WHEN TIME IS CRITICAL: EMERGENCY SOCIAL WORKER INTERVENTIONS IN CASES OF ADOLESCENT DEVIANCE

Abstract

Adolescents face major psychological and social transformations. The lack of a healthy lifestyle, unresolved conflicts, or factors in different environments may be reasons why people behave in ways that do not conform to social norms. A social problem is ignoring these inappropriate actions as they affect mental health, family relationships and the community. UPU social workers identify, assess and interview young people who exhibit social risk behaviors, substance use, violence or self-harm. A variety of types of deviant behavior that are encountered are the subject of research, as well as the determinants (family, educational and socio-economic) and challenges that arise during intervention. All these are addressed through case studies and empirical observations. The study focuses on the modes of communication that social workers use, with an emphasis on crisis counseling, cooperation with the medical team and community child protection institutions, and the challenges they face when working with this vulnerable group. Thus, the role and intervention of the UPU social worker in addressing deviant behavior in adolescents are examined. This is achieved by combining medical and psychosocial perspectives in a multidisciplinary manner. The results show that the UPU social worker refers adolescents to specialized support services and significantly reduces the rate of recidivism of deviant behaviour. Social work in emergency hospitals should be improved through continuous staff training, interdisciplinary protocols, empathy, early intervention and prevention.