Problem: I decided to discuses about the Jonathan Stuart and Kai Hale case in this week's discussion post. This same-sex couples was one of the first to marry after the state acknowledged same-sex marriage. Hawai'i was the 15th state in the United States to do so, and it was passed and approved on December 2, 2013. Following their marriage, they decided to extend their family and become parents the following summer. The two were expecting twins as each created an embryo with their surrogate, and they were both implanted successfully.
Financially, John and Kai are relaxed because they are waiting and preparing to become parents. However, their excitement would then turn to anxiety because after only expecting one child, another child will also be born. In the medical industry, the couple is seen as older parents, as Kai and Jon are both over 35 years of age. With this, some new questions arose. These questions included the wellness and effectiveness of their parenting, managing to care for the two dependent children, and what kinds of care they can receive to support their newborns. While they are financially sound, can one of them afford to take a paternal leave?
With their situation, some advantages could be present. As elder parents, Jonathan and Kai benefit from financial stability, more security in their lives and connections, achieving life goals, and increased involvement among their adult children. Some drawbacks for Jonathan and Kai as elderly parents include providing for aging parents and their children, which harms their mental and physical needs, being susceptible to potential health problems related to old age, and understanding changes in society for their children.
Same-sex couples have difficulties in having people accept them as a pair. When the pair has children, they must learn to deal with others accepting them as the parents of their children because they have two dads instead of one. That pair may also encounter indirect discrimination and a lack of knowledge about pronoun usage during documenting (for instance, signifying a father and mother caring for kids, in contrast with two mothers or two fathers). The pair may isolate themselves, becoming recluses in society and familial groups, creating another source of conflict within the partnership (Hutchison,2018). With these stresses, Jonathan and Kai may lack mentors to help them make decisions as dads.
Social workers working with this family have skills and approaches that could be applied to them. One would be, being an active listener. This allows the social worker to give the family their full attention to understand the entirety of the family's issues and scenarios. With this skill, the social worker can base their services on all the information given without biases or assumptions. Another skill that a social worker could utilize is being an empath. Servicing clients requires having a reliable connection between a professional and an individual. When that trust is established, a client is more confident to open up with the social worker, leading to more effective and more necessary services to aid the clients.
QUESTION: Describe an additional strategy each colleague can use to assist working with the individuals and families in the chosen case study.
Recommend types of supports or resources each colleague could apply with the individuals and families from the chosen case study now or in the future.