Benton County Social Services Case Study

County social services is one area of social work practice that employs a multitude of social workers, addressing a variety of needs and social problems. Benton County Human Services is located in the county seat of Foley, Minnesota. The County employs approximately 30 social workers, providing services including child protection, child welfare, mental health case management, Rule 25 chemical dependency assessments and case management, elderly services and developmental disability services. Mental health services are the focus of this paper, compiling data for this assignment by interviewing Barb Strack, BSW at Benton County Human Services. Ms. Strack is currently a mental health social worker, providing services in the area of mental health,

She also has a history of providing child protection services to families, therefore is very knowledgable on the variety of services in the county system. Specifically this paper will address the services provided by mental health social workers within the county setting, as well as the disparities and ethical dilemmas presented with this population. Community mental health services is rapidly expanding in our society. Nearly twenty percent of American’s suffer from a mental health disorder( Farley, Smith & Boyle, 2012). Therefore it is imperative to have social workers trained in the area of mental health to address their ongoing needs. Ms. Strack is a social worker providing these services within the agency at Benton County Human Services. The social worker role within this setting is comparative to the roles of a mental health social worker outline in our textbook by Farley, Smith and Boyle. At the initial intake for a request for service, her role is to provide a screening and assessment to determine need for services. Upon assessment or screening, collaboration is a necessary step to determine most appropriate treatment option. Collaboration within the county system is extensive, as it is common to communicate with other units within the county system, such

Self determination is a social work value that states each individual person has the right to make decisions regarding their own level of care.(Farley, Smith and Boyle, 2012). There are situations in which a medical doctors may deem a client is in need of psychiatric treatment against their will. This is called an involuntary civil commitment process. During the civil commitment process a client may be placed on protective hold, either by law enforcement, the court or a physician’s statement. A statement is written deeming the client is at risk of harm to themselves or others if they are without the necessary care and treatment (Evans, & Salekin, 2014). At this point, a pre petition screening takes place with a social worker, interviewing the client, collateral contacts and reviewing documents pertinent to this request for screening. A social worker gathers all pertinent documentation, including mental health history, risk of violent behaviors and history of substance use (Evans, & Salekin, 2014). Information is presented to a screening team as to whether the mandated treatment would lead to an improvement in that person’s ability to function and decrease their risk of harm to self and others (Evans & Salekin, 2014). If commitment is pursued the information is forwarded to the Court to take legal action. Involuntary commitment eliminates a