1
When working with a family as opposed to working with an individual, it is
crucial to understand each individual family members history and current
situations, as well as the family dynamics. The best assessment strategy to
utilize in order to do so would be the comprehensive family assessment. This
assessment encompasses the family's history, risks, strengths, available and
accessible resources, and support systems. The comprehensive family
assessment involves the family directly in the development of the service
plan which promotes their participation that much more.
Understanding the family's dynamic is important in family assessments for
various reasons. It is imperative for a social worker to have situational
awareness and be able to pick up on any signs of insecurity, anxiety or
discomfort. Members of the family who present with these emotions should
be interviewed individually, as there is a high chance the opportunity to
speak alone will likely encourage them to confide in the worker about their
personal concerns which can result in new needs for the family arising. It is
also important to know which member of the family is more dominating, as
they likely have the control over the family. Securing their engagement in the
service plan would increase the likelihood of the rest of the members to
participate as well.
One's own family dynamics can influence the services a social worker
provides if they have not yet learned how to become unbiased. It is very
easy to be influenced by your own emotions and it can cause you to treat
individuals unfairly. If a social worker had a traumatic past with an alcoholic
father, working with a family whose father is an uncontrollable drunk may
trigger the worker, causing them to judge the father distastefully. This
perspective may even cause the worker to view the father as a lost cause,
from his own experiences, and focus less on getting him the assistance he
needs.
