An overview of my DP1 placement which will highlight the location of my placement, the opportunities for learning and a brief outline of the work undertaken by staff and myself.
INTERIM REPORT
Within the Final report, I will give an overview of my DP1 placement which will highlight the location of my placement, the opportunities for learning and a brief outline of the work undertaken by staff and myself. I will also draw on knowledge learned from academic study such as Social Work Practice 1, Poverty, Family and Lifespan and Disadvantage also personal experience and feedback from supervision.
As a student, I am required to evidence from my practice and the progress towards meeting both the competence's and value requirements to the level outlined in the course manual. Hugman and Smith state,'' Competence in social work requires the understanding and the interaction of values in social work. This set of values can essentially be expressed as a commitment to social justice and social welfare, to enhance the quality of life of individuals, families and groups within communities, and to a repudiation of all forms of negative discrimination''. (2001,p95)
I will discuss how supervision has been influential on my personal development and how it has enabled me to critically evaluate and promote my working practice by addressing core skills and values. Anti-racist and anti-discriminatory practices are issues that are an integral part of social work practice and therefore I shall discuss these issues within the report. Also within the report, I will maintain any individuals, group and/or agencies right to confidentiality as set out by CCETSW's rules outlined on page 113 section 2.1 of the course manual.
SECTION ONE
CONTEXT OF PLACEMENT
For the purpose of this report, I will focus exclusively on area of Helensburgh and Lomond in which I am placed. Within this area I will outline relevant statistics:
* 8 children on the Child Protection Register,
* 23 children who are currently being accommodated, (31% of pop. 0-15years)
* 3% of 0-15 years are currently being provided with a social work service.
* 11 children/young people are currently on statutory home supervision orders,
* 4 children/young people are on voluntary home supervision. (Statistics are of yet waiting to be formalised. Area Team)
There are no figures relating to ethnic minority children/young people or who are receiving a service.
My placement is primarily in a Children's Unit situated in Argyll & Bute, although I am also fortunate in that I am able to participate in the Area Team of the local social work services department. I have been allocated several cases, which I can facilitate upon approval by my practice teacher and unit manager.
The children's unit I am currently in is based in Helensburgh and can accommodate up to 7 children/young people with a range of complex behaviours, special needs. The unit caters for young people of mixed gender and is in keeping with National Care Standards. The unit has only been opened for two years and is still very much in the developmental stage for both the staff and the young people and it is recognised that this is an ongoing process. The ethos of the unit is that of ''valuing the individual' and 'valuing the task of residential care'.(EKS literature)
As the young people are admitted to the unit, the staff place a strong emphasis on individuality and strive to encourage young people to reach their potential. The involvement and opinions of the young people are regularly sought through individual and group forums and this feeds the developmental process. East Kings Street works to the principles set out in the report, 'Another Kind of Home'' (HMSO 1992). These are;
* Individuality and Development,
* Rights and Responsibilities,
* Good Basic Care,
* Education,
* Health,
* Partnership with Parents,
* Child Centered Collaboration,
* A Feeling of Safety.
Skinners 1992 review points out the importance of relationships between young people and staff,'' the purpose of residential care, with or without education, can only be achieved through positive relationships between staff and young people in a safe, stable and caring environment'', (Another Kind of Home p19-19)
The unit aims to support families who are facing difficulties and suffering from the threat of breakdown; through the provision of residential accommodation for children and young people as may be necessary in meeting identified needs and to provide a high standard of residential care for children and young people with a variety of needs, and in recognition of any disability or special needs which they may have. 'Children's rights should be consistently respected and they should be involved in decisions affecting them in the running of the home''. (Skinner 1992).
The Children (Scotland) Act 1995 marks a significant stage in the development of legislation on the care of children. It centres on the needs of the children and their families and defines both parental responsibilities and rights in relation to children. The 1995 Act also places a responsibility on LA's to provide and purchase services for children and young people in need. The Act emphasis the child centered principles based on the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child and the Children Scotland Act 1995.Two of the key aspects of the C(S)Act 1995 are the welfare principle and the notion of partnership between parents and LA's. The welfare principle is that which maintains that the welfare of the child is paramount in any decision made by a court or children's hearing (s16(1)). The idea of partnership links in with the LA's duty under s22(1)(b) to promote the upbringing of children by their family and with the principle of minimum intervention as set out by s16(3).
ST PIECE OF WORK (AREA TEAM)
To protect the identity of P and his family I will use fictitious names. P (young person), M (mum) D (dad).
After consideration between the Senior Social Worker, Unit Manager and Practice Teacher, it was agreed that I would be able to do this initial assessment. (IAR).
