Introduction
As a social work intern at a homeless shelter, I had the privilege of assisting a family dealing with the effects of domestic abuse. I used various social work methods with this family, from initial assessment and intervention planning to continuous monitoring and evaluation of progress and outcomes. In this article, I will discuss the intermediate stage of my work with this family and analyze it in depth, focusing on my interventions and their benefits. As a social worker, I will also consider how this case study has influenced my professional development.
“Assessment and Intervention Plan in Social Work Practice: A Case Study Analysis of Homeless Shelter Residents and Their Journey towards Stable Housing”
As an intern in the field of social work, I have been helping families who have been victims of domestic abuse by providing them with resources and support. Over the last six months, I have been helping a family consisting of a mum, a dad, and their two kids. I have maintained weekly touch with the family through weekly therapy sessions, case management meetings, and advocacy efforts.
My job as a social work intern has been to help the family through the complex process of ending an abusive relationship and starting over (Shardlow et al., 2015). We have uncovered the family’s urgent requirements for protection, shelter, financial security, and a history of trauma and abuse. We have also paid attention to learning how to deal with the psychological and behavioural difficulties that may occur.
As far as I can see, the practice example family has come a long way on the road to healing and stability. The mother has found steady employment and a safe home for her family. The kids excel in class and venturing into the world of extracurriculars. The father has sought therapy to deal with his problems and has made some strides in reducing his aggressive conduct.
Unfortunately, the family is nonetheless hampered by a number of issues. In spite of the father’s efforts, the family is still having trouble meeting essential financial obligations. The limited resources and strong demand for services inside the organization have also shaped my evaluation (Shardlow et al., 2015). It may be challenging to meet the entire scope of the family’s demands, despite the organization’s wide variety of services and support, due to the limited kinds and quantity of services offered.
To overcome these obstacles, I have worked extensively with the family to assess their capabilities and link them to community-based organizations that may provide further assistance (Shardlow et al., 2015). I have also done my best to lobby for the family’s interests inside the company and with outside service providers so that they may keep making strides towards stability and recovery with the help they need. The practise example family has made substantial progress towards recovery and stability. While obstacles still need to be overcome, I am dedicated to working with the family to reach their objectives and providing ongoing support as they work through the difficulties of escaping an abusive relationship and starting over. The agency setting has influenced my evaluation, but with your help, this family can reach their objectives and succeed in their new home (Shardlow et al., 2015).
“Developing an Effective Intervention Plan in Social Work Practice: Collaborative Goal-Setting with Homeless Shelter Residents towards Achieving Stable Housing”
As their social work intern, the family and I developed a set of objectives to guide our intervention work together as they dealt with domestic abuse. We discussed the family’s strengths, needs, and ambitions to build the corresponding objectives (Barnett et al., 2017). The family identified several priorities: physical safety, home stability, economic independence, and dealing with the father’s aggressive tendencies. The family identified these objectives as vital to their short-term well-being (Barnett et al., 2017). As a social work intern, I helped the family find resources and build methods for implementing each objective.
I collaborated with the family to create new objectives based on my evaluation of their needs and strengths and those they had already defined. Addressing the emotional and psychological effects of trauma and abuse was a primary focus, along with strengthening the family’s communication and conflict resolution abilities (Barnett et al., 2017). Individual and family therapy sessions, case management, and policy lobbying were all part of the comprehensive intervention plan we crafted to achieve the desired outcomes (Hiebert-Murphy, 2018). We sought therapy to help us deal with the emotional and behavioural issues throughout our rehabilitation. Case management included helping the family locate and use available community resources and support services. To ensure the family was getting the help they needed to succeed, advocates lobbied both within and outside the organization for the family’s benefit (Hiebert-Murphy, 2018).
We kept tabs on the family’s development and adapted the intervention plan as necessary. We enjoyed our victories and took use of our defeats to improve. By working together and being adaptable, we were able to help the family reach many of their objectives, and the family as a whole is now more stable and on the road to recovery.
