Running Head: WEL302A – CASE MANAGEMENT 1
Assessment 3 – Case Study with Report
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WEL302A – CASE MANAGEMENT 2
Introduction
The case study chosen for this paper is case study 3.1: the Thompson family – dilemmas
of risk and intervention. In the case study Mrs. Beth Thompson is a widow of Anthony
Thompson and she lives with her daughter Irene who is suffering from intellectual disability.
Mrs. Thompson is also getting old and her son Tim lives in the family farm which is
approximately 500 kilometers away from the coastal town where Mrs. Beth Thompson and the
daughter lives. Tim received a telephone call from a neighbor who was concern with health
status of the two ladies. The neighbor feels that the two ladies are ill-cared for and the son should
take the necessary measure to ensure that the two ladies should be referred to a case
management.
Based on the information presented in the case study, it is evident that Mrs. Beth
Thompson and her daughter Irene are with complex needs. The first concern is that Mrs. Beth is
a widow and she is getting old. The second issue is that Irene is suffering from intellectual
disability and she has been living with her mother alone after the death of Anthony. By calling on
case management, the case manager will consider both Mrs. Beth and Irene the clients because
they require support. There are several questions that the case manager will ask Mrs. Beth and
her daughter Irene to establish the kind of support they need in order to improve their livelihood.
The essence of case management is to enhance the scope of treatment and recovery continuum.
This means that for case management to be successful, the program development plan must be
thorough and critically examine community resources to determine what form of assistance are
available and how case management efforts can help clients attain necessary assistance.
Report
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The conceptual approach to this case study was to define the budget targets to achieve
effectiveness of the case management. The best management was home care and was expected to
achieve the best since Mrs. Beth and Irene needed care. Analysis indicated that the benefits of the
home care is associated with the reduction of risk and the associated cost. Studies have showed
that home-care increases the probability of clients’ satisfaction. Apart from home care, Mrs. Beth
and Irene needed the support of community services which was delivered in varied approach to
ensure coordination, acquisition and delivery of services to meet clients’ needs.
In this case study, there is no doubt that Mrs. Beth and her daughter Irene are clients with
complex needs. As a result, their case management required high level of coordination with
external services. The case manager required close partnership with relevant service providers
which played critical role in facilitating the process. Since Mrs. Beth and Irene were no longer
attending church services and other social events, they both require the intervention of
community workers. The case manager requires a collaboration with the community workers
who are in the appropriate position to assist Mrs. Beth and his daughter to resume back their
normal life.
It is imperative to understand that Community workers whether qualified or not,
experience in the industry or specialization must at all times demonstrate throughout their
profession that they meet ethical standards of practices. The professional values of a community
are centered in the protection of practitioners, the community and the client. The professional
values are underpinned in ethical practice in community society like any other profession
(Martindale, et al., 2017).
In addition, the community worker is guided by code of ethics as well as a set of values.
For example, the community workers are committed to social inclusion and social justice, which
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is a fundamental to their practice. There are eight guidelines to professional values for
community workers: ethical practice, provision of service and supports, confidentiality in the
workplace, the regulatory framework, diversity, the workplace, professional development and
professional standing.
It is no doubt that community services in Australia play crucial role in the improvement
of health care system and wellbeing of the Australians who are faced with dilemma as in the case
of Mrs. Beth and her daughter. For example, majority of the community service programs targets
to improve the wellbeing of the people in the society especially the vulnerable such as the aged,
people living with disabilities, minority groups (Indigenous communities), young children and
financially disadvantage people in the community (Carson, et al., 2007). These services targets to
improve access to clean drinking water, medical services, education and social amenities.
Analysis indicated that community services have evolved along the historical, professional,
organizational and policy context. Nonetheless, the main objectives of the community services is
to improve the wellbeing of the society.
A review of community services in Australia indicated that many Australians do not
understand that the nature their functions and the scope of the services they offer due to the
broadness in the scope and approach. Also, the current community services are very different
from the community services that were in existence 150 years ago (Bar-on, 1990). The great
evolution is attributed to the changes in government policy, economics, culture and society.
For example, the statistics from Australian Bureau of Statistics showed that there were
9,287 organizations and business that were directly providing community service in 2000
employing approximately 341,447 Australians. This was an increase of 7 % from June 1996 and
81 % of the total employees were working directly on the provision of community services.
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In addition, there were 299,413 volunteer which represented an increase of 25 % from
June 1996. When compared to other industries, it is evident that workforce in community
services sector has continued to grow than the other industries (Walker & Mitchell, 1995). For
example, 268,400 people were employed in community services sector in 2006 with 220,800
working as Full Time Equivalent.
This represented 2.6 % of all workforce across all industries in Australia and also means
that there were 1,403 Full Time Equivalent employees in community service sector serving
100,000 population in Australia. Between 2001 and 2006 there were an increase of 16 % in the
workforce in the community service sector as compared to 12 % increase across all the industries
in the same period.
What makes community service sector workforce to grow faster than across all the
industries in Australia? The increase is attributed to the increasing social, economic and
governance problems in the community. People seek service from community service provider
for different reason including family support, domestic violence, short-term and long-term
demand for housing, crisis care, financial assistance and medical care. These are the core
problems that affects the communities in Australia and across the world.
