Running Head: POPULATIONS AT RISK; MEMBERS OF THE YMCAS I-RISE PROGRAM

SW 4997
Population at Risk: Members of the YMCAs I-Rise Program
Judith Potts

Running Head: POPULATIONS AT RISK

Populations at Risk; Members of the YMCAs I-Rise Program
Part 1
Introduction

In the United States there are many Americans who cannot work due to a disability. The
U.S. Social Security Administration estimates that a 20-year-old U.S. worker has a three in ten
chance of becoming disabled before reaching full retirement age. (Autor, 2011) If you add
being a single female parent, the likeliness of this chance rises enormously. Those who receive
Social Security Disability Insurance, or SSDI, receive monthly monetary benefits because they
are unable to work due to an illness, disease or medical condition that renders them
unemployable. The government doles out anywhere from $1,000 to $1,200 per month on
average. (Fremsad & Vallas, 2013) The amount of money a claimant receives depends on
amount of time that the individual collecting disability checks has worked and the amount of
money that they have contributed to the government over the years. Unfortunately, this amount
of money makes it virtually impossible for individuals with severe disabilities and health
conditions to live independently, keep a roof over their heads and food on the table and
pay for needed, often life-sustaining medications and other basic expenses.
(Fremsad & Vallas, 2013)

SSDI claimants were once hard working, tax

paying citizens who had hopes and American dreams, but due to an
unfortunate accident or illness, have become disabled to a point where they
can no longer work. (Fullerton, 2008) SSDI is not welfare, a hand out,
reward, golden parachute or jackpot by any means, and most people would
be hard pressed to survive on it. Linda (Fullerton, 2008) Imagine not having
enough money to put food on the table at the end of every month or

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checking your bank account to see if there is enough money in it to pay your
heating bill.
Individuals who have applied for and not yet received benefits and are
waiting on an answer do not have an income during this time. They cannot
because of their illness because they are too sick to work. While they are
attempting to complete the process, they can fall into very hard times
financially. While waiting for benefits, the stress of not having an income to
cover the bills and every day expenses often can create new health issues. Many lose
all their financial resources, their homes, even their lives while waiting for help. If an individual
does not suffer from depression before applying for benefits, chances are they will. (Fullerton,
2008) In fact, many contemplate or attempt suicide. (Fullerton, 2008) The application process
is so daunting that the complications from it cause many applicants to give up on it entirely. This
discouragement causes people to resort to other ways of making an income, mostly illegal. If
they decide to go the long haul and not give up on the long wait period they encounter before
they get an answer, they can be forced into poverty. In most cases, it takes about a year for a
response and if the response is not in their favor, then it can be many more years of appeals.
Aside from resorting to illegal activities, another way to make an attempt to stay afloat is to turn
to the government for help. This is not a cakewalk. An individual in this type of situation can
apply for funding from the government. This can be in the form of a bridge card (food stamps),
cash assistance, Medicaid and other programs offered by the state and government. There have
been many stories of being maltreated by government employees and treated with great
disrespect. When an individual applies for government assistance, while waiting for SSDI, the

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total result ends up costing the taxpayer more that it would have cost them if the applicant had
just been approved for SSDI in the first place.
Populations at Risk
Last year in Michigan alone, the approval rate of an individual who
applied for disability or SSDI was at 30.2%. (Kazmierczak, 2011) That means
almost 70% of applicants who wait an average of one year discover that they
have not been approved for SSDI. If the individuals that did not get approval
decide to appeal the decision, the waiting period increases to about two
more years for the appeal process. At that point, 27.7% of the almost 70%
are approved. (Kazmierczak, 2011) This means that there is a total of three
years of waiting to find out whether or not they receive approval for SSDI
benefits.
The applicants, who are fortunate enough to get approved for
disability, encounter new problems. If they are approved for SSDI, the
benefits that they receive will put them into a wage bracket that is very
difficult to live on because the monetary benefit is quite low. It appears that
the government worked the numbers out where the monthly monetary
benefit of SSDI is too large for an individual to receive any other form of
government assistance and too small to survive financially. In Michigan, this
means that they are unable to receive a bridge card, cash assistance, help
with any utility bills and other social services. There is a very small
possibility that they may qualify for Medicaid, but if they do, it is with a very
expensive deductible. A SSDI recipient will qualify for Medicare, but only

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after two years from the date of the approval from Social Security. This
means that an individual is responsible to pay for his or her own medical bills
for two years while waiting for Medicare. These individuals are people who
have medical conditions, mostly serious and our government denies them
medical coverage or limited medical coverage. Because of this, a person
can become bankrupt or broke because their medical issues need constant
attention.

