frank case
CYCS2047: INTRODUCTION TO CYC & LEGISLATION
CASE STUDY PARTNER ASSIGNMENT
(30% of Final Grade)
______________________________________________________________________
Students will be assigned a partner to complete this assignment. Students are
responsible for checking the announcements once partners have been organized to
determine who they will assigned to work alongside with. It is each students’
responsibility to reach out to their partner so the planning process can begin.
Child and Youth Care Practitioners will almost always be working alongside other
professionals. This assignment will give students an opportunity to consult, discuss,
practice active listening skills, meet timelines, research, assign tasks, and be a team
player. In some cases, students may also be required to practice resolving interpersonal
and/or performance conflict with each other. Keep in mind, that these are all skillsets
required in the field of child and youth care.
DUE Week 13 – August 1st by 11:59 pm
• Only one assignment needs to be submitted between the partners.
• The Written Assignment must be submitted via the appropriate Bb Assignment
Dropbox.
• The Visual Assignment must be submitted via a separate Bb Assignment Dropbox.
• It is your responsibility to ensure the correct assignment has been submitted
WRITTEN ASSIGNMENT FORMAT
The assignment must follow APA formatting standards and guidelines as it pertains to
font style, spacing, title page, page numbers, headings, etc. Please ensure both you and
your partner make efforts to familiarize yourselves with APA requirements.
• Maximum 8 Pages, NOT including the title page (assignments will only be graded
up to the page limit)
• The Assignment should be submitted as a PDF
• Typically, a Reference Page is always needed but for purposes of this submission,
none is required
CONVENTIONS OF WRITING
• Up to 15 marks for the Written Component and up to 5 marks for the Visual
Component will be deducted for grammar, spelling, sentence structure and
punctuations for the written component
• Please ensure to proofread and edit your assignments before submission.
Written Component: 60 Marks
Visual Component: 20 Marks
___________________________________________
Weighted Value: 30% of Final Grade
CYCS2047: INTRODUCTION TO CYC & LEGISLATION
Please read the attached Case Study on “Frankie” and answer the following questions in
detail using an essay style format. Feel free to use headings to organize the paper.
Note: Refer to Part II of the Child, Youth and Family Services Act (CYFSA), to answer
questions 1-3.
WRITTEN COMPONENT (Total of 60 Marks)
1a) Identify 5 (FIVE) different violations of Frankie’s Rights in Care AND quote the
relevant sections from the CYFSA (Simply identify the Part / Section / Subsection that
are applicable to the violations identified (10 marks)
b) Thoroughly explain why EACH situation identified in Question 1 is a violation (15
marks)
c) For EACH violation identified in Question 1, clearly and thoroughly describe what you
would have done to ensure Frankie’s rights were respected had you been the Child and
Youth Practitioner working on shift. Please provide as much detail possible describing
how you would have approached each violation. For example, what would you have said
and why; what would you have done and why; how would you have responded and why,
etc. (25 marks)
2. Identify and thoroughly explain 2 (TWO) different pieces of legislation that a Child
and Youth Practitioner would need to know when working with Frankie. Address why and
how each of these pieces of legislation would help a CYC in their work based on the
information contained in this case study. For example, explore why each would be
applied and how it could be used (10 marks)
VISUAL COMPONENT (Total of 20 Marks)
Design a young-person friendly, digital poster that could be posted at the entrance of
any live-in treatment program, explaining how the young persons’ rights will be
respected while in care. You must refer to each right that you have identified as violated
in the written component and include all relevant contact information at the bottom of
your flyer (e.g., Ombudsman Ontario). Please refer to the ‘Digital Poster Rubric’ for
further details located at the end of this document.
CYCS2047: INTRODUCTION TO CYC & LEGISLATION
Meet FRANKIE:
Frankie is a 14-year-old an African Canadian young person who identifies as female
(using pronouns of she/her). Frankie is a Temporary Ward of the Toronto Children’s Aid
Society (CAST). Her legal name is “Fawzia” but after being bullied by schoolmates upon
arriving in Canada, she adopted the name “Frankie”. While she loves and is proud of her
birth name, she feels very strongly about being able to use her chosen name with those
outside of her family and cultural community. Frankie practices the Islamic faith.
