Social Work Theory and Methods - Case Study Example

348902 Social Work Theory and Methods Joanna is a 38 year old woman who has recently been diagnosed with advanced breast cancer. Because of this, she feels that she should make plans for her 14 year old son, Jacob, to be taken care of when she dies. The case study does not say how long she has to live so it is not known how long she has to make these plans. There are two options that she has identified currently: 1) Joanna has a sister that does not live very far from them and she and her husband have two boys that are Jacob's age, and 2) Jacob would like to stay with his best friend, James. This second family is Nigerian, they are wealthy and they have plenty of room in their home. Joanna wants the best for her son but she also wants him to be raised in a multi-cultural home. She has asked the social worker to help her with options that she can choose. Issues Important to this Case There are several issues that are relevant to this discussion that the social worker will have to help with as she gets into the process. A major issue will be what is best for Jacob and this can be seen in many different ways. Although he has always lived in London and he has probably been raised white (because Joanna is white, his father died when he was a baby, and his Nigerian family is not in contact with him), his father was Nigerian. At some point in his life, Jacob may want to be involved with his Nigerian family or know more about his heritage. There is no discussion in the case study about why his Nigerian family has no contact, but he may need this as he gets older. Joanna states that she wants him to be around other Black and mixed race children and adults, he may not feel comfortable with black people until he understands more about his own heritage. The Nigerian family that Jacob wants to stay with is wealthy and could provide for Jacob's needs easily. Their culture suggests that he would be taken care of well. According to Nigerian culture, children are very important to Nigerian culture. Burns (2008) studied the idea of parent-child interaction and how communication happened between parents and children in Nigerian families. Generally, their children are taught to be obedient and at a very young age, they have the responsibility of doing chores. This is something that Jacob may already be experiencing and this is a good way for him to fit into the Nigerian family. According to the BBC Report (2005), another issue that Jacob may have to deal with would be the difference between living in a multicultural situation that was not his own, and fitting into this space. The Report suggests that many young people have to live between the Western world and their Nigerian culture. However, there are many networks in London for Nigerians so Jacob could learn a lot about his culture if he lives with his friend's family. It should also be noted that by nature and culture, Nigerians are a multi-racial and multi-ethnic people, so James' family may already have a wealth of friends. Jacob may have already learned some about his culture through them and possibly eaten Nigerian food -- this could be some of the reason why he would like to live with them. Another issue to consider in this situation is what Smith et al (2009) found in their study: that "own-group racial preferences increased with age" (p. 145). It can be said that Jacob may find that as he gets older, he will want to know more people who are of his racial identity. Impending Crisis and Grief The family is not in crisis yet, but there may come a time when they are in it. In the beginning of contact with the family, the social worker must understand that the family may not be totally ready to talk about Joanna's death because they are not close enough to it yet. This will be a good time to start talking to the two families to see who will be the best choice for Jacob. This conversation should be done before the crisis begins or before Joanna gets too close to death if possible. Jacob's life would be very different with Joanna's sister because she lives in a small, two bedroom flat which could become overcrowded with Jacob. Although he would have two other boys his own age, he would be in a crowded space that was mostly oriented towards whites and the case study does not say whether Sue (Joanna's sister) has as many resources as James' family. This would be something that would also need to be taken into consideration when the social worker talks to the families. Bereavement issues would also be something the social worker would need to do because there will be different levels of grief and bereavement that will come as time goes on for Joanna. Although everyone can be somewhat prepared for Joanna's death, when it actually happens, they will be affected differently. The social worker will need to understand all of these issues in order to assist the family in their bereavement and to help Jacob in his adjustment to his new circumstances. Social Work Methods The two social work methods I have chosen for this work are the "Task Centred Work" and "Crisis Intervention." I think that both of these would be complimentary as the social worker begins to work with the family. To get the family started, I would use the Task Centred work and then move into the Crisis Intervention if necessary. Crisis intervention may be necessary as the family is closer to Joanna's death. The reason that this method would be used is because death is always a crisis for the family. According to the PowerPoint presentation from class, the first thing the social worker must do is build rapport with the family. This means that they must show genuineness and empathy with Joanna and Jacob ("Crisis Intervention", Slide 14). The social worker can do this by listening to what is needed and providing information to the family about the options for Jacob. The