SOWK13013 - Children Youth and Families

Learning Goals Identified

Action to be Implemented to achieve learning goal

1. Limited reference to the legal side of report and how a worker would deal with court issues.

When it’s determined a child’s at risk there is a range of statutory options available for a social worker. First is to provide a referral to the family to voluntarily participate in support services such as parenting classes or domestic violence services. Second is to obtain an order from the Children’s Court to order the parents into support services such as drug and alcohol services and so on. Lastly is to initiate a care and protection plan from the Children’s Court to place the children in out-of-home care (Australian Institute of Family Studies 2011).

2. Mother’s PND (post natal depression) and how alcohol misuse might be impacting on the neglect and harm issues? What are treatment and support avenues?

Part 2: Some explanation for the children’s presentation in care and post contacts with mother.

Sidor (et al. 2011) states that mothers with postnatal depression (PND) show less optimistic emotions when working with their family. These mothers have also been found to be less responsive to infant’s needs and signals. This affects an infant and child’s attachment and can enhance the risk of insecure attachment. A parent’s mental health will impact on the quality of parenting and attachment achieved in the developmentally crucial first year of the infant’s life.
Planden (2007) describes there are both physical and social explanations for postpartum depression. Some examples of physical causes might be a hormone imbalance, anaemia, and thyroid dysfunction. Some example of social causes consist of stress, expectations not met about life with a baby, isolation and loneliness, relationship problems, childcare anxiety, a history of stressful life events, and anxiety. 

Some infants and children of depressed mothers may have difficulty sleeping, have temper tantrums or become overly dependent on their parents because they are confused about how to respond. As they grow to be children, boys of depressed parents may have difficulty concentrating on tasks while girls may be more withdrawn and anxious. This could describe the behaviours and presentation that the children are exhibiting are spending time with or having any contact with their mother.

Treatment & Support: The first step is talking to a doctor about if pharmacological interventions are appropriate and finding support groups or support person to talk to as well as maybe a therapist.

3. Limited amount noted about the mother’s strengths and coping strategies used from the past. What theories could assist you in moving forward with this family?

According to Dubowitz & DePanfilis (2000) it is useful at times for parents struggling to care for their children to explore their memories of how they were cared for as children. Although you shouldn’t always think you will find a ‘smoking gun’ from every care-giver.

Information gathering to determine a care-givers strengths include assessing the following: Physical health, psychological functioning, cognitive functioning, social functioning and interpersonal relationships and childhood history.

There are four areas to question the caregiver on when trying to help a caregiver determine strengths.

• ·      Look for the purpose or intention behind their behaviours contributing to the abuse and neglect the children in their care.
  
• ·         Find out their interests, likes, abilities, explore and examine all parts of their lives to find hidden strengths.
  
• ·         Find out their hopes and dreams, where they see themselves in a few years time and what they hope for their family and children.
  
• ·         A large percentage of care-givers who neglect or mistreat children are themselves survivors of abuse, neglect or trauma. Determine what qualities helped them to survive (ed. Dubowitz & DePanfilis 2000).
  

4. Identify if Aboriginal Health should be invited to the family meeting to assist in decision making and gathering information?

Asking the client if they would like to have an Aboriginal Health worker involved would be from an empowerment point of practice.

Greater Health (date) suggest that that should be an offer to Aboriginal clients for the option of having an Aboriginal Health Worker, friend or relative present in a meeting with them. Greater Health (date) says that Indigenous people often feel much more comfortable seeing an Indigenous health worker present. They can be a vital part of the team in breaking down barriers between Indigenous clients and non-Indigenous workers and systems.

5. Hypothesis regarding risk associated with Foetal Alcohol Syndrome (FAS) and failure to thrive (Anthony). How could potential developmental needs of the infant be at risk presently and into future?

Problems associated with Foetal Alcohol Syndrome (FAS) tend to intensify as children move into adulthood. These can include developmental health problems, troubles with the law and even inability to live independently.

There are some characteristics which are indicative of FAS and those could be;  low birth weight, small head circumference, developmental delays, organ dysfunction,  epilepsy, poor coordination and socialisation skills, learning difficulties, behavioural problems and failure to thrive (KidsHealth 2012).

6. Children Participation in decision making (where appropriate)

In Australia, there is increasing legislation for the importance of children’s viewpoints and that government bodies are adapting the idea to use young people’s participation and letting them voice their opinions (Theobald, Ailwood & Danby 2011). Children actively contributing are being recognised in the national strategy for the development of young children. The National Framework for Protecting Australia’s Children 2009–2020 and the Early Years Learning Framework both place emphasis on children as active decision makers as important. Competence is clear to mean that children actively connected in everyday, events and interacting with others as competent decision makers.