Task
From the list of topic questions below, choose two and write an 800 word response for each. Please write your two answers in a single document for submission. Please indicate in sub-headings the questions you have chosen. Include one reference list at the end of your two responses.
please use text book for both parts. Connolly, M. & Harms, L. (Eds.) 2013. Social work contexts and practice. 3rd edition. Oxford University Press. [ISBN 9780195520187]
question
part 1-Mental health
Using the Briggs and Harries (2013) chapter from the prescribed textbook, identify and explain a key issue in mental health and discuss the challenges it poses to social work and human services practice
please answer the following
* Reform within Mental Health is a key issue. We have seen over recent years; social, political and legal reform within the Mental Health sector, inherrently these changes pose challenges for us as Social Workers.
Have a look at current Mental Health policies and services, write about ways of working and what some challenges may be for Social Work.
some information about mental health
Defining Mental Health
The definition of a phenomenon will be influenced by its context including social norms and culture.
In contemporary Australia ‘mental health’ is usually broadly defined to include ‘individual well-being, self-esteem, and healthy relationships’ (Bland 2005, p.119). The term mental illness therefore is a disruption to this wellbeing and covers a wide range of situations and diagnosed illnesses including long-term and shorter-term situations. It has been estimated that mental illness affects 20% of the population at some point across the lifespan and that people with a mental health problem are amongst the most vulnerable to disadvantage in our community (Chenoweth & McAuliffe 2012).
Australian indigenous cultures see illness, whether physical or mental illness, as a collective issue rather than as an individualised problem. Mental illness is seen as
…a soreness of spirit caused by loss of social and family networks, destruction of kinship and family, dislocation from ancestral lands and the conflict between tradition and the pressures of trying to exist within and alongside European culture (Burdekin et.al. 1993 & Holden 1997, cited by Schizophrenia Fellowship of NSW ND. Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander People. https://www.sfnsw.org.au/).
Segal, Gerdes & Steiner (2007) define mental health as ‘the successful performance of mental function, resulting in productive activities, fulfilling relationships with others people and the ability to change and cope with adversity’. They go on to define mental illness as a term referring to ‘all diagnosable mental disorders – health conditions characterised by alterations in thinking, mood or behaviour associated with distress or impaired functioning, or both’ Further, they argue that mental health and mental illness should be seen as a continuum with few of us being completely mentally healthy all of the time and with all of us experiencing periods of mood change, depression, etc, related to the normal challenges, changes and losses in life; ‘one of the challenges in the mental health field is to distinguish between problems in daily living and mental illness’ (Segal, Gerdes & Steiner 2007, p.245).
Podcast
Fronek, P. (Host). (2014, June 12). Aboriginal mental health: In conversation with John van der Giezen [Episode 69]. Podsocs. Podcast retrieved Month Day, Year, from
https://www.podsocs.com/podcast/aboriginal-mental-health/
Background – In the past there were very limited options available to people with a mental illness. If they had family support, it was usually up to those families to care for the mentally ill person with no professional or community services support. During the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries, Western industrialised society’s response to mental illness was almost exclusively biomedical and as a consequence, asylums and institutional care were the dominant forms of care for people with mental illness. People with mental illness were excluded from ‘normal’ society and locked away in often overcrowded, inhumane conditions.
During the early twentieth century there was more recognition of the needs of people with mental illnesses and conditions in institutions began to improve and specialist psychiatric units within hospitals began to emerge. In the post-war period, public sympathy for the mental health needs of war veterans increased along with greater use of medications to alleviate some of the symptoms of major mental illnesses. This increased use of pharmaceuticals meant that many people with mental illness could live in the community, take their medication and consult a mental health practitioner when needed. This contributed to a growing commitment to care in the community and eventually led to deinstitutionalisation in the mental health care system (1970s-1990s). That is, there was a shift from institutional care to community-based care (Segal, Gerdes & Steiner 2007). Community care is seen as a better option for most people with mental illness and is less expensive for governments to fund than institutionalised care.
There is ongoing criticism however that while community care is generally more desirable than a system based on institutional care, it is argued that community-based support services are inadequate and that many people with mental illness, their families and their carers miss out on the care and support they need to satisfactorily live in society. For example, homelessness and having a mental illness are positively correlated. One Australian study estimated that 75% of Sydney’s homeless people had a mental illness, compared with an incidence of mental illness in the general population of 20% (see Parker, Limbers & McKeon 2002 – Homelessness & mental illness: Mapping the way home. https://www.mhcc.org.au).
