Case Study2:
The Holomek Family
The Case
The Holomek family initially came to the attention of your organisation some time ago but you have found it very difficult to engage with them. You are aware that the children in the family have a poor attendance record at school and that one child – Gizela - has missed several important hospital appointments. In recent months, Tibor, the eldest child, has also turned 17.
Although the families’ engagement with your service has been limited and inconsistent, they have recently made contact because they would like to know how to claim Disability Living Allowance for their daughter. However, for you to respond, the family needs to attend an appointment with you, and then with other agencies if professionals are to establish a full developmental history for Gizela and understand the families’ circumstances.
You organise an initial meeting and, as the parents in the family speak very limited English, you manage to arrange for an interpreter to be present. This is complicated because:
The family asks to know the names of interpreters beforehand and decline more than one because they live in the local community and know the family.
In the meeting, the dad - Zsolt - seems upset and when the interpreter is asked to explain why this is, they say that it is ‘hard to explain in English’ and that ‘he is okay’.
Additional Information
The Holomek family are Hungarian
Dad: Zsolt
Mum: Erika
Two Children: Tibor (aged 17) and Gizela (aged 10).
Language: Zsolt and Erika know very little spoken English (and no written) and the children know a small amount of spoken and written English.
Plan your strategy
On the individual level
What strategy would you use to encourage the family to attend the first appointment with you?
How would you manage the family's concerns about the interpreter being known to them?
How would you react to Boris being upset and the interpreter’s response?
What resources and/or tools (other than interpreters) do you have to help you communicate with the family about the importance of attending appointments?
On your organisation/service level
Is your organisation/service ready to help?
What would you do if your organisation is not able to help, or if it is not the right service to meet the families’ needs?
Can you identify anyone or any organisation/service in your local networks that can help you support the family?
Links to other themes
Each case study is also likely to prompt reflections related to the other themes considered on this website. The themes that may be of particular use for this case study are: