3 Levels of Practice Paper - SW 4997 Portfolio



SW 3010123 Levels of Practice PaperMicro, Mezzo & Macro004230006Section 1:The client is an 18 year old boy aging out of foster care and graduating from high school. His goal is to attend a university with on-campus housing so he will have a place to live. I have helped him apply to several colleges and together we did all of his financial aid paperwork. He has been accepted to two universities and now must decide which one is the right college for him with his background and lack of family support. Micro Level SupportInitial support from me was to help the client apply to college and secure financial aid, literally sitting down and helping with paper work and navigating the system of applying to college, filling out forms and submitting information to colleges and the financial aid system. Once we had that accomplished our next task was to discuss emotional issues related to aging out of foster care and going to college. College is a scary enough transition at 18, however with a foster care background to not have a safety net of family both emotionally and financially is daunting. The client was very nervous about being on his own and very concerned about financially being able to live. He also showed concern about “fitting in”, making friends and being able to keep up with the academic portion. We also discussed basic responsibilities of laundry, food preparation, keeping a room clean, being on time for class and being responsible for your own person. We also discussed how to budget money and how to open a bank account, with Financial Aid the client will get a lump sum of money for living expenses and he will have to learn how to spend it wisely. The client seems very intuitive regarding money and has always been a responsible individual, it is my hope to find him some on campus support to help ensure his stability and just have someone with whom he can “check in” with. Because of his background one of the universities that he was accepted to has a support net for students that they deem “at risk”, the student is to meet one on one with a counselor weekly to discuss any issues he is having both personally and academically. If the student needs services the counselor will be able to help find the support the client needs. There are services on campus specifically for at risk students in the form of counseling, financial direction, and academic support if the client is having trouble with classes. The client felt very relieved to know that he will not be “flying it alone”, that he will have support once he is at school. Mezzo Level SupportThrough working with the university and the “at risk” counselors we have found support groups on campus for students with foster backgrounds. Specifically the program addresses issues in helping these kids with no family background succeed on campus. The support groups work to provide not just housing but holiday celebrations, job placement services as well as mental health services. The goal is to give the kids every avenue to be supported during college so that they can have a successful college experience. Macro Level SupportAfter doing some research there are many colleges that don’t recognize the issues that teens aging out of foster care face. One of the reasons the client chose this particular university was the attention they gave and the programs established to help kids with little or no family support be successful students. We need to work at a state level to support these kids and start early. We need to track and initiate support while they are still in high school to encourage them to attend college, some of these kids don’t realize they even have the option to go. There are some financial aid grants targeted specifically for kids who have been in foster care, there is definitely financial support. We need to ensure that these kids are aware of these programs early and often. Plant the seed of college at the middle school level so they have something to work towards. And once they decide to attend college we have to have support them while applying for college and financial aid. And finally, once they get to college we need programs in place to support them both emotionally and academically. By ensuring that these kids get to college we then have to work towards keeping them there for the entire four years, until graduation. Section 2: To recap the overlap of the levels, by supporting the client emotionally through aging out of foster care and the college application process, helping to secure college and financial aid services and connecting the client with the proper services while at college I have used worked with the client at the micro level. By working with the client and the advisor at the university, setting up counseling sessions and support groups as a safety net we have worked at the mezzo level. And finally, doing research in finding out that we are severely lacking resources to help these kids get to the college level and graduate is work at the macro level. Taking it a step further, I will work with the colleges who have programs established and then encourage other colleges who don’t to get programs established. While this is a long-term goal I think it is imperative for the success of these kids.Section 3:It is my belief that by making changes we can give these kids who are in foster care an opportunity to be productive members of our society. And the reasons we should are as follows: statistics show that 1/3 of foster kids live at or below poverty level, that’s three times the national average. Foster kids have two times the mental health issues of the national average and are twice as likely not to have health insurance. 42% of former foster kids have a child of their own 2-4 years after aging out, and even more alarming 25% of these kids will be incarcerated within two years of leaving foster care (Davis, 2006). If we don’t help them get to college and support them while they are there because it’s morally the right thing to do then let’s do it because it is financially the right thing. With over 800,000 kids in foster care in this country (Davis, 2006), wouldn’t it be more beneficial to have them working and paying taxes then incarcerated or on welfare? Not to mention, don’t we owe it to them to give them this opportunity?References: BIBLIOGRAPHY \l 1033 Davis, R. J. (2006). College Access, Financial Aid, and College Success for Undergraduates from Foster Care. Washington DC: National Association of Student Financial and Aid Administrators. ................
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