Evaluation of Social Work - Essay Example

Evaluation of Social Work Social exclusion, poverty, health and social care in tower hamlets: the perspective of families on the impact of the family support service. By Ben Gray Dr Ben Gray is a researcher of high acclaim and has numerous publications on matters relating to health and social care sectors. Mostly he focuses on user views in mental health and matters related to refugees, the protection of children, emotions in organizations, poverty stricken families as well as socially excluded families. Further, he has done a lot on minority families and their children. In this writing, he clearly shows his prowess in the area. He has used Hamlet which is a area with high poverty level according to census report in 1991. The work is financed by the Family Welfare Association (FWA) through the Family Support Services (FSS) for the benefit of the people of Hamlet (Gray, B 2003). The financier of the projects has the welfare of the secluded families at heart since it is the maiden goal of the UK government to ensure it overcomes social and economic in most central parts of the nation (Rutter, M. 1999). The study is mainly focused on Hamlet which is a deprived area in the UK. The area is a multi-ethnic place which has low levels of home ownership, the problem of overcrowding and high levels of unemployment. Most of the people here are not whites although each minority group here is represented in the way the FSS works are allocated. In this article, the Ben is trying to bring out the need for an effective way of dealing with the inequality in low income places in the whole of the UK by using Hamlet as the example. To him, innovative projects are the way forward in places were the residents are used to family exclusions, families which are vulnerable, families were the members are used to abuse, families with mental health difficulties, places with domestic violence. This article in this regard is all about the non-stigmatization of ethnic views and specific family needs. In general it is about binging together family members who have lived separately for long spells of time and showing them the importance to pull together. This is done through family support were there is home based family support were parents are brought to their senses about parenting skills. There is also building bridges in families were parents have had mental problems and are brought together with their other family members. The third initiative is the quality protection was families are assessed and the local authorities’ management action plans are checked for effectiveness. Thus, the main focus here is how excluded families can be thought of in terms of health (mental), child abuse and what needs to be done to make it effective. Methodology The study is based on investigation and lasted for 8 full months. Qualitative data was used in this case and was collected from various sources. The study tool employed in this study is interview. During the study, five family support workers and a researcher normally visited the families in which both participant and non-participant observations were made about the family members; mother, father and children. In each case, notes were recorded about the family during the interview and after. The interview schedule was flexible to aloe families to portray their experiences using their own words. Sample The sample for the study had 30 families in case records; 17 Bangladeshi families, 9 white families, 3 Somali families and 1 North African family. Further, 22 interviews each ranging between 45-90 minutes was carried out and had 9 families; 6 Bangladeshi families who took part in the 4 family support programme, 2 white families who were involved in 3 building bridges programme and 1 family from North Africa taking part in 2 quality protection programmes. Data collection Data was collected in the study using the interview materials, observations and also some was collected from case records. The qualitative data had issues to do with recommendations from referrers, notes made by social workers, managers and supervisors, agreements signed by FSS and families, comments made by families and telephone records. Results Shared ethnicity and cultural sensitivity was one of the outcomes of the study. By taking families from the same ethnic group to participate in a programme, it showed that, the families were aware of their experiences, problems and the difficulties they had. Gender had equal representation thus avoiding the issue of biasness in the whole study. The findings are much cemented and presented through experiences by expressing them and the effectiveness of the whole management activities. Further, the programme of bringing together family members who had separated for a very long period of time was also successful. This was made evident when a mother from one of the Bangladeshi families talked of how her family was brought together by the programme after long period of separation occasioned by physical abuse among the family members. In addition, the families cited examples of how they had experienced bullying and theft and that they still feared for their lives. They were in agreement that, their conditions in life are caused by poverty. Their condition led them to feel insecure in the hands of the medical professionals However, the article fails in one part on the results. Tables, graphs and charts are good data presentation skills which provide a bird’s eye view of what is happening. In this case, the data presentation skills are not good to all and tables should have been used for all to see and understand his meaning. Validity In the article, Ben presents some of the participants own experiences to add credibility and reliability of the data. Also, the recording of each and every happening in the whole episode is another clear indication of how valid the data is and how reliable it can. The families’ sincerity in the whole issues is another clear indication that, the study is reliable and valid. Ben’s article as a whole solves the problem it had mentioned before the study of how the excluded families can be brought together, how their grievances can be solved and how the management can be used in other places with positive impacts. In the study, ethical issues like the protection o the human participants are mentioned. An example is where the families had to sign a form showing their free consent in the participation of the study. This social work has positive implications on the policy and practice in the