Case Work Process Report

Name of the client - Kaveesha (Not the real name)

Age - 8 Yeaes old

Agency - Bolowalana Nimala Mariya Vidyalaya

Agency Facilitator - Mr.Fernando

A girl named Ganithya (not the real name) from Obesekarapura is chosen for a social work
intervention. She is just 8 years old and she studies at Hewawitharana Vidyalaya. She didn’t
volunteer for the social work intervention. The social worker identified the need to support her
and asked her to participate in the project so that it will benefit her. The case work process which
started after meeting her on the 11th of November 2017 is described below.

Identified strengths and Problems of the service user before the intervention

 Problems

By the time the social worker identified her, she was a lonely girl in the classroom. Though she
had the average size of a normal child of her age, her face had a different expression than the
other children. Her hand and leg movements, and the way she walked was a little bit different
from the others.

Lack of self-hygiene: Her appearance was unclean and untidy. She was wearing a ragged
uniform and her shoes were dirty and discolored. The untidy hair which was falling to her face
was not a pleasant sight. Nobody could see Kavvesha’s face at the first sight because of her
unruly hair. She always had to take her hair away from her face. Kaveesaha’s legs had infected
wounds. She was always criticized by her teacher because of her uncleanliness. Her classmates
despised her when she came closer to them because of her unclean appearance.

Lack of Education skills: When observing Kaveesaha’s educational skills the primary
observation was that she was very much below average than her classmates. She could not read
or write like her peers.
Lack of sensory motor skills: Painting, pasting little bits of paper, using a scissor for cutting
were very difficult tasks for little Kaveesha. She simply could not colour inside a circle. Simple
tasks like using glue to paste little bits of paper were also difficult for her.

Due to these reasons the class teacher kept Kaveesha and some backward children separately.
She labeled them as foolish students. Whenever the teacher had some free time she was kind
enough to make them write the alphabet letters and made them drawn and paint.

Kaveesha was a very silent girl in the classroom. Though she did not talk with her classmates she
was always smiling with them. If her teacher or her classmates asked any question from her, she
would nod her head in response. If the teacher scolds her for nodding her head, she gets
frightened and try to answer with one word. Though she tries to talk with her classmates they do
not like to accept her as a friend. She was not bold enough to talk and make friends with her
classmates. It was observed that she looked at her classmates with a happy face. Accordingly the
social worker observed a lack of communication skills.

Lack of communication skills: Due to the lack of communication skills Kaveesha has very poor
social skills.

Lack of Social Skills: In the society, namely in her classroom, she did not behave like a normal
school girl. She did not associate other students nor did she participate in class activities. Her
social behavior is very weak.

When Kaveesha is not occupied she sucks her thumb and drifts to a world of her own.

Strengths

With all these shortcomings the strength she had was her pleasant smile and her normal built.
Her pleasant smile helps her to overcome the other negative issues.

Needs

It was observed by the social worker that she needs to be friendly with her peers. Also the
School social work project identified that Kaveesha needs a lot of attention and love from others.
Identified Strengths / needs / problems/ concerns

1. Kaveesha was born as a healthy child of about 3 Kg. As a small child she was very
attached to her Mother. When Kaveesha was about 2 years old her mother went on
foreign employment leaving Kaveesha and her 5-year-old sister. Having to forego the
mother’s warmth, love and affection resulted in Kaveesha getting terribly sick. She was
hospitalized for nearly 1 ½ months.

From that time Kaveesha’s grandmother took responsibility of the child. This Old
grandmother was living by herself and this child grew up with her all alone. In order to
protect Kaveesha, the grandmother did not send her to play with the little kids in the
neighborhood. Due to this over protectiveness Kaveesha became naive. During this time
this little girl got very attached to her grandmother. The deprivation of the mother’s love
and affection was compensated by the grandmother.

When Kaveesha was about 5 years old her mother returned from her employment abroad.
She took her little child from the grandmother’s house to their own house. The mother
was a stranger to the little girl. For the second time little Kaveesha had to part from her
loved one and she experienced loneliness. But with the Mother’s warm love the girl got
attached to the mother again. The mother said that the Girl asked her “how should I
address you?”

