Programs of Social Care for Homeless Persons - Coursework Example

Social Care for Homeless Persons Introduction Within any given discipline, knowledge from research and postulates can onlybe appreciated when applied in addressing day-to-day problems. Health and social care could prove effective if all of its coherent knowledge and information could be utilized within real situations. In this case, healthcare industry depends on the mastery of theoretical framework and ability to articulate knowledge in devising practical solutions (Skolnik and Louise 34). In any given society, medical and social care programs play a significant role in addressing the needs of patients and individuals with various disabilities. These programs facilitate incorporation of marginalized members of the society into the mainstream population. Integration into the mainstream means showing them appreciation and concern; hence allowing them to socialize and participate in constructive social activities. This paper seeks to evaluate application of social and health care programs in addressing social and health issues within the society. It appraises the depth and width of care programs in solving real and practical situations. In addition, we will acknowledge theoretical aspects of social care programs through evaluation of models and relevant preventive strategies. In the process, a thorough evaluation of the applicability of theoretical models will feature in the essay. This will serve to ascertain the resourcefulness of theoretical constructs in developing solutions to demanding situations (Skolnik and Louise 36). These demanding situations usually feature at individual levels where intensive care programs are employed. Apart from its intensive application, care programs are used extensively at local and national government levels. In this case, we will investigate national programs applying concepts of care models and care preventive strategies in achieving social and health care objectives. Both intensive and extensive application will indicate the level of success achieved in utilizing typical concepts of care contained in theoretical models. Marginalized Groups In contemporary social settings, there are numerous individuals of marginalized members requiring intensive social care. This group of people comprise of children, teenagers and adults in dire need of special treatment from members of the mainstream public. In the recent past, there has been an increase in the number of people falling under this category (Vissing 29). As a result, social organizations have acknowledged the need to set up social care institutions. Such institutions strive to amass professional skills in providing quality social care services and other supportive programs to the marginalized. In order to execute social care services in an efficient manner, practitioners within this field should possess requisite technical and social skills. Relevant academic knowledge will serve the purpose of equipping an individual with appropriate social care skills. In this case, social care theories and strategies prove instrumental in facilitating planning and development of effective care service programs (Rossman 181). At this juncture, we will start examining the general status of a group of individuals in receivership of professional social care services in a practical setting. Foster Care and Homelessness In modern social settings, one example of common social care practice is foster care services for homeless teenagers. In this context, teenagers comprise of all youths falling under the age brackets of 13-19 years of age. Foster care is the process of providing professional care services to teenagers who cannot live with their own biological parents. The reasons for a teenager not living with a parent could range from abusive parenting styles within a family unit to death of parents or even homelessness. In most circumstances, foster care centers accommodate teenagers whose families have constant misunderstanding, including domestic violence. In this regard, teenagers are placed in a social institution where they are supplemented with temporary safety care services (Smith 09). In the end of foster care service provision, teenagers could either return to their relatives or move on with their lives and settle independently. In order to develop and illustrative effects on the issue of teenage homelessness, we will evaluate various aspects of Jim Casey, a teenager who is in a foster care center as a result of homelessness. Jim ended up in a foster care center having being rendered homeless because of family misunderstanding. Jim’s Quality of Life Foster care center in subject is a private institution within the local community involved in providing social support and quality care services for homeless teenagers. As a result of constant family quarrels, Jim started expressing some introvert personality since his parents started fighting. In addition, Jim could display substantial signs of social phobia and low self esteem. As a result, the foster care center in collaboration with efforts from Jim’s mother developed an individual care plan for the teenager. In the long run, the program developed would serve the purpose of addressing negative social and psychological qualities experienced by the homeless subject (Burt, Lynn and Montgomery 56). In this case, all services practiced aimed at manipulating the teenager’s