Case Study
Read the Two Case Examples below and address the following questions in paragraph format (250 words max for each case). Use critical thinking skills and apply terms and concepts we have discussed in class from the text. You may want to apply the code of ethics for your major (social work/human services, etc.) in discussing your answers.
APA formatted references and in text citations are required. Full APA format is not required for this assignment.
1) A social worker employed in a county social services department as an eligibility worker has learned that local welfare reforms direct that she report any new children born to current welfare recipients. She fears that the new reporting requirements could prevent children born into welfare families from receiving income supports later in their lives. The worker is aware of the requirement that social workers should comply with the law. However, she is convinced that reporting newborns might preclude future essential services. The social worker also believes that the new regulations will create a new class of citizens (children born to welfare mothers) that might be discriminated against in various ways. She feels caught between complying with the law and ignoring the law to prevent what she views as likely injustice.
a. What is/are the ethical dilemma (s) facing the social worker?
b. Are these legitimate concerns? Why or why not?
c. As the social worker in the county agency, how would you respond in this situation? What are your possible courses of action?
2) You are a social worker at a non-profit social service agency that provides support services and training to help young single mothers achieve self-sufficiency. Over the past two years, you have seen Sarah intermittently. She has become one of your favorite clients, in part, because of her perseverance and her willingness to follow through on her commitments. Sarah is now 19 years old; her son, Seth, is two. Since you began working with Sarah, she has attended parenting classes and proven herself to be a loving and skilled mother. She has also completed her GED. With the help of housing assistance, she has been able to secure a two-bedroom apartment after being on the waiting list for six months. Eight months ago, Sarah got her first real job as an assistant teacher in a daycare center, working 20 hours per week. Sarah likes her job very much, and she excels at her work. The job pays only minimum wage, and provides no health care or paid time-off benefits. However, as an employee of the daycare center, Sarah receives free daycare for her son Seth. With her TANF, (Temporary Assistance to Needy Families) income, food stamps, Medicaid, subsidized housing, part time job, and free daycare, Sarah has managed to create a stable life for her son.
In the state where you practice, clients can receive TANF benefits for only two years. As you review Sarah's case file, you see that her welfare benefits will expire in one month. Sarah needs the welfare check to meet basic survival needs for herself and her son. If she budgets carefully, her welfare check and work income together just cover her rent, secondhand clothing for Seth, bus fare to work, the phone bill, and essential items like toothpaste and soap that are not covered by food stamps. Without her welfare check, Sarah is likely to find herself in the same situation she was in two years earlier, homeless with her young son.
a. What social work value does the state TANF policy contradict?
b. As a social worker, how do you comply with state law without violating social work values?
c. What options can you present to Sarah that will be empowering to her and her son?
