young person case study example

• News stories
• Blog articles
• NSPCC Learning podcast
• Why language matters
• Sign up to newsletters
• Safeguarding in Education Update
• CASPAR email alert
• Key topics home
• Safeguarding and child protection
• Child abuse and neglect
• Child health and development
• Safer recruitment
• Case reviews
• Online safety
• Research and resources home
• NSPCC research
• Safeguarding resources
• How Safe conference
• Self-assessment tool
• Schools and colleges
• Training home
• Basic safeguarding courses
• Advanced training
• Elearning courses
• Designated person training
• Schools and education courses
• Services home
• Direct work: children and families
• Talk Relationships
• Consultancy
• Library and Information Service
• Support for local communities
• NSPCC Helpline
• Speak out Stay safe schools service
• My learning
• Self-assessment
• /g,'').replace(/ /g,'')" v-html="suggestion">

Teenagers: learning from case reviews

Summary of risk factors and learning for improved practice around working with teenagers.

Published case reviews highlight that practitioners sometimes struggle to work with teenagers who are experiencing complex issues. Interventions can focus on tackling challenging behaviour, rather than exploring the underlying causes and risk factors. This sometimes causes practitioners to lose sight of the fact that teenagers are children in need of protection.

The learning from these reviews highlights that professionals need to listen to teenagers, but also be able to balance the young person’s wishes with their best interests. Intervention needs to be timely and appropriate.

Published: February 2021

Browse our full series of learning from case reviews briefings

Our series of thematic briefings highlight the learning from case reviews conducted when a child dies, or is seriously harmed, as a result of abuse or neglect. Each briefing focuses on a different topic or learning for specific sectors, pulling together key risk factors and practice recommendations.

> See the full series

More about case reviews

We work with local safeguarding partners to ensure that learning from case reviews can be accessed and shared at a local, regional and national level.

Find out how you can apply the lessons from case reviews and improve your practice to help protect children and young people. 

Browse through our list of child safeguarding practice reviews, serious case reviews, significant case reviews and child practice reviews which were added to the National case review repository between 2019 and 2023.

Subscribe to our monthly email newsletter alerting you to the case reviews we have added to the National collection of case reviews repository at the NSPCC.

Find out more about case reviews

Related resources

Our online course will help you to understand your safeguarding responsibilities and learn how to act appropriately and confidently to protect the young people you work with.

Learn about new research from the Safer Young Lives Research Centre (SYLRC) covering how to best support adolescent mental health and wellbeing after sexual abuse .

Key messages about the criminal exploitation of children and young people in England based on rapid reviews received by the Child Safeguarding Practice Review Panel between July 2018 and March 2019.

Looking for more research and resources?

• Bipolar Disorder
• Therapy Center
• When To See a Therapist
• Types of Therapy
• Best Online Therapy
• Best Couples Therapy
• Best Family Therapy
• Managing Stress
• Sleep and Dreaming
• Understanding Emotions
• Self-Improvement
• Healthy Relationships
• Student Resources
• Personality Types
• Guided Meditations
• Verywell Mind Insights
• 2023 Verywell Mind 25
• Mental Health in the Classroom
• Editorial Process
• Meet Our Review Board
• Crisis Support

What Is a Case Study?

Weighing the pros and cons of this method of research

Kendra Cherry, MS, is a psychosocial rehabilitation specialist, psychology educator, and author of the "Everything Psychology Book."

Cara Lustik is a fact-checker and copywriter.

Verywell / Colleen Tighe

• Pros and Cons

What Types of Case Studies Are Out There?

Where do you find data for a case study, how do i write a psychology case study.

A case study is an in-depth study of one person, group, or event. In a case study, nearly every aspect of the subject's life and history is analyzed to seek patterns and causes of behavior. Case studies can be used in many different fields, including psychology, medicine, education, anthropology, political science, and social work.

The point of a case study is to learn as much as possible about an individual or group so that the information can be generalized to many others. Unfortunately, case studies tend to be highly subjective, and it is sometimes difficult to generalize results to a larger population.

While case studies focus on a single individual or group, they follow a format similar to other types of psychology writing. If you are writing a case study, we got you—here are some rules of APA format to reference.  

At a Glance

A case study, or an in-depth study of a person, group, or event, can be a useful research tool when used wisely. In many cases, case studies are best used in situations where it would be difficult or impossible for you to conduct an experiment. They are helpful for looking at unique situations and allow researchers to gather a lot of˜ information about a specific individual or group of people. However, it's important to be cautious of any bias we draw from them as they are highly subjective.

What Are the Benefits and Limitations of Case Studies?

A case study can have its strengths and weaknesses. Researchers must consider these pros and cons before deciding if this type of study is appropriate for their needs.

One of the greatest advantages of a case study is that it allows researchers to investigate things that are often difficult or impossible to replicate in a lab. Some other benefits of a case study:

• Allows researchers to capture information on the 'how,' 'what,' and 'why,' of something that's implemented
• Gives researchers the chance to collect information on why one strategy might be chosen over another
• Permits researchers to develop hypotheses that can be explored in experimental research

On the other hand, a case study can have some drawbacks:

• It cannot necessarily be generalized to the larger population
• Cannot demonstrate cause and effect
• It may not be scientifically rigorous
• It can lead to bias

Researchers may choose to perform a case study if they want to explore a unique or recently discovered phenomenon. Through their insights, researchers develop additional ideas and study questions that might be explored in future studies.

