BSWI Introduction of Social Work

Introduction of Social Welfare

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Definition of family“... a group of persons united by ties of marriage,

blood, or adoption; constituting a single household; interacting and communicating with each other in their respective social roles of husband and wife, mother and father, son and daughter, brother and sister, and creating and maintaining a common culture.” (Burgess and Locke, 1953, p.7-8)

“ ... A basic unit of kinship composed of two or more members who are united by ties of blood, marriage or adoption, and who live together constituting a single household.” (Wong, 1975)

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Definition of family“The family is a social group characterized

by common residence, economic co-operation and reproduction. It includes adults of both sexes, at least two of whom maintain a socially approved sexual relationship, and one or more children, own or adopted, of the usually co-habiting adults.” (George Peter Murdock, 1949)

“... a social group made up of members related to one another by blood or marital ties and usually constituting a household.”(Lee, 1991, p.42)

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Concepts of the familyKarpel and Strauss summerizes different concepts of

the family: (1) the functional family - defined by shared household, shared activities, shared responsibility for daily life and child rearing; (2) the legal family - defined by legal structure, altered by divorce and adoptive placement of children; (3) the family as seen by its members - defined by the perceptions of its members; and seen as “in” the family by family members; (4) the family of long-term commitments - defined by long-term expectations of loyalty and commitment; trust, reliability, and fairness are basic expectation; (5) the biological family - defined by blood relationships; parent-child relationship. What are the strengths and weaknesses of these definitions?

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Functions of familyReproductive functionEconomic functionEducation (socialization) functionProtective functionProviding prestige and statusReligious functionRecreation FunctionProviding affection

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Family functions that significant to social workers in family serviceProviding security and acceptanceMeeting affectional needs of various

membersMaintaining a balance between autonomy

and dependenceSocialization and trainingEnsuring continuity of companionship

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Family ServicesFamily violence - child abuse and spouse

abuseSingle parent familyCasework service - marital relationship,

parenting, in-law relationship, crisis etc.Family life educationHome-help service

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Spouse abuseGelles (1977) and Walker (1984): the common causes of stress associated spouse abuse

Geographic isolationSocial isolationEconomic stressAlcoholic and drug abuseFamily structure - age and number of

children, career changes, presence of stepchildren etc.

PregnancyInadequate parenting skills

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Services for abused wivesHotline service - e.g. SWD (23432255),

Harmony House (25220434), the Woman Association (23866255)

Refuge service - Wai On Home for women was set up by the SWD in 1986 (40); Harmony House opened in 1985.

Self-help groups - Christian Family Service Centre organized self-help group in 1990.

Community education

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Child AbuseEncyclopedia of Social Work, Dr. Kempe’s (1979) definition:

... a situation in which a child is suffering from serious physical injury inflicted upon him by other than accidental means, is suffering harm by reason of neglect, malnutrition, or sexual abuse; is going without necessary and basic physical care, or is growing up under conditions which threaten his physical and emotional survival.”

Physical, psychological, neglect and sexual abuse.

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Legal aspect of child abuseProtection of Women and Juvenile

Ordinance (1978)

Home visit - Section 44 (1)Removal of a child - Section 34E (1) to

remove from home and Section 35 (1) to detain a child in a place of refuge or a hospital

Care order - 34 (1) allows a care order to be made in respect of a child if the child is in need of care and protection

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Procedure for handling child abuseReferrals - Check with Child Protection Registry

Known case of other unit/agency - Notify the unit/agency

No Record - Initial Home VisitNo signs of abuse - case considered closing

Signs of abuse - Medical examinationSuspicion/evidence of abuse - required hospitalization or

not

Consider for place of refuge or Case conferenceRegistration at Child Protection Registry and

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Child Abuse ServiceNo specialized service before 1979.In 1979, the International Year of the

Child, the Against Child Abuse Action Group Pilot Project - Multi-disciplinary professionals group. The project was later become a NGO known as Against Child Abuse.

In June 1983, the SWD set up the Child Protective Service Unit (CPSU).

In Jan. 1986, the Child Protection Registry was set up.

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Single Parent Family - CausesSeparation and divorceDeath of a parentDesertionWorkImprisonmentLong-term hospitalizationAstronaut families

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Common Problems of Single Parent FamiliesFinancial difficultiesAccommodationEmotional problemsParenting problemsSocial isolationRemarriage

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Family Welfare Service“... to enable individuals and family members to

deal with their personal and family problems, with a view to preserving and strengthening, the family as a unit, and to meet those needs which cannot be met from within the family.” (Social Service Five-year Plan Review of 1977, p.45)

“... the overall objectives of family welfare services are to preserve and strengthen the family as a unit and to develop members to prevent personal and family problems and to deal with them when they arise.” (Social Welfare into the 1990s and Beyond, 1991, p.19)

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Social Welfare Serviceto offer counselling and other necessary assistance to

individuals and families so that they may understand and deal more effectively with their immediate problems;

to refer those in need to appropriate Government departments or other organizations for assistance in housing, employment, medical care, school placement, institutional care and vocational training;

through the provision of family life education, as a form of community education, to arouse public awareness of the importance of family life and the need to acquire skills and positive attitudes in dealing with the challenges it presents;

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Social Welfare Serviceto provide home-help service to meet the needs of

those individuals and families who are unable to look after themselves, or to maintain the normal functioning of their household, in order to enable people in need of care to remain in the security of their own home, to avoid unnecessary institutional care, and hence to promote the idea of care in the community;

to provide supervision and care for all vulnerable children and young persons who cannot be adequately looked after by their families.

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Family Life CycleNewly married couples - pre-child yearChildbearing families - oldest child under 3Families with pre-school children - oldest child 3 to 6Families with school children - oldest child 6 to 13Families with teenagers - oldest child 13 to 21Families launching young adults - first child gone to

last child goneMiddle-age parents - post-child years to retirementAging family members - retirement to death of spouse

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Variations in Family Life CyclePremature marriage - unwed/teenage

pregnancyChildless familyExtended familyDivorce - singlehood or single parenthoodRemarriage - step-familyDeath of spouse or family member

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Divorce recoveryDuvall, E., & Miller, B (1985). Marraige and family development (6th ed.). New York : Harper & Row.

Detaching emotionally from the former spouse;

developing a new identity for oneself;becoming financially independent and self-

sufficient;interpreting the divorce to concerned

members of the family; establishing oneself in the community of former friends and colleagues and

handling legal problems of the divorce. (p.186)

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Facing the death of family memberThe history of previous loss in the familyThe timing of death in the family life cyclethe nature of the deathThe position and functioning of the person in

the family system (Brown, 1989)

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