Week 1: What does a Family Social Service Worker do?

Print the story: the questions maybe around the story “dont trust_remember last time” ___________________________________ Week 1: *What does a Family Social Service Worker do? ● Work with families so they can learn to function more competently in meeting the developmental and emotional needs of all their members. *What is the Purpose of Family Social Service Work? ● To help families learn to function more completely while meeting the developmental and emotional needs of all members. Objectives: - Reinforce family strengths - Offer support - Create changes in functioning - When possible, make use of the family’s natural environment - Build relationships - Address crisis *Guiding Visions: 1. It is a basic human right for children to grow up in healthy, supportive, and growth promoting families and communities. 2. Parents have the right to receive support to raise children. 3. Do no further harm *Roles of the Family Social Service Worker: ● Supporter ● Facilitator ● Mediator ● Educator ● Advocate *P.I.E perspective: P = person I = in E= environment It is a way to understand that the person is affected by the environment. Social Justice Purposes: 1. Solidarity 2. equity/justice 3. Advocacy & Activism 4. Social Change Family SSW: - *Work with rather than on families Authentic help: - Means that all who are involved help each other mutually. *Authentic worker: - Kind with other people and sincere. (meaning) - Become emotionally mature. (how to act as authentic worker) - Show interest and sincerity Week 2: What is “family” - The meaning of family and family structure differ - There is no global (universal) definition of family What we believe to be ‘normal’ comes from: 1. Our understanding of history 2. Our religious/moral beliefs 3. Our understanding of science/statistics 4. Our culture 5. Our politics (relationship to power) 6. Our personal values 7. Our experiences 8. other… *What is the Vanier Institute of the Family defines “family”: - Any combination of two or more persons who are bound together over time by ties of mutual consent, birth and/or adoption or placement and who, together, assumes responsibilities for variant combination of some of the following: ● Care of group members ● Addition of new members ● ● ● ● Socialization of children Social control of members Production, consumption, distribution of goods and services Affective nurturance - love - Summary Any two or more people who are together over time and ties by consent, birth and/or adoption with the responsibility to care for each group member. *What is Attachment Theory? ● The establishment of a secure base from which to explore the world. ○ Securely attached children tend to use caregivers as a “secure base”. ○ *Secure Base: 1. Greet child lovingly when the return to you 2. Comfort the child when they’re upset 3. Provide reassurance if the child is scared. *Caregiver behaviors for a secure base: 1. Sensitivity to the child’s signals 2. Attunement to the child’s behaviors or (respond to the child’s basic needs) 3. Mental, physical, and emotional availability 4. Acceptance of the child’s needs Attachment in adulthood: 1. Anxious a. Represent about 20% b. The need a lot of reassurance from their partners c. Solution: If they learn how to communicate their needs better and learn to date secure partners, they can move to secure attachment. 2. Avoidant a. Represent approximately 25% b. They have a difficult time finding satisfaction, they are uncomfortable with close relationships. So they are independent. **the are the lone wolf type person** 3. Anxious-avoidant a. It rare style b. They want to be close but at the same time push people away. c. They can be at a higher risk of depression or other mental health issues. *Secure Attachment in Adulthood: ● Positive self esteem and self image ● Close and well adjusted relationships ● Sense of security in self and the world ● Ability to be independent as well as in relationships ● ● ● ● ● Optimistic outlook on life and yourself Strong coping skills and strategies for relationships and life Trust in self and others Close, intimate relationships Strong determination and problem-solving skills. Week 3: *What is FST? ● Family Systems Theory How does the Family System work? 1. A change in one family member impacts all family members 2. The family as a whole is a more than the sum of the parts 3. Families try to balance change and stability 4. Family members behaviors are best explained by circular casualty 5. A family belongs to a larger social system and encompasses many subsystems 6. A family operates according to established rules *The 3 main ideas of FST (family systems theory): 1. Problems happen because of ongoing patterns of communication. 2. Problems in family create both instability and opportunities for change. 3. Families follow specific established rules to resolve problems. *Reciprocal: family members affect one another in a back-and-forth fashion. *Patterned: responses become predictable and solidified. *Repetitive: behaviors repeat. How does circular causality explain family patterns? ● Linear causality = one cause with one effect ● Circular causality = many causes with interactive effects. Week 4: Core Concepts of Family Systems Theory: 1. Differentiated Self 2. Symptom bearer 3. Parentification 4. Enmeshment 5. Triangulation 6. Chronic anxiety 7. Fusion *What is an intake? ● Intake is a Family Assessment ○ Social work ■ Assess family functioning and ■ Create a treatment plan ○ Social service work ■ Collaborate with family to assess circumstances, ■ Offer supportive counseling, ■ Facilitate access to resources, and ■ Advocate where necessary *Guidelines for assessment: 1. Family history 2. Family life cycle 3. Family functioning 4. Family environment *The purpose of an Intake: 1. Does the family want/need what the program offers? 2. Is the family a suitable candidate for participation in the program? *What is a genogram? ● A detailed family tree that identifies patterns and issues in family relationships and functioning. Week 7: *What is case management? ● Is a process practiced by social service workers to support and guide the delivery of social service to the population in need. The steps of case management: 1. Identification 2. Initial screening (intake) 3. No action required Or 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. Identification Initial screening (intake) Assessment Case plan Implement Review Case close Week 9: What is a ‘good’ conflict in family SSW? 1. Good communication 2. Willingness to listen 3. Non-jargon-y language Week 13: *Reveiw Cases: 1. Parenting after violence 2. Crisis mental health in families Practices: ● Conflict Transformation ● Psycho-education ● Case management ● Genogram ● Intakes Theories: ● Family systems theory ● Attachment theory Values: ● Emotional maturity ● Authentic help ● Reflective practice ____________________________________________ Client name: Jim Age: 25 Gender: bisexual male Family: Dad: James - dies 10 years ago Age died: 52 Situation: a raging alcoholic Mother: Phyllis Age: 58 Situation: Jim is close to his mother but his younger brother is not. - Phyllis' sister visits Phyllis (mother) often to help clean the apartment and bring food. - The mother worries about how to fix her relationship with her younger son. Brother: George Age 21 Situation: have a lot of anger towards his mom for ignoring his many requests for help to escape his dad’s violence when he was young. Girlfriend: Janna Age: 28 Her daughter with previous relationship: Jade Daughter age: 2 Situation: have temper tantrums Issues the client (Jim) have: Family issues: ● Jim and his brother are victims of their father's many alcoholic rages. Example: throwing dishes, breaking furniture, violence in many forms. Personal issues: ● Jim used to steal pain medication from his parents to cope with the anxiety ● Now, no longer use pills, but still drink to black out on weekends. Good: ● Jim has stable employment as an apprentice mechanic. Issues with his girl friend: ● Recently, Jim experiences panic attacks whenever Janna has temper tantrums. Good: ● Get along well, share parenting activities and household chores.