This situation puts them in a very difficult position. The wage

bracket that they find themselves in puts them in a place where they do not
have enough funds to survive and that have too much monthly income to
receive government assistance.
Now, lets throw a few young children into the mix. Let us add the
absence of a husband or perhaps the father of your young children is not
around to help you, financially or other.
YMCAs I-Rise Program
These factors describe the type of individual that the YMCA is available
to help. The internship program that I am involved in at the YMCA is the IRise Family Empowerment Program. This program, which is funded by
grants from the United Way, supports non-working parents, mostly
single women with children, who are African American. These women are
not employed, without an income or have a small monthly income that
prevents them from obtaining government benefits. The majority of them
are on SSI or SSDI. The YMCA identifies their members, or as they like to call them,
partners, of their I-Rise Program as individuals who are most likely a female, single, with a

Running Head: POPULATIONS AT RISK

disability and has1 or more children. Although there are some members who are married,
they all fall somewhere in the ranges developed through the federal poverty guidelines. They
are considered members of an at-risk population because they are experiencing difficulties
in at least one of the following areas. These areas include communication, medical care,
maintaining independence, supervision and transportation. (Rethlefsen, 2007) They may also
be individuals who have disabilities, live in institutionalized settings, are from diverse
cultures, have limited English proficiency or are non-English speaking, are transportation
disadvantaged, have chronic medical disorders, and have a pharmacological dependency.
(Rethlefsen, et. al) They could also have an economic disadvantage and a lack of a support
system. (Meredith & Sugarman, 2008)
This population is one of the most vulnerable populations in the United States. These
individuals and their families are four times more likely to live in poverty than families with
married parents. (White, 2013)
Diversity
More than 80% of single parents in the United States consist of single mothers. (Casey &
Maldonado, 2012) An unmarried mother in the United States today faces a very good chance of
becoming both the main caregiver and the main breadwinner for her family during at least part of
her childs life. (Bianchi, 1999) When comparing single-parent families in the United States
and compare them to 16 other countries that are in similar financial states, you can find that that
U.S. single-parent families are the worst off. They have the highest rate of poverty and they
face an extremely poor income support system from the government. (Casey & Maldonado,
2012) Also, in comparison to these other countries, their paid, time off from work entitlements
are far worse than other countries. (Casey & Maldonado, 2012) This makes the balance
between caregiving and job holding hard for these individuals. Also, when comparing the

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education of children, the single parents in the United States must wait longer than single parents
in comparison countries for early childhood education to begin. (Casey & Maldonado, 2012) It
is very apparent that the United States needs to reexamine these areas of difficulty. It is obvious
that these countries are successful in how they treat this diverse population and our country
needs to follow their lead and work harder toward assisting this population.
Social and Economic Justice
Although the United States is behind in following other counties in helping single parent
families, our country has made some smaller steps in providing this population with some type of
help. Through the Earned Income Tax Credit and Child Tax Credit, the United States allows for
single annual payments to many low-income families. (Kaufmann, 2012) This can only be done
if they have some sort of income. If they do not have an income then they are not entitled to this
tax credit. Up to 2011, approximately one-third of single mothers had no earned income.
(Kaufmann, 2012) Although the tax credits lifted approximately 8,000,000 people over the
poverty line, the government is most likely making an attempt to limit the reach and
effectiveness of these antipoverty measures during budget negotiations. (Kaufmann, 2012)
There is also a social assistance program that helps with providing benefits to those whose
income falls below minimum adequacy. (Kaufmann, 2012) In our country, this includes cash
welfare. This program is called the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) block
grant. Since 2010, the United States has had each state follows their own discretion for
eligibility. (Kaufmann, 2012) This means that there are virtually fifty different systems. In the
majority of states, the benefit levels have fallen below 30 percent of the official poverty line, so
that would meant that a family of three would receive less than $6,000. (Kaufmann, 2012) In the
comparison to other countries, the benefit is just below the poverty standard of 50 percent of

Running Head: POPULATIONS AT RISK

median income families. (Kaufmann, 2012) Although the United States has made a few small
steps in raising the profile of single-parent economic insecurity, they also need to look at other
countries to see the different ranges of policy options available. (Kaufmann, 2012) If our
government looked at policies that would benefit single parents, they may be able to ensure basic
economic security to such a large segment of the population. (Kaufmann, 2012)
Theoretical Framework-The I-Rise Program
The I-Rise program is available to single low-income women so that
they can be counseled through guidance and assistance with life coaching
and forums. By implementing a range of resources that are critical to
these women, the YMCAs I-Rise program empowers women and their
families to envision that there is much more for them in their communities
to help them achieve certain goals. (YMCA, 2012) This program, in
partnership with the United Way of Southeastern Michigan, has
developed goals to help them to attain a greater sense of
accomplishment in their lives. (YMCA, 2012) Personal coaching,
motivational forums and affordable childcare are very important in these
three major components of this program. In Personal Coaching, the YMCA
has a career and life coach who helps participants clarify personal and
professional goals. The Ys career coaching begins with an initial one-hour
phone session over the phone. (YMCA, 2012) After this initial meeting, the
coach will contact participants on a bi-weekly basis by phone to discuss
progress towards their goals. (YMCA, 2012) The Motivational Forums are
also a part of the Ys I-Rise Program. The forums consist of monthly family-

