WELF2019 Assignment Case Studies

WELF2019 Assignment Case Studies

Choose 1 of the following Case Studies as your focus for Assignment 1 and Assignment 3.

Unless you are given explicit permission by your tutor to do otherwise, you will use the same case study to inform both assignments.

Case Study 1: Parker

Parker is 19, they left school early because they struggled with reading and felt anxious in large classes. The school counsellor worked well with Parker providing useful strategies to manage their anxiety, and connected Parker with a friend, Anna who owned a caf who was looking for a worker. Anna had a knack for creating a space for people who did not seem to fit in elsewhere, she was accepting of diversity, patient and gentle. Parker was nervous at the interview but impressed Anna by offering to do a shift for free as work experience. At the end of the shift, Parker was offered a steady job, and worked for 6 months as a kitchen hand. In that role Parker learned the ropes of what happens behind the scenes in a caf, got on well with other staff, got to know the delivery drivers and impressed Anna by being reliable, punctual and courteous. Parker was offered a front of house role to learn to serve tables and was loving it so much that they were about to enrol in a hospitality management course at TAFE. During this time, Parker found stable accommodation at Common Ground and was learning to live well with their mental health challenges.

However, early in 2020 the Caf had to close due to COVID, Anna lost her business and Parker became unemployed. During lockdown, Parkers anxiety and depression became incredibly difficult to manage and at times, Parker seemed to have lost hope. Even after restrictions were lifted, Parker rarely went out and was becoming increasingly isolated. It was only when Parkers former school counsellor phoned to see how Parker was getting on that anyone else knew about Parkers mental health. The counsellor has referred Parker to Headspace. You are a counsellor at Headspace and will be seeing Parker for the first time on Friday.

Case Study 2: Amir

Amir, his wife Ferhana and their two young children fled their home country Afghanistan in 2014 seeking asylum in Australia. They arrived with little money, limited English and with limited knowledge of the social context of Australia. They spent the first 4 years being held in offshore immigration detention facilities, and another 2 years on community detention, they are now on a bridging visa.

Amir and Ferhana have found work picking fruit and vegetables in Virginia, not far from where they live. They also grow what they can in the small yard attached to their rented accommodation, however, they are essentially living in poverty. While Amir and his family are eligible to access Medicare, they are not eligible to access a Healthcare Card despite being their low income. They have been supported by a few charities since being in the community, and Ferhana volunteers with Uniting Communities Hopes Caf twice a month.

Although Amir and his family hoped to find a better life in Australia, the last 8 years have been more difficult than he could have ever imagined when he first thought about seeking asylum in Australia. Amir worries for the safety and well-being of his relatives and friends in Afghanistan, and for the people of Afghanistan more generally. This fear escalates whenever reports on violence happening in Afghanistan makes the news. Often Amir feels helpless.

Amir recently presented at the GP (his local doctor) at the insistence of Ferhana because of trouble sleeping at night and of fear around leaving his house. Amir has lost his appetite, he has stopped playing with his children when they get home from school and has stopped attending the Mosque near his home. Amir told the GP that he has this nagging fear that something terrible will happen to him or his family. This has become worse since the time he had a panic attack on the train coming home from the city.

Amir is becoming withdrawn. He sleeps badly, often waking in the early hours and is then unable to get back to sleep. He talks and thinks a lot about his sister and her family who fled Afghanistan the same time he did, but he has lost contact with them and does not know if they are alive or dead. You are a mental health worker at Uniting Communities and have been approached by Ferhana hoping that you will be able to meet with Amir. You will be seeing Amir tomorrow.

Case Study 3: Arden and Merritt

Arden and Merritt are in their late 60s, have been a couple for over 30 years and identify as part of the LGBTQI community. The referral notes say that Merritt has developed a chronic health condition and it looks like they will be needing to move to live in an aged care facility soon. Both Arden and Merritt have experienced a lifetime of homophobia and they still experience micro-aggressions.

They are wary of entering aged care, especially as many are owned and operated by religious groups, some of whom actively campaigned against same sex marriage in Australia. They are also concerned about the enormous financial outlay of entering an aged care facility and the stress that could create. For example, for two people the outlay can be more than $800,000. They are worried that they may only be able to pay for Merritt and that Arden will have to go on a waiting list for a hardship position and are fearful for the impact on their relationship because of the possibility they will get separated in different facilities. Arden has mentioned feeling anxious and depressed and is worried about what will happen in the future. Arden has sought your support and will be seeing you tomorrow. You work for Switchboard.

Case Study 4: Josh

Josh is in his late thirties and a year ago he was medically discharged from the Australian army with symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder. The referral information says that Josh had completed 2 tours of duty into conflict zones. Josh also remembers the bullying he both witnessed and experienced in his early army training. Since his discharge, Josh often talks about having lost his sense of purpose. Josh and his partner Melanie are not communicating well with each other, he is drinking excessively and often does so alone. You are a mental health worker at Open Arms, and Josh and his partner Melanie will be seeing you for the first time today, however, you received a phone call from Joshs partner Melanie last week where she expressed concerns for Joshs welfare and is worried about leaving him alone.

