Reading Summary Assessment on Family, Ethics, Assessment, and Attachment Theory

This reading summary assessment covers topics such as family, ethics, assessment, and attachment theory. It includes information on the definition of family, ethical dilemmas in social work, risk assessment tools, and the importance of infancy. The summary also discusses the attachment theory and its impact on child development.

Reading Summary Assessment

Table of Contents
INTRODUCTION...........................................................................................................................3
MAIN BODY...................................................................................................................................4
CONCLUSION..............................................................................................................................10
REFERENCES................................................................................................................................1

Week 1: what is family
From the first week, it can be summarized that, The Australian Bureau of statistics have
defined the family as lone parents with resident children, couple with or without children and
families and the families of related adults like brothers and sisters living together where no
parent child or couple relationship exists, all comes under the definition of a family.
In Australia, the trends of marrying and having children at older age has increased. Few
people many and have fewer children. Divorce rates have peaked and separations and re-
partnering have also contributed to an increase in step and blended families. All the trends a re
interrelated and related to socio-economic situations and changes in social values. The fertility
rates and adoption rates are constantly declining too. However improved treatments have enabled
couples to have their biological children (Bowes, Grace and Hodge, 2012). Earlier mothers were
considered to be caretakers of their young children however it is important to acknowledge that
caregivers other than mothers, relations with siblings, re-partnering and divorce also contribute
in different family structures.
From the applying critical social work in direct practice with family, it can summarized
that the critical social work can be applied in social workers (Weiss‐Gal, Levin and Krumer‐
Nevo, 2014). The family structures and relationships of families and the relationships between
parents are the centre of well being for children. Children do good when the families spend time
with them and respond to their emotions sensitively and emotionally as well as understand their
needs and problems. This week have focused on the relationships of children with the parents
and the impact of theses relationships have on children.
Week 2: Case work with families, casework, empathy and ethics
From the week 2, it can be summarized that the social workers have the obligation to follow the
ethical dilemma in their daily practice. In the cases given in the book, provides the codes of
ethics which recognizes core values, standards and ethical principles which guide the practices of
members. The social workers are expected to act in consistent with ethical principles whenever
the conflicts or issues arise. Malpractices refers to their forms of negligence which violets the
standards of practice and results in the injuries to client. The social workers must satisfy the

conditions which support the claims of malpractice. In the life of a social worker the code of
ethics is seen as a necessary but insufficient tool for decision making (Lundy, 2011). The agency
policies offer additional expectations which may conflict with other codes. The informed
consents which are valid and voluntary are also essential part for initiating the social work
interventions. While in some cases the oral consent is sufficient even when the consent is
provided in written. Social workers also have to maintain confidentiality and do not haver to
disclose the information willingly which is obtained from client's confidence. They also have the
duties to warn and report from the potential harms. Social workers have various responsibilities
to the workplace and also for the social change and social justice.
From the journal of child and family studies Empathy as an essential foundation to
successful foster parenting, it can be summarized that the foster parents are the people who act as
guardian and parents for a child in the place of a child's biological parents but without legally
adopting the child. The foster parents plays a very important role in the safety and welfare of a
child. They provide home to maltreated children who are placed out of home care and have to
perform challenging tasks for their living (Geiger, and et.al., 2016). The journal involves twenty
foster families which have fostered children for over 5 years. It describes their interviews in
order to demonstrate the resiliency. Empathy is the key aspect and and essential foundation for
the resiliency. In the journal the foster families demonstrate empathy in 3 major ways which
involves the way they were fostered, way with their biological children and with child welfare
workers. It can be summarized as fostering, adopting and biological demonstrate the empathy
towards children an the experience of being a foster family.
Week 4: Assessment and advocacy skills
From Practice skills in social work and welfare more than just common sense, it can be
summarized that, the risk assessment tool must be used to analyse the issues and the risks factors
of each issue. The information is recorded in order to assist in prioritising the preventive
measures (If any) which needs to used (Cui and et.al., 2021). The tool aims to assess which
people re at low risk and suicidal inherit factors. The domestic violence tool can be used for anti-
oppressive ways though. These tools are increasingly used in social work and welfare practices.
While some risk assessment frameworks can be performed in consistent anti-oppressive
approaches and maximizing the strengths of the client, the tensions do exist between the
practices with the focus practices on assessment of risk.

It can further be summarized that, from the cross cultural perspective various practices
such as strength based practices and strength based skills, culturally competent practices are used
to assess the values and traditions to strengthen the perspectives. It concentrates upon
undertaking mental health assessment who is unaware of their referrals. Social workers are
obliged to make DSM-4 diagnosis which is culturally competent practitioner should be aware
about the cultural bias contained in the tools. Further its can also be summarised that it is very
important to remember taking other matters as distinct cultural expressions for emotional distress
in account when assessing the culturally diverse clients.
From Social work, social justice and human rights textbook it can be summarized that the
social workers must be engaged in the helping process with the individuals and their families
regardless of their practice settings such as hospitals, prisons and schools etc. It is important in
social and welfare practices that the setting must be accessible which provides enough space for
privacy and comfort (Adams, 2011). The social workers must tune in with the patients which
means that the worker must get in touch with the personal feelings, concerns and bias regarding
the problem situation and persons. Generally, the social workers must consider the comfort and
references of their people involved in oral work practices. There must be a therapeutic
relationship between the patients and the social workers. In the initial process of interview the
social workers have to inform client about agency and what can be expected from the service.
This makes up the initial agreement clarifying the agency's obligation and relationships with
agency. Social workers listen to life experiences of people and then assess the degree of human
rights which are violated which must be done in accordance with assessment format and
assessment tools such as family tree, eco-map and life line etc. after making thee contract the
process ends.
Week 5: Anti-oppressive and strength-based approaches
From the second edition of practice skills in social work and welfare, chapter two it can
be summarized that the learning practice skills are the participatory process in which students are
engaged in listening and reflecting upon themselves. The students should engage in the wide
range of activities which can be observing and reflecting upon role plays or even offering
intimidate feedback to their peers regarding performances (Egan, Maidment and Connolly,
2017). For example, in the classroom, students are emphasis on enraging in constant learning
from their own experiences because experiential learning is the best way to learn something.

