Community Resettlement Following Residential Care
Promporn Dokphutsa
Task 1
Explanation of Te Tiriti O Waitangi and its application in the social services
Te Triti O Waitangi was signed on 6th February 1840 at Waitangi. It significant to maintain the benefits of Maori people who living in New Zealand. It is concluded 4 important principles which are partnership, protection, participation and permission. These 4 principles are the basic necessary needs for Maori in term of living and culture. Therefore, while Maori people get engage into any social services, it is responsible for social workers to be aware and make sure that Maori clients have been treated with appropriate services.
Firstly, partnership refers to working together for agreed outcomes. A a social service organisations must ensure providing policies that the needs of Maori are taken into description when cooperating with Maori client and their family/ whanau. By building trust and rapport with Maori clients and their family/ whanau is the first thing to consider introducing yourself and getting to know more detail of clients by making friendship. As well as involve clients in every processes of care plan such as let them sign the contract to ensure health & safety support and fully inform need to be used.
Secondly, protection focuses on client’s privacy and safety. The social workers may following the Code of Rights and Code of Conducts to maintain client’s confidentiality while attending social service. As well as respect the right of Maori to enjoy their taonga in social service settings. To be able to make important decisions those are in their best interests.
Thirdly, participation is focused on service accessibility for Maori to make sure that their needs are met by asking or allowing them to participate in their care plan until discharge from residential care. Also family/ whanau engagement at all levels of service is another way to practice participation principle.
Lastly, permission is important for social workers to be considered while engaging to social service. Maori clients must be free to speak Te Reo Maori and participate in any Maori spiritual or culture practices.
To sum up, 4 principles of Te Tiriti O Waitangi are using to maintain and promote Maori’s physical and mental well-being and safety. Therefore, social workers have to provide as much as possible resources for Maori clients to make sure they needs are met and bi-cultural perspective by following Te Tiriti.
Task 2
Manage the intake process of a person discharged from residential care.
Context setting
Residential support to Adult(18-65yrs) with an intellectual disability
Individual
Group
Summary of reason residential care was required
SH
Adult (23)
A Maori lady is being discharged from a residential care after she has completed to 6 months stay. SH had diagnosed with Perthes Syndrome (Childhood disease of hip joint) since she was born. But when she is growing up she started showing challenging behaviour included physical and verbal aggression such as throwing, hitting, kicking, spitting, swearing and pinching. Therefore, her family/ whanau suggested transferring her to stay in the residential care facility to develop social skills and to be independent in her environment.
Contribution to managing intake process
Date
Notes/ key of information provided to the person
01/03/14
Receiving and collecting information of SH.
Receiving and recording referrals for a meeting.
Contacted SH family/ whanau and other key people and gave them access to the information for the meeting.
02/03/14
Service co-ordinator, house leader, CSW, Mother, GP, caregiver and healthcare professional have a meeting regarding to the improvement of SH.
03/03/14
All parties were agreeable that SH is ready to go back to the community.
Summary of information provided to the person regarding the role, function, services and legal responsibilities of the social worker and social service provider.
The intake process helps to identify and assess a client’s current situation, issues and needs as well as to determine the most appropriate and effective means of helping the client. Social workers and social service provider have to concern about client’s safety and wellbeing first before making any decisions during the process of discharged. Therefore, gathering data (qualitative e.g. interview/ quantitative e.g. number) to get personal information of client is necessary. It could come from the client, family’ whanau, friends, health care professional or other keys people who relevant to the care plan. Also physical and mental wellness of client is important to make sure the client is ready to go back to the community independently. Intake and Assessment is a reverential, organized process of gathering personal information of either clients or clients’ caregivers in order to facilitate service providers as well as clients to make informed decisions about the provision of the programme and/ or services. Social service organisation should make sure that they have progress their own timeline for intake and assessment that suits their programmes which lead in safe environment and suitable for the client/client’s caregiver.
Notes/ key points of how you completed intake procedures according to the discharge plan, legislation, ethical practice and in accordance with your workplace standards/ requirements.
Roles and responsibilities
As a social worker will need to create suitable and focused on working together with clients, taking into account individual differences and the cultural and social context of the client’s situation such as understands the concepts of culture, class, race, ethnicity, spirituality, sex, age and disability.
Allow client to participate in the processes by motivates and encourages participation.
Assists clients to gain their self-determination over their own environments. Provides choices for the client, gives accurate information by which the client can best decide.
In working with clients, the social worker uses her/his personal characteristics appropriately. May attends supervision to develop best practice.
Written policy and procedure
Admission criteria.
Intake and Assessment procedures.
Documents to be completed and retained.
Procedures to follow when a client cannot be assisted /referring on.
Information to be provided to clients.
Legislation relevant to the organisation.
Others notes/ reflections on the intake process.
Client’s safety and wellbeing must be the first consideration of the social service provider before completed intake procedures according to the discharge plan.
Task 3
Contributions to assisting the person to manage the transition from residence to the community
Date
Notes/ key points of any meeting or other communication details of actions related to assisting the person.
05/03/14
SH’s family/ whanau was consulted about the discharge from residential care facility.
06/03/14
Discuss with SH about her interests and goals.
08/03/14
Support SH in term of decision-making in her interests and being independence.
How did the assistance you provided encourage self-determination and discourage dependency on the social service worker or social service provider?
