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Yulia Koziaeva
Tula State Lev Tolstoy Pedagogical University Department of Arts, Social Sciences and Humanities (1-year master's program)
SOCIAL CASEWORK: SINGLE-PARENT FAMILY
Annotation:
In this article is represented the technique of individual social work with single-parent family.
Аннотация:
В статье раскрывается технология индивидуальной социальной работы со случаем на примере решения проблем неполной семьи. Процесс социальной работы со случаем включает в себя 12 стадий.
Keywords:
individual casework, single-parent family, the technology of social work, stage work with the case.
Ключевые слова:
индивидуальная работа со случаем, неполная семья, технология социальной работы, стадии работы со случаем.
Under the Family Code of the Russian Federation, «... every child has the right to live and grow up in a family, as far as possible, the right to know their parents, the right to enjoy their care, and the right to live with them, with the exception of cases when this is contrary to his/her interests. A child has the right to be brought up by his parents, ensuring his interests, all-round development, and respect for his human dignity...» [4]. However, today we often face with various categories of disadvantaged families. The implementation of the said paragraph of the Family Code in varying degrees becomes difficult in this type of a family. In particular, the child's right to live together with their parents becomes completely or partially unfulfilled if he lives in a single-parent family.
A single-parent family is a widespread socio-demographic group in Russia. This group has several definitions.
1. «A single-parent family is a family of only one parent with a child or a family with only parents without children». This definition indicates the subjects of single-parent families where there are not only single mothers or single fathers but also parents without children.
2. «A single-parent family is a family with only one parent and a child; a single-parent family is a small group with partial, incomplete bonds where there is no traditional system of relations: mother - father, father - children, children -grandparents». This definition expands the number of possible subjects of single-parent families and highlights the lack of traditional, healthy relationships among the members of single-parent families.
3. «A single-parent family is a family where one parent is absent (usually it is a father)».
Therefore, the concept of a single-parent family has many options. It includes, as a rule, the subjects of the social unit. The reasons for the formation of incomplete families have casual character (death of a parent) and intentional character (leaving the family, divorce, birth of a child out of marriage).
We will use the next definition of "a single parent family" as the category of families where the one parent living with the under-aged child (children) and carries of him (them) the primary responsibility.
A single-parent family belongs to the category of multi-problem families. Therefore, this family faces different problems. The following problems are the most common in Russia:
■ material problem;
■ the problem of combining professional and parental roles;
■ the difficulties of a single parent in the upbringing of a child and a child's own problems;
■ domestic difficulties and lack of time;
■ personal problems of a single parent.
There are single-parent families, which have specific problems. These families must draw attention to social programs aimed at solving specific problems of family members - such as the child's disability; many children; family deviant behavior (alcoholism, drug addiction, domestic violence), and others.
Single-parent families are the traditional object of social work in Russia. Single parents are a priority object of state social policy. Russian local social services of a new type were originated in the 1990s. Since that time, single-parent families were considered to be one of the main categories of families in difficult situations, and, therefore, in a particular need of social protection, measures and support.
Today there are about 1,500 family social services in the Russian Federation [3]. The experience of social work with single-parent families is quite extensive in these centers and departments of social assistance to families and children today.
It includes activities for rendering different types and forms of direct social support of single-parent families, including money help and household support, the advisory help (legal, social and pedagogical, psychological, etc.), rendering social support within the patronage, involvement of children and parents from single-parent families in the clubs of communication, «dating service», which are specially organized for them.
The essence of this broad and multidimensional activity is the assistance to one parent and his child (children) at the personal level for the solution of any problems of their activity, starting from receiving the grant put under the law, assistance in employment and ending at rendering psychological, legal, social and other services. As a rule, the need of these services arises during the periods of crisis, at emergence of any difficulties (in a family, at school, at work, with the close environment), at emergence of various psychological problems.
In general, it is possible to single out four main directions, developed today in practice of social work with single-parent families in the establishments of social protection:
■ rendering the emergency and urgent measures directed on a family survival;
■ the medium-term measures of various character directed on the maintenance of stability of a single-parent family;
■ the long-term measures of various character aimed at the social development of a single-parent family and its members;
■ the preventive measures of various character directed on the prevention of «casual» single-parent families cases.
On the whole, all types, forms, methods and technologies used by the social centers and offices are rather large. They carry out concrete practical social work with single-parent families. As a rule, their use depends on local specifics, realities and the actual needs of inhabitants of particular settlements.
Various forms and methods of social work are used for each specific single-parent family, it depends on character of family problems, their complexity, sharpness or neglect: social casework, group (club) social work, work within family consultation (family therapy), social patronage and individual work with the child, with the parent or with both of them at the same time.
We will consider casework, which we understand as the activity of professional social workers, based on psycho-social, behavioural, systematic concepts and having values; helping individuals and families to deal with psychological, interpersonal, socio-economic problems and problems of the development. This work is realized at the direct interaction with the client in a «face to face» or «in private» situation [1, p. 104].
The typical individual problems in practice of social work in the world are:
■ emotional problems;
■ family and personal crises;
■ family conflicts;
■ problems at work;
■ problems at school;
■ unemployment, etc.
Casework has the common and specific features: work with the client in the course of change, interviewing, establishment of the contract, planning, an assessment and other elements of individual interaction.
The process of interaction of the social worker and client includes passing of twelve certain interconnected stages [2, p. 198].
Further, we will consider the realization of twelve stages on the example of a case of Olga S. who applied to the Tula family and children's service Center.
