Week 12

Some of the things I got to do at the agency this week were: finish filing and tour Valle Vista hospital in Greendwood. I managed to catalog 10 boxes of closed files of the kids who are now aged-out of the juvenile system. This was a huge task that has taken me several weeks to complete. Touring Valle Vista was an awesome experience as well. We were greeted by an enthusiastic tourguide who treated us to some Starbucks coffee and pastries. The group got to meet and ask questions of several staff members. The group also saw the various wings of the hospital. Several staff members advised me getting my masters directly after BSW. I do believe I'll take their advice!
Integration question:
HBSE/Macro: How can you determine what the formal and informal boundaries are in a community? Defining community boundaries is easier when one is within the community. However, speaking directly to members of the community in a face-to-face environment makes for a more comprehendable set of instructions about how to operate within boundaries.
*Alternative: Research/macro: What does the research show regarding how often boundary violations occur and in what areas? Provide the link to the abstract or article and citation.
I wasn't able to login to EBSCO host, but I did find an outdated article PDF version at <http://drmwilliams.com/pdf_files/Boundary_Violations.pdf>. This article discusses boundaries when using psychotherapy. Most of the boundary violations include things that have been ruled-out because of the Code of Ethics such as sexual intercourse with a client or accepting gifts. The article addresses boundary issues as if to warn against them. One would be under the impression that boundaries are crossed often in this field.

Week 11

Tuesday and Wednesday of this week really brought a lot of open cases together for me. The first day, I researched 5 clients and created files. I did some copying and faxing in the afternoon. I also attended a couple meetings with probation to discuss agreements/disagreements on dispositions of clients. I was familiar with one of the cases which can be referred to as 'Mimi.' This youth is another one of those 'sad cases' where no one can do much of anything in the line of what the youth wants because the family is searching for stability. At the meeting, it was decided that Mimi should have a short-term placement option before being placed in a home where Dawn services can be in place. The home study we did investigated a man that the youth formerly knew as Dad until a couple years ago. Youth's biological dad is in a nursing home at age 36, and Mom is bipolar. I really hope the youth will be placed at the location of our home study, but many involved parties have apprehensions about such a placement because the homeowner (whom only Sophia and I have met) seems 'creepy.' Wednesday, my immediate supervisor was out of the office, so of course the fax machine had to run out of ink. Lela and I struggled to locate an unused toner cartridge to replace it with. Then, I tried to find an electronic copy of a form which led me to help Lela obtain electronic copies of forms she needed. The success rate of such an activity has yet to be determined. Lela and I also met a new client in detention. He was only 12, but tough enough to talk without using any diction. He was restless, difficult to understand, and fresh out of 5th grade. He did a lot of complaining about the food in detention. Then I found five dollars.
Integration question:
HBSE: How might your assessment of a client differ from that of another person on your team, such as a nurse, doctor, or teacher? I've already noticed how my evaluation of a home study compares to the impressions a probation officer gets from a client. Every one has a story, and every one has a different take on black and white documents proclaiming anything from prison sentences to church affiliations. I may have met with a client who cried to me and passionately expressed his/her hopes for disposition while the only person another team member has done is seen the client's name on a piece of paper and talked to his/her mom on the phone. We both show up at the meeting, but other members might be quicker to assume the worst when they know very little about the client's defense which doesn't always matter to every member of the team. I quickly realized how important it is to have different sources when peicing together a story. However, the system is under-staffed and overloaded with bad situations.

New Ethical Knowledge

During week 8 while I was filing at the 46th Street office, I overheard a public defender freaking-out about a referral. I was in a back room, so I didn't get to see the faces, but I distinctly remember the dialogue. "Ugh! I can't take that case! (Continued groans to attract the attention of passers-by) Look at the chart! 'Torturing or killing animals'- I don't want that case!" The public defender made it clear that she wanted nothing to do with a client who may have tortured or killed animals in his/her past. I realize that this client's actions lie well within the range of "immoral" for many individuals, but the reaction from this public defender scared me a little bit. Every client has a right to be defended because, not only are they are innocent until proven guilty, but they require adequate representation in court. Torturing animals is a huge red-flag for abuse, which is no excuse to commit crimes, but hurting animals is sometimes the only outlet for individuals (especially minors) who do not have access to or knowledge of therapeutic options. I never heard the PD say she wouldn't take the case, nor did I hear her place a request for another PD. However, I learned from my supervisor that she is required by law to have a different public defender aid the client since she would be biased. I also remember learning about such ethical dilemmas in an earlier social work class. I'm already learning what I can and can't handle emotionally because of my own family history. I might have too much of a soft spot for kids to be the person to defend of sexual molester, for instance. Ethical issues are of grave importance to define before entering any field of social work.

