About This Assignment
Students will read a scenario about a child and family seeking services from a professional social worker. Students will choose whether to respond as a child welfare professional, a school social worker, or a mental health professional. Students will write a paper describing their impressions on the most critical issues to address and their proposed plan to assess the child/adolescent and provide treatment plan options based on their chosen professional social worker role. Your assessment and intervention plan will include the following topic areas:
Intake and Assessment
Cultural Implications
Intervention Plan and Rationale
Professional Development Plan
Directions
Assume you are a social worker in one of the following contexts:
Child welfare
School
Mental health
For this paper, you will write your answers from the perspective of a social worker in the setting that you have selected. Identify the perspective in the title of your paper. In your paper, describe your plans to assess the child/adolescent and family, and then provide an intervention plan and a rationale for why this would be your chosen next step as the chosen professional social worker role. Use at least 5 scholarly sources throughout the paper. (Note that the DSM5 and Code of Ethics may count towards this).
Your paper should not exceed 8 pages, double-spaced. Papers should follow APA formatting and citation rules with a complete references page, be free of grammatical errors, and be generally well-written. Your proposal should include the following:
Intake Assessment
What information would want to know (or know more about) in order to perform a comprehensive intake assessment that is appropriate for your setting? The assessment should be for the family as a whole, rather than on a particular individual. This section should be approximately 2 pages and must include family history, medical concerns, mental health concerns, psychosocial needs, existing supports, family member roles, and presenting issue(s). Utilize DSM5 criteria for any mental health concerns noted to support your potential diagnosis. Label this section Intake Assessment.
Cultural Implications
What role does culture play in this case? Demonstrate critical thinking about the cultural implications of the case. This section must be at least 1 page and must include both race/ethnicity and faith/worldview components. Use at least 2 scholarly resources for citation support. Label this section Cultural Implications.
Intervention Plan and Rationale
What intervention plan do you believe would be best as a social worker in your chosen role (e.g., child welfare, school social worker, or mental health provider)? After providing the intervention plan with at least two next action steps, then provide a detailed and thorough rationale for your choice. This section should be 2 pages. At least 2 scholarly resources should be used here to support your choice. Label this section Intervention Selection and Rationale.
Professional Development Plan
What are your areas of learning and growth that you need to do your best in this case? Identify what areas of learning you will need to strengthen in your future practice related to this case and what your professional development plan is for strengthening these areas. You are essentially answering the questions “What would I need to know more about? And/or What area do I need more training in to be able to engage this case well?” and “What is my plan for gaining this knowledge and these skills?” Additionally, please self-reflect and identify any potential areas of tension or ethical dilemmas you may encounter with this family. Your plan for gaining skills and knowledge needs to demonstrate critical thinking and consideration of evidence-informed options for additional learning and training. This section can be 1-2 pages. Label this section Professional Development Plan.
Senario:
Jamie (age 14)
Jamie was adopted at age 6. He has a half-brother, two years older, who has been in residential care since age 8. Jamie and Timmy were placed together briefly when Jamie was 3 and again at 4, but Timmy was removed for aggressive behavior towards Jamie, Jamie was always a very passive child who seemed eager to please and comply. He always had difficulty making friends his own age, preferring to play with younger children. Jamie was pleasant with adults and teachers and a good student, although he has learning disabilities. There were some incidents of soiling clothing and walls and becoming frustrated and defiant at school at times, but these were infrequent and attributed to his learning issues.
Jamie has never been an affectionate child, and Mom says he feels like a 2×4 when she tries to hug him. He hates washing, although he enjoys sitting in the bathtub. He also hates tooth brushing, haircuts, and hair washing or combing. Jamie prefers rooms to be kept dark and always keeps his curtains closed. He gets very distraught by loud noises. Jamie has always been a ‘chatterbox’, asking incessant questions and repeating plans, which annoyed his foster family but did not bother his adoptive family.
Jamie was transracially adopted. He is Hispanic, and his adoptive family is Caucasian. Jamie used to have a semi-open relationship with his biological mother and aunt, but over the past year, they have stopped responding to Mom’s texts to set up the next visit. Jamie has not expressed sadness or frustration with the lack of contact, but he asks every once in a while if he will ever get to see Maria, his biological mother, again. Mom shrugs her shoulders and says she doesn’t know.
At around age 12, things began to change. Jamie started having fights at school, skipped classes, and got into trouble several times for talking back and cursing at teachers. Jamie became very difficult at home also. Although never openly defiant, he became passively aggressive, lying constantly, stealing, hiding things, hoarding food, and doing chores wrong. His family is very frustrated and ready to give up.
Referral:
Child Welfare Perspective
You are a social worker with the post-adoption division of Child Welfare. You received a call from Mom stating that she is getting very stressed about Jamie’s behavior and does not know what to do. She is asking you for ideas of what to do and how to help Jamie, but she is also saying that she is at the end of her rope and feels that Jamie no longer wants to be a part of their family. Determine how to proceed with this referral and what types of services to offer.
School Social Work Perspective
You are a social worker in the local school district. You have reached out to Mom to discuss Jamie’s behavior and attendance at school. Mom expresses concern that she does not know what to do and feels that she is losing control of Jamie. What would you say or do to support Mom and what supportive interventions should be put into place for Jamie at school?
Mental Health Perspective
You are a clinical social worker at a local organization that provides counseling services to children and their families. Jamie and his family have been referred by the child welfare post-adoption case worker after hearing Mom share about Jamie’s behavior and her stress. Your agency’s policy is to provide sessions with the entire family, although therapists can work with individuals and dyads when necessary. Explain how you would assess and intervene with the family, including which issues you would address initially.
