Imagine you are the Family Support Worker and you are having the conversation with Jake as is described in the final paragraph of this case study. 1. What are Jakes autonomy rights and what are his best interest rights?
Case Study Marlee, age 34 and her son Jake aged 14. You are a family support worker The family is Indigenous.
Marlee and Jake were referred to the family support service you work for by the Student Welfare Coordinator at Jake’s School following the discovery of marijuana in Jake’s locker. Marlee’s partner Tim had recently been imprisoned for drug offences and she had been struggling to cope without him. Up until Tim’s imprisonment Marlee and Tim had both been using heroin - although Marlee insisted that she only occasionally used heroin in order to prevent withdrawal symptoms. After Tim’s imprisonment Marlee and Jake moved in with Marlee’s sister because Marlee had been unable maintain payment of rent. Marlee’s sister lives on her own in a two bedroom rental property. Marlee reports her relationship with her sister to be conflictual. After Tim was imprisoned Marlee went on the methadone program. In your initial sessions with Marlee she gradually revealed a long history of trauma, abuse, family violence, mental illness, substance abuse and transience. During his life Jake has moved schools 7 times. During your joint sessions with Jake and Marlee you observed some significant challenges in the family relationships e.g., with Jake presenting as withdrawn and non-communicative. This situation did not seem to be helped by the fact that Marlee provided Jake with few positives in terms of warmth or affirmation. This morning you had an individual session planned with Marlee at her sister’s house. You expected that Jake would be at school. However when you knocked on the door Jake answered, and let you in the house. Jake was very upset. He said he was worried about his mother because she had been using heroin, and that she had been heavily drug affected all weekend. You observed the house to be messy and dirty. Jake said he had barely eaten anything for the last few days and that there was no food in the house. Jake told you that his mum apologised to him this morning – and that she was currently in bed asleep. Jake begged you not to make a report to child protection about what had happened. Jake said he had been involved with child protection in the past, that he had been placed in foster care and he hated it. He started to cry when he told you that his mum needed him to stay with her and look after her.
Imagine you are the Family Support Worker and you are having the conversation with Jake as is described in the final paragraph of this case study.
1. What are Jakes autonomy rights and what are his best interest rights?
2. How might you respond to this situation in a way that considers and appropriately balances Jake’s autonomy rights and his best interest rights?
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