Assignment Task: Purpose

The purpose of the SWTP622 - Social Work Skills Role Play Information Assignment is to test students’ knowledge and skills in working with individual clients in preparation for their field placement. No student may progress to field placement 1 (SWTP 625) without passing this compulsory assessment.

1. Role Play Scenario

Wen is a 44-year-old woman of Chinese descent and Confucian religion. She has very traditional values. She came to Australia 20 years ago to study biochemistry and has lived here ever since. She married Ming, who is also from China, dropped out of university, and then looked after the home and raised two children, now both teenagers.

Wen has become increasingly worried about Ming as he often comes home from work as an accountant late and provides vague reasons for his lateness. There have also been some unexplained charges on their credit card. When Wen questioned Ming, he became evasive and verbally abusive towards her, dismissing them as bank errors and said he would follow up.

Last week Wen confronted Ming about lipstick marks on his jacket and accused him of having an affair. He became very angry and defensive and slapped and pushed her. This week he has been coming home on time and being very attentive towards her. However, Wen still has lingering doubts and whenever possible tries to check messages on his mobile. When she has raised the matter with Ming once again, he became very angry and abusive towards her.

Wen has not told anyone else about her fears or Ming’s reaction when confronted. She has come to the local Community Health Centre, asking to see someone, but is very worried about other people knowing about her situation.

2. Michael

Michael is a 40-year-old laboratory technician who works in a large hospital. He loves his job and has worked in this role for the last 10 years. He is well respected by his colleagues and other staff. For the past few weeks, his colleagues and supervisor have noticed that Michael has become withdrawn, comes to work late, and has not been meeting his work deadlines. He has made mistakes in reporting the test results which were caught before any damage was done. Susan, his supervisor, has pulled Michael aside to express her concerns. She knows that Michael’s mother, Maria, has had a stroke that has left her very debilitated. Michael and his partner Bruce have been caring for her at home after Maria moved in to live with them.

Michael has been sad for several weeks after his mother’s stroke. During this time Michael has not had any real social life and has lost touch with most of his friends. Michael reveals to Susan that he has been having trouble sleeping lately and feels exhausted. Michael is also upset with his father, Larry, and his two younger brothers. His father has met a lady at a bar and has been spending a lot of time with her. Michael’s younger brothers are supportive of their father moving on with his life. However, Michael is angry that his father has not been helping with Maria’s care and has been spending time with his girlfriend instead.

3. Jennifer

Jennifer is a 40-year-old laboratory technician who works in a large hospital. She loves her job and has worked in this role for the last 10 years. She is well respected by her colleagues and other staff. For the past few weeks, her colleagues and supervisor have noticed that Jennifer has become withdrawn, comes to work late, and has not been meeting her work deadlines. She has made mistakes in reporting the test results which were caught before any damage was done. Susan, her supervisor, has pulled Jennifer aside to express her concerns. She knows that Jennifer’s mother, Maria, has had a stroke that has left her very debilitated. Jennifer and her partner Carol have been caring for her at home after Maria moved in to live with them.

Jennifer has been sad for several weeks after her mother’s stroke. During this time Jennifer has not had any real social life and has lost touch with most of her friends. Jennifer revealed to Susan that she has been having trouble sleeping lately and feels exhausted. Jennifer is also upset with her father, Larry, and her two younger brothers. Her father has met a lady at a bar and has been spending a lot of time with her. Jennifer’s younger brothers are supportive of their father moving on with his life. However, Jennifer is angry that her father has not been helping with Maria’s care and has been spending time with his girlfriend instead. Susan has asked Jennifer to make an appointment with the Staff Counselling Service.

4. Ervin

Ervin is an elderly man in his late 70s. He came out to Australia as a young boy with his parents from Hungary as part of the post-war immigration. He was widowed about 5 years ago and now lives alone in the family home in an outer suburb. He and his wife bought the house 50 years ago and raised their three children, Wayne, Lucy, and Desmond in the same large house. Ervin is a keen gardener and has won prizes for his roses.

His sons, Wayne and Desmond both live in another city and have families of their own. They visit Ervin every few months for a short stay and ring him every week or two to see how he is going. Ervin’s daughter Lucy lives two suburbs away. She is divorced and has three children, Jasper 23, and Lauren 21, who are both studying at university and Rachel 17, who is in her final year at high school. All three still live at home. Lucy works full-time for a Finance company. She has a very busy life, yet she sees Ervin every weekend.

Ervin had a fall in the garden one day and fractured his left hip. He has been in hospital for the 2 weeks recovering from the surgery and has just been transferred to the rehabilitation ward. He has been mobilizing slowly but he suffered a recent infection which made him confused. His confusion is slowly resolving but he is not happy about the transfer to the rehabilitation ward and would rather go home. The treatment staff have concerns about how well he will manage at home without help. Ervin’s daughter Lucy has also expressed concerns to the nursing staff about her father’s ability to care for himself in his current state. With her family and work commitments, she is not sure how she will cope with extra care for her father. Ervin has told Lucy that he is not going into a nursing home and wants to go back home. He is worried that his garden has become overgrown and unruly.

Questions

1. What is your assessment of the service user’s/client’s situation?
2. How would you describe your engagement with the service user/client?
3. Describe your strengths as a social worker in the role play.
4. What areas can you identify as requiring further improvement?
5. How do you think the client has benefitted from their interview with you?