Family Case Study Report: Intervention Strategies and Reflection

This family case study report examines a family experiencing conflict, focusing on a mother, her three children, and her partner, Adam. The report details the family's history, current needs, and the tensions arising from Adam's attempts to establish authority with the children, particularly the eldest daughter, Sarah. It applies systems theory to conceptualize the family's situation, emphasizing the interconnectedness of family members and the importance of understanding each member's perspective. The report highlights the need for a social worker's intervention, exploring practice models and intervention strategies. The analysis includes a family genogram and reflection on the social worker's role in facilitating positive family dynamics and resolving conflicts. The case study underscores the complexities of blended families and the significance of communication and understanding in maintaining a healthy family environment.

Running Head: FAMILY CASE STUDY 1
Family Case Study Report
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Contents
Reason for Referral....................................................................................................................4
Family History...........................................................................................................................5
Family, their stated and perceived needs and current circumstances.........................................5
Family setting.............................................................................................................................6
Conceptualization of the family’s situation – Systems Theories...............................................6
Current personal practice model................................................................................................8
Particular approach/model of social work practice with families..............................................9
Reflection.................................................................................................................................10
Conclusion................................................................................................................................11
References................................................................................................................................12

FAMILY CASE STUDY 3
Family Case Study Report
Client Name:
Date of Birth:
Assessment date/s:
Family Genogram
Family Genogram diagram
The below family genogram represent the conflicting issue that Emily and her family
are facing. This tool can be used as an effective technique to resolve the problems between
Sarah, and Adam so that the best possible social work practices can be adopted in the process.
The behavior pattern that is reflected in the structure highlights the prevalent issue between
the eldest daughter of Emily and Adam due to which the relationship between the couple has
also got adversely affected. This instrument would basically expose the family to the
principles of social theory and help the practitioners to determine the main source of
conflicts.
The family has been referred to the social work program so that the situation would
not get worse among the members. Since the current issue could be possible between the
other kids and Adam, it is vital to control the family environment. The facts available indicate
that all members especially Emily and Adam must take an initiative to improve the situation
so that a cordial setting is created in the environment.

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Reason for Referral
The environment that a family exists in includes various complexities which must be
tackled by all the family members as a whole. This approach is essential for the proper
functioning of a closely-knit family. In certain tense circumstances, the involvement of the
family social care might be necessary to help the family members rise above a crisis or
difficult situation. Since such social workers assist families and individuals to get through
grueling times, this option can be used by people when they go through tough conflicting
situations in their home(Agha, et al., 2016).
In the current times, the role of the social workers has gained significance since the
conflicts that arise in the family environment arenot uncommon. Various changes have taken
place in the social front due to which people in the families are demanding more space to
grow on the personal front. The levels of family needs have undergone significant change due
to the influence of religion, media, social class, geographic location, etc.
This degree of change has further expanded the importance of social work practices
with families. The embracing of the reality of cultural diversity, types of family systems, the
impact of culture on family function, levels of interaction, etc must be considered by the

FAMILY CASE STUDY 5
social workers in order to grasp the circumstances of the family members so that the best
solution can be arrived at.
As per Chafai-Elalaoui, et al. (2015) , the support of the family members is important
and it has a direct impact on the home environment. These aspects have a major impact on
the overall growth and development of a child (Chafai-Elalaoui, et al., 2015). A particular
family scenario has been highlighted in the report and effective intervention techniques have
been included to reduce the degree of friction among the family members. The position of the
social worker is extremely crucial to help the family sustain happily.
Family History
Family, their stated and perceived needs and current circumstances
The family whose issues are on the forefront consists of a mother and her three kids.
The eldest daughter, Sarah is sixteen; the son, David is fourteen while the youngest daughter,
Lizzie is eleven years old. The mother Emily has separated from the children’s father almost
ten years ago and she has basically taken the sole responsibility of bringing up the children on
her own (Chen, et al., 2014).
Three years ago she has met Adam and dated for quite some time. Then he has moved
in with Emily and her three kids about six months ago. In the initial transition phase, things
went on pretty smoothly between Adam and the kids but the current environment in the
family is full of tension. Adam has been exercising a significant amount of authority with the
kids and he believes that he deserves more respect from them. Sarah has not taken the change
very positively and she has expressed her dissatisfaction towards this attitude of Adam since
he is not “her father” and thus he has no right to “boss her around”.
According to Chen, et al. (2017), Emily has been a witness to all the family tension.
Even though she is aware of the fact that Adam is doing the right thing, she is unable to
convince him to withdraw from the situation because he feels should be more respectful
towards him. Such a tension has had a negative impact on the relationship between Emily and
Adam and thus she has ultimately taken an appointment for the whole family, including the
kids with a social help group to reduce the level of family tension (Chen, et al., 2017).