Case Study 5: Karen

Karen is in her late twenties. She has a daughter who is 4 and also has a 12-week-old baby. During her recent pregnancy, she left her partner, Mick due to increasing levels of control and abuse. Recently her GP diagnosed her with post-natal depression. Mick has used this diagnosis as evidence to argue that Karen is not capable of parenting, as he is mounting a case in the Family Court wanting to be granted full-time custody of their children. Karen is scared of losing her children but is also struggling with day to day demands of parenting 2 children while living in her friends garage. You work at SA Healths Womens Health Service and today, Karen will be coming to see you for the first time. When you phoned Karen to organise the appointment, she mentioned that she would need to bring her children with her.

Case Study 6: Justin

Since he started playing touch football at the age of 7, Justin has excelled at playing sport. He is physically gifted and does well at any sport he puts his mind to. For the last few years Justin has dreamt of becoming an elite athlete. At age 17, Justin began doing weight-training with his football team. He loves lifting heavier and heavier weights, and by the age of 19 he had built an impressive physical presence and had made it to the finals in a number of local bodybuilding competitions. Building his physique and doing well at a competitive level has almost become an addiction. About a year ago Justin suffered an injury while playing football and became frustrated with the slow recovery. He met a man through an online bodybuilders group who suggested that he use steroids to speed up his recovery. Not only did they work, but he soon noticed that he felt stronger and was getting bigger. However, Justins partner Erica has noticed that Justin is becoming aggressive and lashes out at the slightest things not going his way, she has also noticed physical changes in him that she believes puts him at risk of long-term health problems. Erica has told Justin he needs to get help or she will leave him and go back to live with her parents. Erica has made an appointment for Justin to see you. You are a worker at Centacare Drug & Alcohol Service and will be meeting Justin for the first time tomorrow.

Case Study 7: Lisa

Lisa is in her early 20s. When she was around the age of 7 Lisa and her sister Eve, who was then 3 went to live with their aunt and uncle after their mother died. The sisters were sexually abused by their uncle, and when they found the courage to tell their aunt, she did not believe them. While Eve managed to move in with a friend early in high school and has since done very well, Lisa has spent most of her time since her late teens alternating between couch-surfing or living on the streets. She started using alcohol and drugs, and often did sex work to pay for them. At age 19, Lisa was doing street sex work she was arrested by an undercover police officer, and subsequently spent 6 months in the Adelaide Womens Prison. When she was released from prison, she left with just the possessions she had in a clear plastic bag. She had no home and no connections she felt she could trust; she does not know how to find her sister. You work at Relationships Australia in their MOSAIC Program, Lisa has been referred to you by her community corrections officer after being diagnosed as having Hepatitis C. During your phone call with the community corrections officer who referred Lisa you learned that Lisa has stated that although she wants to make changes in her life, she seems to be almost crippled with social anxiety, is worried about relapsing and has begun to indicate that perhaps life would be easier if she were back in prison.

Case Study 8: Dave

Dave is a farmer who grew up on Kangaroo Island and runs the farm started by his parents, who have both passed away. He lost a lot of his livestock and his home in the recent bushfires and he is devasted by the death of one of his neighbours who died trying to escape the fire. He is currently living in an old caravan on his property. Everywhere he looks and everywhere he goes he is reminded of the devastation that occurred during that dreadful time. Even though he was insured, he has not yet been able to rebuild due to scarcity of trades people and building supplies. You are a social worker with lived-experience of having mental health challenges and you work at Neami on Kangaroo Island Daves GP has suggested that he attend your service, during the referral phone call, Daves GP stated that he is worried that Dave is a risk of suicide, you will be seeing Dave this week. Case Study 9: Sandra

When Sandra was 26 one of her sons was killed when he was hit by a train on his way home from school. Sandra and her husband grieved for many years, and although they separated, they successfully shared the care of their 2 remaining children. On the weekends when the children stayed with their father, Sandra often walked around to the local hotel where she would have a few drinks and chat to the regulars at the bar. Even though she had many drinks, she never drove while she was drinking but sometimes, she did not remember how she got home. Once the children finished high school they were accepted into university, moving interstate to study. Sandra was very lonely once they left and spent more and more time at the pub. One day, her local hotel was having a promotion where people who played the pokies between 1-4pm on a weekday would be rewarded with heavily discounted alcoholic drinks. Sandra had never been interested in playing the pokies before this day but was so excited when the first $5 she put into the machine returned her almost $900. Since then, Sandra has spent more time playing the pokies, and, although some weeks she won money, other weeks she lost everything and often resorted to selling things (for example her jewellery and other household goods) to pay her bills. Two years ago, Sandras former husband passed away; he left Sandra a sizeable inheritance in a will that he had written not long after their children were born, with the intention that the money would be used to support them and Sandra comfortably for many years. After her late husbands estate was finalised, Sandra began to play the pokies every day, often staying until closing time. Last week, Sandras son asked if she could send him some money for a new laptop for his studies. But when Sandra checked her bank account, she had less than $300 left. She checked the recent transactions and could see that nearly all of them were withdrawals from an ATM in the Pokies Venue. Sandra attended a financial counsellor last week at Anglicare, where she broke down, saying that gambling is like a drug for her and she just cannot stop, that her sons will hate her when they find out what she has done and that she could see no way of repairing their relationship. The financial counsellor is deeply concerned about Sandras mental health. The financial counsellor has referred Sandra to you, a mental health worker within Anglicare, youll be seeing Sandra tomorrow.