Frankie immigrated to Toronto from Kenya in 2017 and resided with her paternal
grandfather until he became ill and required hospitalization. As there were no other
family members living in Toronto, the hospital social worker referred Frankie to CAST,
and she was brought into care on November 10th, 2019.
On the day that Frankie signed a Temporary Care Agreement with CAST, she was
assigned a case worker who brought her to Birchwood Home. Frankie was told that this
was a program for young girls and that she should consider it as her “new home”. The
staff she met seemed friendly and welcoming, but they immediately needed her to
complete a series of documents for her file. She was left in the office with one staff who
handed her several forms to sign. Meadow was also given a handful of pamphlets to
review which included “Children Rights in Care” and the “House Rules and Expectations,
but none was reviewed with her.
The intake seemed to be taking a fair bit of time due to the staff person texting on their
phone throughout the meeting. In addition, despite repeatedly telling the staff person
that she wanted to be known to her peers in the home as “Frankie”, the staff person
continued to call her “Fawzia” and introduced her to staff and other residents by her
legal name.
Throughout the intake, Frankie could see that several of the other residents were
walking by the office trying to get a glimpse of the “new girl”. At one point, Frankie
could hear them snickering and commenting on her name, her clothes, and her accent
but the staff who was in the office with her did not seem to notice. Frankie felt
overwhelmed and wished she could take a break from the paperwork but did not feel
comfortable with making that request.
An hour later, she was shown to her new room and was told that it would be “evening
routines” soon, but Frankie had no idea what that meant. She opened some of the
pamphlets and began reading, but she found the information difficult to understand and
overwhelming. She wished her rights had been explained to her, along with the house
rules and expectations as she was unclear what some of the information meant. She felt
so confused and uncomfortable in the unfamiliar surroundings and could only think
about returning home.
There were many different areas to get accustomed to and although Frankie tried her
best, there were still expectations that she could not meet. One evening they were told
CYCS2047: INTRODUCTION TO CYC & LEGISLATION
staff would be ordering pizza for dinner. Frankie asked the staff to order vegetarian or
even plain cheese pizza, but when they forgot and she reminded them, she was told that
she could just remove the pepperoni and bacon from the pizza. When she indicated that
she could not do that due to religious reasons, staff responded with, “You don’t have to
eat it”, but then offered no other meal options.
Frankie also struggled to adjust to her lack of privacy. Twice, she could tell her letters
from her grandfather had been opened before they were given to her but assumed the
staff were doing this because they wanted to help her. She just wished they had asked
her what she needed. Frankie also noticed that some of her items were missing and
when she approached staff with her concerns, they reminded her that she signed a form
on her first day stating that the program was not responsible for any missing items.
Some of the other residents in the home had been with the Children’s Aid Society for
much longer and tried to help Frankie (so she thought), in terms of how to navigate the
system. They told her that the best way to leave the program was to climb out the
bedroom window or engage in property damage. Frankie just listened and realized in
that moment; how much she missed her grandfather.
It was clear that Frankie’s roommate resented sharing a room with her and told her that
she “had a plan to get rid of her”. Frankie was unsure what that meant and approached
the staff to tell them that she felt unsafe. However, the staff did not appear to be
concerned and instead, dismissed her worries by telling her to just ignore the
comments. When she became emotional and stated that she did not belong in the
program, the staff told her to stop being dramatic.
That evening when Frankie went up to her room, she overheard her roommate and
another resident taking about “punching her in the face” and when they saw her
listening, they laughed and went downstairs. Once they were out of sight, Frankie
stuffed some of her clothing and schoolbooks in her knapsack and went out the fire
escape. She knew she would not be detected because the alarm had broken the
previous week and staff had not repaired it.
Out on the street, Frankie panicked and did not know where to go, so she went to the
Tim Horton’s across the street where she often went afterschool with some of her school
friends. She sat in the far corner where she thought she would have some privacy and
more importantly, not be noticed. After several hours passed, one of the Tim Horton’s
staff approached her and told her he recognized her from the many times that she had
come in with her friends, but this time she was alone, and it was getting late. Frankie
hesitantly relayed her fears about returning to the house, but the staff suggested she
call to let them know her whereabouts. She borrowed his cell phone and the house staff
immediately told Frankie to return to the program or they would have to file a
missing
person’s report (MPR). Frankie returned to the house, minutes before her curfew.
