Chapter 8: A Case Study

Chapter 8 explored various societal issues that children are faced with and the impact it has on their success in school. A few of the issues discussed were refugee children, children involved with Department of Human Services and children of gay or lesbian families. The refugee children, who are leaving dangerous situations and have experienced war and oppression, was discussed (Jarolmen, 2014). In regards to the school setting, these children can experience discrimination that can damage their “self-image, motivation, and academic progress (Jarolmen, p.170).” The school social worker can consult with staff and the community to support these students learning. A school social worker can collaborate with the teachers in order to address the discrimination by creating a multiethnic environment in the classroom. Additionally, the social worker …show more content…
The abuse and/or neglect that some of these children experience could lead to developmental delays (Jarolmen, 2014). For example, these children may have issues with “affect regulation… difficulty with information processing… academic risks…problems with building a relationship with peers etc (Jarolmen, p.172).” Furthermore, some children who grew up with parent (s) on welfare have observed their parent(s) being nonproductive citizens and dependent on the system. This may lead those children to have little motivation to strive for academic achievement (Jarolmen, 2014). The school social worker can attempt to address some of the developmental deficits through group work. For instance, group work may help build communication skills and improve relationships with peers. Group work may assist these children in gaining an understanding of their situation and find ways to cope and grow from it. School social workers may also assist the teachers in developing relationships with this demographic to improve academic growth (Jarolmen,