It's important to remember that the insights from case studies cannot be used to determine cause-and-effect relationships between variables. However, case studies may be used to develop hypotheses that can then be addressed in experimental research.

Case Study Examples

There have been a number of notable case studies in the history of psychology. Much of  Freud's work and theories were developed through individual case studies. Some great examples of case studies in psychology include:

• Anna O : Anna O. was a pseudonym of a woman named Bertha Pappenheim, a patient of a physician named Josef Breuer. While she was never a patient of Freud's, Freud and Breuer discussed her case extensively. The woman was experiencing symptoms of a condition that was then known as hysteria and found that talking about her problems helped relieve her symptoms. Her case played an important part in the development of talk therapy as an approach to mental health treatment.
• Phineas Gage : Phineas Gage was a railroad employee who experienced a terrible accident in which an explosion sent a metal rod through his skull, damaging important portions of his brain. Gage recovered from his accident but was left with serious changes in both personality and behavior.
• Genie : Genie was a young girl subjected to horrific abuse and isolation. The case study of Genie allowed researchers to study whether language learning was possible, even after missing critical periods for language development. Her case also served as an example of how scientific research may interfere with treatment and lead to further abuse of vulnerable individuals.

Such cases demonstrate how case research can be used to study things that researchers could not replicate in experimental settings. In Genie's case, her horrific abuse denied her the opportunity to learn a language at critical points in her development.

This is clearly not something researchers could ethically replicate, but conducting a case study on Genie allowed researchers to study phenomena that are otherwise impossible to reproduce.

There are a few different types of case studies that psychologists and other researchers might use:

• Collective case studies : These involve studying a group of individuals. Researchers might study a group of people in a certain setting or look at an entire community. For example, psychologists might explore how access to resources in a community has affected the collective mental well-being of those who live there.
• Descriptive case studies : These involve starting with a descriptive theory. The subjects are then observed, and the information gathered is compared to the pre-existing theory.
• Explanatory case studies : These   are often used to do causal investigations. In other words, researchers are interested in looking at factors that may have caused certain things to occur.
• Exploratory case studies : These are sometimes used as a prelude to further, more in-depth research. This allows researchers to gather more information before developing their research questions and hypotheses .
• Instrumental case studies : These occur when the individual or group allows researchers to understand more than what is initially obvious to observers.
• Intrinsic case studies : This type of case study is when the researcher has a personal interest in the case. Jean Piaget's observations of his own children are good examples of how an intrinsic case study can contribute to the development of a psychological theory.

The three main case study types often used are intrinsic, instrumental, and collective. Intrinsic case studies are useful for learning about unique cases. Instrumental case studies help look at an individual to learn more about a broader issue. A collective case study can be useful for looking at several cases simultaneously.

The type of case study that psychology researchers use depends on the unique characteristics of the situation and the case itself.

There are a number of different sources and methods that researchers can use to gather information about an individual or group. Six major sources that have been identified by researchers are:

• Archival records : Census records, survey records, and name lists are examples of archival records.
• Direct observation : This strategy involves observing the subject, often in a natural setting . While an individual observer is sometimes used, it is more common to utilize a group of observers.
• Documents : Letters, newspaper articles, administrative records, etc., are the types of documents often used as sources.
• Interviews : Interviews are one of the most important methods for gathering information in case studies. An interview can involve structured survey questions or more open-ended questions.
• Participant observation : When the researcher serves as a participant in events and observes the actions and outcomes, it is called participant observation.
• Physical artifacts : Tools, objects, instruments, and other artifacts are often observed during a direct observation of the subject.

If you have been directed to write a case study for a psychology course, be sure to check with your instructor for any specific guidelines you need to follow. If you are writing your case study for a professional publication, check with the publisher for their specific guidelines for submitting a case study.

Here is a general outline of what should be included in a case study.

Section 1: A Case History

This section will have the following structure and content:

Background information : The first section of your paper will present your client's background. Include factors such as age, gender, work, health status, family mental health history, family and social relationships, drug and alcohol history, life difficulties, goals, and coping skills and weaknesses.

Description of the presenting problem : In the next section of your case study, you will describe the problem or symptoms that the client presented with.

Describe any physical, emotional, or sensory symptoms reported by the client. Thoughts, feelings, and perceptions related to the symptoms should also be noted. Any screening or diagnostic assessments that are used should also be described in detail and all scores reported.

Your diagnosis : Provide your diagnosis and give the appropriate Diagnostic and Statistical Manual code. Explain how you reached your diagnosis, how the client's symptoms fit the diagnostic criteria for the disorder(s), or any possible difficulties in reaching a diagnosis.

Section 2: Treatment Plan

This portion of the paper will address the chosen treatment for the condition. This might also include the theoretical basis for the chosen treatment or any other evidence that might exist to support why this approach was chosen.

• Cognitive behavioral approach : Explain how a cognitive behavioral therapist would approach treatment. Offer background information on cognitive behavioral therapy and describe the treatment sessions, client response, and outcome of this type of treatment. Make note of any difficulties or successes encountered by your client during treatment.
• Humanistic approach : Describe a humanistic approach that could be used to treat your client, such as client-centered therapy . Provide information on the type of treatment you chose, the client's reaction to the treatment, and the end result of this approach. Explain why the treatment was successful or unsuccessful.
• Psychoanalytic approach : Describe how a psychoanalytic therapist would view the client's problem. Provide some background on the psychoanalytic approach and cite relevant references. Explain how psychoanalytic therapy would be used to treat the client, how the client would respond to therapy, and the effectiveness of this treatment approach.
• Pharmacological approach : If treatment primarily involves the use of medications, explain which medications were used and why. Provide background on the effectiveness of these medications and how monotherapy may compare with an approach that combines medications with therapy or other treatments.

