Social Work Case Study Apa

Throughout this case study I will discuss how and why I would work with Amelia, Olivia and their mother Becky. I will reference law and theory while using knowledge, values and ethics and the skills I have learned to evaluate this family.
By definition, the social work profession, according to the British Association of Social Workers, social work is a profession that, “promotes social change, problem solving in human relationships and the empowerment and liberation of people to enhance well-being” (BASW, 2016). According to the Knowledge and Skills statement for children and families it is important to “be both authoritative and empathic and work in partnership with children, families and professionals, enabling full participation in assessment,
planning, review and decision making. Ensure child protection is always privileged” (Department of Education, 2014). These statements help support my reasoning for working with Amelia, Olivia and their mother Becky. I believe that through my analyzation I will be able to help them to enhance their well-being and empower them to better their situation. I will interact with them in a way that will give them full participation in each step of the process, while always placing the children’s needs first.
There are many different ways to define an assessment, which is what I will be doing throughout this case study. For example, an assessment can be seen as, “an ongoing process in which the service user participates, in order to assist the social worker in understanding people in relation to their environment” (Coulshed, V. & Orme, J. 2012: 22). It can also be looked at as, “the art of managing competing demands and negotiating the best possible outcome…part of a perceptual, analytical process that involves selecting, categorising and synthesising data” (Walker & Beckett, 2003: 21). For this case study I will be basing an assessment closer to the second definition, I am going to collect all the data I am able to get and evaluate the children from there. I will be taking on this assessment to make a judgment of what will be best for Amelia and Olivia, are they experiencing or at risk of significant harm or should they be considered children in need.
From the case analysis as I have no prior to information from the previous worker’s assessment, I would begin my assessment of Amelia, Olivia and Becky.
To assess the children I looked at the assessment framework of Children in Need. This framework has three major sections, child’s developmental needs, parenting capacity and family and environmental factors. While this assessment framework from Brammer (2014) has since been updated I believe it is still relevant in this case. This helps break down Amelia and Olivia’s situation into the three main categories that are easier to evaluate. First, the child’s developmental needs such as health, education, emotional and behavioural development and family and social relationships. I have no evidence to support that these children are not getting proper education and they appear to have proper emotional and behavioural development. I would evaluate these children further in my assessment to be sure. However, due to the constant take-out this family seems to be eating and the tired nature of the children it does seem that their health in general needs some additional attention. The next category is the parenting capacity, including basic care, safety, warmth and stability. Becky seems to have the warmth, stability and safety aspects of this down but the basic care for her children needs some assistance. Here I have decided to give her the benefit of the doubt. I see no evidence to suggest otherwise so I believe that she is the best option for the girls at this time. However, because this is unclear I would further evaluate this in my assessment. She needs to learn about the importance of nutrition, everyone does not always have the time to make home cooked food for their families but it is still important that the girls know about proper nutrition. Becky would perhaps benefit from learning about nutrition herself so she is better able to teach her girls about it as well, this could come in the form of a cooking class for
example. The last category is the family and environmental factors. The first improvement that could be made in this category is housing, it is very important for them to live in a clean environment. Becky says she is allergic to all cleaning products but it would be an improvement if the house was at least picked up and the trash taken outside. While this environment is not a great one for the girls, they seem to be very tired, it is not really unsafe for them to live here. It might make an improvement if Becky had additional support from their wider family if they are nearby. I would ask her questions about their extended family as a part of my assessment, to try and find her a strong support system.
Using this assessment framework I have decided that I would consider Amelia and Olivia to be children in need. They do appear to be struggling and their mother seems like she would greatly benefit from additional services and support. However, they are not exposed to significant harm. Furthermore, in coming to this conclusion I looked at the Children’s Act of 1989, section 17. This act defines children in need as “unlikely to achieve or maintain or to have the opportunity to achieve or maintain a reasonable standard of health or development without provisions of services from the local authorities” (Children’s Legal Centre, 2016). Due to the state of their house and the tired nature of the children I would define Amelia and Olivia as children in need. In addition, their mother says that she is allergic to all cleaning products so their housing situation doesn’t look like it will improve anytime soon without other services. The state of their house is not good for their health or development.
While the state of the house isn’t good for their health it is not putting the children in the path of significant harm. These children do not require an emergency protection order because they are not “suffering or likely to suffer significant harm” (Long, Roche and Stringer, 2010: 29). This is based on the Children’s Act of 1989, section 47, looking to “safeguard or promote a child’s welfare”. These children, while not living in perfect conditions, are not living in a place that could cause them significant harm. They are also not