Social Work Case Study

Ms. Apple is a 45 year old African American woman who has been a widow for about 4 years. Ms. Apple has three children, whose ages range from 5-12 years old. Ms. Apple has been struggling to keep her family afloat since the death of her husband. Ms. Apple convinced herself that she would not require the extra assistance. However, she realized in attempting to provide alone has not only become very strenuous, but also quite costly. Expenses have become overwhelming for Ms. Apple to maintain, since her husband took care of the finances and was the breadwinner for the family. Ms. Apple has minimal education as she is able to read and write at grade school level. Ms. Apple also has never been employed as she was a home maker. At this point, Ms. Apple is in need of financial assistance to provide for her family. In this paper, I will address how the following concepts would handle the need of Ms. Apple, according to the Elizabethan poor laws of 1601, the Charity Organization,, societies, and the position of an Institutional and Residual Worker.

During the Elizabethan poor law of 1601, a widow seeking assistance was not easily accommodated. In the event, a widow was able bodied she would be placed in a workhouse to provide for herself and risk possibly being separated from her children. According to Jansson (2009), though able bodied individuals were forced to work in workhouses as part of their contribution to the system, The Elizabeth poor law was in fact a beneficial policy, as it provided assistance for individuals in need (Jansson, 2009). However, given the fact that Ms. Apple is African American, the laws did not seek to cater to her needs during that time. Unfortunately, African American Women were not privy to th...

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...hese groups to progress presenting more opportunities and altering or changing the rules and regulation of our country to accommodate all. However, the realization is that our society will continue to have groups that are dominate and subordinate, which can intimidate other groups. This is where the position of a social worker along with their clients can advocate for their rights and the kind of services that will be required.

References

Jansson, B. (2009). The reluctant welfare state: Engaging History to Advance Social Work Practice in Contemporary Society (6th Edition). Belmont, CA: Brooks/Cole.

Schram, B. and Mandell, B. (1997). Human Services: Policy and Practice (3rd Edition). Needham Heights, MA: A Viacom Company.

Øyen, E. (2006). Charity organization society. Poverty: An International Glossary,

29. Retrieved from EBSCOhost.