Incarceration rates for people with a mental illness are much higher than for the general population, although there is no evidence base for a link between mental illness and more violent behaviour. For further discussion of this, see for example, Henderson (2003 Mental illness and the criminal justice system. https://www.mhcc.org.au).
Likewise, there is a growing understanding of dual diagnosis (the co-occurrence of a mental illness and an addiction) and its impacts on people’s lives and on community services. (For more discussion of this, see, for example Dual diagnosis fact sheet. Nd. https://www.betterhealth.vic.gov.au).
The Medical Model and the Bio-Psycho-Social Model
The medical model has traditionally been and continues to be influential in the mental health field. It locates illness within the individual (the patient) and the role of medical practitioners is to diagnose, treat and cure the illness. Segal, Gerdes & Stein (2007, p.215) describe it as:
… a deficit model in that doctors’ questions are designed to elicit disabilities, distress, dysfunction and dependency. Strengths, successes and effective coping strategies are not solicited or taken into account…There is little connection between the patient and the patient’s environment (e.g. community context, social life, workplace).
Thus the medical model is by no means an easy fit with social work. Social workers prefer to work from a more holistic perspective taking into account the individual’s relationships with their broader context, including family, community, etc. This perspective is sometimes called the person-in-environment perspective or the bio-psycho-social model.
The bio-psycho-social model takes into account the biological, psychological and social aspects of a situation. This model is preferred by social workers as it offers a holistic way of exploring the complexities of a situation and can potentially indicate creative directions for effective intervention for the benefit of the client.
Psychotic and non-psychotic illness
Mental illnesses can be are categorised as:
psychotic
non-psychotic
Psychotic illnesses – are conditions in which there is some loss of contact with reality; for example, disordered thoughts, difficulty distinguishing what is real and what is not.
People experiencing psychosis may develop delusions, hallucinations, or hear, taste or feel things that aren’t there. For example they may believe that their thoughts are being interfered with, they may believe that they are being watched, poisoned or they may hear abusive or threatening voices telling them what to do. Understandably these experiences can be very frightening and distressing and can lead people to behave erratically, especially if this is the first time they have experienced psychosis
Non-psychotic illnesses
… occur when the everyday feelings of depression, sadness, tension, anxiety or fear become so overwhelming that people have difficulty coping with day to day activities such as work, recreation and relationships (NSW Department Community Services, 2006).
Activity 2
Access the ‘health professionals’ resources on the Headspace website.
https://www.headspace.org.au/
Share some insights gained from these with your peers on the forum.
Topic 7 – Mental Health forum – Activity 2
Social Work in Mental Health
The National Practice Standards for the Mental Health Workforce (https://www.aasw.asn.au, nd) identifies the following general guiding principles of practice for all professionals working in mental health:
To -Promote clients’ optimal quality of life
Focus on clients’ needs and achieve positive outcomes
Recognise each client/carer/family’s unique physical, emotional, social, cultural, spiritual dimensions and work to develop their own support with their community
Learn about and value the lived experience of clients, families, carers
Encourage decision-making by clients about their treatment and care
Recognise and support the rights of a child with parent/s with a mental illness, provide adequate information care and protection
Involve consumers, carers, families and community members in mental health service planning
Ensure clinical practice is evidence-based wherever possible
Provide comprehensive, coordinated and individual care which recognises all aspects of recovery
One of the challenges for social work as a profession committed to these general principles is how then to define a distinctly social work presence within the field of mental health. Renouf and Bland (2005) argue that the domain of social work practice in mental health relates to the social context of the client and the social consequences of mental illness and disorder.
The social context of the client could include the individual client’s personal issues and behaviour, their resilience and their vulnerability to exploitation, the nature of the client’s family functioning and support, strengths and stressors in the client’s life, wider social support networks, and socioeconomic wellbeing, including income, housing, etc.
The social consequences of mental illness and disorder include the impacts of the mental ill-health on the client themselves as well as impacts on their family and wider social network, community relationships, life chances, violence and child protection issues, ongoing economic security (housing, income, etc).
So the contextual factors are like a holistic snapshot of the client’s current situation and the consequences are the ongoing impacts and implications of the situation. A social worker needs to make a thorough assessment of both context and consequences to be able to work effectively with a client to ameliorate the social effects of mental illness and to restore clients’ power over their own lives.
