Asking for help

The Just Practice Framework Assessment has very important steps that users need to consistently apply when working with clients. In this paper, I will detail how I applied these steps with my client in the agency that I work for. Cayuga Centers is a social service agency that provides various services to children, youth and families. Cayuga Centers has Treatment Family Foster Care (works with hard-to-place youth who cannot stay at home but do not do well in group setting), community-based interventions, family therapy programs, services for people with developmental disabilities. medicaid service coordination, and New York City metro short-term foster care for immigrant children that cross the border (Cayuga Centers, XXXX). I will focus only on one of the programs offered at this agency unaccompanied transitional foster care.

In 2014, Cayuga Centers embarked on a journey to meet an emerging need in the United States that addresses the care, safety, and support of unaccompanied immigrant children. Our mission is to serve children, families and individuals within a safe and therapeutic environment, so that they may grow as independent, healthy human beings.  Within this mission, we believe all children deserve to feel safe. With expertise in Treatment Family Foster Care, Cayuga Centers proposed placing immigrant children in foster home settings where they could be in a home environment rather than in congregate facilities. The agency received funding through the Office of Refugee Resettlement to offer 900 short-term Treatment Foster Care beds for these children in New York City and its boroughs. These children are placed in Spanish-speaking foster homes as they await reunification with a family member or sponsor, or return to the country of origin. We also provide long-term foster care for unaccompanied youth who do not have sponsors but can’t be deported because their lives may be in danger in their home country. For these children, we provide a safe, stable environment and a therapy-rich program as they work out their legal status (Cayuga Centers, XXXX).

Before placement in a foster home, Cayuga Centers completes processing that includes medical and therapeutic assessments. Foster parents receive extensive training and 24 hour on call support. Children are matched with foster parents who can best meet their cultural and emotional needs. The average length of placement is 14 – 30 days, and foster parents receive a stipend for each day of placement. During placement, Cayuga Centers provides ongoing medical and therapeutic services, educational programming, day care, and necessary support as required by immigration law (Cayuga Centers, XXXX).

I currently work as a bilingual case manager; my role as a case manager is to ensure that each UC (unaccompanied minor) is safe and cared for, and is reunited with a suitable parent, guardian, or sponsor in the most expeditious manner possible. Additionally, I ensure safety for all UC within each foster home, manage a high turn-over caseload depending on incoming placements and release, coordinate initial intake for each UC manage, the reunification process for each UC, keep information updated in the UC Portal, coordinate and handle an estimated case load of 8 - 14 UC at any given time, schedule and confirm, that each UC has an initial medical evaluation within 48 hours of arrival with the family nurse practitioner, coordinate and assist the clinician to assure the admission assessment and family tree are completed within 3 days of arrival, and assure the psychosocial summary and Individualized Service Plan (ISP) are completed within 7 days of arrival. I also coordinate each case with the clinician and GDIT Case Coordinator to review progress, concerns, and make recommendations on release, coordinate the discharge and release of child to their sponsor, ensure each UC is enrolled and attending school (either in the community or with Cayuga Centers), respond to client emergencies, and even more (Cayuga Centers, XXXX).

There are many reasons why minors that are in our program feel that this is a new beginning in their lives. Most of the minors who are in care lack education opportunities in the country of origin. Most of them are academically behind the grade level that they should be based on their age. Once they arrived to US, and get familiarized with the system they stated their desire to take advantage of the education that they can receive in the country. While they are in the program and waiting for reunification to happen, they receive education and skills that prepare them to live the system in US.

One of my clients is a 17 years old transgender whose life changing experience started when she turned 15 years old. Natalia reported that she started to work at a bakery in Honduras in 2016 when she was 15 years old; she also dropped out of school in 2015. Natalia stated that she discontinued school because she wanted to be economically independent; she denied being forced or coerced to work. It took the minor 20 minutes by bus to get to the bakery where she worked. She worked as a cashier from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m., and she was also required to clean the bakery afterwards. The minor was paid 900 Lempiras ($34-$36 dollars) each month. Natalia decided to travel to U.S because she wanted to seek a more liberal life with better opportunities, and the fact that Honduras is a country with no judgment-free space because of her sexual orientation.

Natalia reported that she is biologically born male, and she identifies as a female. She reported that she was constantly harassed regarding her gender identity or sexual orientation, Even though she was working the money that she was making was not enough to support herself. She reported engaging in commercial sex at the age of 15 in COO. She denied being forced to provide sexual service, but disclosed that she had to do so to satisfy her material needs. She denied any abuse or injuries resulted from her work. She disclosed that protection was used, and also that her family was aware of the sexual service that she provided and felt neutral.

