Reference no: EM133605652
Case: A Pacific Islander family of three consisting of 34-year-old Anamalia, her 13-year-old son Eloni, and her 4-year-old son Kolomalu has been referred to a service center by the state's Department of Child and Family Services for the following reasons.
Eloni has just been placed in foster care for physically abusing his younger brother, Kolomalu. Child Protective Services (CPS) was brought in, Eloni was removed from the home, and the family was referred to counseling. In addition to acting out aggressively, there is good evidence that Eloni is a substance abuser as a teacher at his school found him sniffing paint several times. Also, through counseling, it was discovered that Eloni had been abused by a previous stepfather. Finally, Eloni has been suspended from school for attempting to stab a schoolmate.
Anamalia's apartment management company has sent her a letter of intent to evict, stating that several residents have complained about feeling fearful around Eloni and about the noise during family arguments. Although Anamalia has hopes of getting a job soon, she is currently unemployed and is having difficulty making the rent payments and buying sufficient food for her family. Anamalia wants the family to be reunited and is willing to take parenting classes and enter into other services required by the state; however, she is worried about putting Kolomalu in more danger.
Although the family is currently in crisis, they have several areas of strength to draw upon:
The family has strong ties to the local Pacific Islander community
Eloni is extremely bright and well-liked by some of his peers
Anamalia has recently finished her MA degree and is applying for jobs at a local hospital
Kolomalu is a playful, gregarious boy who has a very close connection to his mother
In the care plan from the state's Department of Child and Family Services, the following interventions and referrals are recommended:
Mental health counseling to address Eloni's aggressive behavior
Substance abuse counseling for Eloni
Parenting classes for Anamalia
Mental health counseling for Kolomalu
Legal assistance to avoid eviction
Emergency assistance to buy groceries
Question
Assess the extent to which tertiary intervention strategies address crises. How do the tertiary interventions address crises? How will these tertiary interventions benefit the family? How do they not address crises? What is a tertiary intervention that would address crises and how would this benefit the clients?