Assignment 3: Social Work with Special Populations: Case Consultation

Write a 5-page double-spaced paper. Use 12-point Times New Roman font. Include a reference list. Use APA formatting (7th edition). Refer to the APA Publication Manual and use free online APA resources such as the Purdue OWL. Instructions Consult the case vignette provided. You will complete this assignment as though you are preparing for a case consultation with your supervisor about this case. Please include a note about what type of environment you would be working in (i.e., school, community agency, wellness centre, etc.). Part 1: Begin by briefly summarizing the following case vignette in your own words (maximum 75–100 words). Case vignette: A 65-year-old woman, Pearl, presents, in a wheelchair, with a youth, Samantha, for an initial consultation. During your time together, you learn that Samantha prefers to be called ‘Sam,’ identifies as being part of the 2SLGBTQ+ community, is of Black and Indigenous ancestry, and is almost 13 years old. Pearl shared that she has a chronic illness and that she is Sam’s grandparent and legal guardian. Pearl reported that she and Sam have been disagreeing about clothing, chores, school attendance, and relationships. Pearl and Sam agreed to meet with you with the intention of improving their communication, learning to work together, and strengthening their relationship. Part 2: Drawing on your personal statement of social welfare (Assignment 1) and your learning from the course, respond clearly to the following reflective prompts: What intersecting cultural identities might you consider when working with Pearl and Sam? Do you notice any personal biases or assumptions based on the information you have? What information might be outside of your knowledge? How could you broaden your lens to better support Pearl and Sam? Part 3: Clearly state two questions you would like to discuss with your supervisor. Respond to your two questions by supporting your ideas with relevant academic resources, as well as by integrating concepts, theories, principles, and policies related to social work and human services that are discussed within the course text (Hick, 2010), the Alberta College of Social Workers’ Standards of Practice (2019), the Canadian Association of Social Workers’ Code of Ethics (2005), and the Canadian Association of Social Workers’ Guideline for Ethical Practice (2005). Links to these documents are below. Special Population Resources To support your case consultation, please consider using some of the following resources to support your search for relevant academic literature. Please note that some resources might seem more relevant than others. Canadian Association of Social Workers’ Code of Ethics, Values and Guiding Principles. CASW/ACTS. (2024). Code of Ethics and Scope of Practice | Canadian Association of Social Workers (casw-acts.ca). Alberta College of Social Workers. (2019). Standards of practice (PDF) . Retrieved from www(dot)acsw(dot)ab(dot)ca. Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada. (2015b). Reports issued or created by the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada. Retrieved from https://nctr(dot)ca/records/reports Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada. (2015a). Truth and reconciliation Commission of Canada: Calls to action. Retrieved from https://nctr(dot)ca/records/reports . Assignment 1 completed . Please see response below Assignment 1: Personal Statement of Social Welfare HSRV201 December 1, 2024 History A look at the history of the Canadian social welfare system shows that it has evolved depending on political, social, and economic forces. Important events indicating that a welfare state was developed after the Second World War and when free medical service was available to the people, and even the Canada Assistance Plan in 1966 signifies that Canada has been committed to taking care of its people during their time of need. Still, there is a long way to go to better serve the excluded groups and diverse communities of Black, Indigenous, and People of Colour (BIPOC) or those from low-income backgrounds (Gill, 2021; Williams et al., 2022). Some areas need more information development, including indigenous culturally appropriate services. These are the impacts of colonization and residential schools the communities still feel today, and that drives the need for services that can address their cultural and historical experiences. Additionally, mental health services and social support in remote or rural areas are scarce and underserved compared to other provinces and territories, particularly for Indigenous and rural clients (Smye et al., 2023). Therefore, it is crucial to the significance of the trauma-informed approach in delivering services to communities that have experienced systematic oppression. In the same vein, there are barriers built into the welfare system that make access more difficult for Black, Indigenous, people of color, and new immigrants. Research suggests structural factors contribute to demographic differences in wages and labor and access to basic needs (Davy et al., 2016). Solving these problems calls for policy change and enhancing the role of welfare approaches that erode these barriers. Social welfare in Canada should be available to individuals with cultural and socioeconomic differences regarding programs. These areas need to be stepped up to foster a just society that is in tune with the cardinal principles of social justice. Discipline Ideally, I would like to work for community health centers, though my specialty would be mental health for youths and young adults. This demographic tends to experience some form of change in their life and identity