Justice Centers Project -Uganda. A report. Establishment of a Psychosocial Support System for the Justice Centers Project. Date: 30 th Sept 2010

Transcription

1 Justice Centers Project -Uganda A report Establishment of a Psychosocial Support System for the Justice Centers Project Established by: Psychosocial Department-Lira Submitted to: Manager JC Lira Office/NCU Date: 30 th Sept 2010 September 2010

2 Background: It has been common that legal aid service providers do not usually employ social workers, which is not the case with this project. This department exists because many social, economic, political and environmental problems existing in the community affect social functioning of individuals differently and in some cases requiring psychosocial intervention. Addressing the legal aspects of these problems alone may not just improve wellbeing of society but also tear it apart. This calls for a number of strategies including the establishment of functioning institutions and systems and enhancing access to legal aid. Various other factors inhibit the effective fulfillment of the right to legal aid in Uganda which this project seeks to address. Justification of the psychosocial department: According to the strategic documents of the JC reviewed, a number of gaps do exist in the existing mode of legal aid provision which the JCs have the potential to address. These include; A routine approach to handling legal disputes without further analysis of the root causes and human rights violations in society which limits the effectiveness of strategies adopted. This has contributed to a vicious cycle and backlog within the justice system with individuals and communities continually facing recurring disputes and violations even where they have been previously addressed by LASPs. The JCs will adopt a perceptible shift in approach to focus on structural and systemic issues that prevent individuals and communities from enjoying and claiming their rights and to undertake evidence based advocacy around them. Structural issues can be root causes of legal disputes which are perpetuated by actors in legal aid service provision. For example structural factors and processes that constitute root causes of domestic violence include poverty, unequal power relations between men and women, conflict and insecurity, polygamy, as well as culture and tradition. Systemic issues would be attitudes of actors in legal aid service provision who regard domestic violence as a matter to be resolved within the private sphere which in most cases is to the detriment of the victims. Considering these gaps identified at design of the JC project, the creation of the psychosocial department was very well intentioned because it is well placed to research in to the structural and systemic issues preventing individuals from claiming their rights, root causes of problems or recurrent cases reported and do advocacy on rights issues existing. Values and principles of the JC project especially community participation when integrated well in to the project implementation, will enhance capacities of community members to claim their rights. Objectives of the Psychosocial Department: To integrate psychosocial work in to legal aid service provision To empower vulnerable persons to claim their rights To enhance copying capacities of clients faced with difficult situations Contents: Definitions Elements of social work interventions How to tell a client needs help The problem solving process What can JC do? Strategies to be adopted by JC in PS helping Programme activities to be implemented by the PS department Annexes containing forms to be used by the department

3 To understand how social workers function, important concepts need to be defined. Working definition of key concepts in Social Work Practice: Client: In social work practice, a client refers to a person, a family, community, a group or organization that is the focus of the social work helping activity. In other words people seeking help from Social Work Agencies. Clients come with concerns (unmet needs or problems of social functioning. They come as biological, spiritual and social beings; not just their problems. Systems Social Workers engage with in addressing Psychosocial Problems: The client System: A person reporting a problem or concern Person with responsibility to undertake in problem solving (collaborator) for example an LC1 Chairperson or Secretary for Children s Affairs who reports a case of child abuse in his area of jurisdiction. A person seeking a social service whether in a Psychosocial Agency, Hospital, School or a Legal Aid clinic. The Target system: A person/persons or organization our intervention is meant to change, for example as in the above example above the LC reported a case of child abuse, out target system here would be the perpetrator of this abuse. Action System: Significant people we work with to solve the client s problem. These could be Local leaders, family or clan head, other agencies like Police, court and government departments. Social System: This includes neighbors, relatives, church members and friends who could provide relevant information in pursuing the case. They should be people in close contact/vicinity of the client s residence or place of work as the case may be. Elements of social work intervention: The client and their situation should be understood. Here we need to understand the social history of the client, which describes the person in a given situation. Type of information to be collected regarding social history; Name of person, Age, Address, Place of residence, religion, Culture, Marital status, Occupation, Education, Work Experience and Resources. Not all this information is sometimes required and therefore collected but it depends on the problem presented and the agency visited. It is also important to understand the family background and social functioning of the client. Information on family background would determine whether it is female headed or male, child headed, nuclear or extended, single headed or not, newlywed with young children or not, family size, family norms, divided or united, monogamous or polygamous and are

4 family members educated and working or not. All this information in one way or the other influence the client s social functioning and are useful in the helping process. Environmental concerns need to be taken care of Client s needs and how he/she functions Client s strengths and limitations or resources of the clients, which can be determined by the client s motivation, capacity and opportunities How to tell a client needs psychosocial Support: Nature of the problem or client. Is she or he terminally ill, affected by war, sexually abused, victim of violence etc. The client tells you what happened to them, how they feel, how they meet health needs if they have a health problem like HIV. Based on these a needs assessment is made and a plan of intervention designed. Failure to open up, in which case there is need to give the client time and use various skills to unearth all the reasons and weaknesses of a client. Failure to understand while you talk to them. Aggression, Isolation and withdrawal among youth mainly, which can be observed by people around the client Use of community structures trained to identify families or persons with a psychosocial problems Alcoholism and drug abuse in a family Constant Night mares Causes of the above: Environmental problems, perceptions of the client of the self and patterns of interpersonal relationships. The current problem is affected by the way development needs have been met and by the needs arising from the client s lifestyle and expectations of the environment. Whether the client s problem falls within the helping parameters of the agency. When the client realizes that his/her problem may not be solved they tend to keep quiet or with draw despite having started to talk about their problem. Fear especially if trust is not built in the initial stage of interaction and threats from people the client is conflicting with may cause failure to open up The problem solving process: This involves identification of clients thought to be having psychosocial problems. It starts with taking the client through a process of disclosing their problem and at this time, it is important to use people around the clients to help with the necessary information. Structures on the ground usually give front line support in problem solving. At all times it is necessary to involve the client in problem solving. Steps to help interact with a client and improve wellbeing; they are however not linear. Different types of cases/problems and causes require different kinds of intervention.

