Week 4

My first day back this week was very cool. I went with Lela to a school to obtain some records from the guidance department. The client will likely be sent to DOC (department of correction). Lela was looking for reasons to place this youth in an alternative place that centers around the child's needs instead of a purely correctional environment. She knew he had a low IQ, and his needs weren't exactly being met. She and I searched for presentable documents describing the kid's test scores in a graph form that might better show the judge where the client was in his education. Turns out, he was barely able to read at a 3rd grade level when he was placed in middle school. We met with the special education coordinator and reviewed conduct records and test results the kid had on file. The rest of my time at the agency was committed to researching cases through the QUEST system and creating files for clients who were referred to our sentencing department.
Wednesday was extremely painful to get through because I was handed lots of paperwork in the morning and stayed in my windowless office in front of computer for the full 8 hours. During my computer bonding time, I googled all the agencies of the presenters for the Children's Welfare League of America Conference. This was an interesting search because there was such a variety of presenters, and each agency specialized in an area of social work particular to a certain area of the nation. I created an information page containing the mission statements and identifying characteristics of the unveiled agencies. I was researching a couple of clients' background, and came across a plethora of interesting documents that made placement possibilities difficult. I wrote a letter to the department of corrections staff hoping to tour the facility as well.
Integration question:
HBSE/micro: Where do you think personality develops in terms of someone’s physical and emotional growth?
I think personality develops most when people are out of their comfort zones. Most of my adolescence was spent out of my comfort zone because I was just learning about my identity and limited rights as a minor. In my opinion, adolescence is when you begin to identify with particular aspects of personality. Many elders have informed me that your personality is not fully developed until you're 23 or 24.

Practice/micro: How does your personality reflect and influence how you work with clients and coworkers?
My personality is reflected by my openness with those around me and my willingness to participate in the improvement of social situations. I think people see me as a sociable and observant person with a respectable opinion. This influences clients to open up to me and feel like they have room to contribute to the conversation. With coworkers, I've found that my personality makes them feel very comfortable speaking about anything in front of me without hesitation.

Week 3

This week was my 21st birthday! I had to get up early and go to practicum when I would have much rather found some lonely bar on a Tuesday afternoon and had my first legal drink. Anywho, I completed the first draft of my learning plan BEFORE I listened to the seminar, which was my first mistake. I met with my supervisor to clarify a few things and get additional input. The tasks/activities sections are still pretty foggy, but I think the learning plan is coming together nicely.
I went to several staff meetings with probation on Tuesday. The afternoon was full of meetings where we sat in a cold room and told the head of the department what we thought should be done about several clients who were habitual offenders. Some of the suggestions of the probation department did not agree with what one particular probation officer wanted to happen, but it's all up to the judge in the end. Ethical issues were arising right and left because the staff only has the information that has been recorded on paper by officials and maybe an additional half an hour's worth of conversation with the kid in trouble. Sometimes it can be extremely difficult to believe the child when he or she has a history of deception or an unforseen diagnosis that requires placement in a facility that the family cannot afford. At one point, the head of the sentencing department held up a photograph of the child and asked if the picture looked as if the boy was developmentally delayed. Nothing in the paperwork said that he had any real disorder, but one has to wonder what important details get left out of some stories.
Policy/macro: What Indiana Bills & Resolutions for the Spring 08 Legislative Session are of interest to you personally? What Indiana Bills & Resolutions are of interest to you professionally? Describe their significance to you, your agency, & your clients.
Property taxes are currently of concern to me because I'm helping my boyfriend find a house to buy. Another issue on tomorrow's House Calender is homelessness, foster youth, and education. These are three areas that involve my personal empathy as well as relate to my practicum. Many of my clients have been placed in foster homes for a period of their lives because of situations that leave them homeless. People don't normally think of teenagers when they imagine a homeless person, but this is a status affecting numerous youth. For many kids requiring special attention in school, we find that there aren't enough facilities available providing cheap, alternative education. Since the agencies responsibilities include finding accessible education and treatment facilities, it is quite logical to pay mind to these policies.

Week 2

This week was relatively interesting. I got to witness a few court sessions as well as a staff meeting. I did a genogram for one of the kids and created files for kids that were referred to the agency. I also studied lots of boring policy stuff and rearranged my office the way I want it. I also did a lot of shredding for my facilitator.
1. How could doing research for classes impact my relationship with my clients? Since my class research involves a lot of policy and social skills, there are many ways I can apply this to the kids I work with. For instance, interviewing skills including expressing understanding and reflecting feeling and content help when I'm meeting with juvenille deliquents. Also, researching grants that have been written to supply kids with alternate choices outside of incarceration helps as well.
2. What is the agency policy about relationships at work? What are the consequences of infraction of the policy? The agency does not condone employee-client relations outside of the professional environment. One would be fired for becoming involved with a client. Fraternization is also looked down upon.

First Week

My best friend's mom used to work as a public defender for Marion County Juvenilles. She recently left due to burn-out. Since I was hard-up for an internship, she got me a job working for the person who now has her last job. Sophia and Lela are the two ladies I work most closely with. Both are loving cat owners with Bachelor degrees in Social Work.
Tuesday was my first interview. I had to pass through a metal detector the first couple days before I had a badge, and this was a huge pain in the butt. I met with Sophia, Judy, and Lela who seemed to be very excited to take me under their wings. They left everything up to me. I made my own schedule and got oriented right away. They showed me where I could use computers, phones, and workspace. Sophia took me to another office where some of the filing is done. I met about a jillion attorneys and social workers of all walks of life that day. The second day was very long. I started a day log. Wednesday consisted of making my own file for a client and getting to know the computer system a little better. In the afternoon I was prepped to visit four delinquents who were "locked-up." It was great to meet with the criminals and learn about what they went through and what's coming up for them. The last of the four youths needed some paperwork to be completed. It was all psychological background that will be sent to the children's resource group. The entire interviewing process took 4 hours. My supervisor left the two of us alone for about an hour and a half to finish all the psychological evaluations. That evening I did the same paperwork with the youth's mother over the phone. Friday I went in to do some filing for Sophia and watch a session of court. We didn't work all that hard on Friday, but I got to see some interesting aspects of her job.
Reflection/Integration: HBSE/micro: After meeting your first client, can you say what stage of development they are at, according to the theories you learned in human behavior?
I've met 3 clients so far. The setting is inside a juvenille detainment center. The security is much like that of a jail, but the delinquents were all ages 15-17. Some were murderers and others belonged to gangs or have been medicated most of their life. Lots of these kids are at the identity vs identity diffusion stage of life. Much of what they do is an expression of who they want to be seen as. They are capable of formal operations and ethical standards are becoming more clear. However, these teens are in a very transitional stage of life. Lots of them are very limited financially and are at their wits end because they have taken anti-psychotic or ADD medications all their lives.