Models of Casework Intervention - Case Study Example

Models of Casework Intervention Problem-solving/ task-centred model i. Introduction and Summary of Selected Model Jane is 32-year-old female divorcee who works in a local supermarket. She was arrested after an intense argument with her boyfriend of six months and brought in for assessment because she expressed suicidal ideation in presence of the police. She is separated from her family of origin which she admit view her as a black sheep. She had her daughter at the age of sixteen whose biological father went away and never returned. During the interview, she admit having a traumatic relationship from here previous husband of five years. These include frequent verbal abuse and physical assault resulting to her hospitalization and separation from husband twelve months ago. She also admitted past alcohol abuse but deny this during the assessment. However, despite distressing experiences Jane have a good relationship with her fifteen-year-old daughter and dedicated to her job. Jane lives with her daughter and boyfriend in a two-bedroom unit but she is often worried about their finances, smoke cigarettes and marijuana to control her emotions. Jane seems nervous and often limits her responses during the assessment. Jane is an individual with multiple causes for problems. For instance, her relationship with her family may be contributing to her depression while her social and physical environment may be connected to her drug and alcohol abuse. More importantly, Jane showed signs of suicidal intention and for this reason, there is a need to directly intervene and take immediate action. Task-centred casework is a method developed for social work in order to help people with life difficulties like Jane (Healy & Doel, 2005, p.193). This model is focused on problem solving and interventions that can directly solve client problems (Madoc-Jones, 2008, p.134). This short-term, task-centred approach in social work believed in the capacity of people to make rational choices and achieve goals they have chosen themselves thus helpful in resolving interpersonal conflict, dissatisfaction in social relations, problems of social transition, reactive emotional distress, behavioural problems, and others (Thomas & Woods, p.191). It involves clients indentifying the problems in their life, selecting the focus of intervention, establishing their own goals, and developing small tasks that can help in achieving these goals (Teater, 2010, p.193). ii. Assessment Plan This assessment plan adopted Healy & Doel (2005) and Reid & Garvin (2003) approaches for task-centred social work that include the “point of entry” for problem exploration or assessment of the person, problem, and other systems. The following are essential elements of the “first phase” (Healy & Doel, 2005, p.194) and the “Initial Phase of Treatment” (Reid & Garvin, 2003, p.87). These include problem-scanning, identification of additional problems, detailing of identified problems, selecting or targeting a problem, and agreeing a goal (Healy & Doel, 2005, p.194). In detail, this is about recognizing the context of the problem, dimensions of individual functioning such as health, physical, and intellectual functioning, information and knowledge, resources, stage of development, roles, cognitions, and others (Reid & Garvin, 2003, p.87). 1. Gather complete information about the client Gathering full information is critical in understanding the context of the client’s life and development of “anticipatory empathy” (Reid & Gavin, 2003, p. 66). For instance, the social worker may find it helpful to know the kind of neighbourhood Jane resides (safe or dangerous) or identify her struggles and concerns by knowing her age, ethnicity, gender, race, and so on. Similarly, information about other members of the family can give the social worker a glimpse about stresses that are affecting Jane such as emotional support from family, financial difficulties, aspirations, and others. 2. Identify special strengths or existing barriers in the client or situation that might affect the intervention. According to Reid & Gavin (2003), exploring dimensions of individual functioning depends on the target problems (p.87). For instance, if the target problem is Jane’s inability to meet her roles as spouse or mother to her children then the concept of roles is relevant. However, in order to be more accurate on which dimension is applicable to each problem, it is best to indentify special strengths or barriers that may be useful in resolving the target problems. 3. Identify developmental issues that client is struggling about and how does this issues will affect the intervention. In task-centred intervention, Jane’s willingness to undertake a certain task depends on her ethnicity, priorities, and acculturation experiences (Reid & Gavin, 2003, p. 452). For instance, if Jane is a member of the minority in a community dominated by another ethnic group then she is likely exposed to the values of this larger culture. 4. Identify impact of family, organizations, and community on the client and the target problems and determine their importance in resolving the problem. Jane admission of being a black sheep suggest that there are some issues with their family thus it is essential to determine which issue is detrimental or helpful in resolving the target problems. These include investigation on her relationship with her parents and other relatives, the community where she grew up, and any organization that may be responsible for Jane’s current behaviour. 5. Identify the need for other systems to resolve the problem. This is related to #4 as other systems – family, community, and organization- may have an impact on the problem and vice versa. In addition, other systems may have a role in resolving the issues and therefore must be clearly identified (Reid & Garvin, 2003, p.102). For instance, it may be necessary to work with Jane and her family at the same time in order to facilitate smooth interaction between the problem and the other system. 6. Identify collaterals that must be involved and determine client satisfaction level with his or her environment. Collaterals are people involved in the Jane’s life such as family members, friends, physicians, teachers, social workers, and others (Reid & Garvin, 2003, p.88). These collaterals in some way act as representatives of other systems thus it is necessary to work with them (provided Jane agrees). For instance, if Jane wanted to ask support from her daughter’s biological father, then it is important to know the standards the court would apply in getting the support. 