Due to Economic constraints the parents of Kaveesha became very busy. They did not
have enough time to devote for their children. Due to this they were unable to identify the
educational and psychological needs of Kaveesha.

During her preschool days this child was a non-achieving student. She did not do any
educational work and the parents did not take the issue seriously. Though the parents
found many behavioral problems in her they never thought that it was psychological.
They were under the impression that it was due to her foolishness.
 The class teachers of grades 1, 2 & 3 were continuously accusing and insulting her. They
branded her for being careless & non-participative in her educational and extracurricular
activities. The parents’ response for this was “what can we do if she cannot do her studies”

During this time Kaveesha’s mother gave birth to another child. The little attention that
Kaveesha received also faded with the birth of this child. The result was Kaveesha
becoming lonely again. After coming home from school Kaveesha and her elder sister
were staying alone till their parents retain from work. A special issue at that moment is
the refusal by Kaveesha’s elder sister to play with her. The reason is due to the fact that
she does not follow the rules of the game. It came to my understanding that her
uncleanness and the wounds in her legs made the other students in her class despise her.

2. It can be identified that the main factor to Kaveesha’s problem is that she is deprived of a
long standing love & affection from her near and dear people, which has developed her to
be a loner. She is not used to interacting with people of her age.

3. The above facts are general observations of the social worker. The observations of the
social worker after intervening in this case is similar to the pre observed behavior pattern.
This child is lacking the normal skills of an eight year old girl. Communication, Social,
Educational, personal hygiene, and sensory motor skills are far below an average child of
her age. Also she finds it very difficult to understand the use of these skills.

4. The smile in her face and being a well-built girl are the strengths that she has. Also the
social worker has observed that she has parents who can help her to come out of this
situation.

5. The social worker has identified a lot of needs of this child. Most of these needs were
identified by the doctor who handled this case. Children like to play with others in their
same age. Kaveesha too needs friends of her own age, so that she can talk & play with
them. As she is in need of special attention she needs more love and affection than other
children of her age. There should be someone who can be by her side always to help her
do her studies and to develop other skills.

Goal setting: The Aim of the Social worker is to improve the Physical and mental level
of Kaveesha by this intervention.

Planned Intervention:
In order to overcome the above situation and reach the set goal, the social worker has
planned a series of Interventions.

 The 1ststep is to explain to Kaveesha’s parents her present Psychological situation.

They have to be explained that her behavior is not due to foolishness, and it is due
to her psychological condition.

 The 2ndstep is to build a good relationship between Kaveesha and her parents. It is
observed that the strained relationship between the parents and the child is the
root cause for Kaveesha’s situation.

 It had been observed that the child’s uncleanness and untidiness is a major point
for her been rejected by the classmates. The 3rdstep is to take necessary action to
send the child to school clean and tidy.

 Kaveesha lacks involvement as she is a loner. At home her elder sister won’t do
any play / work with her. Hence she doesn’t have any one to share her thoughts,
feeling etc. The 4thstep is to build a solid relationship with the sister.

 In the classroom she was subjected to loneliness and criticism because the teacher
did not understand the child’s condition. The 5thstep is to make the class teacher
understand this child’s psychological condition so that she will not treat her as she
did previously.
  It is not only productive education that makes a classroom a pleasant place for a
child. The friendliness of the classmates plays a major role in it. The 6thstep is to
help build a good relationship with her classmates so that coming to school will
be a source of joy to her.

 A child who is having a disorder like Kaveesha, need special education in the
classroom. This type of education cannot be given in a normal class with other
children. The class teacher should be trained to give this child different
assignments. This is the 7thsocial work intervention.

 A child who is like Kaveesha should get professional medical treatment apart
from the above guidance. Hence the 8th step should be to refer her to a Medical
Consultant who is specialized in handling this type of cases.