formation or have negative mental health experiences due to societal pressure. The mental health of youths is crucial, bearing in mind the increased occurrences of anxiety, depression, and stress among youths due to social media, academic work pressure, and future job uncertainties. Most significantly, I would like to work with BIPOC youth because they have specific difficulties connected with racial prejudice, cultural identity, as well as social disparities. The studies demonstrate that BIPOC youth face significant service availability challenges ranging from stigma, economic drawbacks, and the unavailability of culturally appropriate options. With this, I envision being able to offer clients in such a setting hope and a space that embraces them and offers a non-stigmatizing view of mental health while also offering them the tools and support necessary to become empowered and create a life of lasting strength. Moreover, I chose this option based on my self-earned organizational values and public interest. I have a good stand on early and supportive care programs as they relate to mental health, especially for those who cannot afford a doctor. Also, I can help this community because of my communication skills, information about pressures that present youth experience, and having personal experience. Young BIPOC people are essential to work with because it relates to my motives to make a positive impact on society by trying to improve mental health services with a focus on cultural humility. Hollows is an example of how academic literature, especially concerning minority clients, has highlighted the advantages of a community-based focus on the treatment of mental health, where engagement is deemed to require stronger relationships. Practice The level of social work that interests me most is the micro level, where I can work with the clients in practice. Micro social work practice focuses on clients' direct needs, identification, assessment, and development of rapport, as well as therapeutic ways of engaging with them that suit me well. It helps me establish a more individualized approach to mental health where, for example, I can hear clients' narratives and feel how they respond to particular issues and then come up with plans that they can use to endure and flourish. It is most appropriate when looking at the micro level since I have chosen to study mental health support in the community health center. Far too many youths, especially those who come from disadvantaged backgrounds, require individual attention, which will affirm their narratives as well as recognize social determinants of mental health (Bailer et al., 2022). This evidence suggests that counseling and peer support, at the micro level, is vital for building, in clients, self-confidence or strategies on how to overcome these hurdles. People require this type of relationship when seeking professional help from a mental health professional in my work. Moreover, my focus at the micro level also stems from my need to personally get a clear vision of the positive changes. Although mezzo- and macro-social work are essential for system transformation, I enjoy meeting the clients and observing their progress over the years. In this respect, micro-work operations are critical to social welfare structures because they focus on the individuals, ensuring that gaps that more general systems may overlook are filled (Monti, 2024). At the micro level of practice, I seek to play a part in achieving the overall mission and vision of Canadian social welfare by enabling the clients and strengthening the personal coping strategies of the special needs’ groups. Overall, these ideas on Canadian social welfare, the preferred work setting, and the preferred degree of practice show my interest in working for the mental health of disadvantaged groups. Hence, culturally competent mental health services and equal access to such services are essential domains that Canadian social welfare still needs to expand. Therefore, my identified work setting of serving youth in community health aligns with my value and utilization of my strength, making it possible to focus on micro-level practice that positively impacts an individual. In this paper, I use my research and experiences to help change the social welfare system to one that is softer and more compassionate, especially for needy people. References Bailer, S., Breunig, C., Giger, N., & Wüst, A. M. (2022). The diminishing value of representing the disadvantaged: Between group representation and individual career paths. British Journal of Political Science, 52(2), 535-552. Davy, C., Harfield, S., McArthur, A., Munn, Z., & Brown, A. (2016). Access to primary health care services for Indigenous peoples: A framework synthesis. International Journal for Equity in Health, 15(1), 1–9. https://doi(dot)org/10.1186/s12939-016-0450-5 Gill, J. K. (2021). Unpacking the role of neoliberalism on the politics of poverty reduction policies in Ontario, Canada: A descriptive case study and critical analysis. Social Sciences, 10(12), 485. ttps://doi.org/10.3390/socsci10120485 Monti, J. (2024, July 17). Micro vs. Mezzo vs. Macro Social Work. https://www(dot)socialworkguide(dot)org/resources/micro-vs-mezzo-vs-macro-social-work/ Smye, V., Browne, A. J., Josewski, V., Keith, B., & Mussell, W. (2023). Social Suffering: Indigenous Peoples' Experiences of Accessing Mental Health and Substance Use Services. International journal of environmental research and public health, 20(4), 3288. https://doi(dot)org/10.3390/ijerph20043288 Williams, M. T., Khanna Roy, A., MacIntyre, M. P., & Faber, S. (2022). The traumatizing impact of racism in Canadians of colour. Current Trauma Reports, 8(2), 17–34.