Social work values underpinning practice include respect, client-self determination and confidentiality. Social workers are committed to recognising people as individuals and not merely diagnostic labels. There is also recognition that clients often have broader social needs beyond medical / psychiatric treatment of their symptoms. Social workers therefore emphasise their clients’ ‘personhood’ rather than seeing clients as ‘patients’ – a role often ascribed to them by a medicalised approach to mental illness (Bland 2005).
Effective social work practice in this field therefore requires a sound knowledge base about psychiatric disorders, their treatment and prognosis as well as a basic understanding of medications and side-effects as they relate to the client’s social context and the consequences of mental illness. The social worker also needs a good understanding of relevant legislation, especially in relation to involuntary admission to mental health facilities, consumer rights, etc. A good knowledge of community services and resources is also needed for the social worker to mobilise required resources and to make appropriate referrals. An effective social worker in mental health also needs to have the skill to advocate on their client’s behalf when necessary and effective interpersonal communication skills are important in all aspects of practice. Case management and group work skills are also particularly important in this field of practice. Case management in mental health should ideally mean that the social worker (case manager) assesses the client’s situation, engages the client in care planning, makes appropriate referrals, has ongoing direct contact with the client, and monitors and evaluates the care plan.
Social workers are employed in acute care facilities (e.g. psychiatric hospitals, inpatient units in general hospitals), long-stay residential and rehabilitation facilities and in community-based mental health services.
See https://www.aasw.asn.au/ – for the AASW brochure describing social work roles in mental health
Underlying Principles of Contemporary Mental Health Policy
In 1992 the National Mental Health Policy framework was adopted. This gave a national framework for mental health service delivery, research, law, etc, and led to the development of more coordinated national mental health planning. An important aspect of this national-level planning is the support of partnerships between service providers, service users and carers (Bland 2005).
Increasingly, the rights of service users and carers to have a recognised role in service planning, evaluation and delivery are incorporated into service delivery models. It is argued that the inclusion of service users and carers in this ways helps to improve service delivery and to strengthen accountability and improve responsiveness of services to community needs.
Also with the increased emphasis on care in the community, it is in the best interests of all if consumers and carers are given adequate support in the community rather than rely on institutional and often expensive forms of care.
Mental health services in Australia generally operate on a multidisciplinary model of practice, that is where a range of health and allied health professionals work as a team to respond to the needs of clients. The range and composition of multidisciplinary teams varies, but generally, one could expect a mental health team to consist of registered nurses, psychologists, social workers, welfare officers, medical practitioners (general and/or specialist psychiatric), occupational therapists, etc. This commitment to multidisciplinary teams reflects the belief that people with mental health issues are likely to have a range of needs and therefore a range of skilled professionals are required to adequately respond to these needs.
Modern mental health policy also reflects a belief in the equal rights of people with mental illness and aims to ensure positive outcomes for service users. There is a commitment to service-user participation in decision-making, and to support for carers and advocates. There is also acknowledgement that the community has a right to protection in some circumstances where the person with a mental illness could be a risk to themselves and/or others.
In terms of service delivery, priority is given to severe mental illness and disability. The most severe, often chronic mental health disorders such as schizophrenia, bipolar disorder and depression are the focus on most human service organisations in this field (Chenoweth & McAuliffe 2012).
Skills and resources for practice
As with any context of social work practice, to be a competent social worker in mental health, you must be committed to ongoing professional development and learning. Your university degree is a generic degree and provides a firm foundation for social work, welfare or human services practice across a range of fields. As such, to develop more specialised skills and expertise, you will engage in professional development opportunities to add depth and specificity to your generic skills. Some introductory material on community work is provided here:
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Watch
The clip below is a TED talk from leading Neuroscientist and Psychiatrist Thomas Insel, which talks about a new understanding of mental illness.
question
part 2
Children, families and young people
Using the Connolly and Cashmore (2013) chapter from the prescribed textbook, identify and explain proactive practice in work with children, families and young people. Discuss some appropriate approaches to direct practice with clients and working for structural change.
some infomration
The social work practice context
As articulated by the AASW, ‘concern for the wellbeing of children and young people has been a core element of social work practice internationally since the development of social work as a distinct profession’ with social workers playing ‘a significant role… in every practice setting in promoting’ child wellbeing (AASW 2012, p.9).