Spring Break- Week 10

This week has been crazy! I worked Wednesday and Thursday after coming back from vacation. When I walked into the office Wednesday, I was immediately whisked away to the detention center to meet two new referrals. Sophia and I were hoping to be quick since there was a meeting with the Dawn Project and a home visit soon to follow, but we found ourselves talking to the two kids for an hour. Both had very interesting cases. The male had issues that led him to injure himself. The female was in detention because that's where her bipolar, drug-dealing mom preferred her child to be--very interesting case. Anyhow, we left the center and drove to the Dawn Project meeting for the same client I attended the last meeting for. All the same women were there, and most were late as usual. The client had been doing so well bringing up her grades, building rapport with her counselor, getting into the community, and improving relations with her mom. Recently she got in a fight on the school bus with a boy that is currently under review. We rushed out of the meeting to make it to a home visit. We left a message on our way to a home where a 17 year old youth was on house arrest. When we found the place, no one was home. We left another message, but got back to the office to learn that the youth was detained for auto theft within the last half an hour. So, while we were trying to meet with him in the home, he decided to go steal a car. The rest of the afternoon was dedicated to learning about entering statistics for the database. Thursday was even more intriguing. I started my morning with some filing, grabbed an early lunch at my favorite deli between offices, and received some new referrals to begin building cases for. Not long after, Sophia and I went to a meeting that no longer required our services. We were scheduled to conduct a home study for placement for the female youth we spoke with Wednesday, however we needed more information from the youth. We went to detention and spoke with the youth about what Sophia and I were concerned about. The youth broke into tears because she fears her mother is not looking out for her best interest. Her mother does not agree with what our research determines would be the best fit for the youth outside the detention center. After meeting the youth and hearing how passionate she was about getting out of detention and into a loving home, Sophia and I drove to the home of the man the youth prefers to live with. After meeting him and seeing how much he cares about the youth's well-being, Sophia and I felt obliged to fight for the situation. Several underlying issues exist, but I hope to see the youth back at home with someone who cares about her well-being.

Week 9

Tuesday, Sophia and I talked with a few kids in detention. We had a meeting about all the midterm topics that needed discussed. Sophia signed the document, and I left for 46th Street office to do some filing. The next day I tried to get Lela, my task instructor, to sign the midterm documents, but she was gone. Wednesday morning was spent trying to fax documents to Lela at home. She didn't have ink, but I turned in the document with only my Supervisor's signature. Then I left for Canada the next night! (which is what I was really ready for) .
Integration question:
Policy/macro: What are the time frames needed for developing a treatment plan your agency from the time that the client enters your program. A: What time is needed rarely coincides with what time is had. Treatment plans are only put in place when the youth is out of detention and moving on to department of corrections or a treatment facility. Between the time a youth is referred to the social workers here and the youth's next court date, we have to find placement to suggest to probation or the judge that could be an alternative to the previous situation the youth was in. These times vary from a number of days to a number of months. Who dictates that policy? Mostly the judge. The other part comes from the behavior of the client. If a client is well-behaved, the process can be speedier.
WEEK's hours: 16.5
Hours to date:

Week 8

The past couple weeks I have put in some extra hours. Usually I work all day Tuesday and Wednesday, but recently there have been tours and meetings scheduled for Thursday mornings. This week we went to the Pendleton Department of Corrections where the high-risk juvenile sexual offenders are housed since it is the only juvenile facility licensed to receive high-risk offenders. We learned about all the programs they offer including STEP (Sex offense treatment and education program), GROW (Gang reality in our world), and (I forget the acronym for) a program designed to prepare residents to enter the army. We participated in a guided tour that began in the administrative building. We saw many inmates who looked at us like we were aliens. Some inmates recognized the public defenders we were with, too. We saw inside the rooms, met some of the staff, and got a feel for the programs offered there. When we met with a head administrative lady to initiate the tour, she said something that stuck with me. The approach she takes is, "Being here is punishment enough. The goal is not to focus on the things they've done wrong, but work on developing a lifestyle geared toward dealing with the environment they will eventually enter back into." MSNBC did a documentary on the facility as well. The tour guide told us that the main character they interviewed during the documentary was a star inmate who didn't spend much time in the facility due to good behavior and program completion. The inmate recommitted and entered into an adult prison not long after his release.
The other part of the week consisted of researching a client, meeting him while he was detained, and filing. The boy I met had a history of running away. He was ready to get out detention since he has been there a year now. He wants to be placed in a treatment facility, but it is likely that the judge will see how many times he has runaway from the facilities and decide that a secure location like boy school would be best.

HBSE/micro: What theories of development would be useful for you to know about in your field placement? I like to keep Erikson's theory of development in mind. Industry Versus Inferiority and Learning Identity Versus Identity Diffusion are two commonly witnessed battles in my field. The kids I work with are school-aged from around 5th to 12th grade. These two stages of development are constant considerations at my placement. I also see lots of social workers in my field utilizing the Strengths Perspective. They will begin meetings with what is going well or the overall strengths of the client.

WEEK's hours: 18.2
Hours to date: 137