SOCIAL WORK INTERVENTION WITH JUVENILE HOME

1. Case
work in
Juvenile
Home
[Type the
document subtitle]
ATHIRA RAJEEV

2. 2
INTRODUCTION
Social work profession has a long standing commitment towards children issues.
Many of the circumstances leading to conflict with the law are of a social nature.
Children who offend often live in families facing difficulties such as poverty,
substance abuse, or separation; that may excluded from school or be without job;
they may be involved in risky behaviors such as drug abuse or prostitution. When
these children enter into contact with police, the main purpose of juvenile justice
system should be to enable them not to reoffend them. As started in Article 40 of
the Convention On the Right of Child, every child in conflict with law has the right to
be treated in a manner that takes into account ”desirability of promoting (his/her)
reintegration and (his/her) assuming a constructive role in society.” The support also
provided in juvenile home throughout the process.
Juvenile Justice (care and protection of children) Act,
2000 considers any person below the age of 16 as ‘child’. Person who has
acquired the age of 16 but not 18 is considered a ‘minor’ JJ (Care and
protection of children) Act, 2000 focuses on two kinds of juveniles,
a) Juveniles in need of care and protection,
b) Juveniles in conflict with law.
CHILD IN NEED OF CARE & PROTECTION - Children in need of care and protection are
the ones who do not have any place of abode and are found begging, working and in
conditions of vulnerability .Such children are taken and produced before child welfare
committee and later sent to juvenile homes, till they attain the age of 18 and efforts
are made towards rehabilitating them either in children’s home or arranging for
adoption, foster care, or sponsorship.
CHILD IN CONFLICT WITH LAW - These juveniles are identified through regular criminal
justice process whereinwhenaperson is caught in some offence, his/her age is verified. If
that person happens to be a minor or juvenile, comes under the jurisdiction of JJ Act
(Care and protection of children) 2000, such a person is produced before special
courts which comprises of two social workers apart from one honorary magistrate.
CHILDREN’S HOME/JUVENILE HOME-Institutions are meant for the rehabilitation of
children who are in need of care & protection under JJ ACT 2000.Services :- Shelter, food,
education, medical care, rehabilitation, developmental opportunities & exposure for
socialization or main streaming.
OBSERVATION HOME-Centre fortemporaryreceptionof children below 18 yrs who are in
conflict law & who are involved in crime

3. 3
SPECIAL HOME-Rehabilitation of children who have involved in crime & when the
case is disposed by the JJB & there is no longer provision for their rehabilitation
CAUSES OF JUVENILE DELINQUENCY-Broken family
Parental substance abuse/anti social/criminal behavior, Poverty /low socio
economic status, Television violence, Poor parental supervision, Truancy, Poorly
organized & functioning school, Peer rejection, Gang membership, Association with
deviant peers, Availability of weapons ,Residence in a disorganized neighbourhood,
Drug dealing, Unemployment.
ROLE OF SOCIAL WORKER IN CHILDREN’S HOME
 Social worker can serve in juvenile homes as well as observation homes by
way of group work or social case work with the client; juvenile, in this case is
helped to develop an understanding of his problem, look at the resources
available to him and involve them in the decision pertaining to them.
 Provide assistance for education, vocational training,
 Provide counselling to understand psycho social problems.
 Referral services in case of mentally challenged children to special school.
 Involving community in activities of children such as celebration of some
important days or cultural activities is also undertaken.
SKILLS & KONWLEDGE NEEDED FOR CASE WORKER
 Skills in:
 -Identifying the social as well as psychological strains
 -effective in the causation of offending behavior.
 -Modifying the offender’s environment,
 Attitudes of:
 Acceptance - delinquent and criminal deviant anti-social behavior .
 Readiness
 Knowledge of:
 -Delinquent and criminal behavior
 -The Psychological and social strains
ROLEOF SOCIAL WORKER IN SPECIAL HOME& OBSERVATION HOME

4. 4
 Social workers in correctional facilities provide two types of services:
supportive services within the institution and connections to resources in
the community.
 Within a correctional facility, social worker focused on the areas of mental
health, substance abuse, education, and vocational rehabilitation.
 Treat juveniles in a manner which is humane, decent, and just;
 Ensure that all juveniles are safe;
 Make sure that there is good order and control In Observation home/ special
home;
 Provide juveniles with the opportunity to use their time positively so that
they will be able to resettle into society when they are released.
 Provide regular individual counselling to understand psychosocial problems,
behavioural disorders of juveniles.
 Refer the inmates to clinical psychiatrist who needs psychiatric treatment.
 Social worker should organizes interest groups, therapeutic groups to help
the juveniles to develop healthy hobbies & enhance their sense of
responsibility & social skills.
 The social worker should organise recreational activities –music, reading,
games..
 Conduct medical care – health talks, guidance, counselling, free medical
camps..
 Prepare report to the courts to help the magistrates understand the juveniles
behaviour in the remand period.
 Social workers conducting life skills training, personality development classes,
sex offender therapy& behavior modification program to prevent substance
abuse, reduction of alcohol, stealing habits …
 Conducting conflict resolution & violence prevention curriculums.
 Conducting mentoring programmes.
 Provide social competence promotion curriculums.
 Provide behavioural management programmes.
 Organising Individual coaching to inmates pursuing higher studies

5. 5
 Conducting research studies on juvenile delinquency.
 Advocacy – social workers seek to advocate for resources & system that will
improve services for children.
 Collaboration& networking – social workers shall promote interdisciplinary &
interorganizational collaboration to support, enhance & deliver effective
services to children.
 Record keeping & confidentiality of juvenile information –maintain the safe
guard for privacy & confidentiality of child information.
 Cultural competence- social worker shall ensure that children are provided
services within the context of cultural understanding & competence.
 Assessment - Social worker shall conduct an initial, comprehensive
assessment of the child to gather important information. Social worker also
conduct ongoing assessment to changes in services.
REFERENCE
 Flores Robert, CHILD delinquency bulletin series, U.S Department of Justice,
May 2003.
 NASW Association of Social Workers, Child Welfare.
 UNICEF, The Role of Social Work In Juvenile Justice.
 JJ ACT (Children in need of Care and protection)2000.
 Greenwood Peter, Prevention and Intervention Programs for Juvenile
Offenders, www.futureofchildren.org,