Unit 10 Applied Understanding of Human development and behavior
Unit Learning outcomes
By the end of this unit students will be able to:
LO1 Review how an understanding of theories of human development affects social and community work practice
LO2 Assess how an understanding of the range of influences on development through childhood and adolescence enables effective social or community work practice
LO3 Describe how social or community workers can take into account the impact of life events in adulthood in providing support to adult service users
LO4 Review the role of social and community services and workers in supporting individuals through significant life events.
Assignment Brief and guideline
Activity 1
- A case study analysis in a form of a word document.
- Word count guidance: 2 500 (-/+ 10%) as a guide you will not be penalized for going under or over.
- References (Harvard Referencing)
Unit 10 Social and community work
Scenario:
Read the case study provided. Imagine you are a community and/or social worker and your role is to support Kenny. You are asked to write an analysis of this case by your manager.
Unit 10 Social and community work
Case study
Kenny and his family live in London. Kenny, aged 11, is described by his mother Christine, aged 29, as ‘difficult, demanding and out of control’. Christine asks for your support in managing Kenny’s behavior, as she fears that as he approaches adolescence she will no longer be able to manage him. Kenny lives with his mother, her partner Ray and their children, Steven, aged six, and Bethany, aged four.
Christine and Ray have been together for seven years. Christine describes Kenny as an ‘accident’. At the time she was dependent on drugs, earning money as a prostitute to support her addiction. All of her money was spent on drugs. She was living with Greg, Kenny’s father, who was dealing in drugs. Kenny was born eight weeks prematurely and was drug-dependent. He spent three months in hospital. Christine visited him infrequently, continuing with her drug use and earning money through prostitution. Kenny was a difficult baby. He cried a lot and was difficult to settle. He was slow to walk and talk. Kenny would be left with a number of different carers, often left in his playpen for hours. Greg has a history of violence and would frequently beat and punch Christine.
At the age of two, Christine’s mother, Judy, was increasingly concerned about Kenny particularly as Greg was being increasingly abusive towards Kenny, striking him on the face, pushing and shoving him, shouting, and calling him names. Judy was concerned with the conditions in the home – the lack of furniture, toys, and food in the house. With Christine’s agreement, she took Kenny to live with her. He lived with his grandmother for a year during which time he appeared to benefit from the stability and routine. Kenny gained in height and weight, developing his language and play skills, attended the local playgroup where he enjoyed playing with the other children. After a year and having left Greg, Christine took Kenny to live with her in a flat close to her mother. Christine describes this as a difficult time as she sought to withdraw from the drugs on which she had become so dependent. She was often depressed, resulting in Kenny spending lots of time in his room playing with his toys. Greg would visit on occasions. However, their relationship remained volatile. Christine describes her mother as great support, continuing to help her with Kenny’s care. Kenny started school at four. However, he found it difficult to settle; he was slow to learn and was unpopular with the other children. With support from the teaching staff, though, Kenny quickly learned to read and write and developed skills as a good footballer.
Christine describes meeting Ray as ‘the turning point’ in her life. Ray, a butcher, and Christine began to live together in his house in another part of the city. Kenny missed his grandmother and did not settle in his new school. However, with support from his teachers, he began to make progress, showing himself to be an able student. Christine tells you that despite all the problems they have with him he continues to attend school and is in the school football team. However, she is concerned that as he moves to senior school this may change. She admits that she does not have much contact with the school and does not bother to ask Kenny anything about how he is getting on. Kenny dislikes Ray, frequently ignoring him. His mother is caught between the two relationships and admits that she often sides with Ray to attempt to keep the peace’. Kenny refuses to join in family activities and now, Christine tells you, they just leave him behind as it ‘is easier than getting into a fight’. She says that Ray’s job means that they have a nice house in a ‘good area’ and they have made lots of friends.
Christine has a part-time job in the local supermarket and tells you that she has made many friends as a result of this job. She does not want Kenny to spoil this, particularly considering the life she used to have. With the birth of Steven and Bethany, Kenny spent more and more time out of the house.
By the age of 10, Kenny was mixing with older boys hanging around the local park. They frequently ‘dare him’ to do things – smoking, annoying the neighbors by shouting abuse at them, hitting other children. Local residents often call the police complaining about the young people hanging about the park and the vandalism that they believe they cause. However one of the local residents has approached the council for support in setting up a football team and skateboard area within the park. The local council is ‘sympathetic’. Recently the other boys have been encouraging Kenny to shoplift small items for them. One of the boys stole a car and when Kenny refused to get in the car, they called him ‘chicken’.
