Someone for Me by Jasmine Clayden and Mike Stein - Literature review Example

A TAPUPA Critique of Social Work Task: Mentoring young people leaving care ‘Someone for me’ by Jasmine Clayden and Mike SteinSummary Youths and young adults in the world today are lost for choices and they do not know what the specifically want. Research has identified that the youth need guidance in making critical choices in their lives. Mentors have played a great role in ensuring that the youth have people to talk to when they are confused on what to do. Care leavers need to be mentored as they transition towards independence (Stein & Clayden, 2005). Care leavers are highly vulnerable and they need guidance to make wise choices. To explain this better, Clayden and Stein carried out a research on individuals who had undergone mentorship for between 6 and 3 years. The TAPUPA method of analysis used sough to explain: transparency, accuracy, purpositivity, utility, propriety and accessibility. Transparency Carrying out a valid, reliable and accurate research can be a major challenge, time consuming and expensive. The researcher should be able to keep the participants information confidential and disclose all vital information regarding the research to the parties involved. Any eventualities that should be expected during the research should also be disclosed. The research must also conform to legal requirements. The behaviour that is under research should not be stimulated to ensure that accurate results are recorded. Methods to be employed in data collection should be communicated to participants. Accuracy The accuracy of any research depends on the accuracy of the data collected and the effectiveness of methods used to collect data. Clayden employed appropriate methods to collect data on the sample population of the adolescents involved. Qualified and competent personnel were used to carry out the research this facilitated the collection of research data that is reliable (Stein & Clayden, 2005). The information that was collected included profile information of mentors and the youth, goals for mentoring, activities of mentors and their mentees and reasons for mentoring. Clayden also identified factors that would limit the research and how such limitations can be reduced. Purpositivity This means the purpose for which the researcher undertakes the research. The research purpose must be achieved by all means. In this case clayden seeks to establish the purpose of mentorship. A mentor seeks to establish a relationship that is non-judgemental with the mentee where the mentor offers support and encouragement to the mentee. The purpose here is to give the mentee high self esteem, encouragement and motivation as they transition towards independence. The inconsistencies that are experienced as a result of the varied nature of the sample population should not limit achievement of the purpose of the research. The method used should guide the researcher towards achieving the purpose. Utility This means that there must be maximum utilisation of the resources available for research. Various stakeholders sacrifices resources in terms of finances, equipment and human capital. For research to be accurate and attain the purpose, the resources available must be used to maximisation. Responsibilities should be completely assigned and the head of the research should support the team carrying out the research (Stein & Clayden, 2005). Underutilisation of resources of resources could hamper the accuracy of the research. The mentors should posses’ relevant skills to deal with mentees this will ensure that the mentors have all the counsel that the mentee would seek. Utilise all the resources at you disposal to get the best possible outcome from the research. Propriety Research should be carried out in the most ethical way. It should conform to all legal requirements and conventionally held morals in society. All protocol should be followed in carryout research. All the relevant documents that authorize the research should be acquired legally. Permits should also be obtained from the authority. Morality also dictates that the information acquired from the youth should be kept confidential. In the mentorship process, mentees provide their mentors with their confidential information. Mentors should observe ethics by keeping this information confidential. Confidentiality demands that privileged information about a person should be kept secret. Government regulations and social cultural beliefs of the community should be considered when planning for the research. This ensures that ethical requirements are followed. Accessibility This is the ease with which the research should be carried out. Clayden formulated procedure and rules that are easily understood and easily applied. Procedures that are complicated are difficult to understand and it is also hard to comply with such rules. It should also be easy to access the research location and the participants. Communications should be well networked to ensure that you can contact the parties involved when they are required (Stein & Clayden, 2005). Rules, responsibilities and duties of all the people involved in the research should be communicated to the parties involved. Natural mentoring and psychosocial outcomes among older youth transitioning from foster care Summary In the past few decades it has been observed that the youth are highly troubled especially those that were [previously placed on foster care. The youth undergo a rough patch as they transition from foster life to independence. The youth today should be given more support from their parents and guardians especially between the ages of 18 and 25( Munson& McMille, 2009). When under foster care, the youth develop relationships with the people they interact with in their foster homes. Having to leave the foster homes to a new home is stressful and may a time the youth do not adopt to this change well. This means that they need to be supported and guided as they make this transition. Transparency Research on individuals who were under foster care can be rather challenging. This is because foster youth are delicate emotionally and mentally. To carry out a transparent research you need to consider demographic factors, custody status, clinical factors and outcomes of mentorship. Ethics should be observed to ensure that the research is carried out legally with the authorisation of relevant authorities. The parties that are concerned with the welfare of foster youth such as social work institutions should also approve of the research. Accuracy Appropriate research techniques should be employed in carrying out research. 339 youths participated in this study and they were above the age of 18. 211 of whom had a mentor and 128 had a relationship with their mentor for more than a year ( Munson& McMille, 2009). The dependent variables for the research are behavioural outcomes as well as psychological outcomes of participants. These two factors must be put into consideration when researching as they have a direct impact on the behaviour observed. The deviations in behaviour affect the accuracy of data collected. Data should be recorded as it is collected to avoid exclusion of important data that could affect accuracy of the research. Purpositivity The objective of carrying out this research is to establish the impact that mentors have in the lives of foster youth. Youth leaving foster care have a hard time in developing cordial relationships with other members of the society. Most of them are socially awkward; rude they cannot easily fit in the society. Most of them end up doing drug and other crimes. This research helps us to understand in what ways a mentor can positively influence the life of foster youth. The research should be able to explain the roles that mentors have in the lives of foster youth. Limitations arising from the research should be quelled to ensure the research is carried out smoothly. Utility The resources provided for the research should be used optimally. Under natural mentoring, the various resources at the disposal of the researcher include buildings, information, human capital and monetary resources. All this resources should be optimised to ensure the most accurate data regarding the mentor and the foster youth who is the mentee is collected. To ensure that the full potential of the human capital involved is released comprehensive training on the responsibilities they should undertake must be carried out. Propriety Natural mentoring is a delicate form of mentoring especially because it involves a highly vulnerable group in the society. This means that high standard of ethical behaviour should be observed. The interviewers who conduct the research on the foster youth must observe due protocol and codes of ethics (Munson & McMille, 2009). The interviewers must ensure data collected is kept confidential and used for the purpose with which it was collected. The participants should be treated with respect and cannot be compelled to give out privileged information that they are not comfortable sharing. Accessibility The research process among youths who are high risk is not an easy task. Therefore, the researcher should design a research that will make it easy top carry out the research. Appropriate methods of data collection such as observations and interviews should be employed to collect relevant information for the research. Procedures and guidelines should be laid down in a simple manner that is easily understandable. All parties should know what their responsibility is making the research as success. Communication is vital as is provides a channel of dealing with problems arising during the research. REFERENCES Stein, M. & Clayden, J. 2005. Mentoring young people leaving care ‘Someone for me’ Joseph Rowntree Foundation, New York. Munson, M & McMille, C. 2009. Natural mentoring and psychosocial outcomes among older youth transitioning foster care. Children and Youth Services Review, vol. 31, 104–111. Read More