Once inside, Frankie was informed that she was grounded for AWOLing (leaving the
premises without permission). She did not know what this meant and became further
CYCS2047: INTRODUCTION TO CYC & LEGISLATION
upset when she was informed that until her grounding was served, she would not be
able to attend school, and a doctor’s appointment for the next day would also be
cancelled. She was told to go to her room, but again when she told them that she did
not feel comfortable being in the same room with her roommate, staff insisted that there
were no other options available. Frankie offered to sleep on the couch and staff insisted
that this was against the program’s policy. Fortunately, the roommate was asleep, and
Frankie was able to settle without any further issues.
The next morning, Frankie told the staff that she wanted to talk to her CAST worker. The
staff asked “why?” and Frankie reluctantly explained that she was unhappy being in the
program. The staff seemed irritated and informed Frankie that she had no phone
privileges until her grounding was completed. Back in her room, under a pile of papers,
Frankie spotted the brochure that she had been given by her worker on her first day.
Under the title “Ombudsman Ontario”, she found a name and a phone number and
approached another staff on shift requesting to use the phone. This time the staff
allowed Frankie to make the call but clarified that they would need to be present to hear
her concerns.
Despite expressing her concerns to her social worker, she was told that there were no
other placements available for her and she would need to remain at Birchwood Home. As
the months went on, Frankie’s unhappiness and feelings of loneliness only increased.
She began hanging out with peers who her teachers felt were having a negative
influence on her. Frankie started skipping school which led her to come to the attention
of the school social worker for truancy. Frankie also started smoking cigarettes and
using marijuana regularly to decrease symptoms of anxiety. One afternoon, Frankie and
two peers were caught stealing items from the mall. When the police arrived, they told
police they had planned to sell the items so they could buy food, but peers at the group
home told staff she had told them she wanted money to buy drugs and alcohol. Shortly
following the mall incident, Frankie started exhibiting symptoms of depression and she
began expressing suicidal ideation. Frankie was taken to the emergency room where she
underwent a psychiatric assessment. Staff claimed this was new for Frankie and that
they had not noticed her symptoms of depression and anxiety previously. Other
residents at the home, however, clearly identified that Frankie had been isolating herself
for months and sometimes “said weird things”.
CYCS2047: INTRODUCTION TO CYC & LEGISLATION
Graphic Poster Rubric
0 POINT
1 POINTS
2.5 POINTS
4 POINTS
Required Elements
Several required
elements were
missing
All but 1 of the
required elements are
included on
poster
All required elements
are included on the
poster
Poster includes all
required elements as
well as additional
relevant information
Message and
Target Audience
No clear message can
be identified on the
poster
No clearly defined
target audience
Message of the poster
is not clearly
identifiable
Intended audience is
unclear
Message of the poster
is identifiable
Intended audience is
identifiable
Message of the poster
is clearly identifiable
Message is clearly
geared toward the
target audience
Visual Presentation
Poster is distracting
or very poorly
designed and it is not
attractive
Information is
disorganized
Poster does not use
colour, visual images
or words to
communicate
intended message
Poster is a bit messy
Information is
organized but title
and subheading are
missing or do not help
the reader
understand
Poster makes some
use of colour, visual
images and words
communicate
intended message
Poster is attractive
Information is
organized with titles
and subheadings
Poster uses colour,
visual images and
words to clearly
communicate posters
intended message
Poster is exceptionally
attractive in terms of
design, layout, and
neatness
Information is very
organized with clear
titles and
subheadings
Poster uses
exceptional colour,
visual images and
words to clearly
communicate
intended message
Graphics and
Creativity
Graphics do not relate
to the topic
Shows little creativity,
originality and/or
effort in
understanding the
material
Many graphics are not
clear or are too small
A few original touches
enhance the project
to show some
understanding of the
material
Most graphics are
easily viewed and
relate to the topic
Uniquely presented
and skillful at times in
showing
understanding of the
material
Graphics are easily
viewed and are
related to the topic,
making material
easier to understand
