Introduction
Families are the cornerstones of society, and their well-being significantly impacts large communities. Human relations in a family are dependent on intricate bonds of shared experience, love, and support. In the face of misfortune, families are expected to be resilient and support each other. Carlos’ family is a testament to resilience and challenges that affect relations. Due to the unprecedented economic situation, the family is plunged into hardships and is forced to navigate difficulties.
The work of a social worker is to analyze a family situation and offer them help tailored to their problems. A social worker who is allocated Carlos’ family case must examine the intricacies of power dynamics, roles of family members, cultures, and the interplay between mezzo, micro, and macro factors. Collaboration, compassion, and advocacy are the keys to illuminating the path toward empowerment and healing the family problems experienced by Carlos.
Family Description
The nuclear family comprises 35-year-old Carlos, his 30-year-old wife Maria, and four children. Before moving to the city’s outskirts to live with their relatives, Carlos worked in Honduras in a construction company while his wife was a gardener. The power structure in a family is related to the resources and how they are managed. Although the family is based on the patriarchal setup where Carlos is the arbitrary head of the family, power is evenly distributed in Honduras since both parents work.
Based on the description, the parents shared responsibility as Maria’s garden fed the entire family, and Carlos took care of the other bills. After the job loss and movement to the outskirts, Carlos is frustrated, which results in drinking and domestic violence. It is imperative to note that the traditional gender roles were followed before they moved to the new neighborhood.
Family rules ensure a smooth coexistence and that people live in harmony. Since Carlos and his family live with their relatives, specified rules and expectations guide each family member’s behavior. The rules are manifested when the children intervene on behalf of their mother when Carlos starts heating her. The events in the family displayed a family culture of peace and tranquillity where people were expected to live in harmony.
Whenever one family member misbehaved, the others came to her rescue. While the parents had the ultimate power to raise their children as guided by the patriarchal society, the movement to the outskirts proved that power can only be maintained through providence. The culture of peace forced the children to go against their father to protect their mother. However, maintaining peace proved that the family values held them together, and empowering it would stop all the challenges and reunite the family.
Specific Concerns and Questions for the Family
Working with Carlos’s household shows that specific issues must be addressed to improve the family’s quality of life. The economic situation is a significant concern that leads to all the challenges that the family is facing. For example, Carlos’s drinking behavior resulted from the loss of their construction job and frustration. If the economic issue is resolved, the family challenges will cease. As a social worker, it is essential to empower the family economically to enable Carlos to take charge of his family.
Drinking has turned Carlos violent and adds to the family’s challenges. Addressing the drinking habit before empowering Carlos to another job opportunity is essential because such a habit cannot sustain a job. Since the habit has been the primary cause of the violence in the family, it should be tackled effectively as the family relationships between Carlos and his wife (Fisher et al., 2020). The case is evident that there is a relationship challenge as the two advocate for different solutions. Maria wants help, while Carlos wants the situation to remain the same. Strengthening the relationship within the family is the prerequisite for a permanent solution.
The interplay between micro, macro, and mezzo factors affects the family. The micro factors are issues affecting individuals, such as Carlos’s struggle with drinking habits and unemployment, while Maria’s struggle with health worsens the situation. The mezzo factors include the external decisions that may be taken by the other family members, such as the relative’s decisions to make them leave because of their constant wars (Littman, 2021).
Finally, the macro factors include external issues such as the loss of jobs and limited economic situations, which make life unbearable. There is a significant interplay between the factors as the macro rendered Carlos jobless, leading to the micro as the family was frustrated and did not have the outcome. Finally, the frustrations caused by the micro factors affect how the extended family treats them and, therefore, the mezzo factors.
Clash Between Parent’s Values and the Western Society
There is a clash between Carlos’ culture and Western beliefs when the family wants to ask for help. While Maria wanted to get help from external sources, Carlos was opposed to the idea. In some cultures, seeking help is considered a failure on the men’s side (Fisher et al., 2020). According to the patriarchal society and as believed by the men, they are not expected to ask for help on issues that affect their families.
Strategies to Negotiate, Advocate, and Mediate on Behalf of the Family
The family has undergone tremendous challenges and requires specific strategies to work with and overcome them. Cultural competence is the key strategy to ensure that Carlos and his family collaborate. All discussions must be consistent with the cultures and customs of the people. Active listening is a vital strategy that enables the worker to record all the concerns and prioritize them based on urgency. The strengths-based approach is the most effective because the solution will be homemade (Littman, 2021). The strategy involves conducting a SWOT analysis of Carlos’ family and using the strength to determine the solutions. Empowerment is another strategy that may be used to involve family members in the process of seeking a solution.
Beliefs, Principles, and Values Guiding Social Worker’s Perspective
The success of the social worker in working with the family depends on the values that guide their perspective. Therefore, the worker must be guided by empathy and the strength-based approach to underscore the family’s resilience to hardships. The drinking behavior exhibited by Carlos showed that the family values peace and is ready to stand together. The way the children shielded their mothers from the beating meant that they supported each other (Fisher et al., 2020). Cultural sensitivity must always be the social worker’s guide as it is the only way to make people cooperative.
Behavioural Intervention Strategy
The most effective behavioral intervention is the functional behavioral assessment, which analyses every family member’s behavior to obtain better outcomes. The strategy is effective because it helps the social worker understand the drinking behavior based on the root cause and consequences. Detailed behavioral analysis helps the worker understand the triggers of each behavior and, therefore, helps treat them effectively (Moudatsou et al., 2020). The strategy will be used to tailor the proposed solutions to the behaviors that affect the people.
Collaboration with Other Professionals
Carlos’ family’s problem is multifaceted; different agencies must collaborate with other professionals to handle the different challenges. Carlos’ drinking behavior requires a professional counselor, while Maria’s skin and language conditions require a doctor and language expert, respectively (Littman, 2021). The first phase of the collaboration will ensure that Carlos stops drinking and Maria is healed of the cough and skin rashes. Once the parents are healed of their ailments, the social worker must collaborate with employment agencies to ensure that Carlos gets employment opportunities.
Advocacy at Different Levels
The micro, mezzo, and macro factors must all be addressed to ensure that Carlos’s family experiences a better quality of life. At the micro level, the worker must ensure that Carlos stops drinking, that Maria is cured of all her ailments, and that she gets help based on domestic violence cases. At the mezzo level, the social worker must liaise with community members and the extended family to support Carlos’s family with housing, language support, and job training to support themselves (Moudatsou et al., 2020). Finally, micro-level advocacy should address affordable healthcare, unemployment, and systemic changes to improve the general quality of life.
Conclusion
Carlos’ family issue proves that unemployment and lack of affordable healthcare are essential for society. The social worker helping the family has to understand the root cause of the challenges affecting them and tailor the solutions to the specific needs. The case illustrates the profound impact of social work in increasing the quality of life. Further, the challenge is multifaceted, and the social worker must analyze the situation from a cultural competence lens and collaborate with various agencies to ensure that every concern is addressed.
References
Fisher, J., Languilaire, J. C., Lawthom, R., Nieuwenhuis, R., Petts, R. J., Runswick-Cole, K., & Yerkes, M. A. (2020). Community, work, and family in times of COVID-19. Community, Work & Family, 23(3), 247-252. Web.
Littman, D. M. (2021). Third place theory and social work: Considering collapsed places. Journal of Social Work, 21(5), 1225-1242. Web.
Moudatsou, M., Stavropoulou, A., Philalithis, A., & Koukouli, S. (2020). The role of empathy in health and social care professionals. Healthcare Journal 8(1), 26–34. Web.