P is a 14-year-old boy who is living with his mum and step-dad. Mum and Dad are legally separated but living in the same house, due to mum's unwillingness to move without a financial settlement from step-dad. P called the police after an incident of domestic violence between M and D. The police referred P to the Reporter of the Children's Hearing System as a result of P witnessing incident. This resulted in Reporter to the Children's Hearing System requesting an Initial Enquiry Report to determine whether the Children's Hearing System should deal with the matter. It is ...
This is a preview of the whole essay
P is a 14-year-old boy who is living with his mum and step-dad. Mum and Dad are legally separated but living in the same house, due to mum's unwillingness to move without a financial settlement from step-dad. P called the police after an incident of domestic violence between M and D. The police referred P to the Reporter of the Children's Hearing System as a result of P witnessing incident. This resulted in Reporter to the Children's Hearing System requesting an Initial Enquiry Report to determine whether the Children's Hearing System should deal with the matter. It is my duty under section 56 of the Children (Scotland) Act 1995 to supply this report. (C.3.3.)
I checked CareFirst for further relevant background information to P and M. Although there was no previous involvement with SWD, I had decided beforehand that I would keep an individual autonomy as Coulshed (1998 P24) suggests,''acknowledge the source of information but refrain from being influenced by views and perspectives of others already involved''.
Prior to visiting P and M, I contacted them via telephone (according to policy and procedures of the department) detailing the date and time of the visit. Prior to the visit I offered M and P the choice to work with myself and the choice of venue, either at home or in the service centre. M chose a home visit and was very positive about the forthcoming visit. At the first interview I explained who I was and the purpose of the proposed contact. (C1:1) ALSO A SECTION- UNDER CHILDREN's Hearing- they need not engage- if not -inform reporter- then other procedures
By giving M and P the choice to select independently and make choices, M was empowered and at the same time respecting her right to 'dignity and privacy'. Empowerment is not only about facilitating, it takes seriously the significance of removing barriers that can cause disadvantage and oppression that are features of many clients everyday experiences. VR3, VR6.
On my first interview with M and P, I was aware of the ten basic interview skills used by Davies (1989). These included, explaining my social work role, the reason for my visit, the time allocated for our visit, empathising with M and P to encourage a relaxed and non-intrusive environment, using appropriate eye contact and a soft voice tone. My objective was to discuss the reason for referral and both M and P engaged successfully albeit hesitantly. I believe this was due to my using probing and open questions and a non-judgmental attitude. I used appropriate verbal and non-verbal communication skills, such as posture, eye contact and smiling showing reassurance. (Lishman 1994). I relayed trust and respect as I realise that these are important aspects to forming a sound working relationship.
Whilst talking about how to address several issues, such as the options available to victims of domestic violence, I also took into consideration, social factors such as poverty, education, peers and social networks. (C3: 5) VR1. I asked M if she wanted me to access information on her behalf about women's refuges, legal matters, child support and M accepted this offer, also appearing quite keen to arrange another meeting quickly, as did P. (C1: 1, C2: 2)VR4
During the visit I became aware that I was feeling quite angry with M and my own perceptions of her and her son's situation. I was aware though that I was not there to judge but to work in partnership (C3: 5) VR1.I was able to empathise with M at the beginning of the visit, but this was quickly dispelled by information she was disclosing although I believed that my own personal feelings were not apparent to either M or P. The use of unconditional positive regard allowed me to carry out my duty to work in partnership in accordance with the C (S) Act 1995 and not to stimatise M as a 'bad mother' (C3:3) VR6
I became concerned for P due to the information I collected during this initial meeting. After discussing the case with my practice teacher, it was decided that this case would be passed back to Senior Social Worker, as my PT felt this was a child protection case and as such was not suitable for a student doing a DP1 placement. (C6.1, C6.4)
I spoke to the senior social worker that had allocated the case to me about M and P and the details of the meeting. I ssubmitted a report for the case notes and of my next meeting. (C5:1, C6:2)
I must admit that I was relieved although anxious about what would happen to P if this case was left any longer without it being followed up. It was agreed that I would write my report and hand it over stating what I believed to be relevant issues. I submitted my report. (C6.2, C6.3)
Social workers sometimes use selective knowledge to reinforce decisions that have been reached on the basis of their belief system or value base. (Brown, 1992 p8). This tendency has sometimes led to discriminatory practice. I discussed this case and my own personal values with my PT to eliminate any bias from my report. (C6.1, C6.6)
A further date has to be arranged between the allocated social worker, M and P and myself to 'hand over' case.
Placement Learning
My knowledge and skills of residential childcare and an area team were very limited although I had spent some time working as a social work assistant, My first week was spent primarily as a period of induction which I used to familiarise myself with other specialist teams, agencies, local and other resources available to the social work department and the children's unit and also in getting to know the area.