As their social work intern, the family and I devised an intervention plan for their experience with domestic abuse, making it a collaborative and client-centred approach. The plan was customized to the family’s unique set of circumstances and goals, and it included counselling, case management, and advocacy efforts, among other things. Constant communication and introspection helped us accomplish many of the family’s objectives and aid them on their road to recovery and stability.
“Navigating the Middle Phase of Social Work Practice: Strategies for Implementing, Maintaining, Monitoring, Overcoming Obstacles, and Managing Relationships with Homeless Shelter Residents while Considering Social Location Similarities and Differences.”
- Implementing the intervention plan: First, I worked hard to earn the family’s trust to include them in the intervention process. The family’s progress and new requirements informed my periodic reviews of the intervention plan, which I updated as necessary. I ensured the family got their needed help by coordinating with various service providers and resources (Hagger et al., 2020).
- Maintaining the focus: I made it a point to check in with the family frequently to ensure we were still on track with the intervention plan and meeting their needs. My efforts to have a positive and accepting attitude allowed my family to open up about their struggles and frustrations without fear of criticism. Based on previous research (Hagger et al., 2020).
- Monitoring progress: I made sure to check in with the family often to see how things were going and how our interventions were helping them achieve their objectives. To bolster their self-assurance and determination, I pushed the family to take stock of their development and celebrate victories (Hagger et al., 2020).
- Dealing with obstacles to change: I helped the family recognize possible transformation roadblocks and develop solutions via our collaborative efforts. As part of this process, we helped the family develop methods for dealing with stress and trauma, advocated for them to get the assistance and resources they needed, and addressed any problems that occurred as they recovered (Hofmann et al., 2020).
- Managing the client/organization-worker relationship: I managed the client/organization/worker connection by establishing a good rapport with the family and keeping them updated on the intervention’s progress in a straightforward and consistent manner. I made an effort to honour the family’s wishes and consider their input throughout all significant decisions (Hofmann et al., 2020).
My social position as a social work intern meant I had less life experience than the family I was helping, who had been through hardship and pain. However, as someone from a minority group, I had something in common with the family and could rely on shared experiences to establish trust and connection. I recognized any inequities in power that may have occurred between the family and me, and I did what I could to remove barriers to open communication.
Amid my work with the family suffering domestic violence, I concentrated on carrying out the intervention plan, keeping the family’s objectives front and centre, assessing progress, addressing barriers to change, and managing the client/organization-worker relationship. I tried to get along well with the family, reviewed and tweaked the intervention plan often, and attempted to remove any obstacles to improvement. As a social work intern, I considered my social position and sought to correct any potential power imbalances between myself and my clients’ families (Hofmann et al., 2020).
Specific interventions in reaching projected goals and evaluating the effectiveness
Many interventions from Hepworth, Goldstein & Noonan, and Morgaine were used in my work with the family suffering from domestic abuse. The following actions were taken:
Solution-focused brief therapy: This method emphasizes the family’s strengths and assets and the establishment of attainable objectives (Hepworth et al., 2017). Working together, we could set concrete objectives for the family and recognize their progress.
Cognitive-behavioural therapy: This method emphasizes altering destructive habits of thinking and action (Noonan, 2017). By taking this tack, I assisted the family in recognizing harmful assumptions and patterns of behaviour perpetuating the cycle of violence and in replacing them with more constructive ones.
Trauma-informed care: Understanding and resolving the effects of trauma on people and families are at the heart of this method (Morgaine, 2018). Considering the family’s history of trauma and hardship, I made an effort to ensure that all treatments were trauma-informed and crafted to reduce the likelihood of triggering memories being triggered.
The family and I set objectives together, and I periodically checked in with them to see how far along they were and to get their thoughts on how well the interventions were working. In addition, I maintained extensive process records, allowing me to assess my work and see where I should make adjustments. Our efforts to create home security strategies exemplify a successful intervention. I helped this family create a safety plan in just one session, from learning how to deal with stressful situations and resolve conflicts to finding a safe place to live and contacting local resources. The family’s confidence and sense of agency had increased, and they said they felt more equipped to deal with possible safety concerns.
Unfortunately, there were other cases when efforts failed to improve the situation. For instance, we needed help achieving an early, crucial aim of finding the family a secure and stable place to live. We were all disappointed and frustrated that our attempts to find a suitable home for the family fell short.