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Family setting
The family setting that has been presented here can be seen in a large number of
homes. Many marriages break due to poor communication model and authoritative approach
that is adopted by the family members. In such a case the elders in the family need to
understand the internal family system and adopt a friendly approach towards their kids so that
a transparent and positive relationship can exist between one another (Dalpiaz, Tracey &
Phillips, 2014).
In this particular scenario, the kids Sarah and David are teenagers, so obviously they
are undergoing significant changes in their life due to various factors like biological changes,
peer pressure, need to fit in, etc. At such a sensitive stage, a rebellious attitude is not
uncommon from their end.
Even though Adam might have a positive intention but the approach adopted by him
is not right. In fact, the authority that he is trying to use might be reasonable from his
perspective but the same might seem absurd from the point of view of the kids. Even though
Adam is staying with Emily and her children, it is not easy for the kids to accept him as their
family member (Evsyutina, Trukhmanov & Ivashkin, 2014). They require sufficient amount
of time and exposure to build a strong and healthy relationship with him.
The family has knocked on the door of the social worker group since the relationship
between the family members has changed for the worse and it requires urgent attention. The
involvement of all the family members in this session is a positive sign since it would help all
the members to know the point of view of the other individual (Gagnier, et al., 2014). The
addressing of the specific needs of all the family members is necessary in order to avoid
conflicts and tension in the family.
Conceptualization of the family’s situation – Systems Theories
In the social work system, the social workers face a number of obstacles in the line of
their work. The systems theory is an important tool that examines the human behavior as an
intersection of the impact of various interrelated systems. While dealing with individual
concerns, family issues, societies, organizations, etc, all the systems that are inherently
involved must be taken into consideration so that a holistic picture can be derived to
understand the issue (Houghton, et al., 2013). In the 20th century, various scientists,
philosophers have offered the definition of systems theory in their disciplines. Since the

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theoretic model follows the concept of interrelated parts that influence one another as part of
the whole subject.
As per Jong, Schout & Abma (2014), in the family systems theory, the individual
family members must not be evaluated in isolation. Instead, they should be treated in the
context of the family. One of the most vitalconcepts of the theory relates to the triangle that
exists between the parents and the children. The most common form of this concept is parent-
parent-child relationship also known as “two helping one” (Jong, Schout & Abma, 2014).
The parents in any family system act as the pillars that protect the children from the
external surrounding. In the particular family scenario, Adam needs to play a positive role.
Even though he is not the biological father of the three kids of Emily, but he is a fatherly
figure who the children can go for advice and guidance. By adopting an authoritative attitude,
the relationship might get constrained between them (Jong, Schout & Abma, 2014). He
should take the role of a friend, philosopher and guide so that he can earn their respect. The
use of the systems theory can help the social worker to understand the perspective of the
children as well as the parents.
Since systems theory is used to design a holistic view of people that exist within an
environment, it can act as an effective tool to connect and influence different elements of the
environment. This theoretical model can be used in Emily’s family situation in order to
enhance the contextual understanding of the exhibited behavior that can help to introduce
appropriate practice interventions.There are large varieties of practice interventions available
with the social worker groups whose application depends on the exact context of the
situation. The most common tools include strengthening a part of the system in order to
improve the whole environment, adopting the networking and referrals model, ecomaps,
geograms, etc.
Emily, Adam, Sarah, David, and Lizzy all the family members need to be a part of the
session so that their views relating to the family environment can be taken into account while
devising the intervention strategy. The systems theory would actually be useful to assess the
family tension since the ideas and views of all the members could be understood and so an
effective consensus could be arrived at (Lundberg, 2014). This holistic approach would help
all the members to discuss their concerns in an open platform so that best measures could be
taken to enhance the family environment.