A multi-disciplinary approach in social work is invaluable, therefore having the opportunity to meet and discuss roles and responsibilities with other professionals has been beneficial to my learning. This has emphasised the need and importance of different agencies working together to provide appropriate services to meet the needs of the individual service users. (C.5:1) .
Redl and Weinmann's formulation of the life space interview starts from the premise that life space intervention depends on the 'clinical exploitation of life events'. (Handbook of Theory..p227) Before my placement I did not fully realise how important the life space interview was, especially for young people. I did not realise that ''the life space is a confused and confusing environment, the impact of which upon residents can be to produce a 'delusional' system of life interpretation''.
On reflection, I was very aware of the power imbalance that my visit had initiated and I confided to M and P that I was as nervous about meeting them as they probably were. I felt at ease though that the legislation SW (S) A and the C (S) Act 1995 facilitated my right to work in partnership with M and P with minimum intervention. (C3:3) VR6
2ND PIECE OF WORK
When the young people returned from their holiday, my first day in the unit was to establish initial contact with them. I felt quite anxious as to how the they were going to react to me and what their perception of me would be, but I was very aware of trying to ensure that my anxieties were not obvious. I wanted to make clear why I was there and what my role was. (C1:1). I quickly became aware of the effect of being let down by adults on young people. Many of the young people have been consistently let down and rejected by adults. Knowledge of attachment theories, (Bowlby's as discussed in Fahlberg 1996) has helped me to gain understanding of some of the ways in which lack of strong attachments may affect a child's development. Bowlby 1984, p27 states, ''terming attachment theory..... and of explaining the many forms of emotional distress and personality disturbance, including anxiety, anger, depression, and emotional detachment, to which unwilling separation and loss give rise''.
I was aware that I was quite prejudiced when I was informed that my placement was in a children's residential unit. The preconceived notion of 'bad kids' sprang to mind, although through learning related to my course, I knew that this was prejudiced and discriminatory to the young people. One young person has just been admitted into the unit and I have been doing some 'piece work' with her, (Y). Due to staff training, the keyworker allocated to this young person is doing her SVQ and I am aware that I sometimes feel as though the young person is being used to meet others competence's and I was reluctant to involve myself with this young person. Y has openly approached me though and I believe that we have a good relationship, as we were both anxious and honest with each other about our own anxieties. I discussed issues around confidentiality, choice and privacy and the promotion of the young person's rights. VR3.
I am currently working with Y on her family tree which is obviously distressing for her and addressing issues such as feelings of loss, anger, rejection. This is ongoing and the completion of the family tree will be one of my observed practices.
3rd Piece of Work
X is a 14 year old girl who has a history of being accommodated. X has been in several foster placements which have subsequently broken down. This young person has been in the unit since it opened and comes from the Oban area. She has some home contact which is normally when the young person herself or staff initiates it. X is a bright, articulate young girl, but is unable to attend mainstream school, due to behavioural problems. She attends Spark of Genius, but staff in the unit are working towards her regaining her place in mainstream education. X is lacking in self-esteem and again knowledge of attachment theories has been influential in my working with her. For working with this young person I have been looking at Marcia's (based on Erikson's theory) theory of Identity diffusion: The young person is not in the midst of a crisis, (although there may have been one in the past) and has not made a commitment. Diffusion may thus represent either an early stage in the process (before a crisis) or a failure to reach a commitment after a crisis. (Lifespan & Development,p312). The piece of work that I intend carrying out with X is a self-assessment booklet. I do not intend using this as an initial assessment tool but as a 'comparative' assessment. This young person abuses solvents, alchohol and participates in other risk taking activities. I intend to highlight some of her strenghts and make a comparison with her initial self assessment which had been completed just before her arrival at the unit. (2 years ago). This involvement with the young person has just started and will be ongoing. X was caught on camera vandalising the local community and her photograph was on the front page of the local newspaper. X was visibly upset at her photo being in the paper and the thought of other peoples perception of her. After an initial cooling off period, I helped to empower X and she went out into the community and painted over 'her' graffitti, although facing negativity from others. (C2:4, 4:3)V2. I believe that I supported X through the process of change - taking responsibility for her actions and invoking change.
