Case Studies
Case Study 1 Chris
17 year old Chris was involved in a car accident 3 years ago which left him paralysed from
the waist down. It took a long time for Chris to recover. Chris has always been independent
and while he knew his life would change dramatically, he was not prepared for the treatment
he would receive being out and about using his wheelchair. It appears, that some people
assume that Chris cannot do anything for himself, which is evident when they act surprised
when Chris mentions anything related to work. Some strangers have approached him talking
to him as if he had a low IQ. Chris also hates being involuntarily pushed in his wheelchair, a
egular occu
ence when he organises a ramp to get on and off a train. While Chris
appreciates that people are just trying to help, the loss of control can feel quite te
ifying.
Chris likens it to asking someone for directions, and them putting their hands on you
shoulders and pushing you the right way, rather than giving you the information. Any night
out has to be meticulously planned, as Chris faces access ba
iers to certain venues and many
train and underground stations do not have stair free access. Even catching a bus can be a
problem, if mothers refuse to fold up their pushchairs so that Chris can use the space. This
prevents Chris form doing anything spontaneous with his friends and girlfriend. Some people
have commented to Chris and his girlfriend that he is so lucky to have an amazing partner,
Chris’s girlfriend usually replies with “actually I’m very lucky to have him”. On a date night
with his girlfriend, Chris was attacked in the street by a random stranger who claimed “it’s
not right that a spaz like you should be with a pretty girl like her”.
Case Study 2 Claire
It took a long time before 12 year old Claire was diagnosed with chronic fatigue syndrome
(CFS). Doctors initially never believed her or her parents, blaming other factors such as lack
of exercise and depression for her sluggishness and inability to function. The symptoms of
CFS indicate that there is a problem with the central nervous system. Claire also experiences
negative attitudes about her condition from her school peers; pain can be invisible to the
outside world and they just fail to understand that her condition fluctuates. For instance, when
Claire was invited to a birthday party she was having a particularly good day and so had the
energy to join in all the activities. Little did her friends realise that the day wiped her out fo
the following few days. Seeing Claire with energy on some days and commenting on how
ad she feels on other days, reinforces a notion amongst her peers that she is somehow
“faking it”. If Claire is having a bad day she needs to use a wheelchair to reserve her energy.
The first week she used her chair, she heard her peers mutter “she’s such a drama queen”.
Claire is feeling increasingly isolated and there are fewer invitations to go out with othe
young people her age.
Claire had a particularly bad few weeks which prohibited her from attending school. The
school requested a meeting with Claire’s parents to discuss her attendance. Claire’s Mum felt
that the head-teacher did not seem convinced by Claire’s illness despite being provided with
Dr’s letters. Claire’s parents wo
y the school will exclude her and request that the county
council support them in making some adjustments to the school day and perhaps provide
funds for some home tuition while she was so ill. The council however refused to provide this
service.
Case Study 3 Katie
Katie is 14 years old and has Asperger’s syndrome. Katie finds it difficult to read people’s
facial expressions and tone of voice and is often unsure of how to respond. This has made he
feel anxious in big social gatherings and she is often known to stare at the floor in these
situations. Katie wants to be sociable and make friends but finds it difficult to initiate
conversations.
Katie’s Mum Sue was relieved that Katie had met some friends when she started secondary
school though it soon became apparent she was being used as a source of amusement and
ullied by people she believed to be her friends. Katie is not easily able to differentiate bante
from bullying and wanted desperately to fit in; which consequently meant that she accepted
the taunts. The school appropriately managed the harassment she was experiencing though
this did not help Katie with her feeling of isolation and lack of friends. Katie increasingly
spent more time at her computer on social networking sites. For Katie, social media was an
easier forum to engage with others.
A few months later, Sue received a phone call from a friend who had taken her daughters
phone and found explicit pictures of Katie. It became apparent that Katie had been
communicating with a 50 year old man; though Katie thought that she had been chatting to a
girl her own age. Katie is very trusting and tends to take people at their word; and therefore
had initially agreed to send an image of herself. Although, she soon decided that she was not
going to send anymore because she did not think it was right. However, the person she was
chatting to started making threats about posting up the existing photographs onto Facebook as
well as other threats to hurt her and her family. Sue had noticed that Katie had become very
withdrawn but had always maintained that she was fine.
The police were soon involved and the man who had groomed Katie was convicted. Soon
after Sue and Katie decided a fresh start was needed and moved out of the area. Although,
Katie seems much happier Sue feels she is now very overprotective of Katie which hinders
her from making new friends.