Theories underpinning professional community services
Professional community services skills and knowledge was founded in the dynamics that
exists between tradition, social problems and institutional construction within the community
services. Over time, community services have incorporated theoretical perspectives from
sociology, philosophy and psychology (Hutchinson & Oltedal, 2014). These theories represent
ideas relating to the concepts that enables human being to understand and act accordingly.
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Literature review showed that there are five different theories of practice and modes of
understanding and action underpinning professional community services. These are: systems,
conflict, learning, interactional and psychodynamic theories. These theories presented ideas that
helps individuals to understand the concepts of community services.
It is imperative for a professional social worker to provide community services within the
confines of code of ethics. This include applying the principle of self-determination, human
dignity, individual worth, equity and social justice. They must practice ethical behavior in every
activity they undertake in line with the Australian Community Workers Code of Ethics
(Martindale, et al., 2017). He/she should not be afraid to seek help and advice where necessary
especially when confronted with an ethical dilemma.
As an ethical practice, community worker should be able to reflect on personal identity,
values and beliefs that negatively impact on the rights of others. Also, they should be able to
identify and appropriately address ethical issues including the breaches of professional
boundaries, privacy and confidentiality that may occur in their line of duty. It is also important
for the social workers to use their skills and knowledge for the benefit of clients, the common
good and the employing organization.
It is important for the community workers to buttress their professional practice on the
theory of community work as well as the principles that communities, groups, families and
individuals have the fundamental human right to access appropriate services and support. In
order to comply with the guidelines of provision of service and support, the community worker
should provide their services that meet the needs of communities and individual as well as
facilitating their rights to social justice and inclusion (Martindale, et al., 2017).
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They should be able to encourage their clients to give feedback on the effectiveness or
ineffectiveness of services. Avoid and prevent discrimination occurring in the community or their
place work. It is also important for the community workers to base their services on appropriate
evidence-based evaluation, planning and research methodologies. For the purposes of facilitating
effective outcome, the community worker should conduct a routinely improvement, evaluation
and monitoring of projects, programs and services.
Confidentiality and privacy is one of the fundamental code of ethics that community
workers should understand and comply with guidelines and legislation governing it. The
confidentiality and privacy of the employer, colleagues and service users should be adhered to
throughout the professional practices. To comply with the practice of confidentiality and privacy,
the community service should be familiar with the relevant legislation as well as the
organizational policies. They must inform their clients and service user who has access to their
information and the circumstance under which their information can be shared.
Provide the services users and their clients access to their own information and guide
them to make appropriate amendment where necessary (Martindale, et al., 2017). Whether the
information of their users and other services users are stored electronically or manually, the
community workers must ensure that the confidentiality and privacy of the information is
guaranteed. More importantly, the community worker must seek informed consent from the
client or any other service user before their personal information is shared.
Since the community workers are often working in a dynamic and complex
organizational structure due to statute and legislations governing the operations of the
organization, they should understand contradictory frameworks that can impact the effective
provision of services (Balau & Neageo, 2015). It is important for the social worker to comply
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with the statutory and legislation provisions such as mandatory reporting since it affects their
professional practice. The social workers should also handle the information of the user in line
with the principles and legislation governing the freedom of information, confidentiality and
privacy.
In addition, the community worker must inform their client or service user about the legal
limitation to their right to confidentiality and privacy. More importantly, the community worker
must ensure that the legislations and regulations should not infringed into the fundamental rights
of an individual by misusing the granted authority (Walker & Mitchell, 1995). In addition, the
community social workers, must understand the piece of legislation govern organizational
behaviors such as safety, health, workplace and inform the service user group wherever
necessary.
Community service is one of the professions that is very diverse and the community
worker must understand that they are operating within diverse communities. By acknowledging
and understanding the diversity of the community, the community worker would be able to
demonstrate his/her professional practice. This include understanding the sensitivity of the
diversity in all forms, thus complying with all the relevant legislations (Corti & Blaxland, 2015).
The community worker must be able to respond appropriate and accordingly to the diversity in
all forms. Upon encountering discriminatory organizational services and behavior against the
sexuality, gender identity, faith, ethnicity, housing status, employment, economic, beliefs, age
and ability, the community workers should be able to challenge using the relevant laws and
regulations.
In addition, the social worker should be able to recognize personal values and bias and
take the necessary steps to protect against any adverse impact that might infringed on the rights
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of others[ CITATION GWA16 l 1033 ]. In order enhance effective of their services, the
community workers must research about the cultural diversity of the indigenous communities
and individual. This ensures that their professional practices, services and policy development
are accordance with services and community user needs.
Like any other profession, community service involves the interaction of more than two
people in the workplace. This means that the community worker should have the ability to treat
other workmate with respect and takes personal responsibility of making sure that the working
environment is health, safe and productive (Fisher, 2011). To achieve this, the community
workers should be able to respect and understand the context and nature of the workplace. They
should also be able to continually use and develop skills and knowledge within the workplace for
the benefit of employers, colleague and service users. In addition, the community workers must
protect and acknowledge commercially valuable, sensitive or confidential workplace intellectual
property and information.