whole of Scotland since it show the government that, neglecting the excluded families will not help and will make the government fail in the provision of its services and the meeting of its goal of overcoming social and economic exclusion. In summary, the issues of bringing family members together after long spells is something even cherished by the family members. So, other than wishing away the secluded families, they should be brought together through the threes programmes which are highlighted by the article. This should be beneficial to the whole of Scotland and people should be made aware of what to do in order to encourage family togetherness in their local counties. The article looks good and one can understand and follow what it is all about. It only fails in one area; data presentation. Tables or graphs should have been used in this case. Working with parental substance misuse: Dilemmas for practice. By Taylor and Brynna Kroll Both the authors of this article are qualified to write on social work. This is because, they are both lecturers in the University of Exter. They are in the department of social work in the university. No body is well suited to write on anything on a certain field if he/she is not an expert in that area or he/she has not researched on that matter. The study is financed by child welfare organizations in their search for there being effective regulations governing the way children should be protected from substance abusive parents and to see how their professional have been abused by the parents. Thus the substance abuse misuse treatment of the clients; professional is the point of intervention in the study. Children are much affected negatively by parents’ behaviours and especially when one of the parents uses substances in a manner that, he/she wants to abuse it (Taylor, A & Kroll, B 2004). According to the article, there is enough evidence to suggest that, children may encounter a range of barriers thus not attaining satisfactory development. In their work, they explore the problems faced by the social welfare professional while trying to work with such parents; parents misusing substances. Further to them when it comes to protecting some interested parties in such cases, the children takes first priority since they cannot protect them selves. In the article also, the possibility of conflicting missions among the social care professionals is highly present. There have been professional tensions among child protection and drug protection services. Thus, the main focus of the article is to research in order to add knowledge of the ethical dilemmas faced due to parental alcohol and drug misuse both to the social welfare professional to the children who are the most affected. Methodology The main concern here is bout understanding the range pf professional who have encountered parental substance abuse. In this study, 40 well structured interviews were organized focusing on a number of broads areas which included; Prevalence, Assessment Engagement Approaches to intervention and, Supervision in this area. Participants were interviewed individually on their experiences about this matter. Respondents were at will to talk about the dilemmas they had experienced and found it helpful to have the opportunity to reflect on the practices. Less formal groups were involved in the study and their views were debated. In the entire study, all individual interviews were taped, transcribed and analyzed. The sample Initially, the sample collected was based on purposive sampling technique were specific range of practitioners were sough to represent different settings and groups. However, due to some members experience in the area, snowball sampling of volunteers and individuals was selected. The final sample which was involved in the analysis comprised of 40 social welfare professional who were drawn from both voluntary and statutory sector in London. The sample had the following composition; 8 respondents from statutory workers in adult mental health services, 10 respondents from child and family care, 4 probation officers, 6 respondents from voluntary sector drug and alcohol worker 4 community psychiatrist nurses, 5 staffs from family centers and, 3 staffs from residential units for young people with drug problems. All of the respondents were derived from front line practitioners. The data The data collected from this study was analyzed and compared with other data findings in other similar studies. It had both exploratory and a confirmatory purposes which had both inductive and seductive approaches. Results The results showed that, The parents were frightened and feared for their drug misuse behaviours due to the presence of the professionals in the vicinity thus the abuse. Many of the problems encountered rotated around the issue of resistance and denial in the families since other parents feared that, they will be the victims of the abuse once they devolved the actions of their counterparts to the professionals. Further, the fear for losing the client if an adult posed another problem for the professionals and summed up as one of the dilemmas they had faced. The professional were feared by the parents as being potentially threatening their existence The professional had the problem of consistency since the parents were not willing to participate up to the later stages of the practice. Also, alcohol use had become the order of the day to the point that, solving other problems was a problem to the professionals There was division of services between those for the parents and the children thus proving to be a gap difficult to fill. Ethically, there was effective communication between the different agencies dealing with the same thing. This is a good practice since, the information about the respondents is well protected from the illegal users who in many cases want to take advantage of the existing lapses for their own good (Jack, G 2001). The article is beneficial to the entire problem highlighted in that, it outlines the dilemmas which are faced by the professional while tying to deliver their services to the families. The recommendations of more staff members dealing with substance abuse is a plus as it will make parents aware that, the rights of children should be protected to the later. Further, this will raise awareness of the parents such that, they allow their children to reach the satisfactory phase in development. The information provided in the study is reliable and valid in that, it is compared with other pieces of information dealing