Implementation

Though it is difficult to achieve all the planned interventions within a short period of 2 months,
the social worker was able to achieve most of the suggestions during that time frame. This is a
great achievement on the part of the social worker. From the planned interventions the social
worker was able to successfully implement the following.

 Met Kaveesha’s parents and explained the situation to them.

 With the explanations the social worker was able to make Kaveesha’s parents and sister
understand the situation. The social worker mediated and explained how their
cooperation would have helped Kaveesha to overcome her psychological situation.
 In order to make Kaveesha’s appearance acceptable to her class mates, Kaveesha’s hair
was cut and she was given clean clothes and shoes to wear, and her wounds were treated
and covered with medicated plasters.
  Fearing that Kaveesha’s mental situation would further go down the class teacher was
advised not to punish or scold for her slow learning. Also it was explained to the class
teacher that she is not excelling in studies due to her psychological situation.
 The social worker was able to get the help of the class teacher in developing an action
plan for the future education of Kaveesha, with the assistance of a Special Education
Teacher. The class teacher was willing to get the assistance of the Special Education
Teacher.
 This child loved to get attention, love, & affection from others. When the social worker
went to her class room Kaveesha loved to come very close to the social worker lingering
by her side, holding her hand, and drapes the social worker’s saree on herself. Also she
used to say “teacher you are mine”. She was very happy when the social worker was
near her. With the affection of the social worker Kaveesha improved her talents. Instead
of nodding her head she started answering in small sentences. Also she tried to do the
activities that were assigned to her with accuracy and enthusiasm. Although the social
worker had read in books that children like Kaveesha can be developed by love and
physical touch, she truly experienced it with Kaveesha’s case.

Evaluation

By looking at the progress of the mediation of the social worker, one can say that she was
extremely successful as a mediator and facilitator. Due to the above intervention the following
were the successful observations.

 Kaveesha came to school with a clean and better appearance.

 The mother reduced punishments imposed on the child.
 The parents spent more time with her.
 The class teacher understood that this child needs special education, and she worked
accordingly.
 The sister played and occupied with her more often.
Outcome at the termination

In order to get medical advice on Kaveesha’s condition, she was referred to Dr. Loretta Lowe at
the General Hospital. She referred her to Dr. Stanley Fernando. Both Medical Officers identified
Kaveesha’s condition as ‘Attention Difficulty and Mild mental retardation’. Their idea was that
the best treatment for this condition is to be with Kaveesha and give her the necessary attention.
Due to her present situation the Medical Officer had to give her some medication too.

Follow up

After the period of study of the social worker, she will have less time to mediate in this case.
Therefore the need for someone to follow up and coordinate the implementations was necessary.
It was identified that the class teacher was the most suitable person for that task. Also the social
worker will manage her time in a way that she can come and observe Kaveesha’s progress from
time to time.

The social worker was able to practically experience a lot about children in primary classes
because of her involvement with them. The knowledge she had gained by reading for the degree
in Sociology, The Post graduate diploma in counseling, the post graduate degree in social work
helped her a lot in this work. The social worker was able to identify this problem because the
child in concern was very weak in activities that her classmates did with ease.

The social worker identified the following from that child.

 Lack of communication skills

 Lack of social skills
 Lack of academic skills
 Lack of sensory motor skills
 No concern about self-hygiene
 Thumb sucking in isolation and a slight difference in face appearance

It had been identified that the primary cause for this issue is that this child did not have a familiar
caregiver to guide her from her infancy. Various theories can be used to explain this situation.
Attachment theory is one of them.
Impression and Reflection

Bowly says that the tendency for primate infants to develop attachment to familiar caregivers
was the result of evolutionary pressures. Since attachment behavior would facilitate the infant
survival in the face of dangers such as predation or exposure to the elements. Attachment theory
describes how human beings respond within relationships when hurt, separated from loved once,
or perceiving a threat. In infants, attachment as the motivational and behavioral system directs
the child to seek proximity with a familiar care giver when they are alarmed, with the
expectation that they will receive protection and emotional support.

