Reflections on Interventions with Vulnerable Families - Assignment Example

Reflections on Interventions with Vulnerable Families Q. 1 For the past decades, the astonishing vulnerability of children at risk for developmental health problems due to biological and environmental factors has been recognized. Poverty, parental difficulties, child abuse, negligence of children, low birth weight and child exposure to illicit and toxic substances are among the well known risk factors that have impacted the health and development of children. I worked as a child and youth care social worker during the internship; thus I dealt with vulnerable families including children and youths. Some of my clients were teenagers suffering from mental health issues and this resulted after the clients started involving in drug abuse due to parental negligence. The best way of establishing and maintaining a professional relationship with the clients was through talking and educating them about the impact of drug abuse towards their health. The significant of family life education cannot be undervalued; however, it is vital to create good relationships with the client and their family because health relationships within the family are crucial to the well-being of children, adults and also the society as a whole. Social workers should understand that there is no family which is perfect but some families face enormous strains and trauma, without receiving any support or help and this can be detrimental to such vulnerable families (Ko, et-al, 2008). Supporting vulnerable families in the society is crucial; therefore, family support services should cover varied intervention programs. I made significant efforts of building trusting connections with the clients through understanding their needs, and addressing the environmental issues contributing to health problems. Building trusting connections with the clients demands effective communication process; thus I learnt the significant of communicate efficiently with the clients in order to create mutual understandings. Q.2 There is a form of oppressing attributed to issues of child negligence and poverty; in fact, these issues have significantly contributed to increased rate of drug abuse among the teenagers and youth. Consequently, increased cases of drug abuse have resulted to deteriorating mental health among the members of the public. In this case, this has led to a need for offering families and those who are involved, in order to empower them through various ways aimed at addressing issues that contribute to these problems. On the other hand, these problems can be solved by integrating effective strategies such as facilitating early intervention and youth empowerment. Apparently, these strategies are vital in facilitating structural, social, and internalizing repression and cases of favoritism. The other effective strategy involves intervention strategy that can be utilized in determination the issue of oppressing among affected families. There are women from various ethnic backgrounds, sexual orientation, religious background, and social classes, who have faced complex changes in their life. For instance, these changes occur in fields such as education and their role of caring for their families; besides, there are increased cases of risk of health (Ko, et-al, 2008). There are practices focusing on the early intervention aimed at dealing with psychological problems, and this provides ways of dealing with demanding needs among members of the public. Q. 3 Advocating for service users in this case are vital; thus a need for integrating advocacy skills and strategies into direct practice activities, which are aimed at developing or changing policies, which impact clients. Therefore, my role in this case is to devise actions to draw the attention of community to the problem and to direct policy makers to a better solution. Advocacy initiatives entail effective communication skills, mobilization of community, outreach programs and strategic opinions. My role is to fight for the rights of people and ensure that bureaucracies, as well as, systems work well in order create changes to those polices that impact clients. Additionally, advocacy includes fighting for the rights of vulnerable people and ensuring that legal action is taken in order to protect vulnerable people from discrimination, and also promote fair treatment, equal access to social assistance and many other social justices in the justice system. Therefore, my role is to lobby organisations and various governmental institutions in order to ensure that policies, rules, regulations that deny vulnerable people to full economic, political and legal rights. Therefore, I will encourage civil society and also establish through interactions with decision makers the legitimacy in order to expand social services to vulnerable people. Analyzing the problem and the root cause of the problem is vital because it will help one to work out with the problem that exists effectively. It is therefore my role to examine the problems and find the root cause; thereby focusing on key issues that need to be addressed in order to create effective changes on those policies that impact clients. Q.4 Teenagers or children exposed to traumatic events in the family can be helped by professional practitioners through employing effective strategies. Despite this, applying multiple theoretical perspectives to practice situations can create significant change. Varied theoretical practices including empowerment theoretical approach, family centered approach and family ecological model or approaches are among the effective practices that can create significant change in this case. The family ecological model includes care giving practices and use of effective family daily living strategies, which are shaped by factors proximal to families (Ko, et-al, 2008). Moreover, applying empowerment theory is vital and this practice or approach evolves from clearly understanding the forces that impact life situations. Employing collaborative theoretical approaches is vital because collaboration practices can contribute to effective delivery of services. Q. 5 This case applies to family-centered services because it focuses on the issues affecting family; thus the family centered approach can be of great significant to the family being faced with mental illness or injuries. Employing family-centered action strategy that focuses on child or youth development and health issues is vital. This model is effective because it captures and attempts to take into considerations the lived experiences of families; thus engaging them actively in health promotion in the society. The use of family centered approach is vital because one’s knowledge about the family can help families in reminding them of their strengths during a traumatic event and through recovery process. The relationships created with the family can help in provision of trauma-informed care tailored to the family needs or demands. For instance, psychological trauma can commonly result due to parental negligence and other environmental issues. Therefore, trauma-informed care can be carried out in order to engage clients with psychological trauma and this is through recognizing the presence of trauma symptoms, as well as, acknowledging the role that trauma has played in the lives of clients. The trauma informed care will focus on significant developmental provision, gender-specific care and other effective care provision practices. Moreover, the urban ecological perspective can inform intervention planning o modify risk factors, which are challenging by transforming the environment to improve public health. I will empower the families because empowering is vital and it results from understanding the forces, which affect life situations, as well as, the ability to control these forces using social support or other supportive resources. Family support organized activities that focuses on reducing ecological risk factors and empowering are among the effective intervention programs for solving issues of oppression in this case. Ecological factors are among the determinants of heath; thus I will encourage urban planners, policymakers and public health professionals to take into considerations the issues of urban ecology. This is through encouraging them to employ family-centered approach to educate families on the significant need to maintaining a health and safe environment. Q. 6 I will therefore, recommend the use of effective leadership strategies for supporting sustainable changes in practice and service delivery to advance the quality of social services; Professional staff members involved should employ effective leadership strategies that can enable them to deliver enhanced services effectively. One of them is effective communication because this can create good relationships with the clients. Professional workers should learn effective communication skills because effective communication promotes patient adherence to recommended health care practices and it generally contributes to positive effect on the client health outcomes. Another strategy is team work strategy; thus profession staff can work together with the community including social workers, church leaders, political leaders, parents, children and youth from diverse social backgrounds. Team leadership is vital because it can enable professional staff members to empower or offer supportive services to the client effectively; thus promoting sustainable changes in service delivery. Reference Ko, S. J., Brymer, M. J., Layne, C. M., Ford, J. D., Kassam-Adams, N., Berkowitz, S. J., Wilson, C., ... Wong, M. (August 01, 2008). Creating Trauma-Informed Systems: Child Welfare, Education, First Responders, Health Care, Juvenile Justice. Professional Psychology: Research and Practice, 39, 4, 396-404. Read More