Giovanni: A Critical Social Work Case Analysis Assignment

Assignment 

Introduction

The profession’s core values of social justice, human rights, and cultural competence means that practitioners must always analyze specific cases in structural, ethical, and relational ways. Exploring Giovanni’s story the case of a 14-year-old boy, a student who is at risk of being excluded from school due to his behavioral problems this paper reveals how young people can experience marginalization owing to structural factors, power relations and educational inequalities. This paper evaluates Giovanni’s case by discussing the socio-economic factors that led to his marginalization, ethical and historical issues in school social work, and power dynamics in the social worker-client relationship. In this analysis, the principles such as respect for persons and social justice of the Australian Association of Social Workers (AASW, 2020) Code of Ethics will be discussed and how they can be applied to support Giovanni’s reengagement.

Giovanni’s Social Problems and Past History

Giovanni is a student that has been brought to the school social worker due to multiple behavioral issues, emotional issues, and interpersonal issues. He was described by his teacher as being a strong boy but at the same time he is insecure, he does not look directly in the eyes and he stammers. He has periods of suspension often that are not related to learning disabilities but rather behavioral issues that arise from the inability to cope with stress and lack of constructive coping mechanisms. The school seems to define defiant behaviours as intentionally loud, blaming others, and physically aggressive as purposefully defiant actions of Giovanni. However, literature has it that such behaviours in adolescents may be as a result of trauma, lack of attachment and exclusion (Carlson et al., 2022). These symptoms of isolation from peers, avoiding teamwork, and emotional dysregulation indicate that there might have been ACEs that affected Giovanni’s 2 capacity to regulate self and respond appropriately at school (Babad et al., 2020). His “transient agreements” mean not only that he is unreliable but that he has learned to think relationally transiently.

Socioeconomic Conditions and Structural Inequities

One must consider the background of Giovanni and his story cannot be discussed without referencing the structural issues affecting the youth living in the outskirts. As is the case with many other non-metropolitan Australian towns, Mount Gambier has been described as having restricted availability of youth mental health, educational, and social services (Klinner et al., 2023). It is common to have fragmented services, underfunded schools and limited after school activities in such areas hence resulting to disengagement and behavioural issues among the young people (Hammond et al., 2020). Schools, especially the ones that are currently under neoliberal management, tend to focus on performance indicators rather than on support for students (Hall & Pulsford, 2019). This leads to a “zero-tolerance” policy on discipline that punishes students with emotional or behavioral problems inappropriately. Giovanni faces academic difficulties due to suspension being used as a structural behaviour management one that studies have demonstrated to be ineffective and negative (Ijaz et al., 2024). What Giovanni gets is disciplinary exclusion, a practice that merely perpetuates the tradition of discriminant education for the students. 

Summary of the Assessment Requirements

The assessment required students to complete a critical social work case analysis based on Giovanni, a 14-year-old student at risk of school exclusion due to persistent behavioural and emotional issues. The task aimed to evaluate the student’s ability to apply critical social work theory, structural analysis, and ethical reasoning to a real-world case scenario.

Key requirements of the assessment included:

• Analysing the socio-economic, historical, and structural factors contributing to Giovanni’s marginalization.
• Identifying relevant ethical principles using the AASW Code of Ethics (2020).
• Examining power dynamics between the social worker and the client.
• Applying critical social work frameworks to interpret behavioural issues, family background, trauma indicators, and school responses.
• Demonstrating understanding of structural inequality, educational exclusion, and youth mental health barriers, particularly in regional Australian contexts.
• Providing a well-structured academic paper including an Introduction, Case Analysis Sections, and Conclusion, with appropriate literature support.

How the Academic Mentor Guided the Student: Step-by-Step Approach

Step 1: Clarifying the Purpose and Scope

The mentor began by helping the student understand that the assignment goes beyond describing Giovanni’s behaviour. It required critical analysis involving:

• structural inequalities
• trauma-informed perspectives
• ethical reasoning
• power relations
• evidence-based literature

The mentor encouraged the student to maintain a professional, analytical tone rather than a descriptive narrative.

Step 2: Structuring the Introduction

The mentor guided the student to write an introduction that:

• established the core social work values (social justice, human rights, cultural competence)
• introduced Giovanni’s case and the central concerns
• stated the objective of critically analysing the case
• referenced relevant literature on youth marginalization, trauma, and school exclusion
  This ensured the paper had a strong academic foundation from the beginning.

Step 3: Analysing Giovanni’s Social Problems and History

The mentor helped break down this section into clear parts:

• behavioural symptoms (aggression, emotional dysregulation, avoidance)
• potential underlying causes such as trauma, attachment challenges, or ACEs
• misunderstanding of behavioural symptoms by school staff
• relevance of trauma-informed frameworks

Students were encouraged to support their observations using research (e.g., Carlson et al., 2022; Babad et al., 2020).

Step 4: Identifying Socio-Economic and Structural Inequities

The mentor guided the student to examine systemic issues shaping Giovanni’s experience:

• limited youth mental health and social services in regional towns
• underfunded schools and fragmented support systems
• neoliberal educational policies prioritizing performance over wellbeing
• inappropriate disciplinary practices like frequent suspensions

The mentor explained how to connect these structural issues with broader literature (e.g., inequitable schooling, service gaps).

Step 5: Integrating Ethical Principles and Power Dynamics

The mentor encouraged the student to apply the AASW Code of Ethics, especially:

• respect for persons
• social justice
• professional integrity

Students were also guided to highlight:

• the imbalanced power dynamic between school authorities and Giovanni
• the importance of relational practice, cultural sensitivity, and empowerment
• the role of strengths-based and rights-based approaches

This step ensured the analysis remained grounded in real social work practice.

Step 6: Writing the Conclusion

The mentor helped the student summarize:

• key structural, ethical, and relational findings
• the importance of trauma-informed and inclusive practices
• strategies for supporting Giovanni’s re-engagement

The focus was on demonstrating insight into the complexity of social work intervention.

Step 7: Ensuring Academic Quality

Finally, the mentor reviewed the full draft to ensure:

• strong alignment with instructions
• clear argumentative flow
• accurate citations
• consistency with critical social work frameworks
• integration of relevant research throughout

Final Outcome and Learning Objectives Achieved

The completed assessment:

• Provided a holistic, critically informed case analysis of Giovanni’s situation.
• Demonstrated understanding of structural inequalities, trauma impacts, and educational exclusion.
• Applied the AASW Code of Ethics appropriately.
• Examined relational and power dynamics within the student–social worker–school triad.
• Used current peer-reviewed literature to support arguments.
• Reflected the student’s ability to think critically, ethically, and contextually key learning outcomes for social work education.

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