with the same topic. These findings are reliable in that, they touch on the various issues which are evident in real life. However, as Ben above, the data is not well represented as something tangible should be present for quicker understanding. In the article, the users; the parents and the children are all involved. This is evident in the way the interviews are contacted and the sample used in the study; it has representatives from all the groups. All, in all, the problem highlighted in the introduction part of the article is well answered using the findings from the data collected. In summary professional should always aim to fight the dilemmas which have bogged them in their field of work. This can e done by raising the awareness of the parents on the importance of not abusing substances but doing it responsibly since children copy things/behaviours so fast and theirs may affect their off springs so much in consequential development. The article is excellent if the findings although it has some misgivings in the way they are represented. To be, tables and graphs are the most effective way of representing data since even no-statisticians can comprehend and follow the results with ease. The ties that bind: support from birth families and substitute families for young people leaving care. By Jim Wade Wade is researcher with experience in matters pertaining vulnerable groups o children and young people who include those looked after and leaving care, refugees and street children. He is a senior research fellow in the social research and development unit in the University of York. This research study is funded by the Department for Education and Skills and is beneficial in that, the level of care required by the vulnerable children can be put into good use as well as the transition to adulthood. This paper focuses on patterns of contact with birth families and caregivers thus leaving the care professionals with some strength. It also explores on the families which is the onset of young people relationship which results into families and what such families will require in the long run (Wade, J 2008). The paper also situates the possibility of following this youths to adulthood and tries to explore the possibility of a transition to that level and what the care givers will require in the entirely. Jim is trying to solve the problems which arise in new families borne out of youthful affairs between boys and girls and how they can be led from youths to become adults. It is about the care leavers; people leaving the comforts they were experiencing at home although some had problems with their parents and experienced traumatic hardships in the families and now is the time to leave the families to start families of their own. Study design The study rallied on young people experiences in transition to adulthood basing mostly on the first 15 months while leaving independent of their families. The study identified the past and present experiences which could have significant effects in transition. Further, it assessed the way the young people valued the care they were being given by the professional which helped them to achieve positive outcomes. Also, the study evaluated the way the leaving care work had changed since the introduction of the new legislative challenges. Methodology To capture the above, a baseline survey was conducted using young people just three months after leaving care. This was repeated 9-10 months after the first one. Baseline information about their care careers and their preparations for adult life was collected. After that, follow-up interviews which centered on the progress that young people had made in key life areas-housing, education and training, health and wellbeing, offending and substance use-the support available from parents, friends and care givers was collected. The sample 101 young people aged 6-18 years were selected for the study. Of the 101, 53% were females while the remaining 47% were males. 25% were representatives from the minority ethnic backgrounds and over two fifths were still un-accompanied minors. 44% had some form of mental health and emotional difficulties 17% had sensory, physical and learning impairments 69% had entered the looked after system as teenagers 43% had been looked after for extra 5 years 75% of them had moved on from their final placement in residential or foster care before reaching the age of 18. Results Of those who took part in the study, only 13% had short stays with relatives after leaving the care centers. Thus, looked after youths were not willing to go back to meet their parents or relatives after the care. Further there was evidence that, 78% of the young people had had contacts with family members at the time of the baseline survey, thereafter, some 80% reported meeting family members a below, Table 1: Results tabulated Base line (79%) Follow up (81%) Sibling 65 59 Mother 51 43 Aunt/uncle 27 16 Grandparent 24 16 Father 23 17 Stepfather 8 4 Stepmother 5 1 Other relatives 5 19 Adoptive parents 1 1 No family member 16 12 This is a clear indication that, in transition to adult hood, the probability of meeting family members is high among the siblings. This may be so because; siblings tend to be reliant of each other and thus the difficulty in leaving one another. In terms of support either, the young people tends to value the support of their siblings although they viewed the support as a week one. Not all young people like to live alone. Each likes staying in a family environment and tends to become isolated once they are placed in some adopted families. They also said the most likely member of the family to assist them as below, Table 2: The most likely to help them Base line (78%) Follow up (81%) Sibling 21 26 Mother 22 27 Father 9 9 Aunt/uncle 9 5 Grandparent 6 7 Other relatives 4 4 Stepparent 3 1 Adoptive parents 1 1 No family member 22 19 Jim’s article has provided answers to all the assertions he had made before in that, it is now evident that, when young people have reached the stage when they should go out looking for their own homes, they tend to have problems in the transition level in that, they are used to interacting with other family members and thus, they feel it hard to move on. However, with good care from professionals, it is evident that, they can cope well and make their own families in a short while. Validity The results produced by this study are valid and reliable. This is so because, the sample used for the survey is representative of the whole population of the young people