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friendly motivational and informational meetings. Their life coach conducts

the forums and on occasion there are speakers who address topics crucial to
these women. (YMCA, 2012) A typical forum opens with a family style
dinner (children and a significant other are welcome to attend). Afterward,
our childcare staff and interns take the children to another area where
activities are introduced so they can enjoy age-appropriate fun. The Ys focus
for the children is toward their development and activities are planned that
enhance both cognitive, social and physical abilities in the children. While
the children are enjoying themselves, parents can focus on the speakers
presentations. (YMCA, 2012). Each forum presentation covers a particular
life theme or topic, which may include finding your purpose, child rearing,
budgeting, resume strategies, and a variety of other topics related to
successful family life. (YMCA, 2012) Finally, the Y Child Care Program is
available to provide high-quality, affordable childcare to the families in the
area so they may try to obtain employment. To support families in the I Rise
program, The YMCA provides a childcare subsidy based on familys current
financial situation.
One very important reason that the YMCA has developed a program geared mostly toward
African American Women is because according to the American Psychological Association, or
ASA, African American women are an at-risk client population that is considered to be suffering
disproportionately from poverty and hunger more than any other population in the United States
as a whole.

The ASA also notes that their status is usually measured by a combination of three

different factors. These factors are used to calculate their socio-economical status, which is

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derived from their measures of education, income and occupations. Their socioeconomic status,
or SES is used to examine the changes that are needed in these factors so that these risks of
poverty can be greatly reduced. Research has shown that race and ethnicity in terms of
stratification often determine a persons socioeconomic status. (House & Williams, 2000)
Research has also found that helping this group by educating them and assisting them with
setting goals can give them the opportunity to overcome the challenges they face. (Corcoran &
Nichols-Casebolt, 2004)
Advantages/Disadvantages of Group Work
Group work can be identified by size. It can consist of two or more members. According to
Just Peace International, an online network, a group is a collection of individuals interacting with
one another under a recognized structure. In most group session settings, there are issues that
can arise. On a positive note, there are advantages in group settings which builds strength in the
group. For example, each group member brings skills, perceptions and values. The
disadvantages include differences of opinions, personality clashes and diverse values. In the IRise group there are a variety of personality types in the members of this group. Some are not as
motivated as the others.
A very important function of the I-Rise program involves a lot of coaching. When an
individual is coached, there is a lot of goal setting involved. The group members set goals in
small increments that lead to a larger goal. The larger goal usually takes about 5 years to obtain.
The goal setting begins with baby steps, or small goals, which is vital in reaching their main
goal. There are times when the members are not meeting the goals in which they committed
themselves to doing. This is very frustrating to the social workers that are involved in the
program because the partner or partners are not following through on what they said that they

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Running Head: POPULATIONS AT RISK

would do. As social workers, we want to call them out on why they are not following what it is
that they said they would do. We cannot do this because it is an invasion of the clients rights to
self-determination. The NASW Code of Ethics explains that a client is in charge of finding
solutions to their own problems and making their own decisions. Social Workers can provide
guidance but cannot allow their opinions to influence their clients. We need to respect their right
to act in a way that they feel is best, no matter what we feel. This is difficult because we want to
act on our clients best interest.
Part II
Introduction
There are many factors to look at when determining if a group is considered to be at risk.
An individual cannot be determined to be at risk by just their appearance. For example, in the
past there have been people who have lived their entire lives as poor and when they pass away it
is discovered that they had fortunes. The National Response Framework defines an at risk
population as populations whose members may have additional needs before, during, and after
an incident in functional areas, including but not limited to: maintaining independence,
communication, transportation, supervision, and medical care. (Minnesota.gov, 2012)
Individuals in need of additional response assistance may include those who have disabilities;
who live in institutionalized settings; who are elderly; who are children; who are from diverse
cultures; who have limited English proficiency or are non-English speaking; or who are
transportation disadvantaged. (Kabeil, 2014) This definition lists some factors that an individual
may have that would lead them to become very poor or even broke. These definitions describe
our partners in the YMCAs I-Rise program. Each of them has at least one of the many
characteristics listed in these definitions. Each individual partner may not display the same

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characteristics as the next individual, but they are all enduring difficulty maintaining
independence.
Assessing the Program
Assessment in the I-Rise program involves preparation. This is the meat and potatoes of
the program. This is when decisions are made regarding dates, themes, how the members will
progress and other steps in developing the program. Once that is accomplished, preparation
follows. This is done by enlisting the help of an individual who will be responsible for the
organization of the program. This involves many steps which include contacting individuals
who are interested in utilizing the program, finding a life coach who will lead and conduct the
forums and finding someone to do scheduling. Collecting data and applying professional
knowledge needs to be done in order for success. By researching other programs that have been
successful and examining what they accomplished for their success is crucial for the program to
work.
Assessing the Potential Partners for the Program

Once the program is together and everything is in order, it is necessary to ask the
interested party to out a brief questionnaire so that we could learn a little about them. If we
found them to be a possible fit, then we contact them to find out other details to get a better
feeling of their current situation. Once that is done, we can weigh out their level of functioning
and establish their status. We take all of the information into consideration and make a
determination for membership of the program. At that point they were either accepted or not
accepted into the I-Rise program. Once selected, we conduct a psychosocial assessment. The
reason this is accomplished is because the United Way, our biggest donor, asks for this to be done