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Current personal practice model
The practice model that is used in the social work environment while dealing with
troubled families involves differentintervention strategies based on the specific hardships that
the familiesare going through. The intervention techniques are designed taking into account
the opinions of all the family members so that no party feels neglected or left out in the
process.
In case of Emily’s family trouble, the systems theories would be an effective start to
tackle the family issues. This approach would allow the social worker to understand the role
and requirements of each of the family members including the couple and the kids. In this
specific situation, Adam would have to take the initiative to be a healthy fatherly figure in
order to strengthen this crucial component of the family system (McNulty, 2015). Currently,
his intention might not be bad but the process followed by him is straining the environment of
the family. His need for respect is making him adopt an authoritative nature towards the kids.
This is a grossly wrong step that can be taken by a parental figure (Zainal, 2017).
In the present times, parents are trying to be friends with their children so that they
can share their personal feelings with them. This approach has a positive impact on the parent
and child relationship and strengthens their bond. As mentioned in the two helping one
model, the role of both the parents is crucial for the best development of the children in the
family setting. This is a sensitive family situation since Adam is not the actual father of the
kids and so they don’t feel that he can demand respect.
In order to improve the family health, both the parents have to take part in the process.
Emily cannot continue to be a mere witness. Instead, she should come forward and
communicate with both the children and Adam so that the differences between them can be
solved. She needs to have a healthy and casual discussion with Adam and she must suggest
him to be more polite and friendly towards the kids (Nunes, et al., 2014). At the same time,
she can tell Sarah to be more tolerant towards Adam even though he is not her father. This
approach could mellow down the prevailing environment at home and help all the family
members to have a normal family environment at the house.
The objective of the child and family social work would be to strengthen the parental
figures of the house so that they can be inspirational and approachable role models for their
children. Bringing about a positive change in the parents is a good move to strengthen the
family bond. Once they try to improve their attitude and behavior towards their children,

FAMILY CASE STUDY 9
automatically the children put in an effort to mend their ways in the process. So the particular
situation of Emily and her family is quite sensitive in nature but can be made healthier by
adopting the right attitude and effective communication model (Ohnishi, et al., 2017). During
the teenage phase, the kids are mostly impulsive so if Emily and Adam can adopt a
friendlierand less authoritative attitude towards Sarah, she could be more forthcoming in her
approach towards her home.
Particular approach/model of social work practice with families
The particular approach of social work practice that has been identified to enhance the
family environment is strengthening the role of parents in the setting so that the kids can look
up to them for guidance and solutions. Emily and Adam could work on their relationship so
that their bond with the children could improve. Even though in the current situation, the
fiction exists between Sarah and Adam, but at a later stage the issue could arise with David
and Lizzy as well. SO Adam needs to mend his approach towards the children so that they
can look up to him with respect and dignity (Shah, et al., 2017). He needs to understand the
simple fact that respect cannot be demanded but it has to be earned. By showcasing his
authoritative side to the kids, he is trying to earn respect in the family but this approach will
only cause the distance between the involved parties. Similarly, Emily can play an active role
in the family environment to reduce the extent of disturbance in the family. In order to
strengthen the role of Emily in this family bonding model, she has been included in this
particular social work approach. Since she is the mother of the kids, she can talk to Sarah to
have a more polite and tolerant attitude towards Adam.At the same time, she should discuss
with Adam about his authoritative behavior. Since the kids are going through adulthood, it is
obvious that they would need their own space and independence. At such a delicate time the
support from both the parents is required by the children so that they can be on the right path
(van Eeghen, et al., 2016).
This approach that has been designed for the family has been identified as potentially
helpful since the holistic view of the situation would help the parties to understand the views
of each other so that their differences could be discussed properly. The healthy role of parents
is crucial for the healthy growth of the children. The conflicting environment in the families
can lead to frustration and it could also have an adverse impact at the later stage of life. The
involvement of all the family members in the change counseling is a good move which the
social worker can exploit (Sharkia, et al., 2014). The open platform discussion could also be