For the community workers to excel in their profession, it is necessary to gradually
undertake professional development throughout their career path. This also ensures that the
knowledge and skills acquire is current and informs their everyday practice (Yee, 2006). To
achieve this, the social worker must identify knowledge and skills remedy and gaps through
supervision, training or other means. The community workers should seek appropriate
professional advice, mentoring and support to address professional and personal limitations.
They should also be able to critically analyze the organizations, human service agencies
and profession as well as social institutions in all aspects of the community work. Also,
community workers must acknowledge personal accountability and responsibility for
professional, decisions and actions (Martindale, et al., 2017). In addition, they must
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progressively increase new knowledge and information about the profession, the sector or area of
practice through active engagement with research and enquiry. They can achieve this through
supervision of volunteers, staff and students in an ethical manner and from an appropriately
qualified knowledge base.
It is important for the community workers to understand that they do not only represent
the interest of the employer and the clients, they are also the representative of the community
work profession. Therefore, the community workers must conduct themselves with decorum and
practice with integrity as well as exhibits the behaviors that is acceptable in the community
(Martindale, et al., 2017). To achieve this the community workers must work within, understand
and know the ethical norms of the profession. It is imperative to maintain appropriate personal
and professional boundaries with colleague and service users. In addition, the community
workers must acknowledge and support the right of colleagues, members of the public, carers
and service users to make a complaint against the inept, unprofessional and unethical practice of
a community work practitioner.
The main domains of human service
The domains of human services help the community and social practitioners to
comprehend the different factors that affects theirs actions, decision-making and thinking in
practice. The domain constitutes of both the narratives held about those influence and influences
on practice. The main domains of human services are:
The society domain: This is the domain that influences practitioners’ performance in the larger
society in which the practitioner operates (Fisher, 2011). This narrative is centered on how
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institutions, communities and people behave and the illustration as to why they should believe
and value.
The community domain: The narrative is contextualized within the community within which the
practitioner is working. In the most cases human services are provided in the rural areas and
practitioners must practice in the rural and remote areas. The influence revolves around how the
community conceptualizes itself and its members, future and history.
The geographic domain: This relates to physical size, geographical characteristics and location of
a community as well as physical infrastructure, economic base, rainfall and terrain (Wendt, et al.,
2012). The narrative integrates both natural and built environment as well as the more abstract
aspects of geography such as the meaning, connectedness and spirituality attached to place.
The personal domain: The narratives centers around the practitioner as a person in terms of
social embeddedness, personality, relationships, point in the family life cycle, attitude, beliefs
and values, life experience, socialization, culture, ethnicity, race, gender and age (Cortis &
Blaxland, 2017). The personal domain also includes what each practitioner, consciously and
unconsciously, bring to the practice situation. These are the main domain of human services and
it has greater influence on how each practitioner performs his/her service in the community and
social work. These domains are important because it may have negative impacts on how an
individual practice.
The concept of social justice
The concept of social justice relates to the idea of universal justice as all-encompassing
virtue. The central concept of justice is the morality and it represent what is right and proper
comprising the entire morality and ethics. it should be understood that morality is not only what
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the laws provides it as right, but it also what is considered as right under a private life standard
(Balau & Neagoe, 2015). So, social justice represents an individual or organization whose
institution, behavioral model and culture do not systematically discriminate social groups or an
individual. In other words, social justice revolves around morality and ethics exhibited by an
individual or social group in the society. Regardless of economic, social, political and spiritual
status, an individual or social grouping should have the freedom to make their own choices and
live in an environment that does not discriminate against in terms of religion, policies, laws,
regulations, political, education, economics among others.
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References
Balau, C. & Neageo, A. (2015). The Concept of Social Justice – A Brief Historial Analysis .
Journal of Social Justice, 116-126.
Corti, N. & Blaxland, M. (2015). States of the Community Services Sector in New South Wales
2015. Sydney, AU: Social Policy Research Center.
Fisher, J. (2011). The four domains model: Connecting spirituality, health and well-being.
Religions, 2: 17-28.
GWA. (2016). Aboriginal Services and Practical Framework 2016-2018. Sydney, AU:
Department for Children Protection and Family Support.
Hutchinson, S. G. & Oltedal, S. (2014). Five Theories in Social Work. Sydney, AU: University of
Nordland.
Martindale, D., Olate, R. & Anderson, A. K. (2017). Practicing Professional Values: Factors
Influencing Involvement in Social Work Student Organization. International Journal of
Higher Education, 6(4): 1-10.
Walker, R. & Mitchell, S. (1995). Community-based Health Care: A Different Approach to
Health Outcome. Australian Health Review, 18(4): 1-13.
Wendt, S., Cheers, B., Francis, K. Lorne, B. & Schiller, W. (2012). Exploring social workers’
personal domains in rural practice. Journal of Social Work, 12(2): 194-210.
Yee, Y. J. (2006). Examining systemic and individual barriers experienced by visible minority
social workers in mainstream social agencies: A literature Review. Ryerson University.
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