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when the participants are accepted into the program. This helps them to understand where there
money is going. The assessment that is completed asks questions about their personal status,
how many children are in the home, income, substance abuse and medical history. They also ask
about any outstanding judgments, debt or legal issues. Once the assessment is completed, the
individuals name is replaced with a number so that the individual remains anonymous.
Developing aTreatment Plan
The I-Rise partners often view that most of their problem are derived from being
financially poor or unstable. In order to abate the issue, the YMCAs I-Rise program helps them
to formulate a plan where they can set goals to obtain financial freedom. (YMCA, 2012) At the
YMCA, the job of the social worker is to find the root of the problem and do what is needed to
promote success for the individual. The main objective is to use a conventional social work
practice of problem solving. In the social work field, the objective of problem solving can be
compared to the work of a physician. For example, It is the job of a doctors to treat physical
ailments and it is the job of a social worker to treat clients problems.
Bruce Tuckmans Developmental Sequence in Small Groups explains the theory of 4 very
important progression steps to forming a successful group. These steps are forming, storming,
norming and performing. His first step, forming, involves a lot of preparation. In order to
select and assess the participants in the I-Rise Program, the YMCA first
needed to collect information on its members. To narrow the selection down,
the I-Rise program enlists the help of the childcare directors to obtain
information on some of the members financial situations. The directors
provide a list of people that they think need extra help. The child-care staff
usually develops personal bonds with the parents because they invested a good amount of time in

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caring about the welfare and safety of their children. With that bond, they can find out
information about the parents on a more personal basis. By doing so, the I-Rise Program is able
to get names of individuals who may be a very good fit for the program. These referrals
help to seek out members that are low income with children. They are
contacted to find out if they may be interested in the program. If interested,
they are provided with details about the program. As mentioned previously, most of
the women are single mothers, African American who are not working. Once the women are
gathered together, we have a forum that explains the program we offer and what their
responsibilities would be, if they appear to be interested in joining the program. The team leader
of the I-Rise program explains the purpose and objective of I-Rise. At this time many questions
are answered so that the members understand what their responsibilities would be if they were to
join. The next step, storming, establishes who is who within the group. For example, once the
members are settled in group, personalities are recognized and a type of order is recognized
among the women. Once this is determined, it can sometimes cause friction between the group
members. There is a possibility of power struggles and cliques may be formed. This is an
important time for the women to begin to focus on their personal goals and do their best to avoid
distractions. The next stage, norming, is very important because it starts to exhibit some growth
between the group members. Roles are established and responsibilities are delegated and put to
use. At the YMCA, the group is forming their goals and making progress by enlisting the help of
other group members for guidance. The final stage, performing, is where the group members are
taking care of themselves on their own, for the most part. They are able to stand on their own to
feet without much guidance from the group leader or their fellow group members. They are most
likely to work very hard at achieving their goals, knowing that the group will soon be coming to

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an end. This is a time where they are also establishing relationships. At the YMCA, the group
members choose accountability partners who will be there for them once the program ends.
These partners stay in touch with one another to talk about their progress or lack thereof and
encourage one another to stay on task for optimal results.
Bio-Psychosocial Plan of Change
The Bio-Psychosocial Model uses the approach that biological, psychological (thoughts,
feelings and behaviors) and social factors (socio-economical, socio-environmental, and cultural)
work together in human functioning. (Borrell-Carri, Suchman& Epstein 2004) For optimal
success, the content and emotions that constitute the clinicians relationship with the patient are
the fundamental principles of bio-psychosocial-oriented clinical practice. (Borrell-Carri,
Suchman& Epstein 2004) Some basic principles that are used when considering this biopsychosocial model include calibrating the clinician, creating trust, cultivating curiosity,
recognizing bias, educating the emotions and communicating clinical evidence. (Borrell-Carri,
Suchman& Epstein 2004). This begins when the clinician brings the clients agenda to the table.
This works by establishing goals for optimal success. Next, creating a trust between the two,
sets the stage for the clinician to recognize and express his or her own emotions but at this time
also setting boundaries so that limits are set to keep the relationship between the two functional.
(Rosen, 2014) Cultivating curiosity allows the clinician to have the capacity to expect the
unexpected. (Rosen, 2014) In developing curiosity, it gives the clinician the opportunity to use
an open mind to keep things fresh and know that there is much more to be heard before making
assumption. This may not occur immediately and it can take time to develop before there is a
good result. Recognizing bias means that the clinician must keep in mind that they should not
allow their decisions to be affected by race, sex and other factors that may lead them to closing a

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case prematurely. (Rosen, 2014) On the other hand, when cases are not closed in a timely
manner, it can sometimes be considered a burden and the case may get closed and all of the
problems may have not been resolved. Educating emotions can be described as when a
practitioner makes decisions about a patient when all of the factors are not present or have not
been weighed out. (Rosen, 2014) This can cause a misdiagnosis. Finally, when communicating
clinical evidence, a clinician needs to break down information to where the patient can easily
understand it. Information over-load can lead to confusion and can also drive a wedge between
the emotional and communication needs. (Rosen, 2014) This can reduce the trust and
understanding in the clinician/patient relationship.
Interventions
According to the book, Developing Practice Guidelines for Social Work Intervention, the
authors, Aaron Rosen and Enola Proctor note that the most commonly used intervention for
social workers is formal instruction. This includes education, presentations and training
modules. The book goes on to talk about two types of formal instruction programs. One is the
Case Management Program. It is based upon the intervention of individuals. This program
relies on case management interventions. The second type, A Cognitive Behavioral Group
intervention, is the model the I-Rise program utilizes. This program is a structured cognitivebehavioral group intervention that includes some type of skills training, instruction and practice,
homework and other cognitive interventions. The YMCAs I-Rise program follows this model
by enriching the lives of the individuals in the program and also teaching them responsibility and
learning to hold themselves accountable for their actions. (YMCA, 2012) The program involves
group activities that help the women with social advancement by sharing experiences and
working as a team. In order for success, our partners also need to be effective as group