Exceptionally skillful
and unique in
showing full
understanding of
material
Mechanics
There are more than
4 grammatical,
mechanical errors on
the poster
There are 3-4
grammatical,
mechanical errors on
the poster
There are 1-2
grammatical,
mechanical errors on
the poster
There are no
grammatical,
mechanical errors on
the poster
TOTAL POINTS
1
Child and Youth Care and Legislation
Student’s Name
Institutional Affiliation
Course
Instructor
Date
Child and Youth Care and Legislation
Question 1
There are several child rights that were violated when frankie was under care. Some of these rights include; the right to express her own views freely and safely about the matters that were affecting her. It’s seen when she repeatedly told the staff person that she wanted to be known to her peers in the home as frankie, the staff person ignored her and continued calling her Fawzia her legal name. The other right that was violated was the right to be informed, in language suitable to her understanding of her rights under the parts. When frankie was brought into care she was given a form to sign. She found the information in the pamphlet difficult to understand and overwhelming. She wished her rights had been explained to her, along with the house rules and expectations as she was unclear what some of the information meant. The other right that was violated was the right to raise concerns or recommend changes with respect to the services provided or to be provided to her without interference or fear of coercion discrimination or reprisal and to receive a response to her concerns or the recommended changes. This is clear when frankie felt like her roommate was threatening her and she felt unsafe around her, she went ahead and reported to the staff that she felt threatened but the staff did not appear to be concerned, no action was taken and instead they dismissed her worries by telling her to ignore the comments The other right that was violated was the right to be engaged through an honest and respectful dialog about how and why decisions affecting her are made and to have her views given due weight in accordance to her age and maturity. It’s seen when frankie asked the staff to order vegetarian or even plain cheese pizza, but when they forgot and she reminded them, she was told that she could just remove the pepperoni and bacon from the pizza. When she indicated honestly that she does not eat the meat due to religious reasons staff told her that she does not have to eat and did not offer any other meal. The other right that frankie had that was violated was the right to be consulted on the nature of the service provided or to be provided to her, to participate in the decisions about the service provided and to be advised on the decisions made in respect to the services provided. It’s clearly violated when Frankie struggled to adjust her lack of privacy. Twice, she could tell her letters from her grandfather had been opened before they were given to her but assumed the staff members were doing this because they wanted to help her. She just wished they had asked her what she needed. She also noticed that some of her staffs were missing and when she raised her concerns to the staff they reminded her that she had signed a form stating that the program was not responsible for the missing items. It is telling that Frankie “was told” that there were no other placement options as opposed to Frankie being offered the chance to discuss her concerns with her worker and work alongside her worker to come to the best decision for all involved. The CYFSA explicitly states, in Part 2/Section 8/Subsections A-F, that young people have the right to be involved in the decision-making process and have their opinions weighted equally as adults in the room.
Part 5/Section 83/Subsection B of the CYFSA lists when, why, and how a young person can be removed from a CAPS residence without a warrant from a Justice of the Peace that is to say if the young person’s health or safety is at risk. In most cases, this exclusively means bringing the young person into the care of a medical professional. In this case, it happens to be a publicly-funded hospital. Psychiatric evaluations have issues unto themselves that would affect Frankie’s chances of receiving holistic care. To make things even more difficult for Frankie, the staff members from Birchwood House have not been attentive to Frankie’s changing psychological conditions. Cisgender, trans*women and non-binary feminine persons have some of the highest rates of misdiagnosed mental illness. Being unable to share detailed information only increases the chances. Second, Frankie may not understand that her rights in CAPS care are different, if only slightly, from the rights of a psychiatric patient under the Mental Health Act.
