Using the case study information, argue the case for an effective approach to assessment capable of limiting possible exposure to discrimination and oppression that this family might experience.

Essay Instructions:

Learning Outcomes Learning Outcome 1: Outline models and methods of assessment, planning, intervention, and evaluation as key concepts of social work practice appropriate to individuals, carers, and families. Learning Outcome 2: Identify diversity of individuals, carers, and families, and understand the relevant social work processes in relation to anti-oppressive and anti-discriminatory practice. Learning Outcome 3: Describe relevant processes to ensure individuals, carers, and families’ involvement within assessments. The Case Study Jakub Nowakowsky 69, and Lidia Nowakowsky 63 years old live together in their house. The couple migrated from Poland to South Wales over 35 years ago. They are sole carers for their son Robert 31 years old, who has a moderate learning disability. Lidia has been suffering with depression for almost 5 years and Jakub is slightly paralysed from a stroke he suffered three years ago, he has made himself a homemade walking stick to help him get around as he does not want to ask for any assistance. Both Lidia and Jakub are finding it difficult to cope with caring responsibilities for their son, but Lidia also feels that she is the primary carer due to Jakub’s lack of mobility. She feels she is at the end of her “tether” and is becoming more and more angrier with Robert, finding his behaviour difficult to manage. She is worried he will come to some harm as she can’t supervise him all the time. Rob attends a day centre twice a week and they have sent notes home saying they are worried about his aggressive behaviour and that he is attending unkempt and appears to be losing weight. Lidia is getting tired easily and feels she has to care for two people now that Jakub is less mobile. She has no family here and few friends. The duty social worker initiated a referral to the local community team for people with learning disabilities. Doug, a social worker, has decided the team should assess the family, based on his view that there are many dimensions of need and risk affecting all three family members. 2. Summative Assessment: (100% weighting Students will submit a 3000-word essay which discusses social work processes and incorporates models and methods of assessment. It will demonstrate adopting an anti-discriminatory approach, based on the case study below, in the Welsh context. Links will be made to the Social Services and Well-being (Wales) Act 2014, and the concepts of “What matters” conversations. Assignment Title: Using the case study information, argue the case for an effective approach to assessment capable of limiting possible exposure to discrimination and oppression that this family might experience. Assignment considerations Assessment in social work is about encouraging a person’s inclusion, and in trying to help them avoid social exclusion; we must consider people’s strengths and not only their weaknesses, within the processes of practice. Working with people and optimizing their strengths enables an anti-oppressive focus and encourages independence. The social worker needs to be aware of theories and assumptions embedded in different approaches to assessment. It is about collecting appropriate information or data about a person to inform planning and intervention later. This is an academic, and not a reflective assignment. During this assignment you are required to Synthesise your understanding of all the key themes and issues that have been highlighted during the module. Apply your understanding to the case study and present a coherent argument in answer to the question set. Structure • A clear introduction which outlines the assignment and what it is to cover. • Each subsequent paragraph should then follow order set in the introduction. • Transitions between paragraphs should be clear and explicit. • Reference all significant points made with appropriate academic sources. • Provide a succinct conclusion that draws together the key theme. • Aim to comply with the specified word count. • A reference page should be included at the end of the assignment. Please note. • You will be marked according to Level 4 of the assessment grid (see below) Questions to consider in relation to the content. • What do you understand by assessment within social work and how is it significant to practice? • What are the principles that underpin an effective assessment process? • What qualities and skills need to be deployed? • What theories and approaches inform the assessment process? • What specific assessment framework would be relevant and what is the underpinning legislation and policy? • What do you understand by anti-discriminatory and anti-oppressive practice? How does it relate to the individuals in the scenario? • What specific difficulties and dilemmas might be faced in this scenario? Important elements to consider. For this assignment the focus will be on assessment. You will need to exemplify the points that you make with reference to all family members. You will not be expected to propose specific interventions. Level 4 Assessment Grid Grade Knowledge & Understanding Analysis Synthesis / creativity Evaluation 70-100 Evidence of appropriate reading. Clear referencing. Detailed knowledge of subject. A variety of ideas / contexts & / or frameworks included. Interprets knowledge in own words. Analysis of a range of information utilising theories. An attempt to compare and contrast viewpoints, & / or methods / techniques of obtaining data. Evidence of suitable structure and organisation of information / ideas. Identifies some key components of the study. Evidence of application of theory to practice. Selects criteria for determining strengths & weaknesses Draws conclusions and makes some interpretation of the implications.

Essay Sample Content Preview:

