w elcome to hn 499 s econd s eminar wednesday class meeting september 29, 2010
TRANSCRIPT
OVERVIEW OF POSITIONS AVAILABLE IN AFAMILY SERVICES AGENCIES
Child abuse investigations
Child abuse assessments
Case management for children and families in foster families
Case management for families in crisis
Case management and counseling for potential adoptive parents, adult adoptees and birth parents
CURRENT LEGISLATION•The Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment Act (CAPTA) 1974
•Adoption Assistance and Child Welfare Act of 1980
•Adoption and Safe Families Act, 1997
•Keeping Children and Families Safe Act, 2003
MENTAL ILLNESSEarly 18th Century, Pinel led mental health reform
* appointed chief physician at mental hospital in Paris
* appalled at the barbaric conditions* he unchained up to 5,000 patients* marked the beginning of the era of
“Moral Treatment”Dorothea Dix – U.S. social activist
* advocated for compassionate treatment of patients in asylums
* her plea to the MA state legislature in 1843 led to improvements in both hospitals and asylums
COMMON MENTAL ILLNESSAnxiety Disorders
Eating Disorders
Mood Disorders
Depression
Bipolar Disorder
Substance Related Disorders
AFFECTIVE DISORDERS
Disorders of one’s mood and emotions.
Depression is a significant public health issue in America.
Bipolar Depression (formerly called manic depression).
INTERVENTION STRATEGIESSaleebey and the Strengths Perspective challenges practitioners to recognize:
All clients have resources available to themAll clients are members of a community
and deserve respect and dignityAll clients are resilient by nature
Al clients need to be in relationships with others to self-actualize
All clients have the right to their own perception of the problem
HUMAN SERVICES ON SCHOOL CAMPUSES
Counseling on school campuses is conducted by 3 types of professionals:
School Social Workers – typically MSW trained
School Counselors – have a MA in school counseling and a background in teaching
School Psychologists – have a Master’s or Doctorate in school psychology and are
trained to conduct specialized educational testing
THE URBAN PROBLEMThe “Achievement Gap” between the urban youth and the suburban youth.
Urban youth are far more likely to
Drop out of schoolFail to meet the minimum standard on
national standardized testHave issues with excessive absenteeism
There is also a big concern about obtaining and retaining qualified teachers in urban
schools
EFFECTIVE RESPONSES FROMHUMAN SERVICE PROFESSIONALS
The Human Service Professional must evaluate anything that might be contributing to the student’s mental health status.
The student’s relationships with peers, family members and teachers must be evaluated.
Human Service Professionals must look at the entire context within which the student is operating. What does that mean?
SUBSTANCE ABUSEContinues to be a growing problem across US
Mostly found in high schools, but is present in middle schools as well
Human service professionals need to be able to identify signs of substance abuse and be prepared with the knowledge to intervene properly.
Awareness of outside referral sources
A systems perspective
TEENAGE PREGNANCY
Rates have been on the decline, but it is still a serious concern.
Research on prevention points to:
ReligiosityPeer influence
Appropriate parental supervision Good and direct parental communication
SESRace
Involvement in sports
CHILD ABUSE AND NEGLECTMandated reporters of child abuse and neglect
Often have to determine if a call needs to be made to Child Protective Services
Disclosure
Compassion, support and encouragement
Promises should not be made – be VERY careful of statements like “It will be OK.”
ADD AND ADHDReferral for evaluation and assessment
Largest referrals coming from schools
Larger class sizeDisruption
Significant challenges in the classroom
Classroom management
Human service professionals need to advocate for these kids.
PROJECT INFORMATIONIn each of your projects, you will select the path that relates to your specific concentration of study. The project assignment and grading rubric are the same regardless of emphasis area though the actual scenario content differs. Use your knowledge of ethics and best practices to identify the main issue presented by the client and develop a 3-page paper. In the paper, you will create a detailed portrait of your client, his/her main problems, and a plan for the next session. Choose the path of your career interest. Completing this exercise brings you one step closer to graduation!
Path 1: Child and Family Welfare Scenario
Path 2: Gerontology Scenario
Path 3: Human Services Management Scenario
Write a paper using your notes from past reading and discussions to:
Create a scenario using one of the three prompts above (one page).
Identify the client’s main problem (half page).
Propose best practice solutions and justify your ideas (one page).
Discuss some of the ethical problems that might be present in these situations (half page).