This section of a case study should also include information about the treatment goals, process, and outcomes.

When you are writing a case study, you should also include a section where you discuss the case study itself, including the strengths and limitiations of the study. You should note how the findings of your case study might support previous research. 

In your discussion section, you should also describe some of the implications of your case study. What ideas or findings might require further exploration? How might researchers go about exploring some of these questions in additional studies?

Need More Tips?

Here are a few additional pointers to keep in mind when formatting your case study:

• Never refer to the subject of your case study as "the client." Instead, use their name or a pseudonym.
• Read examples of case studies to gain an idea about the style and format.
• Remember to use APA format when citing references .

Crowe S, Cresswell K, Robertson A, Huby G, Avery A, Sheikh A. The case study approach .  BMC Med Res Methodol . 2011;11:100.

Crowe S, Cresswell K, Robertson A, Huby G, Avery A, Sheikh A. The case study approach . BMC Med Res Methodol . 2011 Jun 27;11:100. doi:10.1186/1471-2288-11-100

Gagnon, Yves-Chantal.  The Case Study as Research Method: A Practical Handbook . Canada, Chicago Review Press Incorporated DBA Independent Pub Group, 2010.

Yin, Robert K. Case Study Research and Applications: Design and Methods . United States, SAGE Publications, 2017.

By Kendra Cherry, MSEd Kendra Cherry, MS, is a psychosocial rehabilitation specialist, psychology educator, and author of the "Everything Psychology Book."

• About See Me
• Press Centre
• News and Blogs
• Urgent Help

• Case Studies

Find out how schools, local authorities, colleges and universities have challenged stigma and discrimination for young people, and get some top tips and good practice examples.

Young People

These case studies are designed to help you to make changes, to tackle the mental health stigma and discrimination which impacts on young people.

We look at a variety of different areas where we have worked to improve attitudes and behaviours.

Each case study covers

• What was done
• Who is was for
• Why was it done
• What was the impact
• What resources are needed.

Creating mentally healthy communities in primary schools

Empowering primary school pupils and staff through a school-based community approach

How tackling stigma in school impacted a wider community

Aileymill Primary School’s approach to tackling stigma and discrimination had direct aims for those within the school. However, they found that their approach also engaged the wider community.

A students perspective on work to tackle stigma in schools

What do students see as the impact of trying to tackle stigma in schools?

The long term impact

Dunoon Grammar School look at the long term impact of taking a whole school approach.

Empowering young people

How the See Me programme helps to develop and empower young people to make an impact in their day to day lives and the lives of others.

What it's like to be part of something

How being part of the See Me programme helped one young person in their journey, starting as a volunteer before becoming a youth worker.

Making changes in further and higher education

How Glasgow Caledonian University took a whole institution approach to tackling mental health stigma and discrimination.

The impact of mental health ambassadors

Tips from Holycross High School on how they implemented mental health ambassadors.

The impact of awareness days

How action can be generated using days like Mental Health Awareness Day and Time to Talk Day.

Focus on staff

How one high school used their INSET day to help staff to think more about mental health and the impact of stigma.

Getting involved in Time to Talk Day

On the first Thursday of February each year See Me leads Time to Talk Day in Scotland, read about how it can help make a difference in schools.

A local authority approach

How a joined up approach across a local authority can help increase the impact of work to tackle stigma

Pupils as leaders

Following See Me training one student was empowered to initiate change in her own school.

• Information for Young People
• Information For Adults
• Partner Resources

Beyond Youth Custody launches case studies listings to showcase positive practice and young people’s stories

The Beyond Youth Custody Programme launches a case studies website area today. This has been developed to fulfil a key strand of our research and evaluation work. The case studies have been designed and developed to highlight two key areas:

• Practice case studies – These focus on specific areas of practice, and are designed to help us understand effective approaches and to identify factors which can impede, or help to facilitate, good practice
• Individual case studies – These focus on specific project participants and their individual pathways, and on connections between these pathways and different sets of resettlement outcomes.

Beyond Youth Custody Programme Manager Pippa Goodfellow said:

“The formulation of case studies is a key element of our work, helping us to apply our learning into practical guidance for professionals working with young people through their journey from custody to community. We hope that you will find the examples of positive practice useful for working with young people in a resettlement context.

The next piece of work that the programme will be looking into is the resettlement of young women and girls. We are looking for projects to provide us with examples of innovative practice, so if you have a case study from your project that you think highlights effective practice in this area, then please get in touch with us by emailing [email protected] “.

• Trauma (19)
• Young women and girls (15)
• Transition to community (15)
• Engaging young people (11)
• Family (11)
• Diversity (9)
• Participatory approaches (4)
• Privacy & cookies
• Terms of use
• Facts & figures
• Accessibility

Resettlement of young offenders: informing practice, improving outcomes

Cookie notice

This website uses anonymous statistics tracking. No personal information is processed. Our privacy and cookies. .

