Marta Ramirez was referred to child welfare services because her two elementary-school-age children had more than seven days of unexcused absences from school during the term, the standard for educational neglect in her state. When Tobias, a child welfare social worker, met with Mrs. Ramirez, he found that the children had missed similar amounts of time when they had lived in another state. There had not been earlier investigations, however, as legal standards for educational neglect were different in the previous state. Mrs. Ramirez noted that her children had been frequently ill with “flu and asthma.” She also said that the children did not feel comfortable at the school, and they felt that the teachers were mean to them because they were Hispanic. In addition, Mrs. Ramirez had sustained a work-related back injury that limited her ability to get out of bed some mornings. As an undocumented immigrant, Mrs. Ramirez was ineligible for the surgery she needed. Finally, she acknowledged experiencing depression and anxiety. Tobias shared with Mrs. Ramirez the reason for the referral under statute and asked for her perspective on school attendance. He explained that child welfare workers are called on to assist families in having their children educated. He also asked about how things were going for Mrs. Ramirez and her family in their community. In doing so, Tobias explained his dual roles of (1) responding to the law violation by statute and (2) helping families address issues of concern to them. Mrs. Ramirez acknowledged that her children’s school attendance had been sporadic. She attributed this to their illnesses, their feeling unwelcome in the school, and her own health difficulties that inhibited her in getting the children ready for school. Tobias asked Mrs. Ramirez if she would like to receive assistance in problem solving, both about how to get her children to school and how to help them have a better educational experience there. In addition, although health issues were not served directly by his child welfare agency, Tobias offered to explore linkages with the medical field to address Mrs. Ramirez’s health and depression concerns. 

Describes goals that you might develop with Mrs. Ramirez. Link the goals with the problems that you have identified.