Providing and using constructive feedback is considered as a gift in learning process. However,
not every one considers it as gift as they feel had or react badly to constructive feedback.
Further it can be summarized that technology has assisted the students in leaning practice
skills such as video digital technology in various discipline. For example in the classrooms,
projectors and laptops are sued to conduct lectures. Video recording during the lectures enables
the students to carry out self assessments. Role plays can also be used for self assessment. It is
extremely important to acknowledge cultural diversity in learnings. Learning practices also
enables to identify and examine own assumptions about notions for helping.
From the textbook promoting family change: optimistic factor, chapter 2 it can be
summarized that there are a range of approaches which can be used to work differently with the
families (Parrott, 2014). It includes solution-focused, narrative, cognitive and community
building approaches. The author provides example of Jen's family as an example to illustrate the
differences in all the approaches. Every approach highlights the positive change through which
changes occur differently. As every approach concentration on family and community is more
than the work initiative. It views that for individuals, communities and families change is
possible. It can be challenging process but underlays the optimism that things do not have to stay
the same always.
Further from the depth analysis of chapters the solution focused approach states that what
works should be discovered rather than focusing on the problem. In the narrative work approach,
various dominant stories such as guilt, fault and blame etc., about the experiences of families are
related to the labelling. These stories affect families as well as lead the people to identity
domination by the influence of problem. Cognitive work states that individuals must identify the
thoughts and note the connections with their feeling in their families and in community building
approach, concentration on building encouraging and web relationships to contribute the social
capital of families.
Week 6: family issues engaging children and infants
From the textbook Handbook of attachment: theory, research and clinical applications, it
can be summarized that the attachment concept can be better explained with the help of
attachment theory (Taylor, 2004). The theory of attachment have gained various achievement. It
has moved from one person phycology to a relational theory. It has also saved psychoanalytical
perspectives in the clinical field. Many phycologists have concentrated upon the relations

between various relationship with self. It was also analysed that the relationship assessments
were stable from 12 months to 15 months. The frequencies of behaviour involved smiling, crying
and clinging etc. event in the adult phycology, the powers of studying the relationship qualities
with the individual characteristics has manifested. They theory played a key role in solving
conceptual; problems which were of great importance in development psychopathology. It also
descries the attachment experiences combined with the other developmental influences such as
child vulnerability and insecure infant attachments. But why a child acts in a p[articular
behaviour with a particular attachment develops one problem whereas the other children with
same attachment develops different problems (True and et.al., 2019). The change is lawful which
can be predicted from one extent. Over the period of time perspectives of attachment changes
and behaviours changes. The attachment theory has been proved very useful to contribute in
parent diverse fields.
From the book supporting vulnerable babies and young children interventions for
working with traumas, mental health and illness and other complex challenges, it can be
summarized that it focuses on the international concentration upon the importance of infancy as
an important period which is in reality an urgent plea to policy makers and program developers.
The providers to respond with various services which hold babies and their families in mind
around the world. The study provides valuable resources for art of infant and early childhood
mental health. The experiences might differ however, the strategies which focus on social and
emotional needs of young children in order to nurture relationships between healing and helath.
It provides means to handle struggles top reduce the huge risks ODF disorders of infancy and
also supports the well-being of all children facing conflicts and crises.

REFERENCES
Books and journals
Adams, R. ed., 2011. Working with children and families: knowledge and contexts for practice.
Macmillan International Higher Education.
Bowes, J., Grace, R. and Hodge, K., 2012. Children, families and communities: Contexts and
consequences.
Cui, J. and et.al., 2021. Managing Risk in the Pro-Empowerment Era of Mental Health Care: A
Cross-Cultural Study of Social Work Perspectives in Hong Kong and Sydney. The
British Journal of Social Work. 51(3). pp.831-848.
Egan, R., Maidment, J. and Connolly, M., 2017. Trust, power and safety in the social work
supervisory relationship: Results from Australian research. Journal of Social Work
Practice. 31(3). pp.307-321.
Geiger, J.M. and et.al., 2016. Empathy as an essential foundation to successful foster
parenting. Journal of Child and Family Studies. 25(12). pp.3771-3779.
Lundy, C., 2011. Social work, social justice & human rights: A structural approach to practice.
University of Toronto Press.
Parrott, L., 2014. Values and ethics in social work practice. Learning Matters.
Taylor, C., 2004. Underpinning knowledge for child care practice: reconsidering child
development theory. Child & Family Social Work. 9(3). pp.225-235.
True, F. and et.al., 2019. Supporting vulnerable babies and young children: Interventions for
working with trauma, mental health, illness and other complex challenges. Jessica
Kingsley Publishers.
Weiss‐Gal, I., Levin, L. and Krumer‐Nevo, M., 2014. Applying critical social work in direct
practice with families. Child & Family Social Work. 19(1). pp.55-64.
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