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participants. The reason for this is to strengthen communication within the group and to also
find an accountability partner once the program ends. An accountability partner is a very
important part of the program because when they enlist the help of another individual, they have
to report whether or not they are meeting their goals. By doing so, they are more likely to reach
their goals if there is someone available to report to. This partnership is planned toward the end
of the program when the coach and the coaching meetings are no longer available to them.
Empirical Evidence on Goal Setting
There have been hundreds of studies regarding goal setting and they have consistently
demonstrated that setting specific, challenging goals can powerfully drive behavior and boost
performance. (Ordez Schweitzer Galinsky & Bazerman (2009) Goal setting is one of the most
replicated and influential paradigms in management literature. (Ordez, et. al) Advocates of
goal setting have had a substantial impact on research, education, and practice. Empirical
evidence for goal setting finds that goal setting can be a great way to obtain financial success. A
study that was conducted by Gail Matthews, titled the Summary of Recent Goals Research
provides information that suggests that there is empirical evidence that goal setting is a useful
tool in obtaining goals. In the study there are three, accountability, commitment and writing
down ones goals. The study was based on two hundred sixty seven participants. The research
design involved breaking the group into five groups. Group one was to only think of their goals,
groups two through five were asked to write their goals. Group three was to also write down
action commitment, group four was to do the same but in addition, give the material to a
supportive friend and group five was to do all of the above and in addition send a progress report
to a friend. This work was to be done over a period of four weeks. Some of the goals that the
participants listed had to do with completing a project, increasing income, increasing

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productivity, getting organized and enhancing their lives. (Ordez, et. al) The results reported
that group five had the most achievements. From their on, the achievements that were
successful showed the strength as being high from group four all of the way to group one, being
the least in strength. These occurrences were in consecutive order. This study proved that
utilizing the three tools, commitment; accountability and writing down ones goals can be
effective in better productivity. (Matthews, 2006)
Value and Ethical Dilemmas Related to Social Work Service Delivery
Social Workers run into ethical dilemmas that come in all shapes and sizes. ( Reamer,
2002) Many of these dilemmas involve the social workers delivery of service to individuals
and small groups. Typical examples involve disclosing confidential information without a
clients consent, limiting a clients right to self-determination against his or her wishes or social
contact with a former client. (Reamer, 2002) According to A List of Ethical Dilemmas
Facing Social Work, by Ashley Miller, there are five factors that lead to ethical dilemmas. The
first, Right to Self-Determination, means respecting what your client decides. Even though the
individual is making a poor decision, we are not at liberty to provide advice or our opinion of
solutions. In the I-Rise program, we help our partners to look at all options, but we cannot tell
them what to do. This can be very challenging because when a resolution to their issue is in
front of you, we cannot tell them what we think. For example, a lot of our women get their nails
done and weaves in their hair, yet they cannot afford to pay their electric bill. We are not at
liberty to say to them what it is that we want to say. Confidentiality is another dilemma we face
in social work. When doing surveying, I have run into finding out information about someone
who is sick with cancer and another who is HIV positive. As much as I want to tell another
person so that I can discover new ways to help them, I cannot. The client has a right to privacy

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and confidentiality. Another factor involves differences of morals and values. This is observed
and recognized in the I-Rise program. At these meetings, we provide dinner. As an example we
will use is Jimmy Johns submarine sandwiches. The sandwiches are served banquet style and
everyone waits in a line to get their food. One particular child is on his seconds and thirds while
some are in line waiting for their first serving. He grabs several bags of chips handfuls of
cookies and when all the food is gone, he starts in on the sugar and cream from the coffee. This
occurs at every meeting. Now, if this were my child, he would have stopped until everybody has
had a plate. Unfortunately, I am unable to do this. The mother of this child is standing just a few
feet away, oblivious to his manners. Even though I am concerned for his health, I cannot say
anything to his mother because I have to respect her value systems and morals, which are
different from my own. Involvement in dual relationships can be another ethical dilemma that
we may face. Although we get to know these women well, we have to set boundaries as to how
close we can get to them. I have a few months left interning at the Y and I will be curious as to
how this goes for me. I know that I will have to practice good judgment and remain
professional. Another area of ethical dilemmas includes administrative dilemmas. Working at a
large agency has a tendency for ethical problems. A particular challenge that I find myself in
has to do with being put in the middle of uncomfortable situations. I feel like
a pawn when so and so talks about so and so to me. I think that the reason
they do this is because they think I am going to tell somebody else and the
information will get to the targeted individual. In order to remain ethical, I
will listen to their words, but I do not let anything they say to me go any
further. There have been times that I have been tempted to, but I made a
promise to myself that I would be the best person I can be. There are other