Social workers need to have skills in:
identifying the needs of children;
communicating with children;
communicating with family groups;
assessing when children’s needs are compromised;
taking action to enhance the quality of life for children and families so that everyone can reach their potential.
Social Justice, early intervention and prevention
Most would agree that society should provide equitable access to resources, education and life opportunities in general. With social justice, ideally, disadvantage and the incidence of abuse and neglect would be minimized. This perspective emphasises the importance not only of social justice as a desirable thing in its own right, but also in terms of prevention.
Key concepts
Definitions are influenced by dominant values in society at a given time and also on individuals’ personal values, religiosity, age, gender, Indigenous or non-indigenous and level of education.
As discussed by Gavriel-Fried, Shilo & Cohen (2012), there are a range of constructions of ‘family’, including:
The traditional, Western ‘nuclear’ family – characterised by a heterosexual, formally-married couple (with the man engaged in paid work outside the home and the woman engaged in unpaid household and child-rearing work) raising a number of their own biological children together.
Traditional indigenous family – a much broader construction, usually including people connected by kinship as well as location and other factors – spiritual, cultural and physical (Purdie, et al, 2010).
Post-industrial and post-modern constructions of families – more broadly characterised include a range of family compositions, adoptee-families (formal and informal), grandparent-parented families, including same-sex, sole-parent, unmarried (or de-facto) heterosexual couples and children. A very broad definition of family could be – any living arrangement involving the care of children. Some might argue that even this is not broad enough and that ‘family’ could include human and non-human household networks, extended families, neighbourhood, etc.
With the advent of reproductive technologies, the range of family-formation options is also expanded so that biological parenthood and genetic connections between adults and children they are parenting can be complex and varied. Consider for example, the complexities of family-formation when a baby is born from donated gametes (ova and/or sperm), gestated by a surrogate mother and parented (possibly) by an adult (or adults) genetically unrelated to the child. The global ‘reproductive trade’ also raises issues of cultural identity to these complex situations.
POD SOC
Fronek, P. (Host). (2012,June 28). Surrogacy in the UK: In conversation with Marilyn Crawshaw [Episode 14]. Podsocs. Podcast retrieved Month Day, Year, from https://www.podsocs.com/podcast/surrogacy-in-the-uk/.
Fronek, P. (Host). (2012, December 16). The right to information for donor conceived people: In conversation with Damon Martin [Episode 37]. Podsocs. Podcast retrieved Month Day, Year, from https://www.podsocs.com/podcast/the-right-to-information-for-donor-conceived-people/.
The AASW recognises that:
… the family, in all its diverse forms, is the basic unit of care for children and young people and that all families need supportive connections to enable them to grow and develop securely and happily. It acknowledges that many families and communities have to situations and conditions that challenge their capacity to provide optimal care for children and young people and that in these situations most families and children need additional, personalized supports. Social workers, in a variety of proactive contexts, need to be able to promote child wellbeing and to assess and respond to the needs of children and families through direct practice and through working for structural changes (AASW, 2012, pp.9-10).
Likewise, how ‘childhood’ is constructed has varied over time and is contextual. In pre-industrial times, there was not such distinction made between adults and children; families worked together for subsistence with both adults and children being expected to contribute to the wellbeing of the family and feudal community (Fernandez, 2005).
What is meant by ‘child and family wellbeing and welfare’?
The AASW defines these terms as
the responsibility of everyone, including social workers for the wellbeing, development and safety of children and young people in our community. The term encompasses a full range of strategies to enable children to develop their potential, from those which promote child wellbeing to those which prevent and address harm (AASW, 2012, p.9).
From the Centre for the Study of Social Policy in the USA, wellbeing includes good health, safety, education and a nurturing community. Wellbeing encompasses the following aspects:
Cognitive;
Physical;
Social;
Emotional.
There is interplay between these aspects of development and wellbeing and the nature of parental and other child care (CSSP, 2013 – https://childwelfaresparc.files.wordpress.com/2013/07/raising-the-bar-child-welfares-shift-toward-well-being-7-22.pdf).
The CSSP also recommends social workers should take into account
Brain development – the particular importance of experiences in the first three years of life and in adolescence on the development of the brain.