• RCPCH Learning
• Child Protection Portal
• Archives of Disease in Childhood
• BMJ Paediatrics Open
• RCPCH Committees

• Request new password
• Create a new account

Using Software in Qualitative Research

A step-by-step guide, student resources, case study a – young people’s perspectives.

Sample data - Case Study A

For more information on this case-study, including research questions and suggested processes for undertaking a “theory-driven abductive analysis”, see Chapter 2 of Using Software in Qualitative Research .

Case A comprises a sub-sample of data drawn from Silver’s (2002) PhD project concerning the historical development, provision and experience of school-based sex education in England and Wales and the Netherlands.

Here you can download sample data in the form of interview transcripts; vignettes; discussions arising from visual prompts; images; documents and literature.

You can experiment your chosen software using these sample files, following the exercises at the end of each chapter in the book.  

• Regional champions
• Log in to Portal

In 2017, the Contextual Safeguarding programme (CSP) began partnering with local authorities to begin testing the Contextual Safeguarding (CS) framework in practice. This project was the first systematic attempt at evaluating the extent of the programme’s reach and impact. The Reach and Impact (R&I) workstream aimed to evidence the value that the CSP adds in terms of influencing policy and practice in response to extra-familial harm (EFH). Below is one of the case studies from the Reach and Impact Project. This case study describes how Contextual Safeguarding has influenced local systems and practice to improve the lives of young people experiencing or at risk of extra-familial harm. Names and some details have been changed to preserve young people’s anonymity.

What was the issue?

Oliver (15) had been known to children’s social care for a good proportion of his life and moved in and out of care placements and his mother’s home. Since the age of 13, he had frequent missing episodes from home and care placements, often for a considerable period. Peer mapping exercises identified that Oliver has connections with various groups of young people known for “gang” related activities across the borough. Oliver had been stopped by the Police on numerous occasions relating to these connections and criminality, which resulted in youth justice intervention and court orders. Oliver disclosed neglect and emotional abuse from his mother and other family connections, including abuse around his mixed-race identity. These experiences acted as a ‘push factor’ for spending considerable time away from home or with other young people. Oliver had been excluded from school and he attended a Pupil Referral Unit, increasing his vulnerability further.

What was the response?

Concern for Oliver’s safety and vulnerability to criminal exploitation was frequently raised at multi-agency ‘high risk’ panels through multiple referrals or peer mapping exercises. Peer mapping occurred as part of the Youth Justice Service’s (YJS) prevention project. A coordinated response between the youth justice and children’s social care teams involved:

• Practitioners known to Oliver were allocated for direct work, which drew upon the principles of relationship-based practice.
• The practitioners worked closely with Oliver to co-develop a safety plan.
• At Oliver’s request, a trusted member of staff at his school was nominated as his lead professional.
• A referral was made to Forensic Children and Adolescent Mental Health Service (FCAMHS) for assessment of speech, language and communication needs assessment.
• A referral was also made to drug and alcohol services to secure a substance misuse worker.
• FCAMHS worked with Oliver around anger management and emotions.
• Partnership work was initiated with a service providing specialist support to young people at risk of or experiencing criminal exploitation and associated harm. Oliver was allocated a key worker.
• A family group conference was held by the social care team due to ongoing concerns with Oliver’s treatment at home and to help identify any other family connections.
• A residential therapeutic placement was found to increase safety and provide enhanced support, as relocation and entry into care became necessary.

What were the challenges?

Oliver disclosures of his home life highlighted the continued emotional abuse he was experiencing, which at times reduced Oliver’s readiness to connect with his practitioners. A change in key worker that Oliver had built a trusting relationship disrupted the work for a short time. Restrictions arising from the Covid-19 pandemic hindered the timeliness of the therapeutic intervention due to lack of face-to-face appointments.

What difference did this make?

The relationship-based and therapeutic work were central to this response and reduced Oliver’s risk of further exploitation and harm. The completion of a speech, language and communication needs assessment helped the team develop or adapt their way of communicating. Relationship-based practise helped support Oliver to open-up about his vulnerabilities around his home life and the harm and exploitation he experienced among his peers. Oliver’s choice to nominate a lead professional at his school was respected and this formed the basis of much of his contact, which was monitored during multi-agency meetings. Oliver was able to build significant trusting relationships with practitioners and key workers and was consistently keeping to his appointments. Oliver’s voice informed the safety planning and practitioners sought his perspective on what safety means to him and how practitioners can help him feel and be safe. Rescue and Response provided emotional support and mentorship with others with shared experience and were available outside of the working hours of practitioners where there is a need to communicate with someone. Being receptive to the support a drug and alcohol service helped Oliver reduce usage reducing the risk of going missing and engaging in harmful activity with peers.

Oliver reported feeling safer in his environment and his physical and mental health improved. Oliver was safer in therapeutic placement as he was unreachable by “gang” affiliates who had previously targeted him at home and whilst in care. Moreover, the therapeutic placement provided opportunity for engagement with practitioners trained in trauma-informed practice and youth mental health. Oliver has also built trusting relationships with workers in the home, which led to disclosures about his experiences and his self-harming behaviours. Oliver has settled at a new school with additional support put in place with staff that understand his vulnerabilities and how he may present. There has been a significant reduction in Oliver’s missing episodes and peer activities leading to his criminalisation.

What did we learn?