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types of ethical dilemmas that can occur at the YMCA. These include fraud,
misuse of assets, dishonest actions, harassment and any other types of
actions or deeds that appears to violate the law. The YMCA staff has a
responsibility to report the violation or suspected violation to the appropriate
person or entity within the YMCA. (YMCA, 2012) The YMCAs strict guidelines on
ethics that if something is reported, it must me done in good faith. (YMCA, 2012) The
individual needs to understand that it must be a real and legitimate concern. Anyone who reports
a violation in good faith will not suffer harassment, retaliation or adverse employment
consequences. (YMCA, 2012) Anyone who perpetuates harassment, retaliation or in any way
affects the employment of a reporter will be subject to disciplinary action, up to and including
termination of employment. (YMCA, 2012) The YMCA encourages employees and other
involved parties to bring forth serious issues and concerns. (YMCA, 2012) The Y staff is given
the name and telephone number of the Vice President of Human Resources to report any
violations. There is also a hotline set up to make anonymous reports. (YMCA, 2012) The
YMCA treats all of its reports seriously and each report if fully investigated to determine the
facts as well as the resolution. (YMCA, 2012) From my personal experience as an intern at the
YMCA, I have been lucky enough not to have encountered or witnessed any major ethical
dilemmas.
How are you certain that you are facing an ethical dilemma and how do you handle it? Dr.
Frederic Reamer, PhD., states that if you find an issue that is very serious, a social worker
should identify the ethical issues, including the social work values and ethics that conflict. Once
the issue is identified, do your best to figure out who is likely to be affected by the ethical
decision. Then figure out what course of action is applicable. After you make the decision,

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21

consider consulting with colleagues or appropriate experts. Finally, document the dilemma and
the steps that are made to alleviate the situation. You also should consult the NASW Code of
Ethics. It contains a number of explicit standards related to client self-determination (standard
1.02), informed consent (standards 1.03 [a][c]), conflict of interest (standards 1.06 [a][c]), and
privacy and confidentiality, including the rights of deceased clients (standards 1.07 [a][b][g][r]).
In addition, the code of ethics makes specific references to a social workers obligation to consult
with colleagues when necessary to make sound decisions in complex circumstances. (standards
2.05 [a-c]).
Techniques to Evaluate Effectiveness
According to Nancy Clifton Hawkins, The Four Steps of Effective Evaluation, include
planning, deciding how much information is needed, developing methods of evaluation and
putting the evaluation to work. It is very important to evaluate because it warrants what is and
what is not effective in what you are trying to accomplish. Clifton-Hughes mentions that people
can be terrified of evaluations because they feel that it is a result of their performance. When
evaluating, the I-Rise program does so in such a way where they involve objectives. When
measuring the effectiveness of the program, basic tools are used to determine if the activities in
the program are useful. She suggests that to plan effectively, do not put the cart before the
horse and do the evaluation while in the stage where the program is being designed. When the
I-Rise program was first developed, I was not a part in it at that time. An example of evaluating
the program as it stands now would involve checking the progress of the women in the group to
see where they are at in reaching their goals. Developing methods of evaluation could involve a
process evaluation where a questionnaire is formed to find out certain information. In the I-Rise
program, I would ask questions about their satisfaction with the program thus far. If there is

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22

some dissatisfaction noted, I would find out what it is and even ask their opinion as to how they
would handle the situation to have a better result. I could also do an impact evaluation where I
could ask them what type of impact this program has had on them so far. Are they doing better
financially? Is their relationship with their children better? Or ask them about their confidence
levels. Once this is all discovered, there will be a need to put the information together and the
data needs to be analyzed. This helps to find out what changes may need to be made in order for
the program to help the needs of the program partners. We can also enlist the help of our
partners in developing strategies that will work in their favor for better success.
Empirical Research
There was a study conducted by Aurora P. Jackson, PhD, which involved low-income
single mothers who did not work. They lived in government housing and their self-efficacy was
very low. Once the study was accomplished, the results showed that when these mothers were
put to work, even low-wage work, their self-efficacy was much higher and their depression was
lowered. One very important technique used in the I-Rise program involves motivating the
partners so that they can accomplish an optimistic sense of personal efficacy. Group therapy,
social group work and community resource coordination are instilled in the I-Rise meetings
because these are known to promote self-efficacy. Those with high selfefficacy visualize
success, which is the end result that the I-Rise program is looking for. One way to promote this
is through group therapy. Group therapy has been a technique that has been found to bring a lot
of success in the I-Rise program. The sessions are designed to address different topics. One
topic addressed is about hopelessness. The speakers address the importance of behavior change
in order to alleviate hopelessness. They also address changing the manner in how they think.
The selfefficacy theory states that in negative appraisals of selfefficacy, people who harbor

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selfdoubts about their capabilities give up quickly and people who don't attain their own

standards of selfworth drive themselves to bouts of depression. (Adkins, 2010) The moms also
address how they lack control of their thoughts and the program teaches them techniques on
changing negative thoughts. Once this is accomplished, they focus on life skills and setting
goals. In the group therapy sessions, there is either a motivational speaker or a life coach who
does a presentation involving lessons that apply to life skills. Life skills are another technique
that the I-Rise program uses to aid the partners in personal success.

