Case Study Final
Family Assessment Outline

The following is a guide to writing an assessment.

I. Introduction: Identify the date and location of the interview. Name “who” the family is, define its members and who was present, cite the facts such as employment, ages, address, referral source, other pertinent information you deem important. If someone is disabled this is the place to identify that. Ethnic backgrounds may be listed. You can also point out other important pieces of information, such as “only one member speaks English.” Important: Who provided what information?

II. Presenting Problem or NEED:

A. Define the Problem or Need: What are the initial complaints? What triggered the call for help? What does each family members see as the issue(s)? In presenting the various perspectives of what the issue(s) is, be brief, but present them as you imagine each family member would. One-two paragraphs should cover all perspective views and state what the family agreed as a primary concern. You can integrate their opinion with your own professional judgment, trying to come up with no more than three needs to address, that will meet as many of the family members’ views or requests as possible.

Example: Unemployed Mom was drinking heavily and got in a fight with 19 y/o daughter. The police had to be called after the live-in boyfriend of Mom’s showed up and hit the daughter several times. The daughter called police and went screaming into the yard to await their arrival.

Mom thinks the problem is a bad daughter.

Daughter thinks the problem is Mom’s drinking due to hanging out with this guy.

Boyfriend thinks the daughter is too old to live at home and should move.

The family finally agrees that better communication could have prevented this problem from escalating.

Social worker: Sees each member as contributing to a problem of family communication, condemnation, and dissonance, not to mention the safety issues involved. She sees the problems more related to unemployment, lack of resources, and stress. Her goal is to establish positive communication among family members and a removal of stress-related, environmental pressure. Her goal will be an employed family “in harmony”, her method will be through problem solving and her job is to guide the family toward this kind of thinking.

B. History of the problem: When did it begin? What was going on outside the family at the time the problem/need first appeared? What was going on within the family? What solutions have been tried? What previous resources have been used to solve the problem? Why didn’t these prior efforts succeed? (Not all of these questions will be pertinent.)

C. Desired solution: What do various members say will solve the problem for the family? How will we/they know when the problem is resolved? What does the family see as the goal? I.E. how do we know when we succeed? This is best described as specific behaviors, such as Mom/Dad will quietly discuss a conflict three times a week or “the family will have a meal together three times a week.”

III. Family Structure – Think systems theory. (Think of positives: use a strengths perspective throughout the paper.)

1. External Boundaries . Are they open (clear but permeable?) or are they closed? Is the family open to new experiences or relationships, i.e. are they willing to accept professional help? Does the family protect its members when necessary? Are individual family members free to make contacts and create relationships with outside people, organizations? (It’s okay to touch on this briefly and then expand it more in the section on environment.)

(Example: If none of the family members have friends over and they have no relationship with extended family members, then is it possible that their external boundaries are a bit too closed?)

2. Internal boundaries. How do the subsystems affect the family’s functioning? Is each child allowed to express who he/she really is? What are parents’ involvement in children’s lives–too much, too little? Do children have enough access to parental unit? Do efforts for members to grow individually cause feelings of disloyalty? Abandonment? Or are they applauded? Is each member afforded adequate time/space for themselves?

(Example: If Nancy Shore is always directing family members’ lives, then the internal boundaries are a bit too open, perhaps.)

3. Relationships – Look at each of these….Remember to mention positives….

a. Roles – Are family members handling their roles adequately?

b. Norms – What are they and do they help/hinder the members?

c. Communication processes (notice the presence of consonance, condemnation. Indifference, intellectualizing, etc.) Do people care about each other? How would we know?

d. Power issues: Who and why? How do members feel about the power brokers?

d. Homeostasis: Is the balance one that works to enhance family members as individuals? Can each reach their full potential? Discuss how the balance achieved in the family seems to “work” even though it may be damaging to someone or several members. Remember that homeostasis doesn’t necessarily mean “healthy.”

IV. Ecological assessment

A. Basic needs : Is income sufficient to meet basic needs? What basic needs are not being met? Is neighborhood safe? Is there access to preventive health care and good medical resources? Can the family get to these resources? What’s the transportation situation?

B. Adaptation : Is the family in any transition of the life cycle? (Births, deaths, moving, change of job, divorce) How is the family adapting to the transition? Has there been a recent crisis? How is the family coping?

C. Environment : Explore environmental connections (relatives, friends, job, school, work, church or community) and determine if they are fulfilling, intrusive, or nonexistent for the family. Are helping agencies involved? Is one agency or organization clearly in conflict with another when viewed from the family perspective?

IV. Intergenerational Assessment:

A. Family patterns: What patterns of behavior or belief systems been passed down from previous generations? (alcoholism, out of wedlock pregnancies, suicides, incarceration, rape or domestic violence, religious practices?) What’s the significance of these patterns? Do they provide strength or divisiveness?

B. Extended family: How is this family seen within the extended family system? Positive or negative? Are significant members of the family who have passed on still influencing the behavior of the family in some way?

V. STRENGTHS assessment

A. Basic needs and resources.

B. Cohesion and mutual support

C. Other attributes (assets, leadership, intellect, talent, etc.)

V. Overall Summary Assessment and recommendations

A. Overall Assessment (These are summary statements or professional judgments based on previous information.) Repeat the information in the report in BRIEF form in the 1st paragraph, particularly identification of client system, major issues, and needs. Then provide your summary assessment no more than one page.

B. Recommendation: State goal(s) in priority based on meeting clients needs mixed with your assessment. Assume you and client agreed on the goals. (See “How to Interview for Client Strengths,” online from Prac I for 7 characteristics of well formed goals.) Other suggestions for the client system may be included here.

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