Posted: May 13th, 2020

SOWK 609 Introduction to Social Work Practice with Children, Youth and Families

SOWK 609
Introduction to Social Work Practice with Children, Youth and Families

Guidelines for Research Paper

Assignment 2: Paper: Within this research paper, the student is allowed to cover any developmental period. Choose one stage of development and describe the issues of that stage from a biological, social, cultural, and psychological perspective. Note how the stage the student chooses may be impacted by issues such as gender, socioeconomic status, culture, race/ethnicity, sexual orientation, etc. Choose a problem that could arise in this stage, describe the problem, and discuss possible interventions. Also, describe how you would assess a child and family with this problem and how you would engage them in an intervention process. The student’s paper will be between 10-12 pages. Due Week 15 by the start of class.

Part 1: On Week 9, the 1st 2 pages of the paper is due. This is including the Introduction and the Stage of Development the student is researching. This is to ensure the student will get initial feedback around the topic chosen, writing skills and formatting. The paper will not be graded, but will be given a “credit” or “no credit” score. If this assignment is not turned in or turned on by the Week 9 due date, there will be a half grade reduction on the paper (A- then becomes a B+).

Part 2: The complete paper is due Week 15 by the start of class. Student will take feedback from Part 1 and incorporate it into the complete paper.

Stage of Development

Choose one of the stages of development covered in class, which includes prenatal development, infancy, toddlerhood (1 ½ years old through 3), young children (4-5), school age children (6-10), young adolescents 11-13), middle adolescence (14-16), older adolescents and transitional age youth (17-19). Once the student choses a stage of development, explain the critical issues of that stage, including the biological, social, cultural, and social-emotional aspects of the stage. For example, if the student is choosing toddlerhood, the student would look at the important motor developmental milestones that need to be met, attaining control of elimination, etc. The student would discuss the cognitive development that happens in this stage and the way that allows for growth in other areas. The social emotional development of toddlers and relationships with caregivers are also essential.

Also, discuss how important issues such as socioeconomic status, sex, culture, etc. have an influence on this stage. For example, address how does poverty influence the cognitive development of a young child.

Problem

Choose a problem relevant to the student’s chosen particular developmental stage. For example, the student could choose examples such as autism in young children, depression in middle adolescence (the student may choose to focus on a particular gender), prematurity in infancy, death of a parent in middle school, chronic illness in a young adolescence, etc. Choose a problem that is not too obscure because the student will want something that is feasible to research. One possibility that will help with the student’s process is to focus on a particular cultural group. For example, autism in preschool immigrant Latino children, sickle cell anemia among African American young adolescents, young Armenian children traumatized from exposure to domestic violence, or a middle class Irish American school age child with behavior problems whose parents have been referred to child welfare for physical abuse. Clearing your choice with your instructor before writing will help you know if you have chosen a subject that is doable. In discussing problem, cover what is known about the problem, its etiology, and the course of the problem over time. Relate it to the child’s stage of development and how it would look in this age group. For example, depression looks very different in a school age child than in an older adolescent.

Using an introduction to lay out your problem, population, and developmental stage may be a good way to start.

Interventions

Homework help – Discuss what interventions might be appropriate for this problem. Homework help – Discuss the evidence for the intervention you have chosen. If you have settled on a particular intervention, make a good justification for your intervention. Also if there is no intervention(s) with compelling evidence, how would you go about developing an intervention?

Engagement

Talk about how you would go about engaging a child and a family with this problem. Take into account the setting and how that might influence your engagement. For example, if you choose a child with a chronic illness, how might that impact how you would engage with the child and family? Take into account the child’s age and address whether you would engage the family as a whole, the family and child separately, or just the child (in rare instances). Are there special allowances you should make for cultural differences?

Assessment

How would you go about assessing this family and child given the child’s problems? What dimensions of the FAF would deserve particular attention? Is there a need for any particular measures to be added to your assessment? What collateral sources might be important to access to do a better assessment of the family?

Your paper should be written in APA style, Times or other font size 12 Times or other font size 12. You should have a minimum of 10 references. Use a variety of citations; do not rely solely on one or two texts or solely on classroom readings. Readings should primarily be from peer-reviewed sources, thus information on websites that are not peer reviewed and therefore not appropriate. The student will need to include at least 2 empirical articles in your references and cite them appropriately in your paper.

Papers should have an introduction, use subheadings, and have a conclusion.

Papers will be judged on the thoroughness of the assignment, the relevant use of theory to support your paper, and the quality of the written work.

The following rubric will be used to evaluate your papers:

Introduction of Topic
Description of Developmental Stage and Relevant Issues
Problem Description
Interventions Relevant to Problem
Engagement
Assessment
Thoroughness
Coherence of Homework help – Discussion
References (quality, number & relevance)
Quality of Written Work
Use of APA Style

Papers will be graded according to the USC Suzanne Dwork-Peck School of Social Work guidelines:

Within the USC Suzanne Dwork-Peck School of Social Work, grades are determined in each class based on the following standards which have been established by the faculty of the School: (1) Grades of A or A- are reserved for student work which not only demonstrates very good mastery of content but which also shows that the student has undertaken a complex task, has applied critical thinking skills to the assignment, and/or has demonstrated creativity in her or his approach to the assignment. The difference between these two grades would be determined by the degree to which these skills have been demonstrated by the student. (2) A grade of B+ will be given to work which is judged to be very good. This grade denotes that a student has demonstrated a more-than-competent understanding of the material being tested in the assignment. (3) B good demonstration, (4) A grade of B- will denote that a student’s performance was less than adequate on an assignment, reflecting only moderate grasp of content and/or expectations. (5) A grade of C would reflect a minimal grasp of the assignments, poor organization of ideas and/or several significant areas requiring improvement. (6) Grades between C- and F will be applied to denote a failure to meet minimum standards, reflecting serious deficiencies in all aspects of a student’s performance on the assignment.

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