CASE STUDY

Assessment, Decision-Making and Planning Study



Table of Contents

Introduction3

Scenario Analysis3

Theoretical Review4

Legal Perspective5

Role of Social Work in Children Services7

Forms of Intervention8

Social Work Plan8

Counselling for Parents8

Individual and Group Intervention9

Implementation of Intervention Plan9

Rationale for the Decision10

The Section 47 Enquiry (Child Protection Enquiry)12

Recommended Methods of Communication13

Verbal Communication13

Non-Verbal Communication13

Formal Communication14

Informal Communication15

Evaluation of the Decision Making Process15

Conclusion16

References17

Assessment, Decision-making and Planning Study

Introduction

This paper discusses the roles and tasks of social workers, in relation to work in children's services. Three different scenarios of a case are analysed for the purpose of understanding the importance of social work values, methods and skills to highlight the role of effective and ethical practice in work with children and families. The report begins with initial assessment of the three scenarios, followed by the different forms of intervention, effective methods of communication and the evaluation of the decision making process with regards to the specific case.

Scenario Analysis

The first scenario illustrates a situation where John and Judith Abraham are suffering from the problem of obesity and are addicted to smoking. They are the parents of the children under discussion; Joanna and Brendan. Both them are school students and belong to the same group of age, 14 and 12 years respectively; however, they are totally opposite to each other in terms of eating habits, academics and extra-curricular activities. Joanna has inherited the obesity from her parents and is overweight according to her age. She is a victim of inferiority complex and therefore, does not attend school regularly. She is always exposed to the sarcastic sentences from her friends. Another reason for her absence from school is that she is unable to walk properly because of her heavy weight (Aldgate, 2006, p. 90). She attends school on days when her father drops her to the school gate. On the other hand, Brendan is not suffering from the problem of obesity or heavy weight. He is always regular in school. His performance in both, academic and extracurricular activities is very good. He is very active in sports and racing competitions.

The school management has tried its best to convince the Abraham family about Joanna's problem, but they have been unsuccessful in this regard. Joanna was also seen smoking outside of school by one of the school social support worker (Wilson, 2011, p. 89). The counselling sessions provided by the school are proving to be ineffective. The school management has decided to take support from the local authority in this regard.

The second scenario presents the situation after three months. The local GP have contacted the local authority children's services and asked them to analyse the case. The authority has found that because of the obesity, Joanna is suffering from asthma, sleep apnea and type 2 diabetes. The doctor has asked the local authority to give proper treatment to Joanna. Improper care may prove to life threatening in her case.

The third scenario addresses the life of Brendan. After three months, at a local schools county cross country championship, Brendan collapsed on a finishing line of the racing ...