behavior in order to reduce or even eliminate detrimental impacts caused by homelessness. Consequently, Jim will acquire the required attributes of mental, physical and educational status. This will ensure Jim develops positive qualities that will facilitate a desired change in the end of the program. Upon completion of care services, Jim will either return to either of his parent’s house or receive consideration for post care services after the age of 18. Psychological Aspect From a general perspective, homeless teenagers experience substantial psychological disturbances. In this context, such disturbances can be appraised objectively from an illustrative point of view in regard to Jim’s life. One of the psychological attributes considered during Jim’s care planning included low self esteem and introversion. Before admission to the foster care facility, Jim would continually shy away from school mates and other members of his class. In this regard, the teenager was deprived of his psychological needs by the unsuitable family setting that ended up making him homeless (Cumella and Vostanis 48). Jim lacked attention, trust and the required level of confidence to boost his self-esteem. Jim had high chances of developing a disorganized attachment from traumatic experiences of sudden change from a family unit to being homeless. As a result, Jim’s psychological growth became disrupted during the period in which he roamed the community homelessly. Based on these psychological aspects, professional services within the facility aimed at developing programs that would fill the psychological gap created by the underlying issue of the homeless teenager. Mental/Emotional Aspect Apart from psychological traumas suffered by homeless teenagers, the victims also experience mental and emotional discomfort. Jim could depict slight attributes of post traumatic stress complications. Within his family setting, Jim would be disciplined irrationally by his parents. In one instance, he was caned a couple of times for receiving low marks in class. In this context, Jim lacked the required emotional and mental support that would enhance his teenage development. This mental set-up got worse as a result of homelessness. Upon entering the foster care institution, Jim has started showing positive progress in his mental and emotional aspects. In the past, he would display negative behavioral factors in order to gain attention. In this regard, foster care givers considered improving the teenager’s mental and emotional status through appreciation and affectionate relationship (Monahan and Toselane 142). In this process, his professional practitioner would constantly try to bring out positive aspects of the teenager by appreciating and supporting him through hugs in commendable circumstances. Social Aspect Homelessness also facilitates development of significant social hitches within the life of teenagers. The considerable level of introversion displayed by Jim could translate into profound effects in his social life. Within the broken family setting, parents would not allow him to engage and interact with neighbor’s teenagers at home. As a result, Jim grew up with a self-centered attitude towards other teenagers in school. In this case, the Jim did not get the opportunity to learn basic social principles under the guidance of his parents (Monahan and Toseland 145). These negative social aspects were magnified by the lack of parental guidance after the homelessness instance. Within the foster care facility, care givers would consider developing programs meant to elicit the desired social skills within the teenager. Jim could be encouraged to engage in interactive activities with other teenagers during social functions like games activities. Jim also learned on communication skills employed when conversing with people of different age brackets. These mechanisms will enhance learning of social rules and boundaries under which an individual should operate in his relationships with other members of the society (Rosenberg and Rehr 49). At the end, the care services will equip him with the requisite social skills. Risks in Care Programs Development risks that could result from the foster care services include a disorganized social attachment. Teenagers facing problems of homelessness within the foster care institution acquire emotional support from secondary care givers which are not their biological parents. In the process, Jim could grow up with a contemptuous attitude towards his biological parents because they could not meet his emotional and mental needs. This could present an unprecedented difficulty in parent-child relationship upon completion of a foster care program (Cumella and Vostanis 27). On the other hand, practitioners approve the use of psychotherapy and drug administration in treatment of psychological disorders. Research shows that numerous psychotherapy programs employ intensive use of psychotropic clinical procedures in achieving the desired effects. Typical drugs used may include antidepressants and antipsychotic medications. These drugs are known to cause disturbances in natural neurogenesis as teenagers grow towards adulthood (Cumella and Vostanis 34). This may lead to development of side reactions causing supplementary negative psychological problems in future. Preventive Strategies In this context, preventive strategies involve measures and programs installed within operational