CASE FOR AN EFFECTIVE APPROACH TO ASSESSMENT Student’s Name Couse Name and Number Professor’s Name Date of Submission Case for an Effective Approach to Assessment Introduction Assessment within social work involves the steps one takes to gauge whether an individual's needs require public support or services from a specific programme to help them in their situation (Nilsson & Olaison, 2020, p. 56). In the given case study, assessment involves analysing the problem of the Nowakowsky family to determine whether an intervention is necessary to help Lidia Nowakowsky in her situation. The assessment first analyses the significance of the assessment practice. Then, it looks at the principles that promote effective assessment and shows their application to the case of Nowakowsky. The assessment then looks at the skills and qualities that make assessment effective. It then reviews the theories and approaches that inform the assessment process, after which it looks at the relevant assessment framework under the Wales legislation. The assessment then looks at anti-discriminatory and anti-oppressive practices that can be applied to the situation of the Nowakowsky family to minimise the possibilities of oppression and discrimination. The paper then explains the difficulties and dilemmas in the given situation before concluding the need for assessment. Assessment of Social Work and Its Significance to Practice As noted, assessment within social work involves analysing an individual’s situation to determine their need for support. A significant effect of undertaking assessment within social work is to speed up the treatment process. It helps the affected individual's health improve faster than when an assessment has not been conducted. When this assessment is conducted in hospitals, the affected patients are discharged earlier because they have better recovery (Wilson, 2019, p. 84). In essence, assessment helps medical practitioners better understand the patients' conditions to provide better solutions. In the case of the Nowakowsky family, the assessment will help all the family members get the proper medical attention for their conditions. Each family member's condition can be improved if medical practitioners focus on analysing the family. Jakub has paralysis due to a stroke he suffered. Lidia has depression, which is being made worse by the fact that she feels burdened taking care of Jakub and Robert. Robert has a moderate learning disability. With the proper medical attention, these conditions can be improved or treated. Assessing the family will help them know the requirements to make treatment possible. Principles Underpinning Effective Assessment Process and Their Application One of the principles that underpins the effective assessment process is transparency (Jönsson & Prins, 2019, p. 1). It is necessary for the participant being assessed to be honest when giving information on their condition so that the individual assessing them can come up with the best solution for them without being transparent. It is not possible to develop the right solutions. In the case of the Nowakowsky family, it remains essential for all the family members to explain their condition when required. For example, Lidia has to explain why she feels like the situation is a burden to her and how it is contributing to her depression for the duty social worker to know what to do with her husband and her child to help ease the burden. Without being transparent, the social worker can try to get Lidia treatment for depression that does not relate to the cause of her depressive state. When this happens, Lidia continues being depressed. The principle of being dynamic also guides effective assessment. The dynamic aspect of assessment means that it should constantly change as it progresses. When solving an individual's condition, there is a possibility of other challenges that differ from the initial challenge. For this reason, it is necessary for the assessment to be dynamic to accommodate the changes taking place as it takes a multidisciplinary approach (Colizzi et al., 2020, p. 1). After helping Lidia with her burden by caring for Robert, one can then discover that an additional condition was also promoting Lidia's condition. In essence, Lidia started being depressed five years ago, while Jakub became paralysed three years ago. Before Jakub's paralysis, he was helping to take care of Robert. Hence, there is a probability that Lidia's depression is not arising from the burden of taking care of Robert because it started before the burden was too much on her. The dynamic nature of assessment can help determine this when looking for a solution to the existing challenge. Qualities and Skills Necessary for Effective Assessment Effective communication is a significant skill for effective assessment (Karpetis, 2017, p. 597). Communication involves attentive listening and speaking in an understandable way to the individual who is supposed to receive information. When an individual has a condition that needs attention, such as that of the Nowakowsky family, the duty social worker needs to have the ability to speak to everyone understandably to get information that will help them solve the situation. For example, after communicating with Lidia, Jakub, and Robert, an individual identifies the differences in their perspectives of the family's condition. Lidia might feel overburdened to take care of Robert because she does too much, while Robert might feel like his mother does a lot for him and needs to reduce what she does to allow him to care for himself. Without effective communication, one would not know this fact. Another necessary skill for one to be successful at assessment is empathy (Ventura, 2023, p. 1). Empathy is the ability to show emotional connection towards individuals in a specific condition. It shows the affected person that one understands their point of view and does not provide solutions for the sake of it. When showing empathy towards the Nowakowsky family, one shows the different family members that he understands their pain. Empathy helps the Nowakowsky family understand that the assessment is not being done by an individual who has not considered the role of their emotions in the situation. Instead, it is being done by one who has the potential to have the same experiences they have. A quality of an effective assessment is that it is fair (Imperial College London, 2024, para. 2). A fair assessment does not discriminate against the individuals who require assessment. It treats everyone fairly despite their backgrounds. Fairness helps to create an environment that allows the participants to open up to the duty social worker. Without fairness, one feels discriminated against and does not trust the individual who is supposed to care for them. When dealing with the Nowakowsky family, one needs to ensure that they feel like they are part of the South Wales community so that they can open up. In doing so, one collects more information from the three family members, allowing them to identify solutions as early as possible. The other quality of the assessment is feasibility. The assessment needs to be practical regarding the time it takes, the resources used, and the solutions provided. Whereas the time taken needs to be sufficient to allow the whole assessment process to take place, it should not be too much, as this can make the family lose hope in getting help from the duty social worker. The resources used and recommendations need to be reasonable for both parties. For example, the duty social worker should not advise the family to refrain from caring for Robert without providing an alternative that ensures Robert's condition improves or he is taken care of by another individual. Another quality of the process is validity. Validity involves measuring what needs to be measured appropriately using the required domains to provide the right evidence (Cobern & Adams, 2020, p. 406). The duty of a social worker is to ensure relevance in data collection. For example, one should not focus on collecting data from Robert concerning depression, yet none of the family members has reported that Robert has depression. It is Lidia who has depression, and gathering information from her about depression will promote the ability to conduct the right assessment of the family's situation and offer the required intervention. Theories and Approaches Informing the Assessment Process When it comes to assessment, different applicable theories can help individuals better understand the...

Updated on June 25, 2024

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