The Court Visitors Program brought a variety of experiences and challenges. These challenges, although sometimes overwhelming, created an opportunity for growth. While interacting with both professionals in the field and individuals within the program, I became more aware of what is put into the care of the “incapacitated.” Originally my thoughts coming into the program were very little, although I knew this program would be a great insight into a field that I am immensely interested in. Throughout the program I remained open minded about what laid ahead. Having little experience in this area I was worried about how to conduct myself during the visits. When it comes to a professional setting, my weakness is creating a conversation. Without …show more content…
The ability to walk through their residences and talking to their care providers ranged from how much time and effort is needed to care for each individual and how sad some of their stories were. For instance, on multiple occasions I learned that some of the individuals I visited didn’t have any visitors. They were occasionally visited by their guardian but no family members came to see them or at least not often. I also learned from interacting with them that some were highly functioning. Upon entering this program I had never had experience with this population so I was basing my expectations of how they would act on movies, television and stories I had heard. In one of my cases an individual answered all of my questions and told me the amazing stories of her trips to New Mexico and six flags with her foster mom. She seemed completely normal and highly functional. Although she was said to have some anger issues, her incapacitations didn’t prevent her from a lot of normal daily routines. On the other end of the spectrum some individuals were incapable of responses. In one instance the ward was unable to move and her care was constant. The guardian, her mother, had to change her diapers, keep her on her fluids, bathe and feed her. The ward had no ability to take care of herself or respond with verbal and non- verbal communication. Visits such as this one opened my eyes to the …show more content…
As an extravert I love talking and getting to know others, which is why talking and getting to know the wards was valuable to me. This trait I believe was my strong point within the program, along with my adaptable nature, organizational skills and patience. There were multiple times within the program that the guardians had to reschedule or change the times due to personal reasons or traffic, which required being both patient and adaptable. The program also required a lot of organization, from planning each visit carefully to fit my school schedule and to get all of my school work and court packets turned in on time. The program did require a lot of me but it also taught me a lot. As before mentioned, without examples or step by step instructions I lack the ability to make things up on the spot. The little training in the program was very difficult for me, but I believe it made me a better leader and professional. I did learn however that I was very efficient even without a script or instructions on conducting the visits. Many of the guardians told me they had never had visitors walk through their house, check their water and rooms as I had. I learned that I had very little confidence in myself which made me stress about how to conduct the visits. Seeing how stressed I was and how I did a good job at being thorough made me realize
As an intern at Eggleston Family Service I was assigned to overlook children in foster care and their adjustment to their placement. One of my cases was unique from the others because it involved a teenage boy that was close to emancipation. He was 17 years old and eager to leave the foster care system. He told me he was tiered of moving from placement to placement and wanted to be independent. The problem was that he did not have a plan after emancipation. He did not know where to go and had no income. He was determined to never see another social worker in his life. Clients have the right to self-determination no matter what decision they make but seeing this young man with no idea on what to do was alarming. I had to convince him how important it is to have a
Bernard’s Behavioral Health in Jonesboro, AR is completely different location than where I grew up in McCrory, AR. I grew up in a small southern town about an hour and half from Jonesboro. I attended college at ASU-Beebe and graduated within two years with my basic. I transfer to ASU-Jonesboro where I graduated with a Bachelor in Social Work. Currently, I am in the Master in Social Work program. I had to adjust to the transition of moving from a small rural town to a bigger city. On the other hand, my internship consist of adult and geriatric populations. Previously, when I was an undergraduate I worked with the geriatric population only. I encounter the differences interning on the adult psychiatric unit versus the geriatric psychiatric unit. I observe the different interaction and became more familiar with certain diagnoses. As a clinician, I feel like it is crucial for the leader to be creative in the groups, know the appropriate therapeutic interventions for that population, and properly hand problems that might occur in the
While in Cleveland, Antwone experienced many negative community influences. As a foster child, he was placed in a low income/high street crime area (Washington, 2002), which is typical of the majority of foster placements (Shook et al., 2009). While growing up in his second foster placement, Antwone’s friends often bullied him. Also, foster care social workers were not attentive to their charge.
...ices, the medical field, teachers, and administrators could all benefit from reading about Kathy and her family. People who are considering taking part in fostering certification should definitely read Another Place at the Table. The events she walks the reader through are not common events taking place in the traditional family. It would help any professional who may be exposed to the Social Service System to understand the systematic process that a child in foster care experience, the good, and bad. So many professionals are mandatory reports and they know nothing about the system as it relates to the child’s experience. Hearing how these children and the foster homes they occupy could benefit from quality assistance and support would provide improvement to the system.
There is nearly 400,000 children in out-of-home care in the United States right now (Children’s Right). Just about every day children are being shipped in and out of foster homes and group homes. Most people want the best for children in foster care and decide to take care of them until their parents can possibly recover. The foster care system can have both a negative or positive effect on children, foster parents, and biological parents because of the gaps in the system. Foster cannot not be avoided but the some aspects of the foster care system can be avoided if the missing gaps were filled.