Nancy Wells Gladow and

Margaret P. Ray did a study on sixty four single parents in Washington. The sample was mostly
women who were single parents and had children. They interviewed these individuals to find out
what they found to be their biggest problems. This issues that they found to be most difficult fell
into this order from most difficult to least difficult. The first was handling family finances, then
medical/dental care. Transportation was the third largest issue with meeting the childrens
emotional needs following. Also controlling the children was listed and finally household tasks,
repairs and moving from place to place. The I-Rise program at the YMCA has developed some
life skills to help our women in the program. Topics such as coping with stress and pressure are
talked about in the forums. They also talk about money and how to stretch it out so that it can go
further. Disciplining children is also a topic of discussion as well as building self-confidence.
These are just a few examples of how the I-Rise program dedicates itself to promoting effective
life skills to the partners in the program. Finally, another important technique that the I-Rise
program utilizes is goal setting. Setting priorities is the foundation of goal setting in the I-Rise
program. The women are taught how to differentiate what is needed over what is wanted.
These women feel that if they look good, they will feel good, so they spend a lot of time and
money to take care of themselves. It is very difficult to strip these thoughts from the women, but

Running Head: POPULATIONS AT RISK

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once it is accomplished, then the goal setting can begin. The program encourages these women
to set a large goal, one that will usually be realistic in a period of or around five years. These
types of goals could involve owning their first home, starting a business or even getting a new
car. Once the goal is established then the women are encouraged to set smaller goals to work
toward their final goal. The group meetings are important because that is when they have the
opportunity to talk about their accomplishments. This is a time when the women in the program
have the opportunity to share their success stories or just share things that have happened in their
lives. The women are there to support each other. This is effective because the women compare
notes with one another and by doing this, it helps them to become motivated to help themselves.
It can also be called a competition. The competition is done in a friendly manner. The women
also find an accountability partner that they must report to so that can report their successes or
failures.
Case Outcome
The I-Rise program lasts for a period of five years. Therefore at this point there is not a
case outcome for this population. However, progress has been noted in most of the participants.
The individuals who follow the plan exactly as it is presented to them appear to have the most
successes thus far. The guidelines that they need to follow for personal success first involves
developing interpersonal skills that result in higher self-esteem. This is accomplished in the IRise Program by helping the women to look at their strengths and focusing on their abilities.
Methods are taught to help them be at peace with themselves and to accept them just how they
are. There are forums that focus on teaching them the importance of helping others, which is a
big help when building on self-esteem. Once we see that they have accomplished this task, we
then help them with professional development. This must be accomplished for the outcome to be

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a success to the women. They have to follow guidelines that they must follow to develop skills
that will give them the confidence they need to enter the work environment. This includes
practicing communication skills, problem solving, teamwork and developing customer service
skills. Once the program sees that the women have achieved these steps, we then provide them
with resources like career seminars, educational opportunities such as grants or scholarships,
affordable childcare and employment opportunities. The program also provides them with
resources that help them to set up savings and checking accounts and other programs to stretch
their dollars. The feedback loop in a non-profit organization such as the YMCA involves the
development of the program, feedback and analysis, action and adjustment and assessment.
Since the program has not yet been completed, the loop cannot be determined. Once the
program has ended, the Y will do an analysis of the program, ask for feedback from the partners
and make certain adjustments. Then the program can be reassessed to see if it is viable enough
to start over again. Once that is accomplished, we will seek out grantors that may be interested
in funding our program. Although it is a long, tedious process, if the program is a success, then
helping more women will help the community as a whole.

Program Evaluation
In order to evaluate the I-Rise program, an informal evaluation would be more
appropriate to use because the program it still in its process and it has not ended. One important
step in evaluating a program informally would be to refer to the program director to find out
what part of the program needs to be evaluated for change.

Some issues that may arise could

involve the percentage of individuals who are following through on their goals and instructions.

Running Head: POPULATIONS AT RISK

26

We could also look at the effect the program has had on the children of the group members. One
more thing that could be addressed could involve lengthening or shortening the program to see
what is more effective. These are just a few of many other issues that can be addressed. Once
we discover what we need to address or possibly change, we could then utilize the concept of
evidence based practice. By looking at data that gives us information that includes problems,
causes and solutions that are comparable to our own, we can come up with some raw data and
create a summary of what we discovered. This would enable us to find clinically relevant
information that we can compare to our own program evaluation so that we are able to help
improve a part of the program. There are other resources that can be used when doing informal
research. Textbooks can help by looking at theoretical work or analysis or reports written by
experts. Statistics can also be used to look at census data. Also, the media can often be helpful
when enlisting the help of sources of information such as current events or documentaries.
Methodology
Helen Perlman defined social casework as A process used by certain human welfare
agencies to help individuals to cope more effectively with their problems in social functioning.
Just Peace International, an online social work network states that the The process used in the IRise program includes the methodology appropriate to this particular program. It also adds
This includes components of the five Ps which are the person, the problem, the place, the
professional and the process. The person is anyone who is seeking help or is in need of some
type of assistance, which includes the women of the I-Rise program. The problem can be interpersonal or intra-personal. The I-Rise program falls under intrapersonal, because the issues
involve the entire family. It is the particular situation that the person or people find themselves
in. This issue has an effect on the individual and their family. The I-Rise program sees these

