Running head: EVALUATING SOCIAL SYSTEM STRUCTURES

Evaluating Social System Structures

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The case depicts a social worker’s involvement in a family preservation program. The

Ramirez family consists of five members, namely Maria, Luisa (Maria’s daughter), and Luisa’s

children (Berta, Joe, and Jorge). Luisa becomes overburdened with the responsibilities of caring

for the family after Maria is diagnosed with lung cancer, which causes her emotional trauma

(Langer & Lietz, 2014). The social worker, in this case, uses the family preservation program to

assist the Ramirez family in coping with stressors. Notably, social systems consist of elements

like social worker-client boundaries, interface, roles, suprasystems, feedback, structures, inputs,

and outputs.

Firstly, the establishment of a proper boundary can enable social workers to improve their

relationship with their clients. Establishing a boundary in the case of Ramirez family can enable

the social worker to show empathy and deal with Luisa’s experiences effectively. Secondly, roles

refer to acceptable behavioral patterns among family members that act as parts of their identities

(Dale & Smith, 2013). Notably, Luisa takes up most of the roles in the Ramirez family hence

exposing her to fatigue and stress. Luisa, for example, plays the role of a mother, provider and

caretaker in the Ramirez family. The case shows that Luisa works in a bakery to cater for the

family’s financial needs. Furthermore, she also takes care of her ailing mother and her three

children. Understanding the dysfunctional nature of the role distribution within the Ramirez

family can enable the social worker to support the family both psychologically and financially.

Thirdly, suprasystems refer to social environments that act as foundations for family

functions. The suprasystem, in the context of Ramirez family, includes the cost of Maria’s

chemotherapy, challenges in providing basic resources, and problems in paying house rent. The

challenges experienced by the Ramirez family leads to its disconnection from the local parish.

The workers at Berta’s daycare are a part of the Ramirez family’s suprasystem. Fourth, the
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interface refers to the boundaries shared by components of the system. The case depicts a weak

interface between Maria, Luisa, and her children. Although Maria aims at becoming a good

mother, stress and fatigue prevent her from accomplishing her objective. The problem between

Luisa and Child Protective Services also affects the family.

Fifth, input and outputs are important elements of the social system to consider in this

case. The input element can be viewed as the following of resources into the Ramirez family.

Input can also be viewed as the social workers attempt to improve the welfare of the family

through social support and financial support. Outputs, on the other hand, refer to the returns to

input efforts, including the welfare of family members and financial stability. The seventh

element of the social system to consider in this case is the structures (Langer & Lietz, 2014). The

structures promote the social functioning of systems, whereby they include connections, goals,

space, service plans, and roles. The goal of the Ramirez family, for example, is to attain

emotional and financial stability. Finally, feedback occurs as a maintenance element for the

social system, whereby its functions as a regulator for activities. Stress and tiredness in Luisa

occur as a negative feedback that the social worker should strive to adjust.

The intervention strategy based on the strengths perspective would enable Ramirez

family to accomplish a positive transformation. The first stage of the strength-based intervention

would involve the evaluation of Luisa’s strengths in caring for her children and mother (White,

2002). The sense of responsibility and determination to become a better person are also

indicators of Luisa’s strength. The second stage of the intervention would include evaluation of

Luisa’s past successes and positive experiences. In the case, the social worker observes that

positive experiences in Luisa’s life contribute to her happiness. The positive experiences would

enable Luisa to understand that she can become a good parent. The third stage of the intervention
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would involve the establishment of a collaborative strategy between the social worker and the

client in generating solutions to their problems. The intervention strategy would contribute to

the improvement of the welfare of the Ramirez family.

The knowledge of social systems structure, therefore, can enable the social worker to

maximize the effectiveness of the family preservation program. The knowledge of social systems

enables social workers to understand the problems of their clients. The knowledge of social

systems, in this case, enables the social worker to understand the challenge of the Ramirez

family. Furthermore, the strengths perspective enables the social worker to generate proper

solutions to the problem affecting the Ramirez family. The strength perspective is highly

effective because of its engagement of Ramirez family members in the generating solutions to

their problem.
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Reference

Dale, O., & Smith, R. (2013). Human behavior and the social environment: Social systems

theory. Pearson Higher Ed.

Langer, C. L., & Lietz, C. (2014). Applying theory to generalist social work practice. John Wiley

& Sons. https://ebookcentral.proquest.com.lopes.idm.oclc.org/lib/gcu/reader.action?

docID=1874136&ppg=3

White, V. E. (2002). Developing counseling objectives and empowering clients: A strength-

based intervention. Journal of Mental Health Counseling, 24(3), 270.