A Child Called "It"

The social worker I interviewed, recommended I read this book. She said it would give me an idea of how things work when it comes neglect and child abuse. It is a biography by David Pelzer, he gives his audience a look into his childhood life and how he dealt with and overcame his abusive mother. In the book Pelzer mentions some of the things children and social workers go through when handling cases like his. I am planning on reading this separate from my research.

Blog 6 - Second Interview Preparation

1.  Who is your mentor and where do they work?
      My mentor is Laura Luna, she works for the LA County-Department of Children and Family Services.

2.  What five questions will you ask them about their background?

• Where did you go to school to become a social worker?
• What kind of degree do you have?
• How much of what you learned ,while taking classes is actually used in your everyday work life?
• What classes do you think are important to take for a student studying to become a social worker?
• What type of clients do you work with?

Blog 5 - Mentorship Reflection

1. Mentorship question: Describe your experience in how you found your mentorship?  If you haven't found one yet, describe your experience so fare in the search of a mentor.
 
After I decided I was interested in studying social work for my senior project. I remembered that I have a distant relative who is a social worker. Conveniently, there was baby shower coming up that I knew she would be attending. I approached her and asked her if she would be able to help me in any way. Since her office is in Los Angeles she told me she would contact some people she knows in the Pomona office so I wouldn't have to drive so far for mentorship. She is going to get back to me once she gets a reply from the Pomona office.
 
 

2. Research question: What has been your most important article you have read so far and why?
 
The most important article I have read so far is chapter 2 "Child Protective Services Theory and Practice" from Child Protective Services: A Guide For Case Workers. One of the main authors is Diane Depanfilis, she is a professor and Associate Dean for research at the University of Maryland School of Social Work. I think the most important because it coordinates the theories with the federal and state laws. During the interview it was suggested that I read the Adoptions and Safe Families Act and called The Child Abuse and Neglect Reporting Act, this article gives really good examples of how those laws come into play.

Library Experience

Watching the presentation on Friday at the library was really helpful. We were shown how to get the most use out of their website. My favorite thing I learned was that the website provided the source’s citation in MLA format.

Blog 4: Interview Preparation

1.  Who do you plan to interview?  Why?
 
I plan on interviewing, Laura Luna. She is a social worker that I have known for quite a while. I wanted to interview her because I know that it very easy for her to talk about what she does. She is very committed to her work and is passionate about what she does.

 

2.  You have to ask 5 questions.  What additional questions do you plan to ask?  Ask open-ended questions. 

• What was it that made you want to become a social worker?
• What do you think would be important to keep in mind when doing a job like yours?

Blog 3: Topic Choice and Working EQ

1. Social work

2. What is the best way to determine if a child's living situation is suitable for them to live in?

Blog 2: Summer Mentorship Component

 

Literal:

1. (Know) Using Google doc (drive) link a log of specific hours and a description of your duties to your blog post.

Mentorship Log

2. What is the contact name & number of where you volunteered?  

     Daniel Rinaldelli

     (909)297-9418

3. (Need to know) What questions were raised because of the 10 hours of experience?  List them.

• What are the main reasons people hire lawyers when going through a divorce?
• How much money do lawyers make? Does income change?

Interpretive:

4. What is the most important thing you gained from this experience? Why?

     I was able to experience being in a court room. I realized that it is an intimidating world. It is a good things to know if I ever decide to go into law.

Applied

5. What is your senior project topic going to be?  How did what you did help you choose a topic?  Please explain.

     I have decided to do my Senior project on social work. During my mentorship I saw how emotional the adults got during divorces. It made me wonder about the kids. I loved the idea of helping people, but I would like to be more involved with children.