Anna is aged 17 and spent a large part of her life from the age of 9-14 in the Irish foster care system: Psychology Case Study, UOG, Ireland

Anna is aged 17 and spent a large part of her life from the age of 9-14 in the Irish foster care system. Anna was removed from the family home at age 7 due to ongoing neglect and trauma. Her mother has a continuing, and persistent drug problem, and her father has a high level of recidivism and is in and out of prison regularly. Social Services have been involved in Anna’s case since she was born.

When Anna started school at age 5, her teachers alerted social services to her poor school attendance and the fact that she was coming to school hungry and poorly dressed. She also seemed to have no one at home to help her with her homework. Her behavior in school was disruptive at times and she found it hard to settle. To help relax Anna, her teachers would reward her for sitting quietly for short periods of time. Anna was bullied in primary and secondary school but was reluctant to report this experience to her teachers.

Anna is now living with her paternal grandmother and is no longer under the care of social services. Anna has periodic contact with her mother and is attempting to build a relationship with her father.

Anna is now completing a QQI level 5 course in her local college of further education. Her attendance is erratic having had a difficult time in primary and secondary school where she was bullied. Anna appears to be apprehensive and fearful of the college environment. She is finding the classes challenging as her motivation to engage in lessons is very low.

The major issue facing Anna is that she is finding it difficult to complete her assignments and consistently attend her classes. Anna has been referred to the support area but is missing appointments made for her. The support team recognizes that Anna has a pattern of not doing homework and assignments, and she seems to have little value in their worth. In the past, Anna’s achievements were never celebrated or rewarded, and she was never praised for work well done.

The academic support team has explained to Anna the importance of doing the assignments and completing them in a timely manner. The team has agreed to help Anna by setting up a system of support to help her complete her work. The support team has incorporated a range of incentives to encourage her to complete her assignments on time and avoid a late penalty on assignments.