Ashley's Dilemmas

The research shows that adolescents value a combination of honesty and a pro- active attitude: 'Just being there for you, helping you when you’re in trouble, talking with you and trying to sort it out. Take you out… just to socialise with you, get to know you. Listening to what you’ve got to say’.(Mcleod ,2010). In other words, the key to obtain successful outcomes for Ashley, despite the difficulties that might appear ,is to develop a good relationship. Statutory guidance on inter-agency working to safeguard and promote the welfare of children. , states clearly that 'effective safeguarding of children can only be achieved by putting children at the centre of the system,. (Gov.uk, 2017). Therefore, the S.W has got a legal obligation to adopt
Bronfenrobrenner (1979) in Ecological System Theory, sees every individual as a 'system' and how it is affected by other systems such as , family, school, peers, neighbourhood , culture, beliefs, values , laws or ideologies. . In Ashley's case , the S.W must attempt to investigate all these 'systems' , to understand how her human ecosystem interrelates , and how Ashley's development can be impacted by multiple influences that come from different individuals from her families. Until six month ago, when school have become increasingly concerned about poor attendance and behaviour, no concerns have been noted. That would require a closer examination of all the previous systems, such her grandmother. She could be a key person , as she managed to offer a proper environment in which Ashley was able to flourish. She could provide vital information about Ashley's behaviour and her mum's unresponsiveness to her daughter's
Even if in Ashley's life the father appears sporadically, his role cannot be ignored , because he may influence Ashley considerably. To assess the family functioning is vital, as could offer information about the quality of adults relationships or family adaptability.(McCabe ,2000). In doing that, the S.W can use the strength -based approach in finding ways how to minimize or to reduce the existing potential risks, and to improve Ashley's and her mum's quality of life. Ecosystemic ideas could enable the S.W to formulate a reasoning professional rationale about Ashley's situation, and to identify the individuals that she could rely on in order to feel safe and protected.
Mainstone (2014), highlights that all the family members involved in the situation should be assessed before to reach to a holistic understanding. In other words, in order to protect Ashley from abuse and harm, we should assess her needs, but also her mum's needs. In doing that, new insights, contradictory or difficult information could be revealed. That's why the S.W should engage into a cognitive process as Galaway (1997) suggests, that implies thinking about the data , analysing and synthesizing