An important aspect to assessing and supporting a client’s social and emotional wellbeing involves identifying issues that may require change. A target of change is the area within a client's social system that needs to change or be developed in a different way. This enables the client to have their needs met and to become more effective in their interactions with their environment. Sometimes it is the client who is the target of change, sometimes it is another part of the system (eg the family). Select these images to learn more about the essential knowledge that health workers need in order to assess and support a client’s social and emotion wellbeing.

Human Systems

It is critical to have a comprehensive understanding of the systems that the client interacts with, particularly the family system. This allows the health worker to assess the needs of the client:

• within their environment
• to locate potential resources from within the client's own system
• to identify targets of change within the client's system.

Child Protection

Health workers must have a sound understanding of the relevant Child Protection Act in their state or territory and their obligations under the Act.

In most community service agencies, even where the law does not require mandatory reporting, the rights of a child to safety and protection are considered a duty of the community service worker.

This duty is reflected in the policies of most organisations, which stipulate that where a child is suspected of being abused or at risk of abuse, a notification must be made to the relevant child protection agency.

This obligation overrides the obligation to maintain the confidentiality of clients.

• Dept of Child Safety Queensland
• Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Child Placement Principle

Cultural Awareness

Australia is a multicultural society with a range of diverse language and cultural groups. While many human experiences are shared, the interpretations of these events can vary between cultures. Health workers need to be able to accept and respect diverse perspectives on life's events.

It is also critical that they are able to demonstrate cultural empathy. For information go to articles by Dr Tracy Westerman, an Australian Indigenous Psychologist:

• Psychological Assessment of Aboriginal People
• Frameworks of Working with Aboriginal People

Human Behaviour

Health workers require a sound understanding of the lifecycle of people, the inevitable crises that occur during different phases of life, and the impact that these crises have upon the individual and their families.

This information is necessary if a health worker is to have the appropriate context to understand the problems the client is facing.

Signs and Indicators

It is important for health workers to have an underpinning knowledge of common presenting problems which suggest that the client may be experiencing social or emotional distress. They must be constantly on the lookout for signs and indicators of:

• mental or psychiatric illness
• depression
• alcohol and other drug misuse
• suicide risk
• child abuse/sexual assault.

To go to other information on these topics in this resource select the highlighted word. For a plain language overview of the factors that may influence social and emotional health go to Australian Indigenous HealthInfoNet.