Case Study
Tess is a 34-year-old mother of two children, Samantha (17) and Matthew (5). Tess moved in with the children’s father, Ian (55), when she was 16. This was very upsetting to her mother Francis (72). Tess has two older brothers with whom she has little to no contact. Tess’s father Dennis (74) left home when Tess was 12 and contact between the pair was not maintained. Tess and Ian have separated at different times in their relationship, but they currently see themselves as being together. However, Ian works interstate as drill and blast engineer at the mines and is often away for long periods. He is currently working in Western Australia.
Two years ago, Tess began going out partying with her girlfriends one or two nights a week, leaving the children with Francis. This year, Francis has refused to provide this frequency of care for her grandchildren, believing that Tess had to take more responsibility. Tess has continued to go out leaving Matthew with either Samantha or friends and other acquaintances.
A year ago, the Primary School where Matthew attends reported to the Department of Community Services that Matthew was not being looked after, often coming to school without any lunch, inappropriately dressed and with hygiene concerns. A Supervision Order was made by the Department. The Child Protection Officer (CPO) is concerned that things are not changing for Matthew and has told Tess her concerns. Tess is now worried that Matthew will be taken into care.
The CPO has made a referral to a Family Support Service for counselling. She has given a case history to the Service. Tess has followed up with the referral and you have made an appointment to see her and her two children.
Solution
FAMILY MEMBERS:
Draw Genogram here:
Option Eco Map:
Stated Reason for Coming:
Some reasons trigger the selection case. It seems an interesting case, which revolves around several family members. Tess is a mother of two children, a sister and brother, called Samantha and Matthew. Parents of Tess are Francis and Dennis with no more contact with each other. Her husband works in Western Australia, and usually, he does not have enough time for his family. The situation seems interesting, as Tess likes to go to parties, and her mother has to take care of his child. However, her mother refuses to take care, as she believes that Tess should be more responsible in terms of her children. Still, she keeps partying and leaves her son with Samantha. The selection of the case is interesting, as despite having adequate family members, the school streamlined some flaws in care. Genogram and Eco Map depict the whole story, as all people or characters are interrelated with each other. Based on this information, further elaboration is to be made along with several insights.
ETHNICITY:
Is the family Aboriginal or Torres Strait Island background? If Y, who identifies?
The whole family is aboriginal. These people and their grandparents have lived in Australia. These people of family members are aboriginal, and the family background revealed it. For instance, Tess’s father and mother resided in Australia, and Tess also decided to stay with her husband and children in this region. There are also several factors which can help to identify that this family is aboriginal. For instance, family history is one of the critical factors. Housing records marriage certificates, education, birth, and death certificates are enough for this family to declare as aboriginal. Family history or stories can help to make some connections with the Indigenous people.
Should an Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander organization be involved in onward referrals? Yes/No/Unknown.
The aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander organization can be involved in onward referrals. It seems the process of an organization to navigate the data regarding the family background and history. The most important thing is to define the role of aboriginal and Torres Islander, an organization when intending to contain onward referral. Thus, essential to the case and family background, aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander organization can be involved. This organization will help to make a decision regarding the current issue and use historical insights to get things in Favour. Onward referral is a process of using the history and story of the family in the region and guides the main stakeholders accordingly.
Country of birth for other members of the family?
The country of birth for other members of the family is Australia. Even the husband of Tess is also Australian, and now, he is working in Western Australia. All other members, who have been involved in this case study, are born in Australia.
Language/s spoken at home?
The language which is spoken at home is English. It is a fact that English is a common language for all key family members.
Should a Culturally and Linguistically Diverse organization be involved in onward referrals? Yes/No/Unknown.
NO, a culturally and linguistically diverse organization, should not be involved in the onward referral. An organization with different cultures and languages cannot understand the issue Tess and his family member are facing. If the organization contains a pertinent culture and language, it can be in a better position to communicate with family members effectively. The most important thing for the organization is to understand concerns or issues associated with each family member. If the organization is looking to make some intervention, these must revolve around the related culture and language. The department of the community is the central organization, and COP is the main stakeholder. With the same language and culture, CPO can contain onward referral incredibly.
Interpreter or translator required? If “Yes,” what type of interpreter?
There is no need for an interpreter in this process, as there is no stakeholder, which contains a different language or cultural values. There is no need for any additional person as an interpreter due to the same language and cultural values.
Do any of the family members have a known disability? Yes/ No/ Unknown.