It is essential to practice due care and diligence when assessing a case, to fully understand the young person’s chronology and vulnerability to extra-familial harm and not default to standard routes and responses. There is a need, therefore, to for creative and intuitive responses that establish a relationship with young people for direct work that is meaningful for them. It proved beneficial to coordinate the response across the youth justice and social care teams, alongside bringing in specialist partners, so to effectively identify Oliver’s needs and tailor the direct work accordingly. When commissioning youth service providers, it is important for the YJS or social care teams to be persistent in finding and negotiating high quality, tailored support that they can be confident will make a difference to a young person. However, each planned activity should be introduced when the young person is well-placed to benefit from it. In Oliver’s case, for example, work around building a positive identity will follow when his mental health and wellbeing has stabilised. There is wider need for services to invest in community outreach to help change perspectives on youth and build safe spaces and capacity for guardianship.

Children and Families Policy Research Unit

NIHR Children and Families Policy Research Unit

Case Study: Adolescence

Helping young people say 'no': the prevalence of risk-taking behaviour and what works to reduce it.

How many adolescents smoke, drink and take drugs and what kind of interventions work best to stop them?

Adolescent years are a notoriously challenging time, as children go through the biggest changes since their first year of life. It's this life stage that presents the greatest risk to future health, with damaging habits most often picked up between the ages of 11 and 19.

Research under the adolescent theme has examined the trends in health risk behaviours and reviewed interventions designed to prevent them, in order to inform UK health policy for this susceptible group.

Key Points:

• Two studies looked at trends in risky behaviours in adolescents and interventions designed to prevent them
• Smoking, drinking and drug use have individually declined, but a core of young people remain who engage in all three
• School-based interventions designed to empower young people to say 'no' have proved most effective at reducing multiple harmful behaviours

This case study is for the  Adolescence  theme.

• Download pdf
• Download plain text version pdf
• Helping young people say no
• Cutting the risk
• Mental health in children
• Type 2 diabetes in children
• Family finances and disability
• Stories from data and young people
• Growing up happy in England

Our Case Studies

We have complied a series of publications and case studies to illustrate the type of projects we work on and how we support child health policy-making in England

• The Healthy Child
• Healthcare provision
• Mental health
• Adolescence
• Long-term conditions
• Sociology of health and illness:
• Health economics
• Social care
• Participation of children and families

Renew Counselling and Training

Counselling for young people CASE STUDIES

The following are examples of the problems that people bring for counselling. These case studies reflect themes that we see when working with clients and are not in themselves actual or real descriptions of work with any of our clients.

ben's story

Ben is 13, mum called the centre and asked for him to be seen. At his assessment with an adolescent counsellor, he expressed his frustration and very low mood. Mum was always cleaning and didn’t allow him to sit in certain rooms and dad was never around, and when he was he didn’t speak much to Ben. He says that mum used to be very anxious and panicky and would need him to do a lot of the jobs outside home, like shopping. Since we came out of Covid she has got a lot better. But he notices he seems to be getting very angry and doesn’t know why. Ben struggled to tell his counsellor that he has been harming and that this is upsetting him. He says teachers hate him and if they talk to him in a certain way he just flips. He doesn’t want to go to school for help. He wants to be seen at Bridge in Basildon.

Counselling was initially hard for Ben, he found it hard to trust the counsellor. It was very important to give Ben the time to develop a relationship with the counsellor. The counsellor began by working creatively with Ben. While painting Ben began to talk and create artwork that expressed his feelings and fears. Ben did not want to be anxious like mum, but also not like dad. It was hard for Ben to see another way. For the first time he was able to talk about his feelings.

“Ben also learned that he was a very reflective person, who had great insight and maturity, but also loves fun.”

Through the counselling Ben became aware of choices and possibilities. And because he also learned that he loved working creatively, something unique to him, he could see that he has his own individuality. Ben also learned that he was a very reflective person, who had great insight and maturity, but also loves fun. He noticed changes in his relationship with his mum and sister, also in his attitude to school He could make choices about his reactions to situations and to begin to think about the future. And when he was ready, left counselling with an awareness that Bridge is here and can help should he need to return in the future.

sophie's story

Sophie, 16 was told to come for counselling by her friends. They say she is always miserable and angry at everyone. They don’t like going out with her because she will kick off and show them up. They are always having a go now and have stopped responding on social media. It really upsets her, she would never not answer their messages and always likes their stories. When they don’t respond or if she sees they’ve seen her story but not liked it – it really makes her mad. Sophie isn’t sure if wants to come because her friends bullied her into it, but she also knows that it can be helpful.

In her sessions Sophie recognised that she was feeling really upset a lot of the time, it is not just about her friends.

“She and the counsellor look at all of her, not only that she gives herself the hardest time, but what a good friend, how kind, compassionate and caring she can be”.

As Sophie began to talk through what was troubling her in counselling she kept saying I don’t know why it upsets me so much – her counsellor noticed this to her, and Sophie began to reflect on what might be adding to her upset. Sophie realises that when her friends tell her how she should be, this is what happens at home too. And often what they say is not how she feels or what she wants to do, so she feels wrong. Sophie feels lonely most of the time, she keeps herself busy and tries so hard to be what she feels her friends and family want her to be. She is afraid that she is not much really and so this causes her a lot of pain. As she begins to notice this about herself, she and the counsellor look at all of her, not only that she gives herself the hardest time, but what a good friend, how kind, compassionate and caring she can be.

Cookies on the NHS England website

We’ve put some small files called cookies on your device to make our site work.