social worker will also need to find out about other people that are around the family that can be helpful during Joanna's transition and/or during the bereavement period. As the family moves more towards the death, the social worker will be addressing the feelings of the family and helping them move towards an action plan ("Crisis Intervention, "Slide 10). There will be time for reflecting back to the family what they are feeling and giving them the space to ventilate their feelings ("Crisis Intervention", Slide 12). The social worker may need to help the family understand any aspects of cancer treatments that the family may not understand. Cancer is a very difficult disease for both the family and the individual who has cancer. The social worker may also fin themselves involved in helping put a plan in place for end of life decisions. At the least, the social worker could help Joanna find the resources if needed to create a will and make sure that there are provisions for Jacob if this has not been done. Guptka, et al (2008) suggested that most patients (80%) would rather be made comfortable during their movement through terminal illness than to have something to prolong their life. These same patients said they would "Refuse nutrition, antibiotics, or mechanical ventilation" (p. 3). This is an issue that would need to be discussed with Joanna so that it was not something that had to be decided at the last minute. Another area where the social worker could be of help during crisis intervention would be to help the individual family members who may be caring for Joanna if she needs their help. According to Gray and Hughes (2005), providing resources for the carers is very important. Some carers may have to take time off from work. If this becomes an issue, the social worker may find resources that can help the family find needed resources. There may also need to be some arrangements to be made for the family that cares for Jacob because there will be grief and bereavement issues. Throughout the process of working with the family, and those connected with them, the social worker will be helping the individuals understand the process they are going through and they will be instrumental with helping the feel through their pain so they do not avoid their emotions ("Crisis Intervention," Slide 14). The social worker will also be instrumental in helping the family deal with stress as Joanna's illness progresses. It should also be noted that the social worker will continuously help the family to network with the resources and information they need to get through this situation and helping the family to understand the difference between those situation that are natural emotional aspects of a crisis and those situations that are unresolvable ("Crisis Intervention," Slide 13). The Use of Task Centred Practice The second method I have chosen is the Task Centred Practice because it is a way of breaking down problems into manageable parts. This process will help to explain the problems and explore them through scanning and definition. The family will learn to formulate objectives, achieve a task and they will understand how to terminate the contract where necessary ("Task Centred Practice," Slide 4). The task centred would be used first so that there were specific tasks that could be created and done. The social worker would start by identifying any problems. In this case, the major problem is the fact that Jacob needs someone to become his guardian after Joanna dies. The social worker would start by building rapport with the family and creating a plan to help Jacob make a smooth transition to the next family. There may also be a plan in place to help the family that takes Jacob with money for his needs. Reid (1997) suggests that the task centred model is "designed to help clients clarify the problems clients acknowledge as being a concern" (p. 133). This reinforces the fact that the family will learn more about what to do in this situation. This method is also a good one to use because it can stop the family from becoming overwhelmed as Joanna's health deteriorates. As the social worker develops rapport, Joanna will be more willing to develop plans and strategies; this will help during times when her energy level may be too low to deal with the situation directly. There will also need to be end of life decisions made and the task centred method would work well because of the structure. Tasks can be designed to carry the family through the end of life process. As an example, Roscoe et al (2006) suggest that social workers can also help families deal with depression as it happens in a variety of stages in the process of chronic diseases. The task centred approach can prepare for the needs of Joanna and Jacob and put in writing what needs to happen in each step. Gardner and Brandon (2009) discussed the child custody laws in London which may have to come into play in Jacob's case. If there are no plans for Jacob he could be sent to protective services which may not be in his best interested. Gardner and Brandon state that there are problem with the system which also indicates that the social worker must help Joanna put a plan in place right away. Strengths and Limitations of the Methods There are strengths and limitations in each of these methods. The strengths of the task centred method are what it is easily understood and focuses on empowering the individual. In Joanna's case, this method could help her stay focused on the plan. This method will also help all family members involved to focus on their own self-determination to move forward. At the end of the process, all family members and friends will have developed internal strengths and be able to fall back on their internal resources ("Task Centred Practice," Slide 14). One of the limitations of this method is that the social worker will need to have a balanced focus between