Social Work & Case Study

1. Social Work & Case Study By: Danyelle White

2. How are case studies and social work related ? Pursing to get a degree in social work is where I am at in this point of my life. Becoming a social worker involves a lot of different types of writing. One of the main pieces of social work writing is a case study.

3. What is a Case Study ??? A case study is a specialized type of paper used in some social sciences, medical, legal, and other fields. It often is found especially in client/patient services settings such as in medical, social services, or legal work.

4. What comes in a case study may you ask ?! A case study usually describes the problem or illness of a patient or client, and it details a system or therapy for helping that patient

5. How is a case study set up ? Even though its specific use is in such fields, it has a more general application of dealing logically and rationally in a step-by-step manner .

6. Step by Step In so doing, it follows a common critical-thinking pattern of examining (a) the background of a problem (b) the problem itself (c) a plan for solving the problem (d) the application of the solution (e) the result

7. Case Study Pattern Case Study of an Individual Brief Intro Parag. ----- - PATIENT/CLIENT - SYMPTOMS: Problems & Diagnosis - TREATMENT PLAN: Components, Application, and Results/Prognosis ----- Brief Conc. Parag.

8. Standards for Writing a Case Study Use of Verb Tense, Tone or Voice, and Style: Case studies usually are written in the past tense—after the patient or client has already been seen and helped and there is a result to the assistance. The tone should be quite logical; in some settings, it also should be cool and distance, whereas in others a tone of warmth is allowed or even encouraged. In any case, a case study of any kind is a scientific document, so it should be written as such.

9. Logical, Inclusive & Thorough Being Logical, Inclusive, and Thorough: As mentioned above, all case studies are scientific forms of writing and thinking. Therefore, even if they are informal observations, they should not include mere opinion (unless it is a thoroughly documented argument). Rather, they are documents that must meet several important scientific standards.

10. Logical, Inclusive & Thorough Cont.. First, they must be logical: that don't use supposition or guesswork but rather careful logic in making observations. For this reason, they must only report what is observed, not the assumptions that might flow from it. A second important scientific standard is that a document must be inclusive. This means that you should not observe just what is convenient or what you first see. Rather, you must observe as a scientist does, looking for and including any kind of detail that might apply. A third important scientific standard is to be thorough. Do not simply write what you happen to see. Learn to look harder.

11. Example of Case Study CASE STUDY HARRY Background history At the time of our initial meeting Harry a 35 year old male was living in hostel accommodation with his partner who was expecting their first child. The couple had first met when Harry was dealing illicit substances. Offending history Harry was a convicted drug dealer and a prolific offender. He had been in prison numerous times for various offences which were linked with his drug usage. Drug and alcohol misuse Harry had a past history of heroin addiction and was treated with a methadone prescription. He was later admitted onto a Drug Treatment and Testing Order programme (D.T.T.O.) although he states that he was already clean by the time he started the programme. Client’s situation When we first started to work together Harry was stabilised on a low dose of methadone. The couple were very stressed due to Social Services involvement with their unborn child and Harry had approached his brother to ask if he could help alleviate the pressure by applying for a temporary residency order of the unborn child. His brother and partner had initially agreed but after giving the matter some consideration had decided that it would be too stressful and had declined. As a result the baby was put into short term foster care when she was first born. As a result of this situation both Harry and his partner were determined to prove they could be good parents to their daughter and went to court to fight their case. Harry managed to wean himself off his methadone prescription and become drug free and eventually after a long period of time they were granted a permanent residency order. Their daughter is now one year old and is thriving.

12. Continued Aughteris now one year old and is thriving. Support given to date • To keep the flat in good order and keep up do date with his rent • To help Harry stay clear of offending and criminal behaviour • To remain drug free • To attend regular appointments with Stonham and Probation Service Networking with other agencies Courts; Guardian for Child; Social Services; Probation; Midwife; Health Visitor; Housing Options; Tristar; Birchtree; Pathways and Stonham Outcomes Due to Harry successfully completing his Drug Treatment Programme with The Birchtree and proving to the courts and other agencies that he and his partner could meet their Daughter’s needs, they were granted custody of their Daughter. Harry and his partner have maintained their introductory tenancy and Tristar will be looking at giving them a permanent tenancy. Stonham have carried out a planned exit and he will be leaving our project next month. I have referred him to Pathways, an outreach worker will be working with him, when our support ends. Conclusion A multi-agency approach when working with clients with complex needs is the way the way forward.