5 1. Study or fact finding: This involves interviewing, problem identification and definition. At this stage the social history and family background among others should be known. 2. Assessment or diagnosis: At this stage, active thinking is involved and there is need to understand the problem reported that needs to be addresses. A series of questions may still be asked. 3. Planning: This stage will involve setting goals, objectives and activities to be undertaken with clear strategies. 4. Implementation: At this stage, the role of a social worker will be: Enabler- Make the processes possible Teacher- Provide life skills to the client to enhance copying capacities Social reformer- Advise on possible reforms Advocate- Speak for the voiceless Mediator- Act as an ago between for the parties involved to reach agreement Therapist- Offer treat to the client Activist, Negotiator and lobbyist- Look for resources 5. Evaluation: Is the client satisfied with your intervention and what lessons learnt? 6. Termination: Ending can be through referral, transfer (referral within the same organization/agency and termination when the social work intervention has been concluded within the same agency. Termination if not handled well can encourage dependency. Principles of social work practice: In doing all the above, social workers are guided by some principle which include; Acceptance Individualization Non Judgementality Confidentiality Controlled emotional involvement What can Justice Centers do? and How? Support can take different kinds: Emotional, through counseling Financial by meeting medical and transport needs of clients we find very needy and may not afford travel costs or when delivered to us with serious injury before the JC can intervene. Follow up support; this requires movement to Institutions where referrals are made and to the clients themselves. Sometimes fact finding visits are necessary in order to enable the department make an informed decision. It is therefore important that transport is available as and when necessary because time is a very important factor in social work problem solving.

6 Skills required in handling Ps problems: Counseling skills Interviewing skills Writing and Record keeping skills Interpersonal skills involving ability to build good relationships Communication and listening skills Community Mobilization skills Resource mobilization skills Analytical skills Skills in advocacy Strategies that can be adopted by JC in addressing PS problems: Use of a TOT approach - borrowed from Concerned Parents Association (CPA). Here, Community Volunteers or TOTs are trained for five days (1M, 1F) who then train community members whom they then have to monitor and after 3 modules action plans drawn for implementation by the JC. This approach is preventive, not use of police and court to punish perpetrators of Human Rights violations after crime has occurred. Using this approach, people learn to address issues from home. Many people are again in prison when they have mental problems that led to their involvement in crime. This approach will help in identifying such persons and where this community approach fails, referral is made to the JC PS department which carries out a study on the root causes of some of these problems Networking with other related service providers like the psychiatric nurse at Lira Regional Referral Hospital as some people committing crime have such backgrounds, organizations with resources to meet client financial and material needs. Challenges of Psychosocial Interventions: Difficulty in measuring outcome/impact as sometimes it could be based on reduction of cases and yet at the same time impact could be measured by increase in number of cases due to awareness created by PS interventions Programme Activities: 1. While you wait sessions in form of Rights & Well being Education on selected days at the Justice Centers. 2. Community advice and counseling (by CBVs On average each district should be visited by the Mobile Clinic at least once every two months). Counseling will be provided by the Psychosocial Worker to ensure full appreciation of the various factors that could be contributory or aggravating the legal problem. A preliminary assessment by the Paralegal on reporting of a case will determine whether a client needs counseling at which point the matter will be referred to the Psychosocial Worker. Typical cases that may require counseling are domestic violence, child abuse and neglect, terminally ill clients. As time progresses the

7 JCs will be identify matters that require counseling. (JC Concept paper). This has already been evidenced by the nature of clients that have so far received PS support at JC-Lira. 3. Resolution of disputes through Mediation and referrals. 4. Support establishment of Community Action Groups to identify and deter human rights violations. 5. Coordination of activities with other providers. Conclusion: The importance of the psychosocial department has been emphasized at design of the Justice Centers Project. There was urgent need to have a system in place that helps people appreciate and know how to integrate psychosocial support issues in to the legal support provision mechanisms. Though not yet complete, this draft can serve in the mean time.

8 Annex I JUSTICE CENTER Format 5 PSYCHOSOCIAL COUNSELLING REPORT A. CLIENT PARTICULARS CLIENT REF NO DATE OF REGISTRATION.. NAME. AGE. GENDER... RESIDENCT. PARISH..Village ZONE.... LC Statement of the problem Back ground leading to the problem: Evaluation of the problem:.

9 Action taken by the counselor: Institution referred to:.. Follow up action:.. Annex II JUSTICE CENTER Format 3 CLIENT FOLLOW UP FORM A. CLIENT PARTICULARS CLIENT REF NO NAME. AGE... GENDER... RESIDENT OF PARISH.. ZONE.. DATE OF REFERAL... INSTITUTION REFERRED TO..

10 B. NATURE OF CASE/ PROBLEM.. C. ACTION TAKEN BY REFERRED INSTITUTION D. TIME TAKEN BY REFERRED INSTITUTION TO ACT.. E. OUT COME OF REFERRAL..