Assisting Case Managers Working Module 02 Content
You have just been hired as an intern at a local juvenile center. This center works with youth who seek services voluntarily as well as those who are ordered by the court to participate. You will be assisting case managers working with youth who present many issues and problems. The lead case manager, who is supervising you, just completed an intake session with a new client, Callie. She is asking you to review the information and identify Callie’s risk and protective factors.
Callie
Current Situation: Callie, a 14-year-old female, has pending charges for possession of methamphetamine, a felony-level offense. This is her first exposure to the juvenile justice system. During intake at your youth center, the following information was obtained and verified.
Education/Employment: Callie is currently enrolled in the ninth grade. She has been suspended twice during the last school year for smoking on school grounds and for being disrespectful to the principal and her teachers. School records indicate that Callie is very smart, but she does not turn in her homework and leaves her tests blank. Callie has been diagnosed with ADHD and was previously on Ritalin, which seemed to help her concentrate; however, after getting caught selling her medication at school, her doctor switched her medication to Strattera, which according to Callie, does not work as well.
Family Circumstances/Parenting: Callie has been residing with her mother for most of her life. When she was approximately ten years old, Callie’s parents divorced as her father went to prison for drug charges. Last year, Callie was sent to live with her father, who had recently been released from prison, but Callie called her mother begging to come home after two months, stating that she had been assaulted at a party. According to Callie, her father allowed her to drink and do drugs and allowed her to experiment with methamphetamine, marijuana, cocaine, and alcohol on numerous occasions. She has had very limited contact with him since she returned to her mom’s home.
Callie’s mother is relatively stable and is now remarried. Callie does not care for her stepfather but tolerates him because he is good to her mom. Callie and her mother do have their differences, but they love each other. Mom claims that she was like Callie as a kid and went through the court system too, including residing in a group home for a few months. Callie states that her mom keeps a pretty close eye on her and usually knows where she is at all times. Callie does state that mom is much easier on her than her stepfather, and she can usually talk mom into not telling stepdad about things she has done. Callie believes that her stepfather has way too many rules and that she is required to do much more work than her younger sister. Callie has been grounded at least three times in the last month for not following her stepfather’s rules about household chores. Callie and her younger sister, Zoe, age 12, do not get along very well and have had physical fights. They do get along when it comes to challenging their stepfather about rules. Callie’s mom works at Wal-Mart part-time, and her stepdad works at a well-drilling company full-time.
Peer Relations: Callie has many friends and is quite outgoing. She admits that she tends to “get into everyone else’s drama.” Callie’s best friends, Shayna and Kyra, are both on probation for assaults at school. Most of Callie’s extended group of friends have had some police involvement. Callie states that most of her friends use drugs and alcohol and go to parties on the weekends. Callie did mention that she has one friend, Shelly, who lives across the street from her family, but attends a different school. Shelly has never been in trouble and is a “good kid.” Callie and her friends are not involved in any gangs, but they do know gang members from school. Callie denies being in a relationship at the moment.
Substance Abuse: Callie stated that her first use of alcohol was at age nine when she was staying at a friend’s house. She stated that she first tried marijuana at age ten with an uncle from her dad’s side of the family. Callie admits to having used methamphetamine, marijuana, cocaine, and alcohol with her father. She also admits to using mushrooms, which, according to her, are not a drug because they are all-natural. Callie denies using alcohol for the last several months as “it is too hard to get.” Callie stated that when she uses, she is usually with friends or previously when with her dad. Callie stated that she uses one to two times a week unless she is stressed out, then she uses more. She insists that she does not need to use and can stop whenever she wants.
Leisure/Recreation: Callie used to be involved in sports in elementary and early middle school but stated that she has not been involved in anything since coming back from her dad’s house. She did attend a youth group one time with her friend, Shelly, and had fun. Callie uses her free time to hang out at the mall, watch television, and listen to music. Callie does enjoy drawing and is proud of her artwork.
Personality/Behavior: Callie described herself as outgoing and stated that she used to be more of a jock, but now she does not care about sports. Callie says that she is a good friend and that she is a good person, but she just “makes bad choices.” When angry, Callie usually just yells and then wants to be alone. She has been in physical fights with her sister, but not with people outside her family. Callie does have trouble concentrating and does not like her current medication because it does not work as well as Ritalin.
Callie also described herself as easy going, but then laughed and said, “an easy-going drama queen.” Callie admits that at times she feels bad about how things are going with her life, especially her relationship with her stepfather. Callie is occasionally depressed and even thought about suicide. She states that this started happening after she was assaulted while with her father. When asked to discuss the assault further, Callie shut down and refused any further discussion.
Attitudes, Values, Beliefs: Callie believes that her charges are “no big deal.” She added, “Everyone experiments with drugs during their teen years; I just tried to make some money from it.” Callie stated she was treated fairly by police but added her final decision about the justice system would be made depending on what the court does. According to Callie, there are times when it is okay to break the law, “if it means you are protecting yourself or someone you love.”
Based on Callie’s intake information presented above, complete the attached identifying a minimum of three risk factors and a minimum of two protective factors in each of the areas of individual, family, school, peers, and community. No title page or reference page is required for this assignment. Do not use bullet points; complete sentences are required to explain each risk and protective factor.