FAMILY CASE STUDY 10
used to introduce an open and transparent communication between the parents and the
children where there will be no fear of authority or power. The approach would act as an ice-
breaking session which could make the family environment healthy for the kids as well as the
parents.
The strategyhas been designed after assessing the situation and environment of the
specific family. Since it involves a step-dad and the teenage kids, the role of the mother is
crucial in the process. She must take an active part to bridge the gap between the two parties.
Reflection
The role of the social worker is crucial to strengthen the family environment. They
need to carefully select the appropriate tools to eliminate the tension in the family and
increase the harmonious setting (Svojgr, et al., 2016). The intervention tool that has been
adopted in this scenario focuses on all the members of the family so that a positive
environment can be introduced for one and all. The major initiative would have to be taken
from the parents. This approach could be challenging at first due to the previously existing
differences and tension. But it would bring about a positive change in the family in the long-
run for all of its members.
Adam could make a positive contribution in the lives of Sarah, David, and Lizzy. He
could interact with them more often and show his friendly and approachable personality. He
should try to reduce his authoritative behavior towards the kids and give them space to
naturally evolve as individuals (Shultz, et al., 2015). He could also help them in their
assignments or help them in their extracurricular activities so that the differences between
them could be carefully solved. Similarly, Emily has an important role to play in the
invention model introduced by the social worker. She should voice her opinion and state what
she feels is right for the family (Stake, 2013). In case Adam is being very authoritative
towards her kids; she needs to take the stand for her kidsin a sensible manner so that the
proper message is conveyed to Adam. And when she feels that Sarah is being unnecessarily
rood with Adam, she must make her understand to be better-behaved towards him (Souza, et
al., 2015). This role of Emily would be crucial in the process and it could help to introduce a
positive change in the family circumstances (Svaasand, et al., 2015).
This method has been adopted after assessing the holistic picture relating to the family
tension that exists in the particular scenario. The approach has been designed so that the

FAMILY CASE STUDY 11
particular needs of all the family members can be taken into consideration and the most
effective solution can be introduced (Steinhausen, et al., 2015). The problem that has been
presented is quite common in the western nations but the complexity of the situation arises
due to the unique characteristics of the family members. The intervention technique has been
modeled taking into account the traits of Emily, Adam, Sarah, David, and Lizzy. The relevant
effort has to be made from all the family members to reduce the tension in the family
(Straussberg, et al., 2015).
Conclusion
The healthy family setting is a necessity for all families. It is a sensitive area that
needs to be carefully understood by the family members since the individuals present in the
family strengthen the bond between one another. In severe situations, the social workers are
introduced in the process in order to provide adequate counseling to the members. The needs
of all the family members must be considered while offering a solution to reduce friction.
This approach can bring about a positive change in the family environment. Different
intervention strategies are adopted by social workers based on the particular needs of the
family members.
In the given scenario, the objective of the social worker would be to strengthen the
family system in order to strengthen the family environment as a whole. The complexity of
the scenario is a bit different since Adam is not the biological parent of the kids. Sarah
exhibits a hostile attitude towards him when he acts in an authoritative manner. The specific
intervention tool has been designed to nourish the relationship between Emily and Adam and
help the children can accept Adam as a family member. The role of the parents would be
crucial to bring about the desired change and reduce the family tension. This change could
influence the kids to be open with them.

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