Experiences and effects of trauma – ‘the rapidly developing brains of infants, toddlers and preschoolers (birth to age 5) and youth (ages 11-26) can be permanently affected by prolonged activation of the body’s stress response systems, known as toxic stress’ (CSSP, 2013, p. 2). The importance of supportive, adult and other forms of care can mitigate severe stress and promote positive development and resilience.
Promotive and protective factors – a multidimensional, strengths-based approach to promote positive care and development – encouraging and utilising individual, group, community and societal-level resources for wellbeing.
Permanence and wellbeing – A strong sense of attachment to primary carers is foundational to wellbeing.
Attachment
‘Attachment’ basically refers to the nature of the relationship between a child and their preferred carer. The more stable and secure the attachment – the more promotive this is of healthy cognitive, social and physical development.
People experiencing unstable, unsafe or tenuous relationships with primary care-givers are typically less resilient and face more challenges in their physical, cognitive, social and emotional development.
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Attachment theory – Bowlby and Ainsworth
This video presentation provides a succinct overview of Bowlby’s attachment theory and considers its historical, cultural and social context along with some critique. An overview of the work of Mary Ainsworth is also provided along with a summary of attachment styles, parenting styles and impacts on adult characteristics. The ‘nature’/’nurture’ debate is explored.
Attachment Theory (Part 2 John Bowlby – Mary Ainsworth) | https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xot1B5E5oOo
Ecological model of human development: needs and milestones
Ecosystems theory continues to be a useful theory for social workers in dealing with complex situations. Connolly and Harms (2012) discuss the early influence of Mary Richmond and her concept of ‘social diagnosis’ whereby a client’s socio-cultural environment is assessed according to personal, neighbourhood, family, and civic forces, along with private sources of help and public, charitable sources of assistance. In contemporary social work theory, the natural environment has also been identified as fundamental to optimal human development (see Dominelli, 2010; Boetto, Moorhead & Bell, 2015).
Complex systems theory and expanded models of ecological development also take into account brain development/neurology, epigenetics and non-linearity (e.g. chaos theory).
An ecological approach to human development in the context of child and family wellbeing underpins a multidimensional approach to social work practice as it provides:
A theoretical explanation for adversity that situates individuals in context (person-in-environment) and accounts for interactions between our ‘inner’ and ‘outer’ worlds;
A foundation for social work practice, it helps us to identify interactions between systems and to consider positive as well as negative factors underpinning and perpetuating these interactions (e.g. through eco-mapping);
Strategies for social work action to work with clients for positive, self-determined change (Connolly & Harms, 2012, p.64).
In Social Work Theory and Practice subjects, you will explore this theory in more depth.
The following diagram (from https://faculty.weber.edu/tlday/human.development/ecological.htm ) represents Brofenbrenner’s ‘map’ of the social environment. Ecosystems theory shows the multidimensional nature of human existence and the interactions and interdependence between different ‘systems’.
bronfenbrenner
‘Developmental milestones’ are the skills we all learn as we mature, including cognitive, social and motor skills. Based on years of research evidence, normal age ranges at which certain skills are developed have been identified. See the link below for a checklist of skills and age-ranges.
Acquiring developmental milestones is influenced by the ecosystem in which we exist – right through the lifespan from conception to death. Levels of nutrition, stress, genetics, illness, physical environment, intellectual stimulation, social stimulation and many other factors in our ecosystems, all influence our development.
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Optional Reading
For more on ecological models of human development, read Brofenbrenner, U. (1994) Ecological models of human development. In the International Encyclopedia of Education, 3(2). Oxford: Elsevier – https://www.psy.cmu.edu/~siegler/35bronfebrenner94.pdf
For more on developmental milestones – see:
Checklist of developmental milestones https://www.nrcpfc.org/ifcpc/module_1/Module1_Handout4_DevelopmentalMilestones.pdf
Description and discussion of milestones https://thesocialworkexam.com/stages-of-child-development
Overview of child and family services in Australia
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Browse
For an overview of contemporary child and family policy and services in Australia, explore the Australian Government’s Department of Social Services (DSS) website.
https://www.dss.gov.au/
The DSS site provides a comprehensive overview of the service sector, including tax policies, child care, protective services, preventative services, government enquiries, child support, parental leave, early childhood education, Indigenous parenting services, specialist services, and more.
A major policy is the Communities for Children policy, which focuses on community capacity, prevention and early intervention, in order to give children the best possible chances in life and positive social justice outcomes.
