Ideologies of Practice in Social Work- Case Study

Ideologies of Practice in Social Work- Case Study

Part- A

After thoroughly reading the case study, I propose that siblings Ben, eight, and Rachael, six, have their preferences recognized and continue to live in NSW with their mother, Jane, and grandmother, Ruby. Individual, functional, and critical ideologies that are acceptable and relevant will support my suggestion for the children's residence. Further observations from functional systems and critical adultism ideologies will be used to explore the children's status in relation to their parents, as well as societal order and authority. Further observations from functional systems and critical adultism ideologies will be used to explore the children's status in relation to their parents, as well as societal order and authority. These concepts will be used to identify the ideal care situation for the children and will back up my proposal.

Development

Ben and Rachel are at the industry vs inferiority stage of psychological development, according to Erik Erikson's Psychosocial Development Theory (Hoffnung et al. 2013). Despite their overabundance of connection to their mother, they are developing well, as seen by their school reports, which state that they are making good development in all areas. According to Erikson, children at this period of development should be acquiring new skills and talents and require help and encouragement from their families and teachers to build a positive sense of competency (Hoffnung et al. 2013). According to Erikson's Psychosocial Development Theory, the children should stay with Jane since they are doing well at school and are expressing the comfort and support that they require from Jane and Ruby at this stage of their development. Relocating the children to Tasmania to live with Bill would necessitate their removal from a school where they are making good progress and the loss of two solid support networks. This might stymie their current, promising developmental growth. If the children live with their father and continue to see him in a bad light, it is possible that their mental health may suffer, and their cognitive thought process will be influenced, preventing them from achieving healthy cognitive growth at school.

Adultism

Adultism is a suitable critical ideology in this circumstance because it emphasises the power imbalances between adults and children, and it will debate the children's status in relation to their parents to identify the best-care scenario for them. Children have long been stigmatised as immature, lacking in knowledge and abilities, inferior to adults, and unfit members of society. As a result, this weak minority group has fought to have their voices heard and their opinions considered (Kellett 2011). The 'new sociology of childhood' rejects children's silence and sees them as capable social agents, calling into question "the practise of privileging adults' perspectives over children's on matters affecting children's lives" (Matthews 2007). Furthermore, this "new" sociology empowers children by allowing them to have a say in important choices that affect their life.

In this case, interviews were conducted to hear the children's concerns about Adultism. Rachel, on the other hand, refused to talk with me because she believed her requests would be ignored and she would be forced to visit her father.

These children have the ability and the right to communicate their own wants and concerns about which parent they want to live with in their scenario. Both children want to live with their mother and grandma and do not want to live with their father. As a result, in order to combat adultism, my proposal is to listen to and act on the children's opinions while allowing them to remain with their mother and grandma.

Attachment

In times of grief or distress, attachment is a deep, persistent emotional and personal relationship aimed at obtaining proximity, comfort, and protection from an attached caregiver figure (Hoffnung et al. 2013, pp. 172).

Both children have a strong attachment to their mother and are anxious about the prospect of their father's presence, owing to previous experiences and their parents' separation (Wallerstein and Kelly 1976 in Hoffnung et al. 2013). As a result, the children want to remain in their mother's custody and never talk or see their father again. The children's wishes will be fulfilled, they will be protected from traumatic stress, and they will receive the crucial requirement of a solid connection, where they will feel safe and cared for as they develop in childhood. Removing them from Jane and placing them with Bill will simply deny them their wants and needs because Bill does not have the same attachment ability as Jane because he has not been around for four years, affecting and harming the children's development at such a young age.

Systems

Urie Bronfenbrenner identifies four ecological systems: microsystem, mesosystem, exosystem, and macrosystem, all of which maintain social order and have a variety of effects on humans (Hoffnung et al. 2013). As the layers overlap, any changes, or disputes in one layer will cascade across the others. The microsystem is the layer nearest to the person, and it incorporates structures with which they interact and are impacted, such as family, classmates, and teachers. A child's interaction with their microsystem is critical to their growth. Considering Bronfenbrenner's Ecological Systems Theory, I propose that the children stay with Jane because their microsystem, namely their relationships with Jane, Ruby, and the school, are strong and good.

Part-B

Social workers' perceptions of circumstances they experience in practise are shaped by theoretical beliefs. This is clear in my case study application of the above-mentioned concepts. The beliefs selected were successful in assisting the evaluation in suggesting which parent should have custody of the children. Because these concepts were so pervasive, they were honed and skilfully employed.

Individual attachment and development beliefs led much of the thought and were correctly employed to emphasise the children's relationships and developmental requirements to come to a decision on their residence. They were also tailored to the needs of children. These ideas, on the other hand, are wide, have evolved through time, and ignore historical, cultural, political, and social factors, as well as individual variations, potentially leading to stigma and stereotyping (Hoffnung et al. 2013).Further insights from a functional systems ideology and a critical adultism ideology holistically illustrated the children's circumstance in relation to their parents, considering social order and authority in determining which parent the children should live with, which individual theories do not highlight. In severe cases, however, looking at a child's condition holistically to determine what is the greatest care for them may go against their preferences.

Different ideologies have different effects on decision-making and practise. Practitioners, on the other hand, must apply their expertise based on the writings of numerous theorists to establish what is optimal practise and what results are best for their clients.

REFERENCES:

Bell, J 1995, Understanding Adultism, National Youth Rights Association, viewed 5 June 2018,

Hoffnung, M, Hoffnung, RJ, Seifert, KL, Burton Smith, R, Hine, A, Ward, L et al. 2013, Lifespan development: a chronological approach, 2nd Australasian edn, John Wiley & Sons Australia, Milton, Qld.

Kellett, M 2011, Engaging Children and Young People, Centre for Children and Young People Background Briefing Series, no.3. Lismore: Centre for Children and Young People, Southern Cross University, pp.1-23.

Matthews, S 2007 A window on the New Sociology of Childhood, Sociology Compass, vol.1, no.1, pp.322-334.

Mazur E, Wolchik S, Virdin L, Sandler I and West, S 1999, Cognitive Moderators of Children's Adjustment to Stressful Divorce Events: The Role of Negative Cognitive Errors and Positive Illusions Child Development, vol.70, no.1, pp.231-245.

Melinder A, Baugerud G, Ovenstad K and Goodman, G 2013, Children's Memories of Removal: A Test of Attachment Theory, Journal of Traumatic Stress, vol.26, no.1, pp. 125-133.

Vivien, P & Glaser, D 2006, Understanding Attachment and Attachment Disorders : Theory', Evidence and Practice, Jessica Kingsley Publishers, ProQuest Ebook Central, viewed 5 June 2018,