CASE STUDY

Case Study

Case Study

Case Scenario

Mrs. A is a young woman in her 20s. She has three daughters aged ten, eight and ten months. Mrs. A and the children live in social housing. The most recent social worker who visited recorded on case notes that the house was considered in a poor state of repair. It was reported as dirty, with the carpets covered in dog and cat faeces, half-eaten food and rubbish. The smell was apparently 'overwhelming'. Mr. A has recently left the family home following a series of rows regarding Mrs. A's friendship with another man. He is no longer contributing financially to the family. Mr. A wants to see the children but has been prevented from doing so by Mrs. A as she says he calls at inappropriate times.

You are a duty social worker and are telephoned by Mr. A. He wishes to find out what is being done about the fact that Mrs. A leaves the children alone when she goes out with her new partner.

Mrs. A is a young woman in her 20s. She has three daughters aged ten, eight and ten months. Mrs. A and the children live in social housing. The most recent social worker who visited recorded on case notes that the house was considered in a poor state of repair. It was reported as dirty, with the carpets covered in dog and cat faeces, half-eaten food and rubbish. The smell was apparently 'overwhelming'. Mr. A has recently left the family home following a series of rows regarding Mrs. A's friendship with another man. He is no longer contributing financially to the family. Mr. A wants to see the children but has been prevented from doing so by Mrs. A as she says he calls at inappropriate times.

You are a duty social worker and are telephoned by Mr. A. He wishes to find out what is being done about the fact that Mrs. A leaves the children alone when she goes out with her new partner.

Discussion

Social workers are likely to meet many Mrs. A in a variety of social work settings. Substance misuse and addiction is a prominent theme in child abuse and neglect, domestic violence, poverty, oppression of all kinds, veterans services, elderly services, juvenile delinquency, mental health, and many other arenas where social workers practice. In addition, social workers are increasingly found in settings that were once dominated by addiction specialists certified in alcohol and drug counseling. Social workers trained in substance misuse and addictions now practice in methadone maintenance clinics, inpatient and outpatient treatment settings, residential treatment, and in government policy-making positions.

Social workers bring a much needed in the case of Mrs. A ecological perspective to the work in this field. Instead of only focusing on the individual client's addiction or substance misuse problem, social workers see the client in relation to the family, the neighborhood, the support system from the community, the prevailing dominant cultural attitudes and policies, and the cosmic or spiritual ...