CHCCCS025
Support relationships with carers and families
Assessment
CHCCCS025 Support relationships with carers and families
Part B – Case study questions
Read the case study, then answer the questions that follow.
Case study (questions 1–9)
Travis is a young carer and the primary carer for his mother, Trudi, whose condition has begun to deteriorate over the past few months. Some of Trudi’s friends also provide assistance by cooking meals and doing some of the housework. Her friends have come to know her food preferences well and together have developed a menu list for each week to ensure she eats a balanced diet, based around her preferred foods. Travis provides constant supervision and guidance for Trudi and has an almost intuitive awareness of her emotional and physical needs.
Travis is finding it hard to maintain his social network and keep up with his schoolwork and is thinking about dropping out of school completely. Bethany provides ongoing support to Travis and his mum, and they have begun talking about longer term options for Trudi to move into an out-of-home care situation and how Travis feels about no longer taking on the full-time caring responsibilities for her. Travis often comments that he feels a bit like someone who has grown up before his time and that many of his former friendship group simply don’t understand why he can’t come down to the beach with them at a moment’s notice. They simply don’t realise how demanding caregiving is, and why it is important that Travis spend the bulk of his time at home, in case he is needed. Lately, he has noticed that his friends have simply stopped ringing or texting him at all. Travis says that one of his friends has told him it’s just not normal for a young person to be caring for his mother. Bethany listens carefully to Travis and then makes some comments to check she has understood him correctly. They then begin to talk about what he might decide to do in the future.
Bethany shows Travis some information, application forms and eligibility criteria guidelines about an out-of-home residential setting near his home, where his mother might be able to move, and which would still allow Travis to visit frequently and be involved in her care. She explains that the service has clear guidelines about eligibility and a strong set of policies and guidelines as well as a code of conduct for workers so that Travis would know that she was being well cared for. There is an open-door policy, which means Travis could visit any time, and a strong commitment to encouraging community-based activities to maintain links with friends, family members and the wider community.
Travis decides to encourage his mother to consider the option of out-of-home residential care, so he meets with Trudi, Bethany and a manager from the setting to begin discussing the options.
CS Question 1 What attitudes, stereotypes, false beliefs and myths should Bethany have identified in this situation?
Answer
Marking q Satisfactory q Unsatisfactory
CS Question 2 Outline the pathway that Trudi will take to enter the service setting and the implications for Travis, her family and her friends.
Answer
Marking q Satisfactory q Unsatisfactory
CS Question 3 Outline the impact of the caring role on Trudi’s family, carers and friends.
Answer
Marking q Satisfactory q Unsatisfactory
CS Question 4 What knowledge and skills does Travis have that can be useful for Bethany and the service manager to ensure a smooth transition for Trudi?
Answer
Marking q Satisfactory q Unsatisfactory
CS Question 5 Why is it important that Bethany identify everyone’s rights, roles and responsibilities in this situation?
Answer
Marking q Satisfactory q Unsatisfactory
CS Question 6 What are Trudi’s rights, role and responsibilities in this situation?
Answer
Marking q Satisfactory q Unsatisfactory
CS Question 7 What are Travis’s rights, role and responsibilities in this situation?
Answer
Marking q Satisfactory q Unsatisfactory
CS Question 8 What are Trudi’s friends’ rights, role and responsibilities in this situation?
Answer
Marking q Satisfactory q Unsatisfactory
CS Question 9 What are Bethany’s rights, role and responsibilities in this situation?
Answer
Marking q Satisfactory q Unsatisfactory
Read the case study, then answer the questions that follow.
Case study (questions 10–14)
Jacquie is helping Max and his family to find and access some supports that will help their family members take a break from caring responsibilities and also give Max the opportunity to expand his social network and participate in some recreation activities.
Max’s mother wants to begin casual work and do more things for herself. She would like max to be more independent so she doesn’t feel like she has to be with him constantly and so he can prepare for his adult life.
Jacquie is meeting with Max and his family for the second time to go through some service guidelines and application documents to help Max access new services. Jacqui brings the documents along with a large print version for Max to read independently, as he is becoming a more capable independent reader. She asks his mother to write down some strategies that she uses at home with Max that she finds works well, so she can share these with the new service providers, with permission from Max and his mother. Jacqui reassures Max’s mother that any information she provides about Max will be confidential, and that it will only be shared to other organisations and people with her permission.
