ASSESSMENT 3: INDIVIDUAL ASSESSMENT

Written Essay on a Given Case Study

Due Date: 03 January 2020

This assessment builds on your theoretical knowledge and aims to put that theoretical learning into application.

For this assessment, you will be required to choose a case study from the list provided below. You are then required to prepare an essay, proposing a detailed and integrated welfare system as a specific response to your chosen scenario. In your essay, you must:

·         Identify the welfare system/s relevant to the case study framework

·         Identify resources and support for the specific target group that can be accessed within the relevant welfare system/s

·         Evaluate the services suitable for the scenario

·         Word Count: 1800-2000 words

Your written essay should include at least 5 peer reviewed (scholarly) journal articles in addition to any textbook references. The format of your essay will be discussed in greater detail during tutorials.

Do NOT utilise sources such as www.tutor2u.com and other such web materials as these in no way constitute academic references for the purpose of your assessments. If you rely on such sources for theoretical support, you will be deemed NOT to have met the requirements of the assessment.

Case Study Options for Assessment 3

1.       Dave is a 26 years old male and has been unemployed off and on for the last 3 years. Dave had a difficult childhood and has been living and supporting himself since he was 14 years old. He enjoys the unemployment lifestyle because it allows him to be the master of his own time and gives him freedom to do other things. However, the money he gets is barely enough to survive on, and so he supplements his unemployment payments with under-the-table casual, undeclared cash work. Dave has issues with drugs and authority but is confident in himself and his skills and abilities. He hates being bored and often skateboards around town, sometimes dropping into cafes to see if there is any work for him. The paid casual jobs that he’s secured have been from his own job search efforts. He strongly believes in his own abilities, although at times he feels employers can be judgemental about the way he looks.

At present, he does not want a full-time job; his ideal lifestyle would be to work in the winter and then enjoy the summer by going on unemployment benefit.

As a community services worker, how can you help Dave increase participation in work and reduce reliance on unemployment benefits?

2.       Sam is 17 years old and has been drinking alcohol for the last three years. Having been suspended from school at 15 years of age, Sam did not return to education and has been unemployed since 'officially' leaving school. Recently, Sam has become bored and has started hanging around with a group of older youths who are involved in offending and who drink every day.

Sam's parents have become increasingly concerned about him and are now at their wits' end because Sam has been charged with:

·         Shoplifting

·         Possession of cannabis

a.       What are the issues for Sam?

b.       What can be done here for Sam if he attended your place of work & were asked to assist him?

c.       Who can help? What services can help Sam and how would you can get Sam to engage with these services?

3.       Lilian is a 22-year-old Aboriginal woman. She is 30 weeks pregnant with her first child. Her partner is Johnny, a 30-year-old man. They have been together for 18 months.

Last week, Lillian and Johnny had an argument about finances which resulted in a physical altercation where Lillian was physically assaulted and choked. Lillian contacted the police for assistance.

The local police responded and when Johnny answered the door, they asked for him to speak outside and spoke to Lillian separately inside. The police completed a family violence report and assessed Lillian and Johnny’s situation to be high risk.

They police decided that they would apply to the Courts for protection for Lillian and her unborn baby from Johnny and removed Johnny from the home. Johnny had access to accommodation at his mum’s house and the police issued paperwork excluding Johnny from the family home.

The police then referred Lillian to your organisation which specialises in assisting women who are victims of family violence.

a.    What are Lillian’s needs?  Take into consideration how Lillian may be feeling.

b.    What welfare services can be offered to Lillian so as she can move forward considering her baby is due very soon?

c.     Please discuss.

4.       Steve is a 21-year-old man. He has a history of growing up with family violence and as a result, he spent a lot of time in foster care and residential homes in Melbourne. He is Aboriginal but does not know much about his heritage and is having some identity issues. He has recently left foster care and is getting pressure from his friends to engage more in alcohol and drugs. He is not really sure what is next for him; he doesn’t have a job and feels overwhelmed about life.  

5.       Lance is 76 years old. He has a great family that support him quite well and does not want to go into a nursing home. He lost his licence a few years ago because his eye sight was deteriorating. His wife also died two years ago, and he is starting to feel lonely as he feels all of his friends are passing away. He is not as social as he used to be. Although his family come and visit him weekly, he feels they are busy with their own lives. He does not want to be a burden as he feels he still wants to give back to the community. He struggles to clean the house and crime has increased in the area and he is worried that something might happen to him because he is old and an easy target for criminals.

6.       Clara is 24 and has been in a wheelchair since she was two. She wants more independence as she still lives at home with her mum and dad. She has not been able to find suitable accommodation options for her that support her needs. She wants to be out and about like other young people but feels like her wheel chair and her protective parents are stopping her from being able to do things like other young people she is starting to feel depressed about this.

7.       Michael is 45 and has suffered depression and anxiety since he was a teenager. He was recently admitted to hospital due to a panic attack and lost his job due to having too many days off because of his mental health challenges. He has some supportive friends, but they seem to not know how to help or support him anymore. His ex-wife has custody of his five-year-old child and even though he has a good friendship with his ex -wife, he feels like he has failed as a parent and is failing at life in general.

8.       Ahmad is a refugee and aged 18. He is the only one in his family that made it to Australia. He does not speak much English and is traumatised due to his experiences in his home country. He wants to go home but knows he cannot. He does not know where to start in regards to starting life in Australia. He really wanted to be a doctor and to be able to return home someday to his people in his country, but his family want him to stay in Australia.

9.       Max is 16 and has been in foster care for 2 years. He recently ran away and is now living in a residential unit where he met another young person who was recently caught stealing cars. Max really likes his mate and has stopped going to school. Max has a few friends that have been involved in Juvenile Justice and he thinks they are cool cause they went to foster care just like him. Some of his mates are in prison at the moment and Max is really missing them. Some days he wishes he was in there just so he could hang out with his mates again.  Max really wants to be a mechanic one day because he loves cars and he heard that his grandfather that he never met was a race car driver.

10.   Samantha is a 28-year-old Aboriginal single mother of a 2 year old son. Samantha lives in social housing and is currently not working. She receives some Centrelink benefits to care for her son. There are concerns of Samantha’s current boyfriend who has been staying with her, that he is abusing Samantha when he has too much to drink as reported by Samantha’s neighbour. Samantha is keen to get back to school and get work that would accommodate her son’s needs as well as allow her to move out of social housing as she doesn’t feel it is a suitable environment for her son. Most of her family lives out in the country making it difficult to help care for her son or follow her dreams.

Assessment Criteria