Case study 1: Kelly
Kelly is a 30-year-old woman who has recently separated with 3 children who has come to your service for help and attends with her mother Amanda, aged 54.
Kelly has 3 children. Samuel aged 13, Caitlin aged 9, Sampson aged 7. The children’s father Noah has filed for visitation rights for the children and is currently filing for sole custody. Kelly reports that Noah was emotionally and physically violent with her when they were together which is the reason why she left the relationship. Kelly states that Noah currently has supervised access at the local child protection office. Caitlin, Kelly’s daughter is having difficulties with reading and writing at school as reported by her teacher. Kelly reports that she has noticed that Caitlin seems odd and withdrawn. Caitlin’s teacher has mentioned to Kelly that she thought Caitlin might have autism but as yet no formal diagnosis has been made. No referrals to any other professional organisational service apart from yourself has been made either.
Kelly’s new partner William aged 34 is a refugee from Iraq. Kelly is very upset as they recently received a letter from the Australian Government advising that William is being deported. Kelly asks whether you can work with the embassy to see what needs to be done to keep William in the country. William currently works as a brick layer and all of his workmates are illegal immigrants. William also has issues with alcohol at times which Kelly says he uses to relieve stress. William is reported to be a good father to all of Kelly’s children and Kelly states that they are happy in their relationship. Kelly tells you that William is shy of social workers because of trauma that he experienced during his escape from his country and he does not trust anyone in power. He also is more comfortable speaking his own language.
Kelly has a mum, Amanda (50) who is married to her stepfather Liam (54). Kelly has an older brother Colby (35) and a younger sister Brittany (28).
Kelly says that the family identifies as Aboriginal and as part of the Aboriginal health service the children do swimming lessons, have regular health checks and see the dentist. Kelly is aware they have a Psychologist at the service but does not feel it would be confidential enough and prefers to talk to you.
The family have had no contact with child support in the past. Kelly tells you she has tried very hard to be a good mum and even took some courses offered by the Aboriginal service such as circle of security and positive parenting. She feels these have been very helpful to her. Kelly reports that her two boys are doing well at school and play touch football however with her family allowances struggles to pay the registration as she is only employed casually at Kmart.
Kelly wants you to write a report for the court outlining her ability to be sole custodian of her children and also wants you to speak to the school about more support for her children as well as help her keep William in the country.
Solution
Introduction:
Child support system and centered approach towards children is essential for the well-being and development of a child. Different theories and frameworks have taken this topic and have explained children’s development. The development of children starts from the first month when he starts developing associations. Later, the development process keeps going on through different age groups and stages in life. The chosen case study is about Kelly, who is the mother of three children. His children are of age 13. 9, and 7. It shows that they cannot live an independent life, and Kelly has to take full responsibility. His ex-husband is filing for sole custody, and her experience with her ex-husband has not been good. He is living now with a new partner, William, who is a refugee, and the government is going to deport him. However, Kelly and her three children are comfortable with William, who is also taking care of the family. Kelly has multiple challenges from within the family to issues of meeting the needs of her children. She has been getting services and support from services like the Aboriginal service, but she has an immediate challenge (Joshi, Kooy, & van den Ouden, 2016). She wants to be the sole custodian, seeks for more help to bring her children up, and wants desperately to keep William in the country.
Definition, Discussion, Analysis of Attachment Theory, and its Application:
John Bowlby first presented the attachment theory that has a simple definition. The theory states that human beings, including children, develop lasting psychological connectedness after passing the time together over time. Bowlby focused on separation experienced by children when they have to live life alone from their primary caregivers. Mother is considered to be the primary caregiver in normal circumstances. It noted that children develop a bond and association with the person who shares moments with them. The proximity of the primary caregiver; generally, the mother provides comfort and security to the child. An application of the theory can also be on the case study under analysis. Kelly can get help from the theory to strengthen her case in court (Bharanitharan, Chen, Bahmannia, & Lowe, 2019).
Kelly has some immediate issues in front of her. The first is related to the right for sole custody of her children. Her ex-husband is going to get the right, and Kelly has to counter his claim. The second immediate issue before her is related to support for the family and children. The attachment theory can help strengthen the case for her. His new partner, William, takes care of the family, and he is assisting her as well. According to the theory, children don’t need to develop a bond and relationship with parents in any situation. In reality, they see who has accompanied them at the moment of distress and crisis. Kelly and Williams can provide such support for them, and they should obtain the sole custody of children. It would also resolve the issue of deportation of Williams because the government should assess the benefits of keeping him with Kelly. This decision would help the family that requires support (Robertson, Dionisi, & Barling, 2018).
The attachment theory has initially focused on children from their infancy to 18 months of age. However, it is not necessary because it solves the problem of association. The theory states that attachment considers many contextual factors. Children value the person who stands with them at the moment of crisis. Therefore, the theory helps the family to get a solution for their present and future course of action (Aharony, 2016).