the adjustment to difficult situations and structural disadvantages; otherwise there may be problems in the structure. Also, they must guard the family from overwhelm. The Post hoc theory may also be a limitation as well. The strengths for the crisis intervention method include the fact that it teaches people how to work in a crisis and it provides the family with resources they can use during a crisis. It will also provide a place for everyone who is going through the process to vent their feelings in a safe space. The family will also develop resources and networks to help them through the crisis and they will learn skills that will help them in any crisis. Some of the limitations of this method include an over dependence and focus on the crisis. In other words, the family may become so focused on the crisis element that they may forget how to have peace within the process. Also, the social worker can become too involved with the family and lose their ability to help. This is where effective supervision is important to help the social worker understand the impact of the emotions on their own lives. Another weakness may be the effect of the crisis and the family. If they spend a lot of time in crisis intervention mode, they may suffer burn out as Joanna gets closer to her death. Compatibility with Anti-Discriminatory Practice and Social Work Values According to the BASW Code of Ethics for Social work, human dignity and worth are part of what social workers must do. This means they must respect people and they must respect human dignity. These two methods are geared towards helping the individual maintain their dignity. They both value the human being, their beliefs and their goals. This is another key principles to the Code of Ethics. Both methods also promote a fair access to resources for everyone and the provide good service to everyone. As the social worker works with Joanna and Jacob, they will show how to provide a positive service and both methods empower people. According to Strumm (2008), social workers must "develop an awareness of their own identity and sense of who they are, for these affect their sense of the world, their place within it, and their relationship with others" (p. 9). I believe that this is important for the individual social worker because it helps them understand other cultures. The more they can understand who they are, the more they will be able to work with others. Both the task centred approach and crisis intervention can be used to promote anti-discriminatory practice in that they are geared to working with any type of client. Each social worker must understand that they will work with all people regardless of their situation. They must understand that regardless of ethnicity, race, religion or other factors, a social worker is obligated to assist everyone. Strumm also suggests that "social workers who are comfortable with dealing with their own identities will be more effective in responding to the needs of others who have different identity attributes" (p. 8). In other words, in order to social workers must be comfortable with themselves so that they can be comfortable working with a variety of clients. References BBC London. (2005). Nigerian Culture. [Online]. Available from: http://www.bbc.co.uk/print/London/content/articles/2005/05/26/Nigerian_london_features.html. [Accessed 23 December 2009]. Burns, A. and Radford, J. (2008). Parent-child interaction in Nigerian families: conversation analysis, context and culture. Child Language Teaching & Therapy. 24(2). pp. 193-209. [Online]. Available from: Academic Search Premier database. AN: 32097062. [Accessed 23 December 2009]. "Crisis Intervention." (2009). In class PowerPoint Presentation. Gardner, R., and Brandon, M. (2008). Child protection: Crisis management or learning curve Public Policy Research. 15 (4). pp. 177-186. [Online]. Available from: Academic Search Premier database. AN: 36460653. [Accessed 22 December 2009]. Gray, M. and Hughes, J. (2005). Caring for children and adults. Family Matters. Autumn, 70. pp. 18-25. [Online]. Available from: Academic Search Premier database. AN: 17364286. [Accessed 22 December 2009]. Gupta, D., Goyal, G.N., Chauahan, H., Misra, S., and Bhatnager, S. (2008). An initiative to end-of-life decisions in cancer car. Internet Journal of Pain, Symptom Control & Palliative Care. 6 (1). [Online]. Available from: Academic Search Premier database. AN: 32760652. [Accessed 27 December 2009]. Reid, W.J., 1997. Research on task-centred practice. Social Work Research. 21 (3). pp. 132-137. [Online]. Available from: Academic Search Premier database. AN: 9711020800. [Accessed: 27 December 2009]. Roscoe, L., Osman, H., and Haley, W. (2006). Implications of the Schiavo case for understanding family caring: Issues at the end of life. Death Studies. March, 30 (2). pp. 149-161. [Online]. Available from Academic Search Premier database. AN: 19352154. [Accessed: 27 December 2009]. Smith, C.O., Levine, D.W., Smith, E.P., Dumas, J., and Prinz, R.J. (2009). A developmental perspective of the relationship of racial-ethnic identity to self-construct, achievement and behaviour in African American Children. Cultural Diversity and Ethnic Minority Psychology. 15 (2), p.145-157. [Online] Available from: psycINFO database. AN: 2009-04145-006. [Accessed: 21 December 2009. "Task Centred Practice". 2009. In class PowerPoint Presentation. The BASW Code of Ethics for Social Work. (2009). Key Principles. [Online]. Available from: http://www.basw.co.uk/Default.aspxtabid=64. [Accessed: 27 December 2009]. Strumm, B. (2008). Anti-discriminatory social work practice: Becoming an ally. Presentation 2008 Social Work Conference. [Online]. Available from http://www.ewoparenalchild.com/presentations.htmlfile=tl_files/content/documents/2008_conference/Anti-Discrimnatory+Social+Work+Practice++STrumm.pdf. [Accessed 27 December 2009]. Read More