Case Study 4 Cai
Nisha and Dev are parents to a disabled child named Cai who is 10 years old. Nisha and Dev
have two other older children Lubna 12 and Ayran 14. Cai is ten years old and has Down’s
syndrome. So far, Cai has been educated within mainstream education. However, in the last
two years Cai has become increasingly unhappy and unwilling to go to school. He often asks
his teachers if he can join the class in key stage one (age 5) where he has friends. Nisha
suspects Cai might be regularly bullied and was informed by his teacher of an incident where
other children had been teasing him. Cai struggles to keep up with the teaching sessions,
although he does have the support of a special needs assistant who he really likes. However,
Nisha is concerned that Cai may not be receiving the support to achieve his full potential,
particularly as his teaching assistant is not SENCO trained. Moreover, Nisha questions
whether he might be better off in a special needs institution where he might gain friends,
learn at his own pace, receive specialist attention, and participate in sessions that give him
life skills and teach independence.
Nisha researches the special needs institutions within the Cornwall region where the family
live, but soon becomes sceptical about the quality of provision of the special educational
needs institutions which could offer Cai a place. Eventually, she finds a school which appears
to cater for all aspects of Cai’s needs. However, the school is 200 miles away in the city of
Bristol; which would require Cai to live away from the family home. Nisha never anticipated
aising a child for them to leave home at this young age which causes her some distress.
Nisha wo
ies that she will be left ignorant if anything were to happen to Cai or if he were
unhappy.
When the subject is presented to Cai he looks confused and expresses he does not want to
live away from the family home and without his
other, sister and cat Monty. A few more
weeks go by and Cai continues to not want to go to school. Another incident emerges at the
school where Cai has been the victim of a vicious prank where he was physically assaulted by
other school children. Nisha is called into the school to find his teaching assistant trying to
persuade Cai out from sitting under the table where he appears scared and upset. Cai’s school
teacher is very defensive about the situation and remarks that “we don’t receive enough
support for this sort of thing, how can we be expected to teach these children”
Multi-Agency Working with Children and Families
Multi-Agency Working with Children and Families & Adults
Role of legislation and Practice Guidance in Multi-Agency Working
Jacqueline White week MAW
This Photo by Unknown Author is licensed under CC BY-NC-ND
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Aims and Objectives of today’s session
By the end of this Lecture you should be able to:
Understand the different contexts in which law applies to Multi-Agency working with children and families
Week 3 https:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=iIm7OfqGN4g child welfare Herts
Understand the different contexts in which law applies to Multi-Agency working in relation to Adults (18+)
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Main areas of Child and Family Welfare
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Some Key Relevant Legislation (Children)
S.17 (Child in Need: CA 89)
S.47 (Child Protection: CA 89)
S.20 (Accommodation of a child: CA 89)
S.31 (Care Order – parental responsibility of child
en is shared between parents and Local Authority: CA89)
Note: under s20, Sixteen and seventeen year olds - the effect of Section XXXXXXXXXXChildren Act 1989 is that 16 and 17 year olds can accommodate themselves against the wishes of their parents. However the child must understand the consent that they are giving.
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The role of the Police in Child Welfare
Police powers - there is a common thought that when the Police use their powers under Section 46 to remove a child that it is then the Police who make the subsequent placement of the child. This is not the case.
By virtue of Section 46 CA89, when a child is taken into Police protection by being removed, the Police need to ensure that they are subsequently placed into accommodation which is provided/approved by the local authority.
http:
wakefieldchildcare.proceduresonline.com
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Police Powers
Section 46 states: where a constable has reasonable cause to believe a child would otherwise be likely to suffer significant harm he/she may: –
remove the child to suitable accommodation and keep him/her there; o
take such steps as are reasonable to ensure that the child’s removal from any hospital, or other place, in which he/she is then being accommodated is prevented.
Where a constable exercises the above power, the child is deemed to be under police protection.
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The Role of Education in Child Welfare
Keeping Children Safe in Education XXXXXXXXXXStatutory guide for schools and colleges published by Department for Education (DfE). Provides clear guidance about responsibilities with a focus on multi-professional working. Schools are expected to use this guidance alongside Working Together to Safeguard Children 2018.
Both of these documents are provided on BREO.
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Public Law Outline
The Public Law Outline (PLO) is the Ministry of Justice legal framework for children’s care and supervision proceedings.
PLO –