The first stage. Olga S. was directed to the social worker. At this stage of consultation, the problem situation was revealed: Olga, 32, she is married, but does not live with the husband, the son is 10 years old. Olga works as a teacher at the secondary school, the husband hasn't been working for the last 3 years, and he takes Olga's salary by force, beating her. The expert created primary assessment of the situation, which formed the basis to draft a contract on providing social services. Olga gave her agreement to the services offered by the expert. After that, the contract on providing social services was signed.
Results and conclusions of the first stage: between the client and the expert the contact was established; the client is in a stressful state, closed, isn't confident in expression of the experiences and problems; manifestation of attention, tactfulness of the expert during an interview, tolerance and goodwill in relation to the client; the spent time - one week.
At the second stage, the client was still in the closed and cautious state. Expert's attentiveness, sympathy and heartiness allowed to define the reasons of Olga's fear, and also to adjust the atmosphere of trust between them. During communication the expert found out that meetings at lunch time on weekdays was more convenient for Olga, because her husband didn't know about her visits to the social center. When the reasons of fear were defined by the expert, it was possible to choose the approaches for solution of problems. These reasons were studied and considered in details.
Results and conclusions of the second stage: between the client and the expert the atmosphere of trust was established; the client is closed, but she realizes the reasons of her fears and she is ready to solve problems; manifestation of attention, tactfulness of the expert during the contact, goodwill in relation to the client; the spent time - one week.
At the third stage, the data of the first and second stages were generalized and the individual program of assistance was offered to Olga. Psychological, social and economic features of the personality and the situation itself were taken into account in this program. The program consisted of 4 blocks including legal, psychological, social and medical ones.
At the fourth stage the expert analyzed Olga's relations with relatives, with the close environment, and also the family microclimate. Olga's parents live in other city, but they maintain cordial relations with her. The colleagues are benevolent to Olga, they appreciate her as a highly qualified specialist.
Conclusions of the fourth and third stages: between the client and the expert the atmosphere of trust is strengthened; the client is less closed, she completely realizes the reasons of the fears and actively takes part in the development of the individual program; manifestation of attention, tactfulness of the expert during the contact, goodwill in relation to the client; the spent time -one week.
At the fifth stage there were definite purposes of the individual program for Olga. In this program short-term and long-term goals were defined. Long-term:
orientation to change the husband's attitude towards the problem (either to destroy, or to change and adjust everything). Short-term: to overcome the fear of taking independent decisions and realizing the responsibility for oneself and the child, understanding the validity of the family problems.
Results and conclusions of the fifth stage: between the client and the expert the atmosphere of trust is established; mutual coordination of the purpose which needs to be reached, methods which are necessary to use, and the tasks involved in the achievement of the purpose; the client realizes the need of changes, becomes more open; the spent time - one week.
At the sixth stage within the realized individual program, the expert used psychological trainings to increase self-assessment, training for understanding and changing motives and aims in relation to himself, other people, situations of communication and interaction. When the expert uses trainings, he takes into consideration social roles of the client: an employee, a respected teacher, a highly qualified specialist, a responsible mother, a good parent for the child.
Results and conclusions of the sixth stage: confidential relationships between the client and the expert are achieved: noticeable increase of a client's self-assessment, confident voice, actively contact making; the spent time - one week.
The seven, eight and nine stages were integrated in this case. The behavioral method of individual work used by the expert in work with Olga is aimed at the maintenance of positive behavior and includes the following steps: Olga's attention was directed on the positive sides of her life described at the sixth stage; the attempt to concentrate on the problem of the client's husband for the purpose of preservation of a family was carried out; the analysis of the staged problems.
Conclusions according to the following results of the seventh - ninth stages: the client got rid of fear to take independent decisions, realized the responsibility for herself and for the child, saw true nature of the problem, also Olga had a desire to involve the husband in the work for saving the family; the spent time - 3 weeks.
At the tenth stage the expert singled out and analyzed the following presumable risks in professional interaction with Olga: unwillingness to accept the help of other expert; fear to lose own positions and resources; disbelief that changes are possible; unwillingness to spend time on the work with all these problems; uncertainty.
At the eleventh stage in the course of assistance to Olga within the developed individual program, weekly stages for control were allocated: interviewing, questionnaires, psychological tests.
At the twelfth stage short-term objectives were achieved, and began to appear the improvements in long-term goals. So, Olga's husband showed willingness to take part in the work on the family problem. That, in turn, gives hope for preservation of a social unit of society and exception of emergence of a single-parent family.
By the example of work with Olga it is possible to mark out the following advantages of use casework with a single-parent family: the individual approach allowing the client to open more fully and come quicker to the planned purpose;
the concentrated, chronological and detailed description of the development of one extreme event in human lives (families) and its consequences; the improvement of concrete recommendations for experts of social work in case of a similar situation, and also more generalized recommendations for the similar moments in other, similar situations are also possible.
References:
1. Firsov M.V. Technology Social Work: a manual for schools. M.: Academic Project, 2007. 432 p.
2. Fokin V.A. Potentials of individual work with the case and their implementation in social education // V.A. Fokin, I.V. Fokin. Pedagogy. Psychology. Social work. Juvenology. Sotsiokinetika. 2010. V. 16. № 2. p. 198202.
3. The order of the Russian Federation (signed by the Chairman of the Russian Government 14.07.2012 N 1270-p). Ministry of Labor and Social Protection of the Russian Federation. Official website. Available at: http://government.consultant.ru/page.aspx?1619697/ (accessed 10.09.2015).
4. The Family Code of the Russian Federation (adopted by the State Duma of the Russian-term Federation of 08.12.1995) (as amended by s-from 13.07.2015 N 240-FZ). Art. 54, p. 2. Available at: http://www.consultant.ru/document/cons_doc_LAW_8982/d97e3158b12d1907 c420a43e1ce229d24956b2b9/ (accessed 10.03.2016).