7. Problem Specification A problem specification is developed for each identified target problem. For instance, according to Jane’s initial assessment in the hospital, she has suicidal tendencies, often worried about her finances, agitated and restricted in responding to questions, and minimising her circumstances. These behaviours are considered manifestations of the problems in task-centred social work (Reid & Garvin, 2003, p.80) and like the target problem, elimination of them will result to achievement of the ultimate goal for Jane. iii. Intervention Plan 1. Task Planning and Implementation Sequence These include a list of Jane’s problems and identification of priorities for action. 2. Agreeing and Setting Goals This will be done in coordination with the Jane. She will focus on one or two problems and jointly set the goals for them. In this case, Jane may be asked to: Take eight hours of sleep every night Contact family and communicate twice a week Attend drug and alcohol counselling every Saturday Go out with her daughter every weekend 3. Creation of Contract between Social Worker and Jane The task is to set up a clear SMART (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic, and Time-Limited objectives. These tasks include exploratory tasks such as keeping a list of daily activities. Interventive tasks such as talking to her estranged family and reversals tasks such as visiting her parents and brother in the Western suburbs, a matter she is hesitating to do for a long time. These tasks must be completed between intervention sessions and expected to help Jane into incrementally achieving her goal identified earlier. These include the following: Number of days and weeks to do the tasks Participation in weekly counselling session Focus on agreed target problems and specification Focus on achieving set goals 4. Revision of Unsuccessful Task Information gathered from task review will reveal if task is successful or not. It also reveal if the desired effect on the target problems is achieved or not (Reid & Garvin, 2003, p.108). Therefore, there may be some situations requiring revision of unsuccessful tasks in order to meet the goals. For instance, if the Jane’s motivation is the issue why she was unsuccessful in completing a particular task then it is necessary to repeat the task with additional incentives. 5. Identification and Action for Non-Performance of Task This work is only applicable if Jane did not perform any task at all regardless of careful planning and joint agreement. For instance, if the reason for Jane’s non-performance is identified as lack of concern in the target problem then the action is to identify and replace it with the problem that concerns her. Similarly, if Jane do not want to work with the social worker then it is necessary to find someone she likes. 6. Restructuring Non-Targeted Problems In case new problem arise during the intervention such as difficulties due to health problems, employment crisis, and others then there is a need for restructuring and reprioritization of the problems. It will be rank by importance and in relation to previously targeted problems. 7. Altering Time Limit Altering time limit is sometimes necessary when a particular target problem is already resolved in less time than anticipated. Time limit encourages accountability and act as progress indicator as the same time (Adams, 2002). For instance, if Jane’s agreed participation in weekly drug and alcohol counselling is eight weeks but she successfully overcomes her addiction in six weeks then she should be ask what she wants to do with the remaining sessions. However, if she chose to terminate then other matters of concern should be discuss with her such as doing regular exercise, healthy foods, and others. 8. Evaluation of Outcome This intervention can be evaluated by the extent to which Jane’s problem specifications are changed or modified. This includes a final problem review where target problems are examined carefully to determine changes that took place after the initial phase of the intervention. For individual client like Jane, evaluation may be done through rating such as rating the problems that are eliminated, substantially changed, minimally changed, and unchanged against the goals set (Reid & Garvin, 2003, p.343). For instance, a goal attainment scale may be use to determine Jane’s progress by creating a 5-point scale for each goal. Each point in the scale is defined by a particular change in the goal state where scale of five indicate successful elimination of the problem as shown below. Scale: 1- Most unfavourable outcome thought likely 2- Less than expected success 3- Expected level of success 4- More than expected level of success 5- Most favourable outcome thought likely 9. Conclusion Task-centred social work can directly help Jane resolve her life difficulties as it recognized the capacity of individual to make rational choices and achieve goals by themselves. On her own, Jane will identify her problems, select the target of the intervention, establish her own goals, and perform small tasks that would help her achieve her ultimate goals. The task-centred assessment plan serve as the point of entry for exploring Jane’s problems and these include gathering of complete information from Jane, identification of special strengths or barriers, developmental issues, impact of other systems and resolution, determination of collaterals that may be affecting Jane’s satisfaction with her environment, and development of problem specification. The task-centred intervention plan on the other hand involves tasks planning with Jane and this include identification of priorities, setting goals, creation of contract, review of tasks being performed and corresponding action, and alteration of the time limit set for a particular tasks. A 5-point scale will be use to evaluate Jane’s progress as well as the effectiveness of this intervention. 10. Bibliography Adams, R. (2002), Task Centred Work in Adams, R., Domelli, L. & Payne, M. (eds.), Social Work Theories in Context: Creating Frameworks for Practice, Houndmills, Basingstoke, Palgrave (Chapter 6) Healy & Doel, (2005), Problem-Solving Approaches: Focusing on Task-Centred Practice in Social Work Theories in Context: Creating Frameworks for Practice, Houdmills, Basingstoke, Palgrave (Chapter 6). Madoc-Jones I, (2008), Models of Intervention in Green, S., Lancaster, E., & Feasey, S. (eds.), Addressing Offending Behaviour Context, Practice and Values (Chapter 14), Devon: Willan Publishings, pp. 128-153 Reid & Garvin, (2003), Generalist Practice: A Task-Centred Approach, Second Edition, Columbia University Press, New York Teater B, (2010), An Introduction to Applying Social Work Theories and Methods, McGraw-Hill International, US Thomas D. & Woods H, (2003), Working with People with Learning Disabilities: Theory and Practice, Jessica Kingsley Publishers, UK Walker H, (2011), Studying for Your Social Work Degree, SAGE, UK Read More