More
than half of sexually abused children find it hard to tell anyone about it.
Many of them may keep their secret throughout their lifetime. Therefore, it is
a parent’s responsibility to notice his child’s unusual behaviour like
hostility, sadness, and social withdrawal. If the parent abused his child, a
social worker should report him to a law enforcement agency. As a social worker, my response to Brandon’s
case would be urgent but careful. In addition, I would observe all signs that
indicate victim’s openness about a sexually abusive situation. First, it is
important to earn Brandon’s trust through confidentiality assurance while
promising a drastic action.
In
Brandon’s Case study, it is clear that the social worker utilized different
aspects of ecological analysis. He exhibited a high level of experience because
he expected that the abused child may withhold information or may take a long time to respond. Hence, he utilized a
multi-level intervention strategy both at the community and individual levels.
In addition, the social worker analyzed traits and history through an extensive interview session with the
12-year-old. Despite considering the victim’s family dynamics, he failed to incorporate
community context and cultural attitudes in decision making. Notably, the disclosure
in Brandon’s case is an ongoing process rather than a single occasion.
At
ontogenic level, the social worker considered individual characteristics
including age, gender and behaviour (Johnson, 2014).He is convinced that
Brandon will hardly disclose all the information given that his client was
remarkably younger when the abuse started. Besides, he loved his father and
probably did not want him to spend time in jail. Considering this, the
specialist relied mostly on the signals of victimizations through observation. For
example, Brandon has temper tantrums and shows signs of withdrawal. He also
does not have a cordial relationship with his mother.
Further,
the social worker probed family environment to understand how it impacted the
disclosure context. Yet, he discovered that the survivor’s family was socially
isolated. In particular, Brandon’s mother was uncommunicative and lived in a closed
system with his new boyfriend. Partly, such a chaotic micro-system factor
explains the amplification of Brandon’s aggression and insecurity. Still, the
specialist does not extensively investigate the typology of Brandon’s
incestuous family.
It is possible that the root cause of the
victim’s woes is the family unit’s pathological dysfunctionality but he cannot
prove it due to a narrowed investigation and scant information. Undoubtedly,
there is less emotional bonding between
Brandon and his mother because of her poor response. Nevertheless, the social
worker does not cite this preponderance in the prescription. Moreover, it is
unclear if the psychologist is aware of persistent intimate partner violence in
this case study. Chances are that the mother is the adult victim of an abusive relationship,
which is why she moves on with a new boyfriend. The social worker’s diagnosis
and prescriptions are misleading, specifically if it is true that there is a
co-occurrence of a child sexual abuse and a woman abuse by the same perpetrator.
On
the other hand, community and neighbourhood influence are not easy to measure
due to lack of close communal ties. It is likely that the victim or his mother is
unknowledgeable on how the neighbourhood would handle their behaviours.
Socialized gender roles and traditional expectations overwhelm Brandon, even
though the social worker has dismal information on societal and cultural
attitudes. It is deducible that the 12-year-old considers males as immune to
victimization. Thus, his physical aggression and use of inappropriate language
towards a female peer indicate his adoption of a hyper-masculine stance to
counter fears.
The
ecological model can be used at mezzo, micro,
and macro level. The main focus of micro level is a personal interaction between the specialist and a client (Brower,
2012). Clinically, the social worker held sessions with Brandon and his family
to reveal the cause of his aggression. He did not conduct a counselling session
with the victim but provided Brandon’s mother with psychoeducation. Collateral
sessions like this helped her not only to process the shocking sexual abuse
information but also to support her son during his healing process.
Intervention at mezzo level aims to unite family members or a couple to grow
together emotionally and benefit from social networks. The social worker
introduced Brandon to a psychiatrist for medical management. As soon as his
condition improved, the treatment sessions became community and home based to
encourage bonding between mother and son.
Lastly,
micro-level intervention addresses
systemic issues. The social worker, therefore, has to create and maintain a
service provision network of psychiatrists, counsellors, and spiritual leaders
to sustain care for the victim. While Brandon received family and community
care, the social worker fell short of enacting and lobbying for policy changes
at a political level. It is necessary for
deterring future abuses and addressing numerous intersections of social issues.
The
social worker faces numerous challenges in addressing the client’s problems.
First, Brandon loves his father, even though he is the perpetrator. Therefore,
it will take a significant effort to convince him that his father is a criminal
and deserves incarceration. Secondly, the poor mother-to-child relationship and
lack of commitment for psychological treatment complicate the healing process.
Even worse, Brandon is unaware that his depression is caused by an early sexual
abuse encounter. The knowledge coupled with community support resulted in a
steady traumatic stress decrease and a positive response to medication.
Otherwise, a failure to identify and address the patient’s stress would have
led to a sustained aggressive behaviour and social disconnect.
References
Brower, A. M. (2012). Can the Ecological Model
Guide Social Work Practice?.The Social Service Review, 411-429.
Johnson, C. F. (2014). Child Sexual Abuse. The Lancet, 364(9432), 462-470.
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