Social Work Case Analysis

This document is a Social Work Case Analysis that focuses on the assessment and intervention plan for a client named Matt Hughes. It provides information about the client's personal background, current situation, mental health, and concerns. The document also discusses the rationale for the assessment and intervention plan, necessary communication and assessment skills, and the social work ethics and practice standards involved. It concludes with a plan for intervention to address the client's needs and goals.

Running head: SWTP216/312 ASSESSMENT 2
SWTP216/312 ASSESSMENT 2
Social Work Case Analysis
Name of the Student
Name of the University
Author note

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PART A: SOCIAL WORK ASSESSMENT AND INTERVENTION PLAN
PERSONAL INFORMATION
Name of client Matt hughes
Contact details Address: 22 rome st starside
Preferred contact: mobile – 0615 678 950
Date of Birth Age: 32 years d.o.b: 17/01/1987
Source of referral Westside CMHS Mental Health service
Reason for referral Shifting in a new area
Presenting issue Transfer to new area from another mh service – see referral notes from westside cmhs
BACKGROUND INFORMATION
Family members Currently Matt Hughes is living alone. He has a brother named Steven, and he is very much
attached with his brother’s family. He has a daughter named Tammy is currently leaving with her
foster parents.
Nature and type of
relationships with parents, siblings, and
significant others
Steven is his brother
Tammy is his daughter

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Matt
Hughes
N/A
Father
N/A
Mother
Steven Hughes
Brother
Tammy
Daughter
Amber
Ex Girlfriend
Include a genogram (Hand drawn or use
genogram software. Include Legend of
symbols used - Attach as a separate page if
necessary.)
Employment/education Matt Hughes has studied up to high school level and does not have any educational or vocational
training further. Currently he is unemployed.
CURRENT SITUATION
Current living environment Matt is currently living in short term private rental shared accommodation a short distance from the
Stargate Centre.
Current financial situation Currently Matt in unemployed. He has a guardian/protective officer who manages his money and
receives his income weekly. This income comes from an estate left to him from his parent’s will.

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Physical health & wellbeing N/A
Mental health and wellbeing Matt has a diagnosis of schizophrenia and also has experienced both positive and negative
symptoms. He has experienced positive symptoms such as delusion, auditory as well as visual
hallucinations. He has also experienced negative symptoms such as repetition of thoughts,
confusion about reality, lacking attachment from social behaviour, withdrawn from regular hygiene
and others.
Currently, with medication and regular counselling his symptoms have been neutralised.
Traumatic events/history Matt has a Traumatic past during his early relationship period with his ex girlfriend Amber. He had
a family with his girlfriend and a child. However, the child was taken into foster care because he
and her girlfriend were unable to provide adequate nourishment. The relationship with his
girlfriend was not working very well and he sometimes even caused physical injury to his
girlfriend. After passing away of his parents the aggressiveness was increased and he also
experienced several schizophrenic symptoms at alert level.
Spirituality and/or religion Matt Hughes belongs from Christian religion.
Strengths (At the individual level and in
their surrounding networks and broader
social and cultural context)
Matt Hughes has a elder brother, who is always taking care of him in spite of having his own
family. Hence, currently the strength of Matt is his brother Steven. Matt is also very health
conscious and he quit smoking for that. Health consciousness is his major personal strength.
Vulnerabilities/challenges
(At the individual level and in their
surrounding networks and broader social
and cultural context)
Matt Hughes is very emotionally sensitive person, with lot of anger issues. Along with his
psychological vulnerability he always found himself very attached with social relationship, which
high fear of losing close ones, such as his daughter and brother. Matt also has a sense of self regret

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because of benign unable to be a successful person in his life like his parents and brother.
Client's concerns about current situation Matt is concerned that lately Tammy seems less and less pleased to see him on their monthly visits.
This has distressed Matt a lot as he looks forward to these visits. Matt was very upset on the last
visit when Tammy refused to see him and told him not to come back. The foster parents also
suggested that Matt leave it a few months before he tries to visit again. Matt says that he has
changed his life to be able to have a relationship with Tammy, so feels devastated that she doesn’t
want to see him. Matt reports that he is in recovery, but he is concerned that with all the changes
and his distress about his daughter he will become unwell.
Client’s expressed wishes or goals He wants what he had at Westside – a “good” case manager and a few reviews with a “good”
psychiatrist – “one that I can talk to about my medications and what side effects I need to know
about” He just wants to stay connected with his daughter, and that is why Matt recently chose to
move out of their service area to be closer to his daughter, Tammy.
ASSESSMENT SUMMARY AND
CONCLUSION
The primary issues of concern in this case study the mental health condition of the client Matt
Hughes and his feelings of losing his daughter. Apart from that providing appropriate medical and
psychological support to Matt in future is another concern. Matt is a 32 years old man and
currently unemployed, and therefore making him engaged in a professional field is another major
concern.
Taking the psychological stimuli under consideration providing him relief from his worry of
having another wrong medication, is the most essential one. Secondly, to keep him psychological
healthy, emotionally satisfied and stable resolving the problems he is currently having with his
daughter is essential. After that, on the third priority the employment process for Matt should be

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prioritised.
Developing a value and relationship based practice could help to sustain and even improve the
current social and psychological status of Matt. Through inter personal communication,
empowering his self-believes is essential for reducing his emotional stress. At the same time
making him involved in an professional activity will also empower him from social as well as
psychologically, while raising his confidence.
PLAN FOR INTERVENTION As per the conclusive discussion it has been found currently Matt needs supports for his several
emotional, social and psychological factors. On the basis of those interpretations the major goals of
interventions are:
 Increasing his confidence through reducing his fear of becoming ill again
 Communicating will his daughter Tammy and resolving the conflicts
 Making him empowered by engaging him in a professional activities or employment
 Ensuring a consistent support for his future in terms of medication, counseling and others
To achieve these goals the activity planning is required depending on the prioritised issues and
scope. The following activities could be taken:
 Communicating with his daughter and solving their conflict and making their relationship
healthy again
 Employing Matt Hughes

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 Raising the sense of confidence in Matt Hughes
 Ensuring a regular and efficient consultation process for his future medical and
psychological support.