Source: Walker, J. & Crawford, K. (2007). Social Work and Human Development (Transforming Social Work Practice Series). London: Sage Publications Ltd. pp. 66-67.
Unit 10 Social and community work
Activity:
Produce a case study analysis in which you will:
- Evaluate how theories of human development can be applied in working with Kenny including a description of theories of human development across the lifespan.
- Reflect on the importance of an understanding of human development in working with Kenny, including a review of biological and environmental factors that have impacted his development.
- Critically discuss how physical and neurological changes can impact work with him in the transition to adolescence
- Assess the potential impact of prenatal factors on his development as well as review various life events that potentially have impacted Kenny through childhood and adolescence.
- Analyze how you can use a theory of attachment when working with him and supporting him through significant life events and in the transition to adolescence
Unit 10 Social and community work
Activity 2
- A guide in the form of a word document.
- Word count guidance: 2 500 (-/+ 10%) as a guide you will not be penalized for going under or over.
- References (Harvard Referencing)
Scenario
You will be running a series of sessions for social and community workers who work with adults who are coping with grief. You have been tasked with preparing a guide that can be used in the session.
Activity
Produce a guide for community/social workers working with older adults coping with grief. The guide should provide evaluation and information on how to support adults across different areas of their lives. Use headings in order to structure your work. In your guide you should:
- Evaluate how social/community workers can apply a theory related to coping with loss and grief in order to support adults going through significant life events as well as assess their role in supporting individuals through significant life events
- Examine the support available for adults experiencing significant life events in specific social and community services as well as describe different services available in a chosen locale.
- Discuss the relevance of theories related to development in late adulthood to supporting adults including a review of physical, psychological, and social changes associated with the aging process
- Describe the impact of different events on development through adulthood
Unit 10 Social and community work
Textbooks
- BECKETT, C. and TAYLOR, H. (2016) Human Growth and Development. London:
Sage Publications Ltd.
- BOYD, D. and BEE, H. (2014) Lifespan Development (7th Edn.). Boston: Pearson.
- STASSEN BERGER, K. (2014) The Developing Person through the Lifespan. 9th edition. New York: Worth Publishers.
- WALKER, J. and CRAWFORD, K. (2014). Social Work and Human Development
(Transforming Social Work Practice Series). London: Sage Publications Ltd.
- WILSON, J. (2014) Supporting people through loss and grief: Introduction for Counsellors and other caring practitioners. London: Jessica Kingsley.
| Learning Outcomes and Assessment Criteria | |||
| Learning Outcome | Pass | Merit | Distinction |
| LO1 Review how an understanding of theories of human development affects social and community work practice | P1 Describe theories of human development across the lifespan in relation to supporting others P2 Review the importance of biological and environmental factors on human development | M1 Reflect on the importance of an understanding of human development for social or community work | D1 Evaluate how theories of human development can enhance social or community work practice with a specific age group |
| LO2 Assess how an understanding of the range of influences on development through childhood and adolescence enables effective social or community work practice | P3 Assess the impact of pre-natal factors on human development P4 Review a range of life events that affect development through childhood and adolescence | M2 Analyse the contribution of attachment theory to supporting infants and children through significant life events and into adolescence | D2 Critically discuss how an understanding of the physical and neurological influences on behavior can impact social or community work with adolescents |
| LO3 Describe how social or community workers can take into account the impact of life events in adulthood in providing support to adult service users | P5 Describe the impact of different life events on development through adulthood P6 Review the physical, psychological, and social changes associated with the aging process | M3 Discuss the relevance of theories related to development in late adulthood to supporting older adults in social or community work | D3 Evaluate how application of theory related to coping with loss and grief can enhance the support provided through significant life events for different adults accessing social or community care services |
| LO4 Review the role of social and community services and workers in supporting individuals through significant life events | P7 Assess the role of the social or community worker in supporting individuals through significant life events P8 Describe the range of services in own locale that can support individuals experiencing different life events | M4 Examine the support available for individuals experiencing life events in a specific social or community work service | D3 Evaluate how application of theory related to coping with loss and grief can enhance the support provided through significant life events for different adults accessing social or community care services |
| Activity 2: A guide for social/community workers working with adults going through significant life events |
| Evaluate how social/community workers can apply a theory related to coping with loss and grief in order to support adults going through significant life events (D3) |