Addressing the needs of children in foster care has been an issue that has tried to be addressed in many ways. In 2001, approximately 300,000 children entered the foster care system, with the average time spent in placement equaling 33 months (Bass Shields, & Behrman, n.d.). Statistically, the longer a child is in the foster care system, the greater number of placements they will have, and instability increases each year (Bass Shields, & Behrman, n.d). I recently read a novel by a girl who was placed into the system at age two, and by age 12 she had already experienced 14 different placements (Rhodes-Courter, 2007). Stories such as this one are not uncommon in the foster care system, especially if the child is a member of a sibling group or
One challenge young adult’s face after aging out of foster care is being provided the health care that they need. According to Paula K Jaudes and the American Academy of Pediatrics, children in foster care suffer from various health issues such as “developmental delays, mental retardation, emotional adjustment problems, chronic medical problems, birth defects, substance abuse, and pregnancy” (1170). It is unknown why children in care are at a higher risk for these problems, but numerous medical professionals believe it is caused by the circumstances that led them being put into foster care, and the experiences they had while in care (Jaudes 1170). Despite being inclined to face more medical problems than teenagers who grew up in nuclear families, there is a lack of support to help take care of these teens. One study conducted by...
Children in foster care are removed from their families due to an abusive or neglectful situation. This can include physical, sexual, and emotional abuse, or neglect” (Being a Foster Parent). Many children may have behavioral and other types of problems that a foster parent should make sure they are equipt for. Foster parents must be good at talking and communicating with children in order to make them feel safe and wanted in their new and temporary home. They must be prepared to deal with how the child acts and what they say. Not only do they have to support them emotionally but they also must be able to support them financially. Even though almost all of the expenses that go along with fostering are usually reimbursable it still could be difficult for some to come up with the medical, dental, and therapy expenses off hand (Being a Foster Parent). Becoming a foster parent is a long difficult road but in doing so it could really help out a child in
In order for a possible successful future to take place, an appropriate selection of the caregiver must take place (Blythe et. al 88). Whenever an inappropriate foster parent is given responsibility over a child, all sorts of issues for the parent and child are created that could have been easily avoided. Foster care agencies must select foster parents that are completely capable to care for the health and safety of their new kids (Blythe et. al 88). This means that the foster parents must be able to supply all of the child’s essential needs so that they may be a valuable citizen in society one day. Research has discovered that foster parents will experience more anxiety and stress when compared to adults in their surrounding communities (Blythe et al. 88). This is directly because the foster parent was incapable of being a sufficient parent for the foster child. Since every child is special and unique in their own way it makes sense that the foster p...
Haight, Wendy L., James E. Black, Sarah Mangelsdorf, Grace Giorgio, Lakshmi tata, Sarah J. Schoppe, and Margaret Szewcyk. "Making Visits Better: The Perspective of Parents, foster Parents, and Child Welfare Workers." EBSCOhost. EBSCO, 1 Mar. 2002. Web. 13 Dec. 2013.
Understanding foster care placement is crucial in order to fully evaluate both its advantages and disadvantages.
. I applied to graduate school with the long term goal of working in a correctional facility. A childhood friend of mine was arrested and sent to prison in August 2007. I saw him four years after his incarceration. These four years definitely took a toll on his physical appearance and his way of thinking. He is 25 and has the looks of a young person whose youth has been wasted. As I sat with him, I had high hopes of being able to laugh out loud while reminiscing about the past. However, I became upset and tears of sadness trickled down my face. He confided to me thoughts of suicide. He explained to me in prison terminology or street talk, one must never drop the soap. I sobbed as he continued to talk about his sentence. At times, his words
By listening to what families, children and young people perceive their needs to be and working to adapt their services in order to cater or counteract some of the problems that arise when the wellbeing of the individual is being affected is what practitioners aim to achieve. Several agencies in UK worked together to improve children and young adults welfare such as Teachers, Social workers, Foster carers, Children safeguarding team, etc…Using Activity 2.9 ( Open University 2014 ) as an illustration, the narrator explained about Connors story, a young boy who has been place into foster caring. As a young child, Connor had probably experienced ambivalent, avoidant and disorganised patterns of attachments before his current placement which might have an impact on his behaviour. The foster family had concern that if Connor had to leave them, this could lead to further problems. Agencies working within Connors welfare such as Children social workers should adapt the fact of Connors relationship with the foster family does not impact on his wellbeing. Practitioners need to work in accordance of children and youth people diversity as well. Diversity can help to begin to overcome inequalities in society, which be might be a positive outcome or a negative outcome. Practitioners must firstly identify the assumptions they make about people so that they can make sure that they treat everyone with respect.
I was able to witness how an actual therapy session would look. Observing the sessions allowed me to become more self-aware and determine what I should and should not physically be doing as a perspective counselor. The more knowledge I gained from the content and class, the more confident I became. Also, the more video sessions I recorded the more comfortable and confident I became. I greatly benefited from learning the different techniques and practices, then having the opportunity to apply what was learned. The hands on experience awarded me the chance to utilize the skills taught and critique myself. I gained an abundance of knowledge about confidentiality, attending skills, and self-awareness that I did not anticipate learning. I am now aware of what exact confidential matters should be presented to a client before beginning therapy. I am also more aware of cultural competence and my own biases. Lastly, I learned how to utilize proper attending behaviors such as visual eye contact, vocal qualities, verbal tracking, and body language during a therapy
This experience differed from the medical experience I had before, as now I was not just observing but also actually interacting with the patient. My previous experience working in a rehabilitation center made me more ready for what to expect when interacting with elderly patients. I believe that I handled the experience very well; there is nothing I think I would do differently. With more exposure to this type of situation I am sure that I will become more adept in my skills and techniques.