We’d also like to use analytics cookies. These send information about how our site is used to a service called Google Analytics. We use this information to improve our site.

Let us know if this is OK. We’ll use a cookie to save your choice. You can  read more about our cookies before you choose.

Change my preferences I'm OK with analytics cookies

Children and young people (CYP): case studies

• Tackling Health Inequalities: Involving children and young people in a Strategic Health Assessment to identify population health needs
• Using Provider Collaborative savings to enhance community support for young people in the North East and Cumbria
• Cumbria, Northumberland, Tyne and Wear’s innovative approach to supporting young people who display behaviours that challenge .
• How expert by experience leadership is transforming experience for young people in North Central East London Children and Young People’s Provider Collaborative
• Minding the Gap: support through transition
• Early Intervention in Psychosis Service provides support to children and young people
• County Durham Crisis and Liaison
• Dozens of children have smoother adoption thanks to unique Sheffield scheme
• How collaboration across mental health services in South London is making a difference to young people’s lives
• Mental health COVID-19 children and young people case studies

Early Childhood Education: How to do a Child Case Study-Best Practice

• Creating an Annotated Bibliography
• Lesson Plans and Rubrics
• Children's literature
• Podcasts and Videos
• Cherie's Recommended Library
• Great Educational Articles
• Great Activities for Children
• Professionalism in the Field and in a College Classroom
• Professional Associations
• Pennsylvania Certification
• Manor's Early Childhood Faculty
• Manor Lesson Plan Format
• Manor APA Formatting, Reference, and Citation Policy for Education Classes
• Conducting a Literature Review for a Manor education class
• Manor College's Guide to Using EBSCO Effectively
• How to do a Child Case Study-Best Practice
• ED105: From Teacher Interview to Final Project
• Pennsylvania Initiatives

Description of Assignment

During your time at Manor, you will need to conduct a child case study. To do well, you will need to plan ahead and keep a schedule for observing the child. A case study at Manor typically includes the following components: 

• Three observations of the child: one qualitative, one quantitative, and one of your choice. 
• Three artifact collections and review: one qualitative, one quantitative, and one of your choice. 
• A Narrative

Within this tab, we will discuss how to complete all portions of the case study.  A copy of the rubric for the assignment is attached. 

• Case Study Rubric (Online)
• Case Study Rubric (Hybrid/F2F)

Qualitative and Quantitative Observation Tips

Remember your observation notes should provide the following detailed information about the child:

• child’s age,
• physical appearance,
• the setting, and
• any other important background information.

You should observe the child a minimum of 5 hours. Make sure you DO NOT use the child's real name in your observations. Always use a pseudo name for course assignments. 

You will use your observations to help write your narrative. When submitting your observations for the course please make sure they are typed so that they are legible for your instructor. This will help them provide feedback to you. 

Qualitative Observations

A qualitative observation is one in which you simply write down what you see using the anecdotal note format listed below. 

Quantitative Observations

A quantitative observation is one in which you will use some type of checklist to assess a child's skills. This can be a checklist that you create and/or one that you find on the web. A great choice of a checklist would be an Ounce Assessment and/or work sampling assessment depending on the age of the child. Below you will find some resources on finding checklists for this portion of the case study. If you are interested in using Ounce or Work Sampling, please see your program director for a copy. 

Remaining Objective 

For both qualitative and quantitative observations, you will only write down what your see and hear. Do not interpret your observation notes. Remain objective versus being subjective.

An example of an objective statement would be the following: "Johnny stacked three blocks vertically on top of a classroom table." or "When prompted by his teacher Johnny wrote his name but omitted the two N's in his name." 

An example of a subjective statement would be the following: "Johnny is happy because he was able to play with the block." or "Johnny omitted the two N's in his name on purpose." 

• Anecdotal Notes Form Form to use to record your observations.
• Guidelines for Writing Your Observations
• Tips for Writing Objective Observations
• Objective vs. Subjective

Qualitative and Quantitative Artifact Collection and Review Tips

For this section, you will collect artifacts from and/or on the child during the time you observe the child. Here is a list of the different types of artifacts you might collect: 

Potential Qualitative Artifacts 

• Photos of a child completing a task, during free play, and/or outdoors. 
• Samples of Artwork 
• Samples of writing 
• Products of child-led activities 

Potential Quantitative Artifacts 

• Checklist 
• Rating Scales
• Product Teacher-led activities 

Examples of Components of the Case Study

Here you will find a number of examples of components of the Case Study. Please use them as a guide as best practice for completing your Case Study assignment. 

• Qualitatitive Example 1
• Qualitatitive Example 2
• Quantitative Photo 1
• Qualitatitive Photo 1
• Quantitative Observation Example 1
• Artifact Photo 1
• Artifact Photo 2
• Artifact Photo 3
• Artifact Photo 4
• Artifact Sample Write-Up
• Case Study Narrative Example Although we do not expect you to have this many pages for your case study, pay close attention to how this case study is organized and written. The is an example of best practice.

