Do a Background & Objective

Cathy is a 26 years old Latine and African American woman with four school-aged children: Paul (11), Jacob (9), Robbie (8), and Jae (6). She is in a long- distance relationship with Jae's father Jeb (37), who is working in the oil fields in the state of Wyoming. Recently, Cathy's former foster mother, Lottie, called child protective services because of her concerns about possible homelessness. Cathy and the children slept in the car for a few nights when there was a problem with their new house. When Cathy and her children moved into the new house, they discovered it had a pest problem. Cathy immediately reported the problem to the landlord, who said he was unaware of the issues and that it would take a few days to hire an exterminator. With no assistance from family and friends and lacking the financial resources for a multi-night stay in a hotel, Cathy decided she and the children could 'camp out for a few nights in the family car until the new house was ready. Key Action Items Current/Main: Cathy is an engaged parent. She is committed to her children never experiencing the neglect and abuse that she did as a child. She always attends her children's parent-teacher conferences if she doesn't have to work. She enjoys her Friday night ritual of making popcorn and watching a Disney movie with her children. Cathy loves to have "dance parties" when she plays music and cleans up after dinner with the children. Cathy tries to maintain a schedule and bedtime routine for the children, but it isn't always possible with her work schedule. The family just moved into a three-bedroom house. Cathy's refrigerator has children's artwork on it and an A+ spelling test. There were dirty dishes in the sink, which Cathy profusely apologized about. The house is clean. The youngest two boys share a bedroom that has a double mattress on the floor. The older two have bunk beds. The top bunk does not have sheets on it, but there is a sleeping bag. The furniture, which was donated to the family by a local church, is functional but worn. This isn't the first time she started over before. She explains that previously when she was moving out of another place, she couldn't afford a moving truck. She realized that paying for a moving truck and movers was going to cost her the same amount of money to buy new things, so she moved without most of her belongings. Cathy works more than one job periodically and often has a friend or her former foster mom watch the children. At times Cathy works past the children's bedtime. Most often, she wakes them up and takes them back to the apartment. Occasionally, Cathy's former foster mom lets her sleep on the couch, so the children's sleep is not disrupted. The children are well-behaved, and all are doing well, although Robbie has problems reading and has been screened for dyslexia. Cathy attended the IEP meeting in which she had lots of questions and did not fully understand what was needed. She is trying to enroll Robbie in classes in the community to help with his reading; however, there is a long waiting list. Cathy is knowledgeable and able to access resources for the family as needed. Previously when she had difficulty paying utilities, she was able to have bills covered by a local agency. She receives SNAP and she is able to make ends meet occasionally using a local food bank. When she learned Paul needed glasses following a vision screening at school, Cathy was able to find someone to help pay for them. She also ensured the children were "adopted" by a local agency so they would receive gifts for Christmas. Cathy works in retail and has experience in many notable department stores. Her new supervisor wanted to hire her at a higher pay grade with more responsibility but could not because Cathy doesn't have a high school diploma or GED. Cathy wants to get her GED but says she has never been good in school. She struggles with math and doesn't like reading. She is proud of how good her children are in school and readily admits that she does not understand Paul and Jacob's math homework.

