During my time at placement I have worked with a diverse range of people. Not only have I engaged with children, from babies up to children aged 18, but I have also worked with adults. The families that I have supported have consisted of 2 parent families, lone parents, through to grandparents whom have a residency order. These families all had different backgrounds and unique needs, ranging from carers with learning disabilities, those with mental health issues and families who were unemployed and living in poverty. The children I worked with were not only affected by these factors, but they also had their own issues to contend with, including; child J who had learning difficulties and was significantly behind in his education; child E who was delayed developmentally due to experiencing neglect, and child R who had been subjected to physical abuse and was now suffering with low self-esteem and self-confidence. …show more content…
For example, Child D was being aggressive towards the mother. The child had witnessed domestic violence as a baby and, although the child was not in contact with the father and the mother had a new partner, the child’s behaviour had not improved. Although I did not establish the root cause, the decline in behaviour could have been attributed to several things, including the child being refused access to their father, or the mother once again subjected to domestic abuse. I had this notion as the mother’s partner was not keen on me meeting the mother without him being present. It is possible that this action may have been to protect the mother as she had mental health issues, however, it may have been a form of control which the child had possibly
The first framework that would be beneficial when working with this population is the Dual Perspective Framework. The Dual Perspective Framework is a model that charges the social worker with assessing and understanding the client’s world. While doing so, one must take into account the client’s relationship to not only their immediate family and community, but also to the larger societal system while considering and comparing values, attitudes, and behaviors (Prigoff, 2003, p. 80). Another way to explain the Dual Perspective was presented by Dr. Nimmagadda as part of the diversity section of this course (2015). The contrasting views are also known as the “Nurturing Environment” versus the “Sustaining Environment.” The “Nurturing Environment” can be identified as the individual’s family or immediate extended family, while the “Sustaining Environment” can be identified as how an individual feels other’s view them in the social environment (Nimmagadda, 2015). An individual can evolve and change according to their experiences and interactions in both environments.
Working with children from Year 5 to Year 12 in an aquatic setting. I am responsible for supervising and educating these children, whilst being actively engaged in the planning process. The service we provide caters for a number of diverse children as we regularly engage with students with physical and intellectual disabilities. Subsequently, our service incorporates inclusive planning in order to accommodate the needs of all students. As an extension of the planning process we also regularly engage in risk management
...t with a child in the foster care system. This paper gave me the opportunity to learn the positives and the negatives as well as more details about the little parts of the foster care system that I didn’t know existed. Even though my focus is to help the child and think about their best interest, this paper showed me that the parents, both biological and foster, are another important factor that helps the children. It made me realize that I will need to meet the parents and work with them to make a plan that fits their life. I will need to figure out what issues they feel are important to fix and how to get to those solutions. Foster care is a complex system that will challenge me daily if I enter the into this specific field but even if I work with children in a different environment I need to be aware that children come from all different types of backgrounds.
Being given the opportunity to intern with the staff at the Family Resource Center in the Children’s Advocacy Center (CAC) has been a tremendous learning experience thus far. The opportunity has truly surpassed my expectation of what I imagined the journey of internship would be like and how it would help me to evolve into the professional arena as a social worker. I see myself transforming and viewing the community in which I live, the clients served, those deprived, and the tremendous job that we as social workers are tasked with to advocate for those in need from a more open-minded perspective. By enhancing and developing my personal and professional skills, such as active listening, observation, and professional comportment, I will be
he Importance Of Reflecting On Changes In Children’s Behaviour Regarding Abuse And Strategies Children Have To Protect Themselves
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.
Living with a child with special needs can have profound effects on the entire family including the extended family members, siblings, parents, and the child with the special needs. It can affect all aspects of family functioning, since they have to be on the watch for the child. On the positive side, living with a child with special needs can expand horizons, develop family cohesion, increase the family members’ awareness of their inner strength, and promote connections to community groups. On the negative side, this child will need time, physical and emotional demands and financial cost in order to make the child’s life comfortable. However, the impacts will depend on the child’s condition, and its severity, as well as the emotional, physical, and the financial resources available to take care of the child.
“Every year more than 25,000 youth age out of the foster care system” (Jansson, 2014, p.62). “As youth in foster care mature into adulthood, they face enormous challenges, including lack of family support; educational deficiencies; employment and income problems; inadequate or inappropriate living arrangements;
Mike Dooley once said that at this very moment, “there are people only you can reach…and differences only you can make.” Being a social worker this single quote is true every single day, because as a social worker we are able to reach those we interact with on a daily basis and make a difference in their lives. In the state of Florida, there exists a place called The Children’s Home Society that works with children and families. Very similar to a state’s department of children, this organization strives to help all children who enter their doors. As a social worker, like Mike Dooley said these are individuals only we can reach and working towards making a difference in any child’s life is something that social workers strive to do on a daily
Reflection on vocational experience working with children within a framework of academic theories about childhood or working with children.
Imagine you have just turned 9 years old and in a whirlwind of uncertainty you have just been removed by Child Protective Services from the only home you have ever known. You have been subjected to trauma; physically abused, verbally abused, and to some extent neglected as well. You now live in a temporary shelter where you are housed with 8 other children your age being taken care of by various staff; you are scared and lost, unsure about your future. You are forced to leave the only school you have ever attended in order to attend a school closer to your new “placement.” You have been torn from your family and friends making you feel all the more alone and frightened. This process of movement in school and placement will occur several times over the next few years placing you in a continual state of chaos. Each school transition moves you further behind in a perpetual state of academic catch up. Although this story was hypothetical, this is the long-standing reality for many foster youth. The actual implications of real life experiences for foster youth encompass personal, emotional, and educational problems. This
I have been involved in working with venerable people for over twenty years and have worked within many different settings. As part of my work, I have worked with people within sheltered accommodation to more recently, working with vulnerable families living with poverty and deprivation. I have mentored young people who were at risk of being excluded from and often had chaotic home lives, some with Special Educational Needs. Due to the nature of my work, I had needed to have a high level of interpersonal skills and to be approachable to people from all areas and backgrounds of society be they parents, governors to social services or the police.
In society today, we are working with families and children are more diverse than ever. We are servicing families and children from so many different traditions, beliefs and values. Every family has their own stories. We will find that families and children
Since learning the mentor database system, I have seen a bit more of the actual family aspect of the mentees. I have been updated and informed of children, the stories of their parents, and how they got where they are now. The circumstances that I have heard about are things that I could not even imagine going through myself. Growing up in Philadelphia and even having close friends with troubled homes has not prepared me for the issues I hear. It is no wonder these children lose their self-control.
As I personally take the time to have a reflection over the course of “Child and Adolescent Development” I find myself intrigued with the amount of knowledge I gained during this course this semester. I wanted to take the time to concentrate on three specific areas in which I felt I had the most growth, but also came as a challenge to me as well. It is important when reflecting over a course that I look at what I found to be challenging, as this was an opportunity of growth for me individually. In this paper I will review some of the main topics that I found to be interesting but also resourceful for my future aspiration not only as a family life educator but also a mother one day.