Narrative Tips

The Narrative portion of your case study assignment should be written in APA style, double-spaced, and follow the format below:

• Introduction : Background information about the child (if any is known), setting, age, physical appearance, and other relevant details. There should be an overall feel for what this child and his/her family is like. Remember that the child’s neighborhood, school, community, etc all play a role in development, so make sure you accurately and fully describe this setting! --- 1 page
• Observations of Development :   The main body of your observations coupled with course material supporting whether or not the observed behavior was typical of the child’s age or not. Report behaviors and statements from both the child observation and from the parent/guardian interview— 1.5  pages
• Comment on Development: This is the portion of the paper where your professional analysis of your observations are shared. Based on your evidence, what can you generally state regarding the cognitive, social and emotional, and physical development of this child? Include both information from your observations and from your interview— 1.5 pages
• Conclusion: What are the relative strengths and weaknesses of the family, the child? What could this child benefit from? Make any final remarks regarding the child’s overall development in this section.— 1page
• Your Case Study Narrative should be a minimum of 5 pages.

Make sure to NOT to use the child’s real name in the Narrative Report. You should make reference to course material, information from your textbook, and class supplemental materials throughout the paper . 

Same rules apply in terms of writing in objective language and only using subjective minimally. REMEMBER to CHECK your grammar, spelling, and APA formatting before submitting to your instructor. It is imperative that you review the rubric of this assignment as well before completing it. 

Biggest Mistakes Students Make on this Assignment

Here is a list of the biggest mistakes that students make on this assignment: 

• Failing to start early . The case study assignment is one that you will submit in parts throughout the semester. It is important that you begin your observations on the case study before the first assignment is due. Waiting to the last minute will lead to a poor grade on this assignment, which historically has been the case for students who have completed this assignment. 
• Failing to utilize the rubrics. The rubrics provide students with guidelines on what components are necessary for the assignment. Often students will lose points because they simply read the descriptions of the assignment but did not pay attention to rubric portions of the assignment. 
• Failing to use APA formatting and proper grammar and spelling. It is imperative that you use spell check and/or other grammar checking software to ensure that your narrative is written well. Remember it must be in APA formatting so make sure that you review the tutorials available for you on our Lib Guide that will assess you in this area. 
• << Previous: Manor College's Guide to Using EBSCO Effectively
• Next: ED105: From Teacher Interview to Final Project >>
• Last Updated: Apr 3, 2024 2:53 PM
• URL: https://manor.libguides.com/ece

Manor College Library

700 fox chase road, jenkintown, pa 19046, (215) 885-5752, ©2017 manor college. all rights reserved..

Story-telling in Youth Work

Case study 1

THE VERY FIRST MOVES IN INVOLVING YOUTH CLUB MEMBERS IN SETTING UP A LOCAL YOUTH FORUM

The workshop group was made up of two local youth workers, three students on a youth and community work qualifying course and three of the course tutors. All but one were women. Two were black. The facilitator was a white man.

The worker whose story is the basis of this case study was very new to the youth club concerned when the events she describes occurred.

The case study focuses on two areas opened up for analysis and debate by the group’s ‘unpicking’ of the story.

THE YOUTH WORKER’S STORY

My overall aim when I started out was to get together a group of young people to take action on issues affecting them in their area. I hoped that doing this would eventually encourage them to form a local youth forum. As I was new to the club I had to start from scratch in making contact with the young people there and building up some sort of relationship with them.

My very first attempt to do this was on one of the first evenings I was in the club. I noticed a small group – three girls and a boy – chatting round a table in the coffee bar and decided to approach them. I walked across the room and introduced myself and started a conversation with them. I told them that I’d grown up in the area and that my family still lived there. I asked them what they thought of the area and had they any concerns about it. After a while I tried to test out whether they’d be interested in doing anything about any of the things they mentioned.

‘UNPICKING’ THE STORY

A. Negotiating the very first moments of a contact

Youth worker: I walked across the room (to the young people) …

Focusing in on this single sentence in the worker’s narration brought to the surface some potentially significant features of the practice which she seemed to have largely taken for granted:

• She had made this approach to four young people who did not know her – an action which in everyday life would be unusual and even perhaps socially risky. Nonetheless, she‘d just assumed that it was a ‘given’ element of her practice as a youth worker.
• In making that ‘journey’ of just a few feet, she’d had to deal with the kinds of tensions and uncertainties which anyone launching themselves onto a group of strangers was likely to feel.
• These feelings were likely to be sharpened by the fact that her action wasn’t just a casual or random one. It was made with the deliberate aim of starting a planned longer-term piece of work which, to succeed, would have to prompt interest and eventually motivation in the young people.
• The youth worker’s mind was concentrated, too, by the knowledge that the young people were there by choice, probably mainly to spend ‘free’ time with each other. She therefore had to make her move knowing that, however politely or even perhaps non-verbally, they might choose to tell her where to go – a response, she accepted, which they’d be fully entitled to make.
• why she had ‘automatically’ chosen to use her first name;
• whether there were any implicit assumptions in doing that about, say, how she wished to be seen by the young people or about the kind of power relationship she assumed she would have with them – and which she needed to convey to them.
• Group questioning also revealed that even before she made the approach to the young people, she had made a tentative reading of their relationships with each other so that, when she opened the conversation, she sought eye contact with the one boy in the group because, she’d concluded, he seemed – seemed – to be the shyest of the four.

B.  Exploring the personal-‘professional’ boundary  

Youth worker: I told them I’d grown up in the area (of the club) and that my family still lived there.