Definition, Discussion, Analysis of Erickson’s developmental stages, and its Application:
Erickson presented eight stages of development that lead to the psychosocial development of a person. This stage starts with the infancy and goes to the age of over 65. Each stage contains a crisis, and it also has the virtue. The challenge for the person is to keep safe from the crisis and get benefit from virtue. These developmental stages can be helpful in the case of the chosen case study. Kelly has her two children at the age of 7 and 9 while one of her children is aged 13. Since the age of 7 and 9, the developmental stage of industry v. inferiority is there. Kelly has to deal with the crisis of inferiority with these children because they need support. They also do not have a pleasant family environment, and they have to face the separation of their father (Brilli, Del Boca, & Pronzato, 2016). It is challenging for these children to escape from inferiority because substantial arguments are leading them to this crisis or menace. The court and the government authority have to consider this aspect of children. Competence needs to be there for children so that they can be independent. The companionship of Williams and consistent availability of support can lead these children to get through this stage successfully. Kelly’s child is aged 13, who is in the stage of identity and role confusion. This stage goes until the age of 18, and this child is at the start of this stage (Dunkel & Harbke, 2017).
It is the most critical stage because it is the transition into adolescent life. At the stage, Kelly and his partner have to ensure that their child does not develop role confusion. Instead, they should develop identity so that they can be friendly and acceptable to others. At this stage, Kelly has to impart identity among children. The virtue at this stage is fidelity that makes children acceptable in society. This context concerning these eight stages would help the family seeking sole custody. It would also help Kelly in avoiding deportation of her partner. Currently, she does not have plenty of resources so she can win resources to support her family. Therefore, Erickson’s eight stages help understand the need of the hour in child development (Erskine, 2019).
Definition and Examination of the Child-Centered Approach:
Kelly and Williams have to adopt the child-centered approach. A child-centered approach is the one that puts a child at a priority. Currently, Kelly has most of her problems and issues involving children because they have to get a bright future. A simple definition of a child-centered approach states that learning and exposure of children should be in their hands where there is little or no need for the instructor or teacher. They explore and take charge of the learning process (Rafeedie, Hudson, Deavenport-Saman, Rao, Rogers, & Roberts, 2019).
The case study can take this perspective or approach to the development of children. They have to rely on schools and educational institutions where instructors would impart education to them. However, it cannot be enough in the case of these children because child development starts from the very beginning of their life. The attachment theory and Erickson’s eight stages let children the learning process in their hands so that they can take charge of the situation. With another perspective, Kelly and her partner have to adopt the child-centered approach because they have to take them into the future. If their children are at the center of attention, their problems would be solved. Otherwise, they cannot change their life for them and their children. Besides, her ex-husband cannot fulfill the requirements for these children because he has shown violent acts being with the family. It can hurt the family and its future perspective. The court should decide in favor of Kelly because she has the expertise and credibility to offer the best for children. Children have an association with the mother for long, and they do not express any kind of discomfort. They are happy with her, and she has been making decisions by having them at the center. It makes the case in her favor, and the court must follow these realities in the case study (Rafeedie, Hudson, Deavenport-Saman, Rao, Rogers, & Roberts, 2019).
Conclusion:
The essay concludes that a case involving children can be understandable in light of the attachment theory and Erickson’s eight developmental stages. The theory and stages help a person in adopting a child-centered approach. Kelly has some immediate issues as she wants to win the right for the sole custody. Moreover, she wants to keep her Iraqi partner with her who has the threat of deportation. Besides, she requires support for her children. The case study indicates that Kelly has been taking each step to keep children at the center. The court should decide in favor of Kelly because the examination of the case decides in her favor. The theory and eight stages have offered plenty of evidence to favor Kelly and her family. The issue becomes serious because her ex-husband is also seeking sole custody. The attachment theory states that children develop an association with the person who lives with them at the time of crisis. Therefore, it is meaningless if the ex-husband wants sole custody only because of being a father. He will have to prove his association and love with children. Moreover, support services should announce support for the family so that Kelly and her partner so that they can come up to expectations and obligations.
References
Aharony, N. (2016). Relationships among attachment theory, social capital perspective, personality characteristics, and Facebook self-disclosure. Aslib Journal of Information Management, 68 (3), 362-386.
Bharanitharan, K., Chen, Z. X., Bahmannia, S., & Lowe, K. B. (2019). Is Leader Humility a Friend or Foe, or Both? An Attachment Theory Lens on Leader Humility and Its Contradictory Outcomes. Journal of Business Ethics, 160 (3), 729-743.
Brilli, Y., Del Boca, D., & Pronzato, C. D. (2016). Does childcare availability play a role in maternal employment and children’s development? Evidence from Italy. Review of Economics of the Household, 14 (1), 27-51.
Dunkel, C. S., & Harbke, C. (2017). A review of measures of Erikson’s stages of psychosocial development: Evidence for a general factor. Journal of Adult Development, 24 (1), 58-76.
Erskine, R. G. (2019). Child Development in Integrative Psychotherapy: Erik Erikson’s First Three Stages. International Journal of Integrative Psychotherapy, 10, 11-34.
Joshi, D., Kooy, M., & van den Ouden, V. (2016). Development for Children, or Children for Development? Examining Children’s Participation in School-Led Total Sanitation Programmes. Development and Change, 47 (5), 1125-1145.
Rafeedie, J., Hudson, S. M., Deavenport-Saman, A., Rao, S., Rogers, K., & Roberts, S. (2019). Decision-making in foster care: A child-centered approach to reducing toxic stress in foster children. Children and Youth Services Review, 96, 10-16.
Robertson, J. L., Dionisi, A. M., & Barling, J. (2018). Linking attachment theory to abusive supervision. Journal of Managerial Psychology, 33 (2), 214-228.
