Case Study: Son and Daughter Challenge Family

Starting point and evidence of need

A family was referred to Outreach Support by a senior worker from a children’s centre because the youngest child was prone to poor behaviour and aggressive outbursts. At first glance, these tantrums seemed to be the result of inconsistent parenting and that this was confusing the youngest child.

Outreach support revealed a conflict between mum and dad, which made any form of consistent parenting difficult.  In addition to the difficulties between the parents and the upbringing of the youngest child, the elder son was involved with drugs and stealing from the family. 

Work undertaken

In order to help the family resolve their issues, the family participated in weekly home visits from the Family Outreach Worker.  These visits provided an opportunity for the mum to discuss her feelings of isolation, her concerns relating to her oldest son, the difficulties faced in relation to her youngest daughter and the impact this was all having on family life.  Mum was encouraged to be consistent in her parenting approaches to the young daughter, and the outreach worker helped her come up with strategies to support reasonable expectations for her young daughter.  Mum also got help finding helpful resources for the eldest son.  The family waited a bit to choose any particular treatment for him until they could be sure they were making the right decision that would yield the best outcome.

Mum and dad also talked about a more consistent and united parenting approach with the outreach worker, and helped dad accept the youngest child’s challenging behaviour.

Input from Target Team SEN Lead was requested and a series of weekly joint visits took place to provide the family with insight into possible strategies to improve their every day experience.  The additional perspective also brought up the importance of preparing for the start of school and the probable difficulties of getting the youngest child to wear a uniform.

The specialist also recommended a paediatric visit to assess the youngest daughter for specific learning difficulties, as it became evident that she demonstrated behaviours common in children with Autism.  In addition to encouraging the family to have the daughter checked out and get a statutory assessment of special educational needs from the education authority, the specialist and outreach worker also told mum and dad about other agencies that could help them pinpoint possible reasons for the youngest daughter’s behaviour.

Outcome

A statutory assessment for the daughter is currently being undertaken; however, a medical assessment revealed she has High Functioning Autism and Oppositional Defiance Disorder.  Outreach workers gave the family resources to help them with their daughter and maintain a less stressful home environment.  Mum and dad work together to manage their difficulties and remain positive about their future.

The decisions taken in relation to the oldest son, although difficult, resulted in the extended family coming together to lend support.  The family maintains contact with the oldest son and have begun talking about him returning home.

Why was it successful?

The family was supported in understanding their children’s needs and behaviour, and helped to realise that the youngest daughter was not simply demonstrating poor behaviour as a result of inadequate parenting.

The parents were provided with non-judgmental support and were encouraged to discuss their feelings in an open and honest manner.   This allowed them both to express their own thoughts and encouraged them to better support each other.

The youngest child received a diagnosis for her learning difficulties which will support her needs throughout education and other aspects of her learning and development.

The eldest child was supported to come to terms with his drug use and theft, and empowered to access the support he needed to move forward in life.