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Watch
The clip below offers some valuable insights from a practitioner within the field of child and family welfare;
Young people
Learning outcomes
This sub-topic aims to provide an overview of:
Practice issues when working with young people;
Risk, vulnerability, resilience and protective factors.
Activity 2
Read Chapter 21 on Youth health, mental health and well-being.
This chapter emphasises health and mental health and provides a useful discussion of the bio-psychosocial model of practice in social work. As with the material on child wellbeing, the emphasis is on prevention and early intervention and a holistic, multidimensional approach to social work practice is recommended.
Share one key point from this chapter on the forum.
Topic 8 – Children, Families and Young People – Activity 2
As in Murray and Monson (2013, p.274), the term ‘young people’ usually refers to people between the ages of 12 and 24 years. The emphasis in this field of practice is on optimizing positive factors in the community to support young people to reach their potential as active, engaged community members.
Take into consideration the human development milestones as they were outlined in the child and family wellbeing topic earlier in this subject. Consider then, some of the tasks facing young people as they move through adolescence and into young adulthood and how adverse life events and/or social deprivation might complicate this development.
Young people who come into contact with social workers often do so due to ill health (physical or mental), criminal justice issues, early parenthood, disabilities, bullying, violence and abuse, addictions, family issues, employment or education issues.
The development of social welfare work with young people over time
In Western contexts, since the late 1800s, specialised community youth organisations have emerged, such as the Girl Guides and the Scouts (and others). From the 1950s, the range and number of youth organisations and services has expanded along with increased demand for professionals (such as qualified social workers) to deliver these programs and services.
Through the 1960s and 70s in Australia, youth work became increasingly professionalized and in some States, youth workers were employed at the community/local government level to provide services and programs for young people.
In 1977, the Royal Alexandra Hospital for Children in Brisbane established the first adolescent medical unit in recognition of the specific needs of ‘young people’ as distinct from the needs of ‘young children’. Networks of youth services have developed in some areas, often focusing on health, housing and education needs (Smith & Shaw, 2001).
In 1989, The Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission reported on youth homelessness (the Burdekin Report). Issues underpinning the rising level of homelessness among young people included abuse, addictions, mental illness, sexual assault, lack of affordable housing and family dysfunction (Smith & Shaw, 2001).
According to Smith and Shaw (2001), young people at particularly high risk of social disadvantage include:
Indigenous young people;
Early school-leavers;
Unemployed young people;
Adolescents from non-English-speaking backgrounds;
Rural and remote youth;
Homosexual, bisexual, transsexual, transgender, and intersex young people;
Young parents
Activity 3
Go online and familiarise yourself with one of the following service sites specifically for young people:
Headspace
Canteen
Ramp Up
What do you notice about the website? Do you think it caters well for the 12-24 age group?
Practice skills to engage with young people
Youth work is often said to be less formal than some other fields of practice. While the relationship between the social worker and client is always central, it is arguably even more so in youth work. Indeed some argue that the relationship is the primary goal of practice rather than the focus being on the delivery of a specific service (Chenoweth & McAuliffe, 2012).
Professional practice skills include:
Managing youth projects in the community;
Designing and delivering programs on specific issues such as relationships, bullying, drugs, self-esteem, etc;
Running group activity-based initiatives such as sporting activities, arts events, music festivals, environmental project, outdoor programs and residential activities;
Mentoring programs in schools and other settings;
Counselling individuals;
Advocacy;
Conducting therapeutic group work;
Liaison and networking with other community services;
Seeking funding for new programs and writing funding submissions (Chenoweth & McAuliffe, 2012, pp.191-199
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Optional reading
Kellett, M 2011, ‘Engaging with children and young people’, Centre for Children and Young People: Background Briefing Series, no. 3. © Centre for Children and Young People, Southern Cross University, Lismore, NSW, Australia.
https://epubs.scu.edu.au/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1029&context=ccyp_pubs
In the Kellett (2011) reading, the importance of genuinely listening to and consulting with young people is highlighted as fundamental to effective relationships in general and with young people in particular. Kellett also emphasises the importance of respectful, genuine engagement and the power differentials between adult human services professionals and young people. The use of a range of communication technology is also outlined. The reading also provides useful suggestions for improving practice skills with very young children, children in their middle years, as well as young adults.
please refer to family and community services website
https://www.community.nsw.gov.au/
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