Promoting Partnership Between a Social Work Team and Mothers of Children with Hemophilia
Blog post written by Yang Jing
“He used all the paper tissue, sheets and anything he could find to stop his bleeding. He even sloshed blood on the walls. In the end, he felt exhausted and just used a basin to let the blood flow……” Does this sound like a horrible movie? No, it is a mother’s description of her haemophiliac son following a tooth extraction. Scenes such as this are a normal part of their daily life. I starting working with families with children with haemophilia six months after giving birth to my daughter. I often asked myself if I could deal with this situation if I had a child with a rare disease. My answer was “probably no”. When I shared my uncertainty with this mother, she clapped me on my shoulder and said, “You can if you are a mother with a haemophiliac child.”
This article is important as it is both difficult and unusual for a social work professional to work with families with a child with haemophilia. It demonstrates how participatory action research (PAR) provides an effective method for improving social work practice and empowering clients at the same time. The article also highlights relevant power issues in the intervention process since PAR as a way of empowering the vulnerable also entails risks of further stigmatization and discrimination of the vulnerable group.
We invite you to learn more about this experience by reading our article HERE. Free 15-day access is available for this article beginning 25 March.
After you’ve had a chance to read this piece, please share your thoughts, ideas, or experiences with our community in the comments section so we can continue this discussion!
Columbia Embury
www.wright.edu
www.wright.edu
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