aspects of the society to ensure minimization of negative effects caused by homelessness. These strategies are basically recommendations accompanied by detailed action plans meant to improve lives and the general well-being of members within the society. As the common saying goes, prevention is better than cure, it is usually appropriate to prevent and minimize the increasing rate of homelessness within modern societies. In order to achieve these, preventive strategies considers the root causes of the problem under deliberation (Vissing 72). Upon acknowledging the real causes, appropriate measures are adopted and implemented accordingly. Preventive strategies are integrated during program development and planning stages. In this case, policy makers within the health and social care sector employ evidence-based recommendations in selecting the best courses of action. Effects and risks associated with teenage homelessness can be prevented through action plans adopted under the guidance of suitable preventive strategies. Jim experienced a profound case of social and psychological predicaments as a result of homelessness within his community. One preventive strategy mean to curb effects of teenage homelessness include identifying potential members of the society under the risk of becoming homeless. Members of the public could form social organizations meant to screen immediate cultural settings for potential homeless individuals. In the context of Jim, appropriate social group would have identified the victim as a potential homeless teenager based on his family issues. This would have enable prevention of Jim’s family break-up through counseling sessions. In this regard, concerned members of the society and state authorities should facilitate efforts directed towards identification of potential victims before the vice materializes (Vissing 70). Prevention of homelessness will help curb of situation from getting worse. Another appropriate preventive action plan involves assistance programs meant to ensure provision of permanent housing to members of any affected society. It is evident that poverty and lack of permanent housing is the main cause of teenage homelessness. Poverty plays a significant role in influencing the negative social and mental development of teenagers. In order to prevent such developments, relevant authorities should structure social programs meant to put family units under the roof of a permanent houses. From an economic perspective, it is difficult to totally eradicate poverty within modern societies (Vissing 88). However, minimum efforts could be implemented to ensure decent housing, which assures citizens of security and permanent residence. Such actions could be implemented at the housing planning stages within a residential setting. In the event that poverty worsens, teenagers will be assured of a place to sleep. In this regard, presence of permanent housing units would not have rendered Jim homeless upon crumbling of his family. Incorporation of permanent housing actions during planning stage will ensure protection and safeguard of general wellbeing of members of a society, especially teenagers (Payne and Dominelli 20). In certain circumstances, provision of permanent housing may not be practical to a large population of homeless individuals. This means that alternative and affordable housing units could be created to accommodate an increasing number of homeless teenagers within the society. Social organizations concerned with homeless youth could partner with government institutions in order to ensure provision of traditional temporary housing before developing sufficient permanent homes. In this case, metropolitan cities and county regions should set aside multiple housing units to accommodate any potential homeless teenagers. This plan considers the possibility that strategies meant to keep family units together through counseling might fail to succeed in developing a desirable solution. In this case, social organizations should be prepared to provide emergency and temporary accommodation to such victims for a short period of time. This preventive strategy serves the purpose of minimizing the risks associated with unprecedented increase in the number of homeless individuals within the society (Gurnaut and Lubulwa 165). Models of Care Family Support Model One applicable model of care in addressing the issue of homelessness is the family support service model. This model acknowledges the fact that family is the basic unit of any given society. In this regard, social care programs should begin at the family level and extends towards the reach of extensive community and national utilization. Family support model agrees that families face various types of vulnerabilities ranging from financial difficulties, illnesses and homelessness (Eula 77). In addition, family support models explicitly addresses issues of domestic violence and family misunderstanding. This model proposes necessity of appropriate preventive measures in order to minimize effects of abusive family relationships. According to its aspects, family support model agrees the contribution of family break-ups towards increase in the number of homeless children. In addition, the model proposes the need for housing security as a measure for preventing homelessness. In the context of Jim, the family model would propose social support programs like referral housing systems in