Max has told Jacquie that he wants to join activities that his best friend Sam, is already doing. Max said that Sam participates in a recreation outreach program each Friday night so she brings information along about this program for Max. he asks Jacquie if she can drive him to the group on his first visit but Jacquie explains that this is not possible as her organisation does not permit her to drive people in her own car and the group is run outside of her working hours. Instead, she encourages Max to think about learning to catch public transport to get to the program. His mother or Sam’s mother can share the pick-up task afterwards.
Max is excited about learning to catch public transport and seems to have growing confidence at the idea that Jacqui thinks he is capable of doing this.
CS Question 10 What strategies does Jacquie use to support Max and his family to maximise positive aspects of change and transition?
Answer
Marking q Satisfactory q Unsatisfactory
CS Question 11 How has Jacquie demonstrated person-centred practice, strengths-based practice and active support in this situation?
Answer
Marking q Satisfactory q Unsatisfactory
CS Question 12 What strategy has Jacquie implemented to work positively with Max and his mother?
Answer
Marking q Satisfactory q Unsatisfactory

CS Question 13 What strengths-based solution could Jacquie use to respond to the possible difficulty of Max having trouble with taking public transport to go to the outreach program?
Answer
Marking q Satisfactory q Unsatisfactory
CS Question 14 How can Jacquie support Max’s family and friends to maximise ongoing support and involvement in Max’s life?
Answer
Marking q Satisfactory q Unsatisfactory
Read the case study, then answer the questions that follow.
Case study (questions 15–21)
Patrick is the primary carer for his uncle Sebastian, an elderly man who has complex care needs which are extremely time consuming. He needs full time supervision, medication management and must be turned in bed several times a night.
James is a family support worker who initially created an individual support plan for Sebastian and now provides ongoing support to the family. Patrick meets with James to talk about how the family is coping at present. Patrick tells James that he is finding the caring responsibilities challenging and that sometimes he gets very cross and angry. He explains that there have been times when he has left Sebastian unattended to go to the pub nearby and play the pokies. He explains that he does not gamble a lot but that it just gives him a short break and some relief from the demands of caring. James asks what happens when he feels angry at home and Patrick tells him that one day last week, he had found himself thinking about hurting Sebastian. He did not hurt Sebastian but felt extremely ashamed of himself afterwards for even considering it. Patrick then breaks down and tells James that he is worried about whether he should continue caring for Sebastian at all.
James provides care and reassurance and asks Patrick if he thinks it is still a possibility that he might try to harm Sebastian. Patrick tells James that he is worried every day that he might do something bad to Sebastian and that he does not know what to do.
He asks James to promise not to tell anyone about what he has said.
CS Question 15 How should James respect the confidentiality and privacy of Sebastian and Patrick?
Answer
Marking q Satisfactory q Unsatisfactory
CS Question 16 What are James’s legal and ethical obligations with regard to confidentiality and disclosure of information in this situation?
Answer
Marking q Satisfactory q Unsatisfactory
CS Question 17 What services could James have suggested to Patrick prior to this situation developing that might have helped him maintain his care relationship with Sebastian more effectively?
Answer
Marking q Satisfactory q Unsatisfactory
CS Question 18 What are the issues that may impact on Patrick’s physical and emotional health and wellbeing?
Answer
Marking q Satisfactory q Unsatisfactory
CS Question 18 What are the issues that may impact on Patrick’s physical and emotional health and wellbeing?
Answer
Marking q Satisfactory q Unsatisfactory
CS Question 19 Outline James’s legal and ethical obligations with regard to their work role boundaries and limitations in this situation.
Answer
Marking q Satisfactory q Unsatisfactory
CS Question 20 What information could James give to Patrick and the family about carer support services?
Answer
Marking q Satisfactory q Unsatisfactory
CS Question 21 Give two examples of carer support organisations and resources that James could provide to Patrick and the family.
Answer 1.
2.
Marking q Satisfactory q Unsatisfactory