Running Head: POPULATIONS AT RISK

27

women as having a low income or no income and is seeking out a better life. The place is the
functional place that can help. In our case it is the YMCA. The professional is the person who is
going to assist the individual. In this case it is the life-coach and the social worker. The process
involves engaging the individual to work on and use coping skills to help their existing issues.
They can discuss the nature of the problem and potential solutions. This is accomplished
through our I-Rise program.
Values and Ethics Regarding Evaluation
According to the book, In Design, Monitoring and Evaluation for Conflict
Transformations written by Cheyenne Church and Mark Rogers, some
common ethical challenges for evaluations can be grouped into three
categories. The first is the protection of the people, the second is freedom
from political interference and finally quality data collection techniques. By
protecting the people we need to guarantee confidentiality. At the YMCA, the
technique is used by assigning numbers to our members in the I-Rise
program in lieu of their name. When we do paperwork, we are certain to use
a number instead of using the individuals name. That way, if there were
some information that was leaked, the name of the person would not be on
any of the documentation so there would not be a confidentiality breach.
Freedom from political interference involves the organization and its
program, the donor and the stakeholders. Political pressure can be applied
to an evaluation process by justifying a decision when evaluating whether or
not to continue or cease funding. Donors can justify a decision to end
funding to the YMCA by requiring methodology that misses many of the

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positive results. For example, one of our largest grantors, The United Way,
could have an employee that guarantees secured, ongoing funding by
requiring the YMCA to present them to their organization in an unearned
positive light. Another way to describe this is by using non-disclosure of

pertinent information or providing misrepresented information to the grantor

to ensure funding. For example, the YMCA could omit the participants who
have dropped from the program. Creating false information when filling out
forms that are requested by the evaluator so that the logs meet the requests
that the grantor needs to ensure funding. There are also quality data
techniques that can be used. One way is by providing incentives to
individuals in the program. These incentives can be used to ensure that the
data collected will reflect the organization in a way that will skew the results
in their favor. This can be in the form of gift cards, money, small personal
gifts or even money for gas mileage. In my belief, I feel that the YMCA has
very ethical standards and would not have any part in misrepresenting any
information that they pass along to the grantors of their programs nor do
they use gifts to increase the reputation of the organization. (Church &
Rogers, 2006) They vision themselves as being successful in the near future,
which gives them self-confidence. By seeing that they are worth something,
they are able to visualize a brighter future for their family.

Conclusion

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29

Single mothers who do not have an income, or have a very low income face many
challenges that prevent them from gaining financial success. Two of the biggest issues include
not having an income and affordable childcare. If they are lucky enough to find a low-income
job, they have a difficult time trying to balance work their work and their family life. They also
face the challenge of finding affordable childcare and the ability to pay their bills at the same
time. (Bianchi,1999) In either instance, they will most likely face challenges that get more
difficult as time passes while their problems seem to intensify. Since the middle of the twentieth
century, a large portion of women, the nations unpaid caregivers, have tried very hard to enter
the workforce. (Bianchi,1999) Some do not go to work until after their children have grown.
Families are becoming more diverse, with single parenting mother facing greater inequality in
getting any type of income, whether it involves working or receiving help from the government.
(Bianchi,1999) One of the biggest changes, when President Clinton signed a law in 1996 that
transformed the way our nation addressed one of our neediest citizens, took away the promise of
a government check for these individuals raising children their children in poverty.
(Bianchi,1999) Each state was given a portion of a block grant and it was up the them as to how
they wanted to spend it. The amount of money that the states were granted were not changed
when the recession hit and that was a very difficult time for single moms. Now we see 50 state
programs in its place that forced these mothers to find work or live without an income. This plan
that our government had backfired in many ways, but who suffers the most? The answer to this
question is the children of these mothers. These children are either placed in some after school
program with care givers who work with a very low wage or they are at home with their mom
who has little or no income. This left the mothers, who cannot work and desperate for money,
apply for disability benefits. These mothers probably feel that they have no other options.

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In hindsight, it is clear that this law did not work. The only big change that occurred was
that some of these individuals are now for disability benefits instead of welfare benefits. It is
apparent that this did not resolve any big issues. (Bianchi,1999)
The I-Rise program is as small as a needle in a haystack when looking at the big picture
of helping women conquer these issues. Social workers have many abilities that can help this
population. Giving referrals, such as directing them toward looking at anti-poverty programs
such as grants, temporary assistance or even referring them to local companies that offer
discounts for women who find themselves in a bad situation. Social workers who already work
at non-profit organizations can also enlist the help of their peers by starting a program, such as
the I-Rise program. They can become educated in grant writing, beginning a group effort to help
people in need or just educate themselves with classes that are available to them that could serve
this population. Social work is a field where the sky is the limit when finding way that can help
others. That is one very important benefit that can help make positive changes and help our
communities, families and individuals.

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