We looked at other housing possibilities and tried to develop a more all-encompassing safety plan that would allow them to stay put while mitigating dangers. We also focused on strengthening the family’s resilience and capacity for dealing with adversity to better deal with future difficulties. As a whole, the family made great strides towards their objectives via the use of solution-focused short therapy, cognitive-behavioural therapy, and trauma-informed treatment. While there were difficulties, the family felt more confident and in charge of their circumstances, and I saw improvements in their behaviour and coping methods.
“Reflecting on Practice: Lessons Learned and Personal Development as a Social Worker through a Practice Example”
My experience with the family dealing with domestic abuse has helped me grow as a social worker and given me invaluable things. These are a few of the most important lessons I have learned:
The importance of building rapport and trust with clients: Building a solid working connection with customers based on trust and mutual respect is crucial to providing excellent assistance. You must be attentive, sympathetic, and ready to invest in customer interactions (Dix, H., Hollinrake & Meade, 2019).
The value of interdisciplinary collaboration: Working as a social worker has allowed me to collaborate with other experts in the field, including psychologists, attorneys, and doctors. These partnerships have expanded my knowledge of interdisciplinary approaches to client care and solving challenging societal issues.
The need for ongoing self-reflection and self-awareness: Reflecting on my own biases, preconceptions, and limits daily and working to address these areas of development is essential in my profession as a social worker. This necessitates an openness to criticism, critical self-reflection, and a dedication to lifelong education (Dix, H., Hollinrake & Meade, 2019).
The power of resilience and hope: The family, in this case, the study showed remarkable grit, bravery, and optimism despite their numerous difficulties. Because of this, social workers play a crucial role in helping people, and families overcome hardship by planting the seeds of hope and resilience in their clients (Dix et al., 2019).
As a result of my internship, I feel more competent as a social worker and have tremendous respect for the complexities and nuances of the pitch (Dix et al., 2019). I look forward to building on these foundations as my career develops and expanding my horizons professionally.
Conclusion
I gained many valuable social work skills and abilities while working with a family facing domestic abuse. Evidence-based therapies such as cognitive-behavioural therapy, motivational interviewing, and strengths-based practice were available to me via this work. These programmes were developed to help those dealing with trauma, mental health challenges, homelessness, or financial trouble. There were difficulties, but the family overcame them and made tremendous progress, and I was proud to help them in any way I could. This experience has taught me valuable things that will help me improve as a social worker and provide me with the tools to help my clients best.
References
Barnett, O. W., Miller-Perrin, C. L., & Perrin, R. D. (2017). Family violence across the lifespan: An introduction. Sage Publications, Inc.
Dix, H., Hollinrake, S., & Meade, J. (Eds.). (2019). Relationship-based social work with adults—critical Publishing.
Goldstein, E. G. (2018). Encyclopedia of Child Behavior and Development. Springer.
Hagger, M. S., Cameron, L. D., Hamilton, K., Hankonen, N., & Lintunen, T. (Eds.). (2020). The handbook of behaviour change. Cambridge University Press.
Hepworth, D. H., Rooney, R. H., Rooney, G. D., Strom-Gottfried, K., & Larsen, J. (2017). Direct Social Work Practice: Theory and Skills. Cengage Learning.
Hiebert-Murphy, D. (2018). Family Violence Across the Lifespan: An Introduction, by Ola W. Barnett, Cindy L. Miller-Perrin, and Robin D. Perrin.
Hofmann, W., Dohle, S., & Diel, K. (2020). We are changing behaviour using integrative self-control theory.
Morgaine, K. C. (2018). The role of empathy in social work with children and families. Journal of Social Work Practice, 32(3), 303–314.
Noonan, R. K. (2017). The therapeutic process with children and adolescents. Guilford Press.
Shardlow, S., Aldgate, J., Gibson, A., Brearley, J., Daniel, B., Statham, D., … & Gibson, N. (2015). Handbook for practice learning in social work and social care: Knowledge and theory. Jessica Kingsley Publishers.
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