Week 2 6215 

  

Approaches to Assessment   With Culturally Diverse Children and Families 

 

Resources 

Readings 

Day 1 

• Jani, J., & Okundaye, J. (2014). The culturagram: An educational tool to   enhance practice competence with diverse populations. Journal of   Baccalaureate Social Work, 19(1), 53–63. Note: You will access this article   from the Walden Library databases. 

• Congress, E. P., & Kung, W. W. (2013). Using the   culturagram to assess and empower culturally diverse families. In Congress,   E. P., & Gonzalez, M. J. (Eds.), Multicultural perspectives in social   work practice with families (3rd ed., pp. 1–20). New York, NY: Springer   Publishing Co. 

• Working With Children and Families: The Case of Hamza   (PDF) 

Day 2 

• Méndez, G. A., & Cole, E. M. (2014). Engaging Latino   families in therapy: Application of the tree of life technique. Journal of   Family Psychotherapy, 25(3), 209–224. doi:10.1080/08975353.2014.939932

Note: You will access this article from the Walden Library databases.

• Thomas, C., Medina, C., & Cohen, H. (2010). Latino voices: Service delivery challenges in child protective services. Families in Society: The Journal of Contemporary Social Services, 91(2), 158–164. doi: 10.1606/1044.3894.3975 Note: You will access this article from the Walden Library databases.

Assignment:

Culturagram 

Submit a 2- to 3-page paper and include the following: 

· Based on the case study you selected for your Week 1 Discussion, explain the relevance of the Culturagram to assessment. 

· Complete a Culturagram diagram (using Microsoft Word, Excel, or PowerPoint) depicting each of the 10 elements of the culturagram, using information from the case study. 

· For any information missing from the case study, indicate two questions you would ask to gather the needed information and why these questions might be relevant for your assessment. 

· Include the case study as reference, as well as any additional material used to formulate your assessment questions. 

This is the case study that was use last week Working With Children and Families: The Case of Hamza (PDF) 

Working With Children and Families:

The Case of Hamza Hamza came to my office after his teacher said he “did not fit” in her classroom. Hamza is the 12-year-old son of a Southeast Asian family who recently moved to a small Midwestern town to join other family members. I was the school social worker, and Hamza arrived in my office on the fourth day of the new school year with a note from the teacher that said, “He doesn’t get along with the other kids in the classroom.” As part of my assessment, I asked the teacher, teacher’s assistant, and Hamza’s parents to complete a child behavior inventory. No specific information came back on the inventories to suggest a problem. At that time, I asked Hamza’s parents and his teacher to attend a case conference. During the conference, Hamza’s parents disclosed their recent immigration and their lack of documentation to remain in the United States. At that point, Hamza’s teacher exclaimed, “I knew it; he should not be here [in the U.S.], and he definitely should not be in my class!” As the school social worker, I felt uncertain how to respond. Hamza’s teacher apparently held animosity toward Hamza and his immigration status. At the same time, Hamza’s educational, emotional, and social well-being was my concern. I was responsible for ensuring a strengths perspective was embraced and surrounded each of our students. In the following weeks, I worked with the teachers and parents to place Hamza’s needs as priority. During the next six weeks, I worked with Hamza’s parents and teachers to acknowledge without compromise the barriers that would exist for Hamza in the education system. The third six weeks brought change. Hamza was encouraged to excel at school, his parents accepted my efforts as the school social worker and the efforts of the teachers, and the district authorities embraced a unified social/emotional educational plan for Hamza, along with other undocumented students.