since it has representation from the minority groups as well as representation from all the ages groups; from 6-18 years, the age thought to have all in the youths in the various families. Risk and resilience in long-term care. By Schofield, G and Beek, M (2005) Dr Gillian Schofield is senior lecture in psychosocial sciences and is the co-director of the center for research on the child and family in the school of social work and psychological sciences in the University of East Aglia in the UK. With this credential to his name, then he is qualified to talk of social research work. On the other hand, Mary Beek is a senior research associate in the center for research on the child and family in the University of East Aglia in the UK. Also, she is well versed with matters of social work entirely. The research work is funded by the Nuffield Foundation. This is a foundation that deals with the welfare of children who are vulnerable and who are not in the care of their parents but foster parents. Financing this research is beneficial to them in that, their mission and vision will be realized once such a study is done as care takers will be at will to do as per the findings. Further, the article sounds a good example of how in Scotland things about foster children and also your own children will be treated so as to avoid some happenings in the future of their development Children in long-term foster care often have experiences which continue to affect their self esteem, self efficiency and the necessary capacity to cope with developmental challenges as they grow up (Parker, R. et al. 1991). The main focus of the research work is to show how some children affected by diverse factors do well than others. The paper aims at exploring why some children appear to be making very good progress than others in terms of development. In practice, foster care should be aimed at making a child meet the developmental needs a child must meet while growing so as to reduce the impact of psychological risk while promoting resilience due to the future challenges the child will likely to meet (Sinclair, L et al. 2004). Research design The maiden objective of the study was to explore how the needs of foster children are looked after. The study took place from September 1997 to December 1999 with the first follow-up taking place in 2001-02. 58 children took part and all were subjected to a long-term foster care through adulthood in their placement. The second phase; follow-up phase took place after three years with only 52 children as five did not have tangible data after the first phase while 1 died. The method used in phase 2 was the questionnaire for the social workers and in-depth interview with the foster children. The interviews viewed information on development and the quality of relationships and how the child performed in school, while with others, at home and in the community. The role of the contact and the involvement at home were discussed. A combination of questionnaires and in-depth interview with the children, foster cares, birth families and social workers provided the baseline data. The sample During the first phase, the sample consisted of; 58 children with a mean age of 10 and a range of 4-11 years from 5 local authorities. The sample had 45% boys and the remaining 55% girls, 3 of children were from the minority groups. Only 53 children had tangible data after phase 1 Of the 53, 1 children died in the placement Out of the 52 remaining, 27 were boys and 25 were girls In phase 2, the mean age was 13; all were teens Results After the second phase, some 75% of the 52 were intact and none appeared at risk while 8% had made some constructive movements towards the better, more secure placements. After the second phase results, the children were put into three groups; Those with good progress Those with uncertain progress Those who had downward spiral trend in progress Table 3: Progress N % Good progress 31 60 Uncertain progress 14 27 Downward spiral 7 13 Total 52 100 Those with good progress were 31 in number and were categorized according to their characteristics, their behaviour patterns and the close relationship they had at school, at home and the level of difficulty they gave their carers. The un-certain groups were fairly settled in their placements and had bad histories about their placements. Also, the professional care givers had failed in one part or the other in their duties of care giving. These children were thought to be at that state for a short while and then weather the storm. The downward spiral trend children were bad affected since the onset. The article has had some beneficial factors as indicated from the start in that, it had showed that, the processes involved in care giving for a child surely affects the way that child performs in adulthood. The article can be used by caregivers while gauging the way of giving care wit the future of the child in mind. Validity The information gotten from this analyzed data is surely reliable given the amount of time the study took and the way the data is represented; in tabular form with the use of a table. The article looks good from presentation to explanation of the findings. To me, there is nothing I can add or subtract from it. The results are well explained as well as being well represented using a table. In conclusion, the three articles are well written and thought after. The writers are qualified in their fields and have the honour of writing as such. Reference Jack, G (2001). Ecological perspective in assessing children and families. London: Jessica Kingsley Gray, B (2003). Social exclusion, poverty, health and social care in tower hamlets: the perspective of families on the impact of the family support service. British Journal of Social Work, 33, pp. 361-380 Parker, R. et al. (1991). Looking after children: Assessing outcomes in childcare. London: HMSO Rutter, M. (1999). Resilience concepts and findings: Implications for family therapy. Journal of family therapy, 21, pp. 119-144 Schofield, G and Beek, M (2005). Risk and resilience in long-term care. British Journal of Social Work, 35, pp. 1283-1301 Sinclair, L et al. (2004). Foster placements: Why some succeed and some fail. London: Jessica Kingsley Taylor, A & Kroll, B (2004). Working with parental substance misuse: Dilemmas for practice. British Journal of Social Work, 34, pp. 1115-1132 Wade, J (2008). The ties that bind: support from birth families and substitute families for young people leaving care. British Journal of Social Work, 38, pp. 39-54 Read More