addressing the social vice in subject. In addition, family support model aspects feature in Jim’s problem, especially on the issue of permanent and long-term housing for family units (Eula 121). Children Protection Model Another relevant model of care is the children protection model. This model normally enjoys substantial application in learning institutions. Children protection model policy incorporates elements of law and social justice in structuring principles meant to address problems faced by children and teenage population. Typical concepts in this model acknowledge the fact that family units can fail in its role of providing primary care-giving services to teenagers. In this case, the law mandates parents to consider taking their children to social care institutions for advanced and tailor-made care services. With respect to Jim, this model would mandate his parents to pay for social care support programs within an appropriate institution for their son (Henrietta 38). In actual practice, Jim was taken by his parents to an appropriate institution in order to minimize influence of family fights in the teenager’s development. This model proves instrumental in application, especially in addressing issues related to family vulnerability and homelessness. Community Caring Model In addressing teenage homelessness and general social problems, the other technique employed could be the use of community caring model. This model advocates for collective social responsibility in creating organized community structures and improving social justice. In the event that prisoners are released from jail cells after a long time of conviction, the community ought to accommodate them for a given period of time (Ravenhill 90). On the other hand, the model proposes that relatives and other secondary care-givers can take care of teenagers in an event that biological families faced difficulties. In this regard, it is the responsibility of social organizations to ensure equality and promotion and sustainability of general welfare among members of a given society. With respect to the case in subject, Jim would receive support programs from social care institutions. These institutions are part of a larger spectrum of social organizations meant to ensure prevalence of social justice within the society. Role of Governing Authorities National government authorities are in the fore-front in the campaign for achieving and sustaining improved health and social well-being within modern social settings. In this regard, care models like family support service model and child protection model have received attention of policy makers (Fisher 61). National policy makers emphasize the needs of cushioning children from social problems and poverty. As a result, local authorities are involved in identifying affected members of the society around their areas of jurisdiction. These local governments sources funds from national governments meant to finance social care provision activities. In the United Kingdom, county metropolitan counties like London have structured programs meant to protect children from domestic violence. Children protection policies within learning institutions serves as effective mechanisms in checking signs of domestic abuse among student population (Fisher 79). Within the jurisdiction of Tottenham, preventive strategies including family counseling minimize family break-ups. Consequently, this keeps the number of new homeless teenagers and spouses at a minimum and manageable level. Conclusion At this juncture, we have acknowledged the role of social care programs in addressing common problems within modern social settings. Jim’s problem as a homeless teenager served as an excellent illustration on the application of theoretical models of care in structuring practical programs. In addition, the essay extrapolated on the role played by evidence-based strategies in prevention of imminent social predicaments. Finally, care models and preventive strategies find intensive application in governance through policy formulation (Skolnik and Louise 47). In this regard, mastery of theoretical aspects of models and strategies enhances ability to formulate tailor made solution for specific health and social problems. Works Cited Burt, Martha, Lynn Carol and Montgomery Ann. Homelessness: Prevention, Strategies and Effectiveness. Vancouver: Nova Publishers, 2008. Print. Cumella, Stuart and Vostanis Panos. Homeless Children: Problems and Needs. New York: Jessica Kingsley Publishers, 2009. Print. Eula, Bingman. Early Intervention & Placement Prevention Program: Child, Youth and Family Support Service Model. New York: Cengage Learning, 2010. Print. Fisher, Angela. Health and Social Care: Role of National Government. Berlin: Heinemann, 2005. Print Henrietta, Attles. The effects of Homelessness on Academic Achievement of Children. Vancouver: Garland Publishing, Incorporated, 2007. Print. Lubulwa, Milly and Garnaut, Jayne. Issues in the Delivery of Commonwealth Social Support Programs to Farm Families. 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Social Welfare Programs: Narratives from Hard Times. Pittsburgh: Thomson Brooks/Cole, 2006. Print. Smith, Walter. Foster Care and Adoption Assistance Program. Indianapolis: Purdue University Press, 2012. Print. Vissing, Yvonne. Out of Sight, Out of Mind: Homeless Children and Families in Europe. London: Oxford University Press, 2006. Print. Read More