: Network of divisions, social services, health, local authority

There are barriers in relating to ethical practice to identify form group- based approaches to anti-discriminatory practice to work together on issues of inequality, discrimination and oppression (Thompson, 1994). Practitioners will support her with learning tools that transform to challenge oppression Challenging practice with young people engages them into ways. The first is by engaging by using wider policy objectives due to the fact that it is a person centred base. Learners will openly discuss and debate issues within a safe environment amongst their peers and focus on building one’s confidence and reassurance within a group, as well as maintaining the learner’s concentration.

The effectiveness of the intervention in relation to social policy and anti-oppressive issues.

In terms of social policy, the housing project, as an intervention, is in some ways effective.

Current social policy is underpinned by legislation to protect and uphold rights and responsibilities around the vulnerable service users at the project. Acts like Welfare Reform Act DATE, Housing/Homelessness Act DATE, Equal Opps legislation, Race Relations Act DATE, Disability Discrimination Act DATE

This legislation which forms social policy is outworked through the project’s policies and procedures. In terms of Mary’s experience at the project she has been mainly served well. She was homeless and had experienced sexual assault by a close male relative. This caused her to be brought under the care of the local authority and …..list how

ANY OTHER THEORISTS THAT NEED MENTIONING HERE?

In terms of anti-oppressive practise Mary has had a positive experience by going through the project. List how

The impact of the project’s intervention

(reflect on the impact of your work for Mary) In reflecting on the experiences Mary had at the project, I believe her experiences have been largely positive and effective for her Explain how

Be Critical explains the limitations to the intervention and the positive aspects to the intervention.

What worked?

What didn’t?

What should be changed?

discuss the practice in relation to risk,

resilience,

Social and cultural aspects and government policy.

Has the environment had an impact?

Future action.

Appendix: Case Study

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