The social workers opinion is that in Malki’s problem, separating from the loved once, not
having anyone to guide her and to show her the world is the main reason for her present situation.
She was mentally isolated because her mother went on foreign employment. And then she started
having a strong bond with her grandmother and her mother took her away from the grandmother.
Because of those incidents she felt unsecure. Then again when she started getting closer to her
mother, the mother got pregnant and couldn’t give much attention to her. As Bowly says, these
departures from you loved ones in her childhood had a bad effect on her mental growth.

The most important tenet of attachment theory is that an infant needs to develop a relationship
with at least one primary caregiver for the child’s successful social and emotional development,
and in particular for learning how to effectively regulate their feelings. Fathers or any other
individuals are equally likely to become principal attachment figures if they provide most of the
child care and related social interaction. In the presence of a sensitive and responsive caregiver,
the infant will use the caregiver as a safe base from which to explore. Kaveesha’s life is visible
proof of the attachment theory.

According to an American psychoanalyst named Eric Ericson, personnel development can be

analyzed in eight stages which are called psycho social stages. As he says a person faces a
problem in all the psycho social stages in life. According to the way the person faces the problem
- positive or negative – it will affect their personality.
His first stage is ‘Trust versus Mistrust’. From birth till the age of 2 years he faces this problem.
The most important thing in this period is the relationship that the child has with the mother. It is
very important for the mother to show generous affection to the child by feeding, cuddling with
warmth, playing, talking / singing etc. By such acts the child grows in a safe and friendly
environment.

In this case Kaveesha was deprived of the mother’s warmth in her very early childhood. This
caused Kaveesha to mistrust herself. According to Eric Ericson’s Self Development theory it can
be understood that it was self-mistrust that caused Kaveesha’s behavior.

The second stage is ‘Autonomy vs. shame and doubt’. This is during the ages 2 – 3. A child
develops rapidly during this stage. They tend to become independent if they are allowed to stand
on their strengths. By saying ‘don’t do this’ to everything that the child does and giving them
orders make them feel shy.

During this period Kaveesha’s grandmother was over protective and was not allowing her to mix
with children of her own age. This made Kaveesha shy. Due to her shyness Kaveesha lacked
communication and social skills. Her behavior changed with the fact that she doubted herself.

The 4th point in Ericson’s theory is ‘Industry vs. Inferiority’. Children in the age group of 6 to 11
years fall into this category. This is the time that kids leave their home environment and start
their journey to the world. During this time children become friendly with each other. If these
kids can mix well with other kids they become active and enthusiastic. Children will develop an
inferiority complex if they feel that they cannot do what other kids do. This will hinder their
Personality development. According to this theory, it is quite visible in Kaveesha’s life that she
has developed an inferiority complex. 8-year-old Kaveesha likes to be with her peers, but as she
cannot work together with them and as they do not like her company she has developed an
inferiority complex. According to Ericson’s theory, instead of becoming active and enthusiastic,
Kaveesha has become a shy girl because she has developed an inferiority complex.

When the social worker intervention Kaveesha’s case, the class teacher had not identified the
child’s condition. The class teacher knew her as a child, who was weak in studies, with no
interest to perform well, unclean, and lazy. When the social worker intervened the class teacher
was not prepared to accept what the social worker said and was reluctant at the beginning to help
her. But after referring her to the medical officer and with the medical officer’s opinion the class
teacher was willing to accept the situation. After that the class teacher was helpful to the extent
of getting help from a special education teacher. It can be mentioned that at the beginning there
was a dispute with the Agency facilitator but it was resolved very quickly.

I can mention that by working as a social worker in this case intervention I gained a lot of
experience and knowledge. A very important experience from this case is that I was able to work
as a social worker who was fulfilling the ‘Principles of a social worker’ namely, Purposeful
expression on feelings, Controlled emotional involvement, Acceptance, Individualization, Non-
judgmental attitude, Client self-determination and confidentiality. Also I am happy to say that I
was able to intervene in this case in such a way that Kaveesha’s identity was protected. This I
feel is a great achievement!!