Question 2
I feel each of the stated right was a violation to Meadow for the following reasons; each and every person has the right to express their own views freely and safely about matters affecting them without being judged harshly or assumed; Frankie was not given that right. Also, the other right that was violated the right to be informed, in language suitable to someone’s understanding; when Frankie got into the care she was given a form to sign without being explained what it was all about since to her she found it difficult to understand. The other right which appeared to be violated was the right to raise concerns or recommend changes; whenever Frankie raised a concern or a recommendation she was neglected and ignored by the staff . The other right that felt like a violation was the right to engage through an honest and respectful dialog about how and why a decision affecting her was made; when she told the staff about being a vegetarian she was honest and wanted them to understand that it’s because of religious reasons but instead they ignored her and let her suit herself. The other right was violated the right to be consulted on the nature of the service provided or to be provided to her. It’s clear since the staff did not respect her privacy by opening the mails sent to her by her grandmother. People should have the right and the freedom to do what they want without having the feeling of being threatened and diminished hence I feel that the above rights of Frankie were violated. As for Frankie’s residence options, even if there are no other residence options when she inquires, Frankie should have the opportunity to review different CAPS residences so if a place should open at one of them. Frankie can make an informed decision as opposed to discovering options moments before a decision must be made. Staff members should have this information available for any young person in the residence.
Moving on to Frankie’s move from Birchwood House to the hospital. While bringing Frankie to the hospital will ultimately help her, the process of going, being admitted, and being psychiatrically assessed is traumatic. It is unreasonable to expect Frankie to be utterly open to psychiatric care, especially since the staff members cannot share applicable information with doctors or nurses due to their neglect. The hospital cannot be a place of safety if Frankie is misdiagnosed, which can lead to mistreatment (as in prescribing an anti-depressant if Frankie does not suffer from depression. It is well-documented that anti-depressants increase suicidality in people under the age of 25.
Question 3
There are several things that I would have done differently to ensure Frankie’s rights were respected. On the right to express her own views freely and safely about the matters that were affecting her, I would ensure that I call her by the name she wants and ensure her fellow mates call her by that name too so that she can feel comfortable. On the right to be informed, in language suitable to her understanding of her rights under the parts, I would have explained to her widely what the form entails so that she can understand before signing the form. On the right to raise concerns or recommend changes with respect to the services provided or to be provided to her, I would have followed up the concern of feeling unsafe with her roommate and if it’s true I would have taken the necessary measures to change her situation . On the right to be engaged through an honest and respectful dialog about how and why decisions affecting her are made and to have her views, I would respected the fact that she is a vegetarian and offered an alternative meal that she feels comfortable with. On the right to be consulted on the nature of the service provided or to be provided to her, I would have respected her privacy by not opening the letters from her grandmother.
For both Part 2/Section 8/Subsections A-F and Section 5/Section 83/Subsection B, the authors wrote hypothetical dialog included below:
· Part 2/Section 8/Subsections A-F:
· “We have information about other CAPS residences and your rights in the plastic case on my office door. If you need any other information, let me know, and I will get it to you.”
· Part 5/Section 83/Subsection B:
· “Frankie, I am concerned about your safety, so we are going to go to the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health or CAMH on Queen Street East. At the hospital, you’ll speak with nurses and doctors. During those conversations, I will step out of the room for a short while so you can speak to the doctor alone. I will share a few of the changes I have noticed in you these past few weeks with the doctor. Meadow, I want you to remember that you, and only you, are the expert on you, not me, not the nurse, not the doctor, not anybody.”
Question 4
The Mental Health Act covers when, why, and how a person can lose their autonomy for a temporary period, in most cases because a person may hurt themselves or end their life. While persons under 16, legally, do not have any autonomy to take away, it is integral that Child and Youth Care Practitioners understand this piece of legislation. The Act spells out the rights of a person on a Form 1 (up to a 72-hour psychiatric hold) or a Form 3 (up to a two-week psychiatric hold). A person on a Form 3 can speak with an advocate from the Blah Blah Blah Office and contest their psychiatric hold. In metropolitan areas like the Golden Horseshoe, there are paediatric psychiatric wards. However, in suburban and rural areas, a young person will likely be admitted to an adult psychiatric ward, except in dire cases. In such scenarios, a Child and Youth Practitioner (or another adult) often stays with the young person in the hospital to ensure safety.
Second, The Social Work and Social Services Act does not technically apply to Child and Youth Care Practitioners. However, while we build our own governing body and legislation, this provides relevant information and regulations for similar caring professions. There is much to learn from the mistakes of others, especially as it concerns the welfare of children. Additionally, no CYC-P alone. CYC-Ps must understand what legislation governs other professions, like social workers and social services workers.