Case Study 10: JaneYou are a community health worker at Baptist Care in Port Augusta, a small, regional centre in South Australia. You work with all manner of people and their social problems. Jane is a woman you know through her work (she works at the local hardware store) and you often stop for a friendly chat with her when you buy your gardening supplies. This is one of the things you love about living in regional areas, the slow and friendly pace of life. However sometimes that close proximity can be problematic in your work. One example is that often you are aware of aspects of a persons problems without them knowing and this is one such example. Recently Jane made an appointment to see you, seeking mental health support. When you phoned Jane for a quick chat before her appointment you learned that Jane believes that her partner is having an affair. Jane has been recently diagnosed with schizophrenia so when she challenged her partner about having an affair, he insisted that he is not having an affair, but that it must be due to her schizophrenia and that she should have her head read. However, once you heard her partners name you felt ill, because you not only know that he is having an affair, but that he is having the affair with one of your friends.

WELF2019 Case Study Assignment

Your task: Respond to a case study following the prompts and suggested word counts provided. We will engage with those cases during tutorials across the semester. 1800-1900 words 40%

Where to start

Choose one of the case studies from those provided and respond to the prompts

Before you start, read the supporting document and the marking rubric

Use the 5 headings set out below to structure your paper

Suggested word counts do not need to be exact, but they should guide the balance of the amount of writing required for each section.

Expected word count approx. 1800-1900 words (this includes in-text references, but does not include the reference list)

It is expected that you will use a minimum of 8 peer reviewed academic sources to support your paper. The first place to look for these academic sources is within the course readings (a priority should be the course textbook) as it is expected that you will engage with the ideas in these readings in your written work as a demonstration of your learning in this course.

While you can simply respond to the prompts below, the best papers will incorporate their case study as an example throughout the paper

How to structure the assignment

In this assignment I will be focusing on this case study

Recovery-Oriented Approach (Approximate word count 200-250 words)

Succinctly outline your understanding of the core philosophies & key principles of using a recovery-oriented approach, drawing on relevant academic research to support what you write.

*Purpose: To demonstrate a clear theoretical understanding of the ROA taught throughout this course as it applies to social work practice

Pre appointment planning considerations (Approximate word count 300-350 words)

Identify and briefly discuss a minimum of three planning factors that you would need to consider BEFORE meeting with the person/people in your chosen case study - in keeping with: -

specific information outlined in your case study

information covered in Chapter 6 of the course textbook, Assessment for Social Work Practice (Bland et al, 2015, pp. 145-180)

further independent research work on these planning factors

* Purpose: To demonstrate an understanding of the importance of planning considerations: these considerations could include the Politics of the persons Referral; Self-Reflective Practice; what stood out for you when reading the case notes and why?

Prioritising Problems / Using Life Domain Sub-Headings (Approximate word count 600-650 words)

Outline and discuss the prioritisation of all of the concerns outlined in your chosen case study notes.

Select four appropriate Life Domains or combinations of Life Domains Sub-Headings for your case-study in this section

Support the priorities you chose with relevant academic sources

*See the supporting document for this assessment and the course textbook - particularly Chapters 2,6 and 7 for support with this section.

Social Work Theories/Models of Practice (Approximate word count 300-350 words)

Succinctly outline key features of one social work theory that you might use to guide your approach to working with your chosen case study families and explain why that theory may be relevant. e.g. Feminist Theory, Crisis Intervention, Ecological Systems Theory, A Trauma Informed Approach etc.

In this course we will NOT accept materials simply copied from your work in previous course. You can however elaborate upon a theory used in a previous course

Provide clear examples of how this theory/practice model could be applied in practice to specific aspects from your chosen case study scenario

Ethical and Legal Implications (Approximate word count 200-250 words)

Discuss any possible ethical and/or legal factors in relation to your chosen case study scenario that would need to be taken into account & why.

For example: the AASW Code of Ethics, relevant Mental Health Policy & Legislation, DOA Policy and Legislation & Human Rights Documents