The group’s ‘unpicking’ of this passing comment brought to the surface for explicit debate some significant issues about the existence and nature of personal-‘professional’ boundaries in youth work. Though it was recognised that what was shared didn’t involve any particularly intimate personal disclosures, broad agreement emerged that:

• As in other practices, such boundaries existed and needed to be observed in youth work.
• For youth workers, however, they were often, and often needed to be, more permeable – because, for example, if young people were to be willing to share something of their more private selves in what was an entirely voluntary relationship with the youth worker, they needed to see something of ‘the real person’ in that worker.
• Here, too, the offer of even ‘low key’ personal information of this kind, at least potentially, conveyed an important message about the worker’s openness to a more equal power relationship with the young person – as evidenced for example when young people say of youth workers –‘they treat us like adults’.  

POSSIBLE DISCUSSION POINTS

Was this youth work?

If so how – for example when tested against IDYW’s ‘cornerstones’ of youth work as outlined in the workshop programme? (See Story-telling workshop programme: a template )

Some possible links to the IDYW ‘cornerstones’

• In setting herself the long-term goal of helping to set up an area youth forum with young people, the worker made explicit her overall understanding of youth work as informal education .
• However, as her tentative first approach to the young people in the club showed, she took their voluntary involvement in the club and its activities as a given. It also demonstrated her assumption that her engagement with them would be in and through their peer networks.
• In beginning by asking the young people: ‘So what do you think about the area where you live?’, the worker also assumed that any educational opportunities that developed would start from young people own agendas, some (perhaps most) of which would prioritise issues in their here-and-now.
• This starting point also seemed to recognise youth work as a democratic practice which would seek to tip balances of power in young people’s favour.  
• At least implicitly, the discussion about boundaries took as its starting point youth work’s commitment to developing mutually trusting and respectful relationships with … young people .
• In combination, the worker’s strategic aim to help set up an area youth forum and her ‘on-the-spot’ decision to address her first comments to the young man in the group could be seen as an example of youth work as an improvisatory yet rehearsed … practice.

Share this:

1 thought on “case study 1”.

[…] find out about for ourselves.  If you still have doubts then you will find it also provides solid case studies where youth work practice has been unpicked in order to highlight the skills involved and the […]

Leave a comment Cancel reply

• Copy shortlink
• Report this content
• Manage subscriptions

Cookies on GOV.UK

We use some essential cookies to make this website work.

We’d like to set additional cookies to understand how you use GOV.UK, remember your settings and improve government services.

We also use cookies set by other sites to help us deliver content from their services.

You have accepted additional cookies. You can change your cookie settings at any time.

You have rejected additional cookies. You can change your cookie settings at any time.

• Business and industry
• Business regulation

SIA grant helps to support young black men in London

In 2023, the SIA gave 1000 Black Boys CIC £10,000 to inspire and support young black men and their families.

Through the SIA grants for good causes fund , we distribute money recovered through proceeds of crime confiscation orders. We give funding to registered charities and community interest companies in the UK. We aim to benefit the private security industry and improve public safety in the UK.

In 2023, the SIA awarded £10,000 to 1000 Black Boys CIC , a social enterprise based in London. The CIC had made an application to the fund, to explain what they wanted to do and how much this would cost. The CIC explained that the project would support public protection by providing opportunities and role models to young people who are more likely to be victims of knife-crime or youth violence.

The grant has helped to fund 3 events and 2 mentorship cohorts.

Support for bereaved families

The SIA grant funded an event for families, attended by 40 people. The guest speaker was the mother of a 15-year-old boy who had died after being stabbed multiple times.

Ademola Adeyeba, Founder and CEO of 1000 Black Boys CIC, explained:

We do family events to give parents and families that have lost children to knife crime or youth violence a platform to be heard and a platform to be seen. Many of the families are traumatised. Some of the siblings are impacted and this has the potential to lead to more violence, or issues in schools. We wanted to see what we could do to heal this.

As a result of the event and conversations with bereaved families, the CIC launched a new therapy and support service. It has provided therapy for 3 families so far. It has also provided practical support – for example, travel expenses to support a bereaved parent to attend court.

Developing a mentorship scheme

The grant subsidised a mentorship scheme for 20 young Black men aged 12 to 23. Mentors supported the young people to build their self-confidence, communication and public speaking skills. The mentees attended an awards ceremony with their families.

Nifemi, who took part in the scheme, said:

At first I wasn’t really interested in the programme because I personally thought it was a waste of time… But then I started paying attention… I really started to think ‘okay, wow – what he’s saying is very good and very useful’… It did help me overcome some challenges I did face.

Inspiring and empowering young people

The grant also enabled 200 people to attend 1000 Black Boys’ Inspiration and Empowerment events. Guest speakers included young black entrepreneurs and adult role models. Some of the mentorship scheme participants also put their public speaking skills into practice. Local businesses offered attendees development and job opportunities.

Ainsley, who attended one of the events, said:

I was quite amazed, you know, because a lot of people like myself, sometimes struggle with confidence. But to see a lot of young people speak up… it’s quite inspiring… I’d want to be like that one day and speak out in front of a lot of people, and inspire a lot of other people.

Find out more

Learn about the SIA grant for good causes .

Visit the 1000 Black Boys website .

Related content

Is this page useful.

• Yes this page is useful
• No this page is not useful

Help us improve GOV.UK

Don’t include personal or financial information like your National Insurance number or credit card details.

To help us improve GOV.UK, we’d like to know more about your visit today. We’ll send you a link to a feedback form. It will take only 2 minutes to fill in. Don’t worry we won’t send you spam or share your email address with anyone.