No one in this family contains a disability. All the family members are quite fit, including Tess’s mother. Thus, there is no need for extra consideration.
If yes, please provide any details of any special requirements needed?
No, specific requirements are needed because there is no disabled person in this family.
Use the ecological systems theory and apply it to at least one member of the family.
The ecological system theory can be applied to this case, as several family members can be considered for this application. Before applying the ecological theory system, it seems essential to understand related components. This theory states that human life is interrelated with several environments in life, which also creates an impact on behaviors and activities. It is a fact that there are five environmental systems. These environment systems are microsystem, mesosystem, exosystem, macrosystem, and chronosystem. The microsystem is a direct environment where several stakeholders such as family, friends, teachers, and classmates live. These people can have a direct connection with an individual. On the other hand, in a mesosystem, an individual may face a relationship in different Microsystems. In the exosystem, an individual may face several contexts. In one context, an individual may not have an active role to play. On the other hand, in another context, an individual may have an active role to play. In the macrosystem, an individual may depict an actual culture. It is all about representing the socio-economic status of an individual or a person. Finally, in the chronosystem, it refers to describing the shifts and transitions in life. Socio-historical contexts are quite evident in this kind of environment (Onwuegbuzie et al., 2013).
Now, this theory can be applied to Tess, which is the main stakeholder in this case. Tess has depicted the microsystem as having family members, friends, school children, and related departments. She can have direct contact with these people in society. Regarding the mesosystem, Tess seems pertinent. For instance, Tess experienced limitations in hart childhood, as her mother neglected her. Now, she is always looking to balance her life by participating in late parties at this age. Relative to exosystem, Tess is active in her social life, especially with friends and parties. On the other hand, her son has not been cared for by her mother and daughter. It can be said that she failed to take care of her son, and of course, it is also associated with some key consequences. Regarding Macrosystem, Tess contains a particular culture or norms. She was born to an upper-middle-class family. At a young age, her brothers are separated with no more contact. Thus, Tess has to live in the same culture with her two children and mother. Her husband is working in Western Australia, and lack of interaction is also creating a problem in this environment. Currently, Tess is in the Chronosystem, as she contains significant changes in her behaviour and activities. For instance, she was responsible for a while, as she used to take care of her children. Now, the complaints from school to the community department regarding the lack of care of Matthew are visible. These complaints are in terms of lunch, clothes, and other things justified that the attention of Tess has been diverted, as even being notified by the community department, she used to leave her child with Smathna, her young daughter (Masterson et al., 2019).
Describe and discuss at least one family member’s strengths/protective factors:
Francis, the mother of Tess, is one of the prominent stakeholders in this family. She is crucial because she takes care of Matthew when Tess goes to the party. However, her strength is that she knows or understands the mother’s responsive behavior in this modern era. She refused to take care of her son, as she wanted her daughter to be responsible for childcare. She has knowledge, experience, responsibility, and respect in the family, and it seems a significant strength (Henry & Henry, 2007).
Describe and discuss any risk factors that may be present:
Samantha or friends, and other acquaintances cannot look after the son of Tess like her, and it seems a considerable risk as far as Matthew’s behavior and attitude are concerned. The community department can trigger some legal complications for Tess, which can be costly for Tess and her family members.
Has the family been in contact with Child Protection? Unknown/Currently in contact/ Previously in contact/ No.
He child protection officer was in touch with Tess regarding her care of her son. He told Tess that her child or son had not been cared for by other people, and still, things are not working well for him. Family Support Service for counseling is referred, as family history has been provided. Being an appointed officer or consultant, I have to enhance personal communication and context with Tess.
Are there concerns about children or young people’s safety within the family? Yes/No/ Unknown.
If “Yes,” what are the concerns? Who has expressed concern?
Regarding the safety of the children, there is always a concern. Of course, the father of the children is not here, as he used to work in Western Australia. On the other hand, Tess goes to parties frequently. Samantha is a young girl who also has to take care of her brother. Thus, safety concerns are always in the spotlight, as there are no elders in the house for both children.
Are there concerns that the children or young people within the family are being neglected? Yes/No/ Unknown.
If “Yes,” what are the concerns? Expressed by whom?
As mentioned, Tess has two children, which are Matthew and Samantha Matthew has been neglected by his mother, as instead of looking after his small kid, she used to use his mother and daughter to take care of her child. Mathew has been neglected because he does not have any attention from his parents. There are several concerns in this regard. For instance, it will create a negative impact on his behavior even in childhood and adulthood. It is a critical phase of child training, and he needs proper parent attention. If there is a distance between the mother and his son, there will be a massive gap in training, communication, and behavior.