Respect the right of clients to self-determination and assist clients in their efforts to identify and clarify their goals. As well as giving an opportunity for clients to request and ask for their interests or needs, but always have to be considered about safety and wellbeing of client and people around. Social workers should use clear and fully inform clients of the purpose of the services, risks, limits to services, relevant costs, reasonable alternatives, clients’ right to refuse or withdraw consent, and the time frame covered by the agreement. Then, social service worker or social service provider has to be responsible to follow and review of client’s self-improvement after discharge from the residential care.
What people did liaise with in the community and how did this assist parties to the plan to contribute to the person’s resettlement?
Disability service agency is responsible to provide resources that suitable to the clients by following client’s needs and requests. Also assisting connects the client with plans and resources in order to help them cope. However, relevant factors may include client’s abilities, her resources, her needs, client’s goals, and identify what is important to the client, also any risk factors.
What resources did you manage, and what arrangements needed to be made for the transition from residence to community?
-Safety is the most important and first consideration for the social service provider to be aware and ensure client’s physical and mental is safe.
-As a social service provider has to be aware of “client’s cultural needs” to practice as a Maori. As well as promoting spiritual practice to maintain client’s customs and beliefs. Additional, cultural assistance should be provided to avoid of cultural conflicts.
-Disability needs of client is another factor to be considered. To ensure client is living in safety and friendly environment with her disability. And maintain physical comfort in her daily routine.
-Health needs for client may assist by regular visited of health care professionals and assist her with medication needs.
-Language and communication should be clear and understandable to client and her family/ whanau. Additional, interpreter may provide if needed.
Other notes/ reflections on the transition to community
As a social service provider makes sure the client is living in safe environment and surrounding with positive people and activities. Therefore, it may help client to improve her social skills and being independence in community.
Task 4
Assist the person to resettle in the community following residential care
Date
Notes/ key points of any meetings or other communication details of actions related to the person
09/03/14
Provide choices and opportunities for SH in term of her interests.
10/03/14
Allow SH to make her decisions by ensure respectful and confidentiality.
11/03/14
Fully inform to SH family/ whanau regarding to her decisions. Then discuss how to provide service and make her needs to be met.
How did you encourage self-determination and discourage dependency on the social service worker or social service provider?
Encouraging self-determination:
-Outlined agency’s objectives and appropriate legislations, backing up agency orders/kaupapa.
Provided information and fully informed SH of the limitations and possibility of the meeting, and allowed her to define the best options and which issues I could help her with.
Discouraging dependency on social services:
-Allow SH to express her possible solutions and choose her own best options.
-Where possible the agency would step away, so that SH could step up.
-Allowed SH to figure out so called “emergencies”.
How did you assist the person to identify requirements for life in the community, i.e. set aims and objectives?
Organised first meeting to provide intake assessment and referral accepted.
Then second meeting had set up to interview with SH to discuss her particular needs at this point in time. Ensure effective communication is being used and document her needs and prioritise what need to be done first into an action plan.
Lastly, arrange the key persons who would be responsible to action each of the itemised needs.
How did you assist the person to evaluate their participation in the community against their aims and objectives?
Identify progress against plan and review. Then asked scaling questions as to where SH felt she was in agreement to her hopes and her interests.
How did you assist the person to establish a community lifestyle that focused on both their safety and the safety of others?
-We established community supports before her transition such as 24/7 emergencies call if need any help.
-Educate basic skills to her family/whanau how to deal with her aggressive behaviour while she is living in the community.
-We discussed goals that will motivate her to gain her social skills and make more friends.
What progress against the discharge plan was achieved?
Her mental health status was unstable, according to the Epilepsy. Therefore, her seizures are managed by medications and need to be observed by health care professionals at all time if possible.
What further options (if any) were identified?
It is important to note that staffs have to be familiar and consistent with client when giving her social services to avoid of challenging behaviour and accident that may happen.
Other notes/ reflections on the re-setting of the person
Avoid confrontations with client and do not say “NO” to her. Do not say “Don’t do that” try to say “First you do… (Something she may not like to do), Then you can do… (Something she like to do)”.
Task 5
Application of social service theory
Maori Model of Practice
-Maori model of practice within utilised social work practise research and validated to provide best practise.
-Maori models of practise have holistic approach
-Wellness of whakapapa focus opposed to individual focus.
For example -Te whare Tapa Wha (four cornerstones of Maori health) including:
i.)Taha tinana (physical health): healthy eating, sleep, physical activities, safety awareness and proper hygine.
ii.)Taha wairua (spiritual health): beliefs, culture religion.
iii.)Taha hinengaro (mental health): positive thinking, positive behaviour and healthy lifestyle.
iv.)Taha whanau (family health): emotional support, financial and responsibilities.
Social work knowledge, skills and values (Te Kaiawhina Ahumahi 2000) was a useful resource for the social workers to be used as a guideline to work in appropriate way and proper practice while giving services to the clients.
Social policy theory involves the study of the social relations necessary to promote human wellbeing and things that affect the kinds of life. It can be love and safety, a job and money.
References:
http://www.polity.co.uk/shortintroductions/samples/dean-sample.pdf
http://workplacewellbeing.org.nz/mana-mahi-resource/workplace-wellbeing-guide-6-working-with-te-tiriti-o-waitangi/
http://www.hdc.org.nz/education/presentations/the-health-and-disability-commissioner-act-and-the-code-of-rights-and-methadone-treatment
