The purpose of the assessment is to
demonstrate your understanding of social work theories, select key theoretical principles and apply these to the case study below.
In completing both assessments you will learn about a broad range of social work theories and will begin to develop a framework for making sense of these. This will help to develop your professional identity as a social worker. You will address the following case study in both assessments:
Case study: The Mitchell family
Jennifer Mitchell, aged 43 years, lives with her two children, Thomas (13 years) and Amelia (six years). They live in a private rental property in a suburb of a major city.
Jennifer migrated to Australia from England in her twenties. She met Mark, Thomas and Amelia’s father, a few years later. Three years ago, Mark was made redundant, so accepted some casual work interstate. He was away from home for long periods, and when he returned, Jennifer and Mark argued a lot. They separated 12 months ago. Mark now lives interstate and visits Thomas and Amelia occasionally.
Jennifer is the primary caregiver for Thomas and Amelia and hadn’t been in paid employment since Thomas was born. After she separated from Mark, and Amelia started school, she returned to work as a childcare worker.
Six months ago, Jennifer was involved in a major motor vehicle accident while driving to work. She was in hospital for two months. Thomas and Amelia mostly stayed with Jennifer’s friends during this time. Jennifer has an acquired brain injury and is not able to work or drive. Since the separation and her accident, Jennifer has experienced periods of moderate depression.
Since Jennifer only returned to work for a short period, she doesn’t have significant savings or income protection. Jennifer is receiving some financial support via Centrelink. The hospital social worker helped Jennifer to register with the National Disability Insurance Scheme and she is on a waiting list to determine whether she is eligible to receive funding.
Their landlord has informed Jennifer that the lease will not be renewed, as they wish to sell the property. The lease ends in one month. There are limited private rental properties in the area and rent has increased significantly in the last few years. With help from her friends, Jennifer has applied for a few rental properties, but the applications have been unsuccessful since she’s not currently employed. Jennifer went to Housing SA but was told that there is a ten-year waiting period. Jennifer is hesitant to move away from her friends and her doctor. She doesn’t know where they will live when the lease ends.
Thomas has recently started high school. He has been busy caring for his Mum and Amelia. He does much of the cooking and cleaning. He is often tired at school and has trouble concentrating. His teachers are concerned that he’s falling behind.
Since the accident, going to school has become very distressing for Amelia. When Jennifer’s friend picks Amelia up in the mornings, she becomes very upset, and screams and cries for hours. Jennifer often allows her to stay home. At times Amelia is inseparable from her Mum. At other times, she plays alone in her room for hours. Amelia says that she misses her Dad.
Word count: 2500 words
Proportion of total marks: 50%
Task overview:
1. Choose 1 problem solving theory, i.e. task centred practice OR crisis intervention
2. Choose 1 psychological theory, i.e. cognitive behavioural therapy OR attachment
3. Analyse the case study from the perspective of the 2 theories you have selected. You need to:
1. Describe the main arguments of each theory (approx. 250 words per theory)
2. Explain why you selected that specific theory; why it is helpful in understanding the case study? (approx. 150 words per theory)
3. Identify 2 key principles from each of the theories (4 in total)
4. Apply the 4 principles to aspects of the case study; how do they inform your understanding of the case study? How would they shape your practice? (approx. 250 words per principle)
4. Draw an eco-map and genogram that represent the case study (approx. 50 words)
5. Using the principle of
stress, explain why systems theory is helpful in understanding the case study (approx. 350 words)
Please use sub-headings and include a brief introduction and conclusion (i.e. 150 words each).
The word limit is 2500 words. 10% variance is allowed.
It is acceptable to write in first person and use personal pronouns such as "I" or "my" in this assessment.
This assessment must be supported by at least 10 academic references. You will need to use topic materials and undertake wider research. APA referencing conventions must be used.