When Natalia was 15 years old, she met a man when she was selling cotton candy. The man bought her food in exchange for sexual conduct. The man promised the Natalia a computer if their sexual relationship continues, and their relationship lasted for a month. Natalia stated that she was introduced to commercial sex by a 24-year-old friend who herself was a prostitute. Natalia disclosed that her friend told her the rules and helped her to dress up. She worked on the street 2 nights a week and had 3-4 customers on average every night. She was paid 25 dollars per hour for oral sex and intercourse and 10 dollars per 30 minutes for oral sex. She was brought to a hostel to perform sexual service. Additionally, she reported that she was able to keep all the money she earned to buy herself food, clothing, and makeup. Minor reported that the last time that she engaged in commercial sex was July 2018 in Honduras. She denied using any substance while performing sexual service, and reported that the experience of transvestite helped her to explore her gender identity. Minor was calm to share her experience and denied feelings of guilt or shame engaging in commercial sex.

1. How are you working with the service user in order to find out what their understanding of the situation is? How are you ascertaining the MEANING they give to the experiences and conditions that shape their lives, as well as their wishes, and feelings?

Since I first met Natalia, I started to explain how the process of her reunification with a family member or a family friend was going to be. The process is long and tedious because we can encounter multiple things in the way, positive and negative. Positive things can be that the sponsor is a perfect fit for the minor, and that this sponsor has the proper documentation to sponsor a UC. We explain each prospective sponsor the documents required to sponsor, such as; each sponsor should provide, identification with pictures, willing to get fingerprints checks by FBI database, background checks, application, and even more (ORR website https://www.acf.hhs.gov/orr/about/ucs/sponsors). It also can be negative for example, the sponsor maybe is not prepared to assist minor in his/her needs, safety, and well-being. When potential sponsor is not aware of an existing condition of the minor (physically abuse, sexually abuse, and more) it can be difficult to provide the assistance that the minor needs in order to overcome this past traumatic events.

I also, explain the in this country there are rules and laws that everyone needs to follow. KYR (Know Your Rights) orientation is provide to every minor that arrive at the agency. Minor and sponsor are provided with ORR (Office of Refugee Resettlement) information Hotline number and encourage them to call the number if needed in the future. They are also encouraging to speak the school’s guidance counselor when in need of help and guidance pertaining to minor’s behavior and academics. Ways of protecting minor from physical or other forms of abuse is discuss. Child labor laws and importance of attending school and immigration court appointments are address as well. Clinician and I always facilitate family sessions via phone. During family sessions, Clinician provides psycho-education on trauma, its symptoms, and places to seek help if necessary. Clinician stress the importance of having open communication and setting clear behavioral expectations for minor in the home and while in the community. We encourage sponsors to list house rules and possible consequences to not following the rules. Clinician explains that corporal punishment is not an acceptable way of disciplining as it can have negative emotional, behavioral and legal consequences. Minor and sponsor are educated on acceptable disciplining methods; such as redirecting and removal of privileges.

After I was able to explain Natalia how things work in the U.S I understood how she was culturally shocked because of her new life in U.S. I was able to analyzed the contacte of Natalia’s story and understand her decision to come to U. S Natalia’s decision was not an easy one to make. For example, if Natalia’s was offered a better education and support from her father, maybe she would have been more

2. How are you taking into consideration the CONTEXTS in which the experiences and conditions unfold? What are those contexts?

How are contexts adding to the meaning given by the person to their lived experience and conditions?

How are contexts impacting your understanding of the situation?

Context defined: is the background and set of circumstances and conditions that surround and influence particular events and situations in the lives of all of us. Context allows us to look beyond the obvious and see things that might otherwise be missed. Within social work, it is evident that the interwoven context that cause this are interpersonal, community, and sociopolitical.

3. Consider how your approach is/may be affected by any similarities between you and the person(s) – e.g. gender, ethnicity, sexual orientation, class status, and education. [Positionaity]

4. Consider how your approach is/may be affected because of any of your social identities that are not the same as those of the service user – e.g. age, sexual orientation, ability, class status, or education. [Positionality]

5. How much weight/consideration are you giving to this person’s story about the experiences and conditions of their life as well as their wishes and feelings?

· As an individual in a ‘professional position’, the social worker has to be aware of how their role might connote ‘POWER’ to the service user. According to Finn (2016), there are different forms of power. Power over, power within, power with, and power to act.

Where is the service user experiencing someone having power over them and their life? Where in their life is the service user exercising power over people in their life?

· Where is this happening in their personal life as in people close to them having power over them? Where is the service user exercising power to act with people close to them?

· Where is it happening in their external environment, as in a child welfare system having power over them? Or do the police and or justice system have power over them? Are the service recipients having issues with the school system? Where is the service user exercising power within relationships that are a part of their external environment?

· How has HISTORY marked the person or their group or community for oppression? How has history shaped their resilience? What might their history tell us about POSSIBILITY for the service user? For example, the service user has had to deal with adversity since they were 12 years old due to sexual orientation, gender non-conformity. The service user has an immigration story. [Power & History]

6. What other avenues are there for the service user’s meaning, wishes, and feelings to be presented – including them doing so for themselves? Are you sure that you have adequately explored their meaning, wishes, and feelings? [Power & Possibility]

The Just Practice Framework Assessment should total between 10-12 pages, using standard APA formatting.