please write around 400 words, for the rest of the word count, please write a peer response to the sample……
no reference needed, read carefully the instructions and samples
please do read the samples at least once
please do cover all the questions
(The Community of Globe – This document provides some information about the community where the clients in your case study live).
Case Study
Mrs. Harjo and Tony: Mrs. Harjo is 65 year old female who identifies as Latina. She lives in
Globe, Arizona, and subsists on Supplemental Security Income, SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, commonly known as food stamps), and her garden. Mrs. Harjo has been living alone since the death of her husband five years ago. She is the daughter of Mexican immigrants, and visits her hometown in Mexico for Semana Santa every other year. Mrs. Harjo identifies as Catholic but has participated in organized religion since the age of 14 when she relocated to Globe, AZ.
A paternal grandson, Tony (age 13), recently moved in with Mrs. Harjo following his mother’s death from acute alcohol poisoning. Tony’s biological father is serving five years in county jail on a third conviction. Tony’s biological parents were never married, and his mother did not obtain a legal divorce from her first husband. When Tony was born, the hospital registrar listed the first husband as the legal father on his birth certificate. Trying to do the right thing, Mrs. Harjo went to Tony’s school to give notice of a change of address and to put her name on file as guardian and emergency contact. School officials pointed out that Tony was not legally related to Mrs. Harjo, and that therefore she had no authority to authorize medical care, or to enroll Tony in school.
The principal referred Mrs. Harjo to an attorney, where she appealed for help in getting Tony’s paternity corrected. The attorney advised that the biological father adopt Tony in order to change the legal parent, but refused to take the case because Tony’s father was incarcerated, and the likelihood of an adoption by an incarcerated parent was too low. Moreover, the whereabouts
of the legal father are unknown, and thus no relinquishment can be secured. (Garcia, Bain, Avera, Armenta, 2005)
Tony’s grades have dipped to a C average (he typically earns A’s and B’s) since the death of his mother. He is on the freshman baseball team, and cites this as one of his favorite activities, but will be barred from playing should his grades continue to decline. Tony has no specific academic interests but wants to remain eligible to play baseball. Teachers report that Tony has always been quiet, but has had difficulty concentrating in school since his mother’s’ death two months ago.
The Community of Globe
The total population of Globe, AZ, located in Gila County, was 7,532 according to the latest census in 2010. The following tables will give you an idea of the demographics in the community of Globe. Major industries in Globe include mining- specifically copper- which employed 20% of the population. There is one fire department, and one public library. (http://www.globeaz.gov/visitors/information)
(http://globemiamichamber.com)
Information Retrieved from http://www.census.gov/2010census/popmap/
Age
| AZ – Globe city | |
| Male | 3,736 |
| Female | 3,796 |
| Under 18 | 1,764 |
| 18 and over | 5,768 |
| 20-24 | 406 |
| 25-34 | 804 |
| 35-49 | 1,367 |
| 50 -64 | 1,622 |
| 65 & over | 1,382 |
Race
| White | 5,993 |
| African American | 69 |
| Asian | 85 |
| AIAN | 430 |
| NHPI | 9 |
| Some Other Race | 722 |
| Two or more Races | 224 |
Ethnicity
| Hispanic or Latino | 2,775 |
| Not Hispanic or Latino | 4,757 |
Retrieved from http://www.census.gov/2010census/popmap/
Answer
Social Justice, Diversity, and Poverty
Name
Institution
Date
Social Justice, Diversity, and Poverty
One aspect that takes center stage in this case is discrimination. Segal, Gerdes, and Steiner describes discrimination as a culture where people are treated differently through denial of something. In this case, institutional discrimination that is founded on the law is evident. Discrimination plays a great role in one’s life as it shows the reality of life. Personally, I have experienced discrimination at different times in my life. The experience gave me a different view of life and how life is meant to discourage us. People who discriminate do not take into account the feelings of the affected individual. Consequently, discrimination may negatively affect an individual and shape them on how to deal with certain issues despite the difficulties associated with them.
The institutional discrimination evident in this case is not aimed at oppressing the subject, but rather protecting them under the law. The equal protection offered by the law protects children against landing in the hands of the wrong people. However, based on the facts present in the case, Tony needs somebody who can take good care of him, but the mother is dead while the father has been incarcerated. Thus, Tony is likely to face hardships in his education and socially since Mrs. Harjo does not have any legal right to take Tony to his school of choice and offer him medical attention that he deserves.
Poverty is presenting a great concern for my client. Mrs. Harjo does not have an actual source of income, and thus she does not have enough money to seek justice for her grandson. Poverty plays a great role in placing her at the disadvantaged side as she may not afford to hire a lawyer who can pursue the case to have her granted the right to be a guardian of her grandson.
A social worker has a great role to play in helping Tony, and her grandmother get a fair treatment of the law. A social worker would give them a better legal aid to understand the provisions of the law. Moreover, the social worker can give them alternative ways to pursue in their quest of seeking justice for Tony. These alternatives would include following the right channels to ensure that Mrs. Harjo is granted the rights to be a guardian of Tony since Tony’s father is still in prison.
My question about this case study is why a school principal would deny Mrs. Harjo to authorize medical care, change the address or enroll Tony in school and yet he knew it very well that Tony’s mother had died?
The case study of my client has similarities and differences with my experience. In social work, it is important to understand the differences and similarities as it enables us to relate and have a clear understanding of what others are going through. In this manner, social workers would be in a position to help clients overcome their challenges.
Peer Response
Social workers have the noble responsibility of working with people in trying to improve their lives. In this case study, Mrs. Harjo is faced with the challenge of changing the guardianship of Tony who is her grandson. I agree that this is institutional discrimination that is founded on the laws governing the rights of children. It turns out to be a form of discrimination when the authorities could not take into consideration the negative effects of failing to have Mrs. Harjo as a guardian to Tony. Thus, a social worker is needed to intervene and guide Mrs. Harjo on how to pursue the case following the rule of law. Moreover, the social worker can intervene and work to ensure that Mrs. Harjo is granted the rights to be Tony’s guardian.
References
Segal, E. A., Gerdes, K. E., & Steiner, S. (2015). Empowerment series: An introduction to the profession of social work. Nelson Education.