| Chose one theory (e.g Kubler Ross stages of dying/The Parkes-Bowlby attachment model of bereavement/ Worden’s tasks of mourning) and discuss to what extent it can be useful in working with adults experiencing loss in social/ community context. What’s the role of social/community workers and how can they use this theory to support people coping with loss and grief? |
| assess their role in supporting individuals through significant life events (P7) |
| Explain what is the role of social/ community workers – what can they do to support other people, what kind of tools/theories can they use? What are the limitations of their role (what they cannot do – eg. deliver therapy sessions or support financially). Explain at least 3 examples (eg. supporting emotionally/signposting/strength-based assessment) |
| Examine the support available for adults experiencing significant life events in specific social and community service (M4) |
| Choose one social/community service (eg. a charity) that supports adults and give a detailed explanation of what kind of support is available there (eg. therapy sessions, helpline, financial support, legal advice, etc.) You can include information on how adults can access this help and what are the requirements etc. Give specific and practical information. |
| describe different services available in a chosen locale (P8) |
| Chose three services in a place you live (eg. London) that support people experiencing significant life events (grief/unemployment/ divorce/dementia etc.) and write short descriptions of what kind of help they offer. Include the name of the service and location. |
| Discuss the relevance of theories related to development in late adulthood to supporting adults (M3) |
| Choose two theories (activity theory/disengagement theory/continuity theory), describe them, and explain how they can be used to support people in their late adulthood in the social/community context. You can give examples of projects or activities in which these theories can be applied. |
| review of physical, psychological, and social changes associated with the aging process (P6) |
| Choose two examples of physical changes, two examples of psychological changes, and two examples (six examples in total) of social changes associated with the aging process and explain how they impact people. |
| Describe the impact of different events on development through adulthood (P5) |
| Choose three events that impact development in adulthood (eg. marriage/loss/having children/divorce etc.) and explain their impact on people in their adulthood. You can use the interviews from week 7 to complete this task. |
Remember to add a short introduction and conclusions. Use sub-headings to structure your work!
Activity 1: Case study analysis 2, 500 words
Introduction: a summary of the case study and the aims of case study analysis
| Evaluate how theories of human development can be applied in working with Kenny (D1) |
| Compare and demonstrate to which extent theories (at least 2 out of: humanistic/behaviorist/psychodynamic/cognitive) can be applied in working with Kenny. Demonstrate their weaknesses and strengths when applied in social and community work. For instance, how cognitive theory can help us to understand how to communicate effectively with Kenny? How can the humanistic theory help us to understand why Kenny is seeking approval of older boys? What are the limitations of these approaches? |
| including a description of theories of human development across the lifespan (in relation to supporting Kenny)(P1). |
| Choose at least 2 theories (humanistic/behaviorist/psychodynamic/cognitive), describe them (who developed this theory/what are the key ideas, what this theory emphasizes), and apply it to Kenny’s situation. Use information from the case study to back up your point – for instance, if you write that during the first stage of psychodynamic theory (Trust vs Mistrust) Kenny developed mistrust – why is that? Explain in detail how these theories can be understood in relation to Kenny. |
| Reflect on the importance of an understanding of human development in working with Kenny (M1), |
| Explain why as social and community workers we need to have the knowledge and a good understanding of human development. How can it enhance working with Kenny? How can we use this knowledge? |
| including a review of biological and environmental factors that have impacted his development (P2) |
| Explain the difference between nature/nurture. List and explain both biological and environmental factors that affected Kenny – how did they impact him? For instance, how do you think genetics and, on the other hand, his family environment affected his development? |
| Critically discuss how physical and neurological changes can impact work with him in the transition to adolescence (D2) |
| Explain what physical and neurological changes will affect a young person at his age. How will they affect him? How will it influence working with him as a social and community worker? |
| Assess the potential impact of prenatal factors on his development (P3) |
| List, explain, and demonstrate to what extent prenatal factors affected Kenny. How do you think they affected him? For instance, how the fact that his mother was a drug user impacted his development? |
| as well as review various life events that potentially have impacted Kenny through childhood and adolescence (P4) |
| List and explain 2-4 life events that impacted Kenny’s development or can affect him in adolescence. How did they affect him? How can you work with it? |
| Analyze how you can use a theory of attachment when working with him and supporting him through significant life events and in the transition to adolescence (M2) |
| How do you think, which attachment style is predominant in Kenny’s life? Explain characteristics of this style and give arguments to back up your opinion. How can you use the understanding of attachment style to enhance your work with him? |
Conclusion:
- Summary of the key points
- recommendations/suggestions
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