Case Study

Individual, Locality and Structural

1. Apply each of the three categories to the attached case scenario.

2. Each of the three categories of explanations suggests policies that are based on the nature of each explanation. Identify what policies might be suggested by each of the three explanations in relation to the case scenario.

3. Identify the strengths and weaknesses of each of these explanations in relation to the case scenario.


A responsibility of social work is to provide for people in society who are in positions of weakness, stress or vulnerability. Social work is a service that operates in response to human need. To perpetuate change on a large scale a social workers capacity for accurate communication and empathy have to be allied to a broader appreciation of the way that environments impact on different individuals and groups (Blackburn 1992). Social workers can make an important contribution to developing and understanding the balances that exist b...