Jed currently works out of state in the oil fields in Wyoming. He earns more money in a week than he could in a month where they live. Jed sends home paychecks frequently. Cathy and Jed do video calls almost every day and he is a major supporter of her and the children. Jed earned a high school degree and started college community right after high school; however, he did not finish. Cathy has an elderly neighbor who sometimes comes to her house and watches TV while her children sleep at night if she needs to work evenings. In exchange, Cathy provides rides to the neighbor who is unable to drive. When interviewed, the neighbor says that Cathy is a loving mother and that she "would do anything for her kids." Cathy emphasizes that she will do anything for her children. She says that if she could only get a stable job that had reliable hours and health insurance, she would be okay. She says that supporting her family on her income is hard and she hopes that eventually, they can save up enough money to move to Wyoming to be near the oil fields where Jed works. She thinks that the cold will be hard, but she knows that being close to Jed will be very helpful. She's optimistic that there will be a lower cost of living. Cathy understands why she was reported to Child Protective Services. While she is upset, she knows that the instability and her housing problems aren't good for her children. Cathy doesn't know how she can really do everything on her own. She is hoping that the child welfare system can make referrals to help her support her family. Scenario 1: Child Protective Services investigation is launched. Scenario 2: During the second visit to the home, the CPI asks Cathy about her background. Cathy shares her history in foster care, the three pregnancies before the age of 18, the lack of child support from the fathers, as well as Jeb's physical absence over the last five years. The CPI notes the failure of the system to hold the fathers accountable and possible next steps to assist Cathy and the children. Scenario 3: In the course of the investigation, Cathy reveals that the neighbor fell and broke her hip two days ago and is unable to supervise the children for the foreseeable future. Cathy is working the day shift right now, but starting in three days she is expected to work evenings over the next 3 weeks. Ways to Measure Success History & Context Cathy has no relationship with her birth family. Her mother did not believe that her stepfather, Paul, had sexually abused Cathy and accused her of "seducing her man." Cathy has only talked to her mother since Cathy turned 18 and left foster care. At age 15, Cathy had her first child, and soon after she entered foster care. The child was the result of sexual abuse from her mother's boyfriend. Originally, prior to having the child, she stayed with a foster family while she was pregnant. She stayed with a foster family and formed a tight relationship with her foster mom, Lottie. After the child was born, she transitioned to a maternity home. Cathy continued to stay in touch with Lottie. Cathy had her second child at age 17. The father of the baby was her 24-year- old boyfriend. Cathy had wanted an abortion, but her boyfriend had pressured her to keep the baby. He broke up with her when she was eight months pregnant and has never seen the child. He's supposed to pay child support, but she has never received it. Cathy did well in the maternity home with her two children. However, she did not like all of the rules and wanted more autonomy. She could have stayed in foster care until the age of 21 had she continued in school. The maternity home allowed women to stay until the age of 24. The day after Cathy's 18th birthday, she left foster care with her two children. Cathy moved in with a friend that she had met while she was at a maternity home. She was so far behind in school she'd started taking GED classes, but she never continued. After a couple of months, Cathy moved out of her friend's home and moved in with her boyfriend. She had her third child at age 18 with her boyfriend. During this time, Cathy and her children lived in one of her friend's abandoned trailers. It was not hooked up to electricity or water, however, she convinced a neighbor to allow her to run an extension cord from his house and to use the hose. One summer when the kids were not in school, the family lived outside at a campground. The children reminisced about it being fun. They described it as a summer vacation, sharing memories of roasting marshmallows most nights and sleeping under the stars. Two years later Cathy met Jed, a man 15 years older than she was, who promised to be there for her and the children and raise them as his own. Two years later they had Jae. Now at age 25, Cathy continues to struggle because she does not have a GED. She loves her children fiercely and wants to make sure that they never experience the child welfare system. Demographics of Cathy's family: Gender: Cathy identifies as female, Jeb as male, and children unknown Sexual orientation: Both Cathy and Jeb identify as heterosexual Cultural assimilation is integrated with white, Latine, and African- American presences. Religion: agnostic Age: Cathy 26, Jed 37, Paul 11, Jacob 9, Robbie 8, Jae 6 Race/ethnicity: Cathy and all the children except Jae are Latine and African-American, Jeb is white, and Jae is Latine, African American, and Caucasian

Do a Prompts for discussion:

1. Imagine Cathy was referred to you by CPS for social work services to aid in her goals related to her and her children's safety, health, and overall wellbeing. Based on the information that you have about this case (from the case and video), first identify your 2-problem area(s) to focus on, then create a goal for each problem (in MAPS format). For each problem, identify at least 2 objectives (SMART format) needed to achieve each goal.

Use below format in your post.

Problem 1:

Goal:

Objective 1:

Objective 2:

Problem 2:

Goal:

Objective 1:

Objective 2:

2. consider the information you know about Cathy and the goals identified. Share which change oriented strategy or strategies you would implement with Cathy as the social worker. The change-oriented strategies to consider include task-centered model, crisis intervention model, cognitive restructuring, solution focused therapy, and case management. You can select multiple if applicable.

3. Describe in detail why you chose the strategy (strategies). How will they be helpful for Cathy in obtaining her goals?

4. Describe in detail how you would use a trauma-informed approach and trauma-informed care when working with Cathy and her children.

Refrences:

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=fixvDWs-M10

https://canvas.fsu.edu/courses/256719/files/26104196?verifier=JkKcGKZ7sNNSySDr77K0Al8KWB9lpombMeJPWjXe&wrap=1

Hepworth, D.H., Rooney, R.H., Rooney, G.D., and Strom, K. (2016). Empowerment Series: Direct Social Work Practice: Theory and Skills (10th). Cenage. ISBN-10: 1305633806.