Risk Management

In this assignment, you will apply the risk management techniques you have learned to a real-life scenario.

Assignment Scenario

Mr. Ashford is a caseworker at the County Human Services Department. One of his clients, Mr. Lainez, is a young man who presents with many issues. He has been in foster care and is about to age out of the program to live on his own. Mr. Ashford will be assisting him with this transition.

In an effort to connect with his young client, Mr. Ashford accepts Mr. Lainez’s invitation of friendship on social media. In addition, he provides his agency email address to Mr. Lainez when he asks if there is not another way to make an appointment rather than making a telephone call and going through a receptionist.

Shortly thereafter, Mr. Lainez experiences several disappointing events. He loses his job, and the young woman he was dating tells him she is no longer interested in seeing him. Additionally, he is struggling to make ends meet, and becomes unable to pay the rent on his first apartment.

At his wits’ end, he makes a vague suicidal threat on Facebook® and sends a desperate request to Mr. Ashford to set up an appointment as soon as possible. Out on calls, Mr. Ashford does not check his email or his Facebook account for several days, missing Mr. Lainez’s cues. His young client is found dead of an overdose of medication he has been prescribed by the department psychiatrist.

Assignment Directions

Use the readings, internet, and Purdue Global Library to research the implications of this case study under current law and practice expectations.

Please be sure to address all of the following in your assignment:

• Introduce the case study and list each of the problematic decisions Mr. Ashford made in this scenario, analyzing each in terms of its effect on the outcome.
• Identify and explain other choices he could or should have made.
• Evaluate the legal and regulatory implications of this case study that you have learned from your research.
• Apply and evaluate the risk management techniques you have learned over the past two units to this case.
• Do you believe they would likely have led to a different outcome for Mr. Lainez? For Mr. Ashford? Why or why not?