Case Study of Ian

HN450-1: Evaluate the legal issues that influence the work of human service professionals

GEL-1.2: Demonstrate college-level communication through the composition of original materials in Standard English.

Samantha Smith is a case manager at the county human services department in her community. She works primarily with intellectually disabled clients, assisting them to receive the services they need. Samantha is good at her job and her clients often become quite comfortable with her. Ian is a client of Samantha’s. With an IQ of 55, he remains quite self-sufficient, living in his own small apartment and working at a part-time job. Ian is often transported to his appointments by his sister, Kate. Samantha is introduced to Kate in the waiting room when she comes to get Ian for a recent appointment.

During the visit, Ian reports to Samantha that he has been a bit forgetful lately. He shares that this past week, he returned home and realized he forgot to turn off his stove when he left for an appointment. Later that afternoon, Kate calls Samantha and asks how her brother is doing. She is worried about him and asks if Samantha can give her information about him to alleviate her concern.

Use the Internet and the library to investigate the legal challenges of working with individuals with intellectual disabilities. In a 3-5-page paper, respond to the following questions:

• Identify the main legal issues associated with working with intellectually disabled clients.
• Discuss the legal issues raised by Ian’s situation.
• What steps should Samantha take next? What are the implications of these legal issues regarding the choices she must make?
• Does Informed Consent play a role in this scenario? If so, how?
• What are the ethical implications of this case study? Identify and discuss the NOHS Standards that might apply.
• Finally, discuss strategies to minimize the likelihood of these legal and ethical issues arising in your practice.

Please be sure to introduce the details of this case study in your paper. You should include specifics of this case in illustrating your understanding and research of the required topics which are presented in a logical, well-ordered manner.

Your Unit 7 Assignment should:

• Be presented in the form of a well-written university level document
• Use an essay format, 12-point font and double spacing.
• Include a title page and reference page
• Be 3-5 pages in length, not including the title and reference pages.
• Include at least two scholarly references in support of your observations and conclusions using proper APA citation and reference formatting.

Your Assignment should follow the conventions of APA style. You must demonstrate college-level communication through the composition of original materials in Standard American English. For additional writing help, please visit the Writing Center. The link to the Writing Center can be found on each Unit Home page under Academic Tools.

Submitting your Assignment:

Save your Assignment in Word format in a location and with a name that you will remember. When you are ready to submit it, click on the Dropbox and complete the steps below:

• Click the link that says “Submit an Assignment.”
• In the “Submit to Basket” menu, select Unit 7: Assignment
• In the “Comments” field, include at least the title of your paper.
• Click the “Add Attachments” button.
• Follow the steps listed to attach your Word document.
• To view your graded work, come back to the Dropbox or go to the Grade book after your instructor has evaluated it.

Make sure that you save a copy of your submitted Assignment.