The Power of Advocacy - Social Work Case Study

Social Work case study by Vinnies Community Social worker, Tania Martin.

I met Sally* at ‘Vinnies in the Village’ (a Vinnies social work outreach service, where I meet people at their local community centres in Newlands, Johnsonville and Strathmore) where she arrived in tears. As a sole parent of four children, they had experienced health issues since moving into a social housing home. After discovering the roof was leaking, I completed a home visit and took photos of the leak. The entire ceiling had collapsed, and the maintenance crew had ‘patch’ repaired the roof. I phoned her social housing provider and began advocacy. After three months of phone calls, photographic evidence, support documentation from myself, the DHB and GP, we had success! This family now has a brand-new roof and hopefully next winter her children will not suffer respiratory illnesses.

I also assisted Sally with a plan to pay off a legal bill with her immigration lawyer. Vinnies provided food parcels for a short period and household items such as hot water bottles (donated by a Conference member) and warm clothing. She set a weekly repayment goal and achieved this. Our Foodbanks ‘choice-based’ system means she chose what they ate, feeling empowered by the process. Applications were completed to Variety Kid’s for clothing, school stationery and extra-curricular activities for the children, and have since been approved. I saw her confidence and emotional wellbeing improve over this time to the extent that she has attended two job interviews, and now just phones me for advice if needed.

*Name changed to protect her identity.