Are there concerns (risks) for the children/ young people or adults? Yes/No/ Unknown.
If “Yes,” what are the concerns? Expressed by whom?
Yes, there are concerns for both young adults and children as well. The concern regarding the children has been mentioned in the above question. On the other hand, Tess is a young adult who has to take care of her child. CPO is a critical person or stakeholder in this case, which has to streamline all these concerns. For instance, he will also raise concerns regarding Smathna and her grandmother. The health of Tess’s mother will be impaired. It will also create a negative impact on Smathna, as she can also adopt the same behavior or attitude, which has been depicted by her mother.
Is notification to child protection required? Yes/No/ Unknown.
Notification to the child protection is required, as CPO must be informed regarding several actions, which are to be taken by the school and parents, especially mothers.
What are the main presenting issues for the referral? List.
The main presenting issue for the referral is the following.
- Lack of communication between the service provider and mother
- Resistance from Matthew
- It may increase the cost of the referral.
Engagement plan (list skills, techniques, and theories you would utilize)
- Communication
- Relational Skills
- Decision Making Skills
- Social Cognitive theory
- Ecological system theory
INTERVENTION PLAN (Goals and Aims utilizing a theory)
The intervention plan is associated with several phases. First, there is a need to identify problems and assess them in terms of several factors and barriers. The organization has to identify a prioritized group which can play a role in this intervention. In this whole process, change agents are also to be identified by the organization who is intending to contain onward referral. Obtaining the client’s input in the form of personal contact, community groups, personal forums, and concern surveys. After it, analyzing the goal and problems, which is to be addressed by the intervention, is mandatory. Setting goals and objectives and identifying best practices are further phases to make the difference. Finally, the organization and family stakeholders have to specify how the intervention is delivered (Ctb.ku.edu, 2019).
Also, for Tess, a strength-based intervention plan is to be streamlined. In this strength-based intervention plan, the purpose of the treatment plan, and the role of the client in the plan development, outside community resources, presenting problems, strengths, and treatment goals are some critical phases. Interestingly, it is to mention that both client and service organizations have to play their roles, as roles and responsibilities are to be defined for each stakeholder (Uwm.edu, 2017).
REFERRAL:
Referrals required to.
The client requires several services. The list of services is below.
List services:
Problem identification
Setting new goals and objectives.
Prioritizing best practices
Generalizing the best care practices to gain the outcome
Change in behavior and attitude when it comes to family care.
Some intervention strategies are to be made to change the behavior of a mother regarding her son. The intervention strategy is one of the most prominent services included in this referral requirement (Socialworkpodcast.blogspot.com, 2017).
Are there any barriers to accessing transport to attend services? Yes/ No/ Unknown.
No, there is no barrier to accessing transport to attend services. Tess and her family members have their transportation sources. Apart from it, it the case of the absence of any transport source, public transport can be used. The purpose is to clarify that there is no transport barrier for both client and service organizations.
References
Ctb.ku.edu, 2019. Developing an Intervention. [Online] Available at: https://ctb.ku.edu/en/developing-intervention [Accessed 19 May 2020].
Henry, L.S. & Henry, J.D., 2007. Using a Strengths-Based Approach to Build Caring Work Environments. AAOHN Journal, 55(12), pp.501-03.
Masterson, V.A., Enqvist, J.P., Stedman, R.C. & Tengö, M., 2019. Sense of place in social–ecological systems: from theory to empirics. Sustainability Science, 14(3), pp.555-64.
Onwuegbuzie, A.J., Collins, K.M.T. & Frels, R.K., 2013. FOREWORD: Using Bronfenbrenner’s ecological systems theory to frame quantitative, qualitative, and mixed research. International Journal of Multiple Research Approaches, 7(1), pp.2-8.
Socialworkpodcast.blogspot.com, 2017. Developing treatment plans. [Online] Available at: http://socialworkpodcast.blogspot.com/2007/03/developing-treatment-plans-basics.html [Accessed 19 May 2020].
Uwm.edu, 2017. Strength-Based Intervention Plan. [Online] Available at: https://uwm.edu/socialwelfare/wp-content/uploads/sites/56/2017/01/strength-based-intervention-plan.pdf [Accessed 19 May 2020].