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PART B: ANALYSIS OF SOCIAL WORK KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS AND ETHICS USED TO COMPLETE THE SOCIAL
WORK ASSESSMENT AND INTERVENTION PLAN
Please answer the following questions using full sentences and in text citations, writing in the first person:
1. Outline the rationale for your assessment and intervention plan using relevant theories and knowledge (You need to answer this
question with specific reference to the theoretical approach you have applied in formulating your assessment and intervention plan)
As per the theory of social worker, social a worker requires to work in partnership with people to facilitate empowerment, build on strengths,
enhance well-being and social inclusion and promote community development. According to this theory I have chosen to enhance his confidence
level trough employment and emotional empowerment. Providing resources such as education, skills, information and other essential resources
such as financial and housing is another essential responsibility of a social worker. Hence, for improving his financial support and self-
dependency, I have chosen to engage him in a regular work-life (O'Hara, Agi & Pockett, Rosalie, 2011). According to client social worker
relationship, I have to prioritise the emotional needs of the client as well and that is why I took the responsibility to communicate with his
daughter and to make their relationship healthy again through conflict management process. As a social worker valuing clients personal opinion
and perspective is also essential. Therefore, to make the client feel secured, I decided to arrange a regular counselling and clinical intervention
process. It will also allow me to keep track of his psychological well being.
2. Outline what communication and assessment skills you think are necessary for carrying out the assessment interview with this
client?
In case of Matt Hughes, interpersonal communication is the most appropriate way of communication. The theory of listening is also valid in this
context. According to the theory, clearly competent listening involves much more than taking in only the words themselves; it is a complex

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process we use to take in the entire message and accurately assign meaning to an incoming piece of information (Trevithick, 2014). Therefore, to
be a proper utiliser of communicational advantages I have to be an active listener. It will also allow me to observe both conscious and
unconscious through process. Observing the clients thoughts, will also allow me to communicate with him more clearly while prioritising his
emotional values and perception. Observing and using of proper language is also essential for this case. The use of language to convey
experiences, emotions, needs and wants is a fundamental human capacity and skill (Harms, 2015). In this sense, language becomes the means by
which people ‘name and evaluate the objects, sensations, feelings and situations they experience’. Observing the language of my client will
allow me to monitor hi emotional situation with his needs and expectation. It will guide me to provide proper intervention with adequate
empathy. Both verbal and non verbal communication pattern can have significant impact on the psychology and acceptance of the client. Hence I
have to be always careful about my language selection, my body language and other communication related components (Martin, 2010). I have
to ensure that none of these components is harmful for his social perspective, emotions and self esteems. Over many years, the acronym SOLER
has been proposed as a guideline for the optimal non-verbal positioning in an interviewing situation. is positioning was thought to re-ect a
genuine and respectful non-verbal orientation to the client. SOLER stands for sitting square on (that is, facing the client), with an open posture
(no crossed legs or arms), leaning forward towards the client to express interest, maintaining eye contact and being relaxed. Hence, for this case I
have to take care of all these factors during the communication inn order to have a noticeable improvement in my client.
3. What social work ethics, Practice Standards, and personal values and beliefs would you need to be aware of in your engagement and
assessment with this client? (You need to answer this question with specific reference to the AASW Code of Ethics and Practice
Standards)
As per the ethical conceptualisation of the social work, it is a profession committed to the pursuit and maintenance of human wellbeing. Hence
as a social worker I should have the aims to maximise the development of human potential (in this case the potentiality of my client) and the
fulfilment of human needs through providing the provision to pursue equal commitment. As per the Australian Association of Social Workers’s

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code of ethics I have to show the respects the inherent dignity to my clients while prioritising his worth and autonomy. I have to also respects the
human rights of my client and his daughter, brother and other associated individuals. For prioritising social justice in my practice I have to
promote justice and social fairness for all by acting to reduce barriers and to expand choice and potential for all persons including my client and
associated individuals (AASW Code of Ethics., 2012). I have to also maintain special regard for those who are disadvantaged, vulnerable,
oppressed or have exceptional needs. As a social worker it is my responsibility to apply my knowledge and my skills in ways that prioritise the
needs of my clients without considering any personal gain.

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REFERENCE LIST
AASW Code of Ethics. (2012). Retrieved from https://www.aasw.asn.au/document/item/1201
Harms, L. (2015). Working with people: Communication skills for reflective practice. Oxford University Press., ISBN: 9780195522280
Martin, R. (2010). Social work assessment. Learning Matters., Retrieved from https://trove.nla.gov.au/work/37679015
O'Hara, Agi & Pockett, Rosalie, (author.) (2011). Skills for human service practice : working with individuals, groups and communities (Second
edition). Oxford University Press, Australia ; New York., ISBN: 9780195562859
Trevithick, P. (2014). Humanising managerialism: Reclaiming emotional reasoning, intuition, the relationship, and knowledge and skills in
social work. Journal of Social Work Practice, 28(3), 287-311., doi: 10.1080/02650533.2014.926868