Reflective Analytic Study

I was given the opportunity to work with a fourteen year old girl, whom I shall refer to as ‘S’. She is the eldest daughter of a lone female parent with alcohol misuse problems. Her mother and younger sibling were previously referred to the agency and as a result are now receiving support. S also has a thirteen year old brother who receives support from agencies relating to the youth justice system. In light of this S had been perceived as coping well socially and academically at school and within her family home. However as work progressed with her mother, my practice teacher felt that S was taking on a lot of responsibility and was perhaps internalising the emotions this was creating. She had also been reported on a previous occasion to the social work department on a suspicion that she was a young carer.

During supervision with my practice teacher, I was referred the case and the purpose and content of my role was discussed. It was agreed that I would take on a therapeutic role with S, allowing her the opportunity to express her emotions in a safe and secure environment (Catchpole, 2006). In relation to tasks or aspects of work being carried out, I discussed my preference of using a partnership approach, where the worker and service user work together to solve problems (Thompson, 2002b). I viewed this approach as being appropriate considering the service user’s age and developmental stage. Catchpole (2006) states that adolescents are “beginning the long process of change from dependence to independence” (p. 60) and therefore I felt that it was important to include S in all decision making processes regarding our work together as this would promote a sense of empowerment and self-determination within her (Banks, 2006). I was aware that there would be a clear distinction of the power dynamics between us as I am an adult (Catchpole, 2006); therefore I took this approach to ensure S felt that her views and opinions were being respected which promotes

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