SUPERVISION
Supervision can be seen to play a crucial role in promoting good practice, and an integral part of my student development whilst being on placement. A minimum of one and a half hours per week shall be set aside in order to discuss various aspects of my practice, e.g. learning and developmental areas, also to address any issues that have arisen relevant to my placement. My practice teacher offers both formal and informal supervision. Hawkins and Shohet suggest,'' the many reasons to be pro-active in getting good supervision for ourselves. First, supervision is a central form of support, where we can focus on our own difficulties as a worker as well as have our supervisor share some of the responsibilities for our work with clients. Second, supervision forms part of our continual learning and development as workers. A good supervisor can also help us to use our own resources better, manage our workload and challenge our inappropriately patterned ways of coping''. (1989, p21)
Supervision has allowed me to reflect on my practice and how it is informed not only by my academic study or personal experience but also by discussion with my practice teacher.I believe that this will heighten my understanding of the relationship between reflection on life experiences to inform values and practice, to understand social problems into legitimate theories, gain knowledge of legislation to empower service users, recognise values and challenge prejudices and stereotypical notions and give an opportunity to gather some constructive feedback both positive and negative. My practice teacher has highlighted and encouraged the use of supervision and the importance of keeping a reflective journal, direct observation and being aware of the importance of recording and observing the practice of other social workers and residential care staff.
Supervision was also used to highlight and encourage the availability of learning opportunities whilst on placement. Specific areas of learning were identified through discussion with my practice teacher and myself. These include working with young people in ways that reflect their individual circumstances, understand the needs of young people and their families and to look at individual needs in a wider context, to work within a legal framework and to explore issues in social work practice. Other learning opportunities available to me in this placement involve working as part of a wider area team, including the area team and the generic duty system. This will involve working in an inter-disciplinary, inter-agency context including schools and health agencies. Due to the dual role of my placement there are also opportunities to develop understanding through observation of the social work role and responsibilities in child protection. (C6:1)
I had concerns about my academic ability of linking theory to practice in my written reports. Watson et al (2002, p13) suggests,'' Failure in the integrated assignments can sometimes occur because students substantially misunderstand how to evidence theory, research, ethics... in their practice through academic writing''. The use of reflective journals and small exercises are used to help me have a clearer understanding on how to combine theory and practice and evidence this in my reports. (C6:1, 6:2)
Placement Learning
My knowledge and skills of residential childcare and an area team were very limited although I had spent some time working as a social work assistant, My first week was spent primarily as a period of induction which I used to familiarise myself with other specialist teams, agencies, local and other resources available to the social work department and the children's unit and also in getting to know the area.
A multi-disciplinary approach in social work is invaluable, therefore having the opportunity to meet and discuss roles and responsibilities with other professionals has been beneficial to my learning. This has emphasised the need and importance of different agencies working together to provide appropriate services to meet the needs of the individual service users. (C.5:1) . Redl and Weinmann's formulation of the life space interview starts from the premise that life space intervention depends on the 'clinical exploitation of life events'. (Handbook of Theory..p227) Before my placement I did not fully realise how important the life space interview was, especially for young people. I did not realise that ''the life space is a confused and confusing environment, the impact of which upon residents can be to produce a 'delusional' system of life interpretation''.
2ND PIECE OF WORK
When the young people returned from their holiday, my first day in the unit was to establish initial contact with them. I felt quite anxious as to how the they were going to react to me and what their perception of me would be, but I was very aware of trying to ensure that my anxieties were not obvious. I wanted to make clear why I was there and what my role was. (C1:1). I quickly became aware of the effect of being let down by adults on young people. Many of the young people have been consistently let down and rejected by adults. Knowledge of attachment theories, (Bowlby's as discussed in Fahlberg 1996) has helped me to gain understanding of some of the ways in which lack of strong attachments may affect a child's development. Bowlby 1984, p27 states, ''terming attachment theory..... and of explaining the many forms of emotional distress and personality disturbance, including anxiety, anger, depression, and emotional detachment, to which unwilling separation and loss give rise''.
I was aware that I was quite prejudiced when I was informed that my placement was in a children's residential unit. The preconceived notion of 'bad kids' sprang to mind, although through learning related to my course, I knew that this was prejudiced and discriminatory to the young people. One young person has just been admitted into the unit and I have been doing some 'piece work' with her, (Y). Due to staff training, the keyworker allocated to this young person is doing her SVQ and I am aware that I sometimes feel as though the young person is being used to meet others competence's and I was reluctant to involve myself with this young person. Y has openly approached me though and I believe that we have a good relationship, as we were both anxious and honest with each other about our own anxieties. I discussed issues around confidentiality, choice and privacy and the promotion of the young person's rights. VR3.
I am currently working with Y on her family tree which is obviously distressing for her and addressing issues such as feelings of loss, anger, rejection. This is ongoing and the completion of the family tree will be one of my observed practices.
3rd Piece of Work
X is a 14 year old girl who has a history of being accommodated. X has been in several foster placements which have subsequently broken down. This young person has been in the unit since it opened and comes from the Oban area. She has some home contact which is normally when the young person herself or staff initiates it. X is a bright, articulate young girl, but is unable to attend mainstream school, due to behavioural problems. She attends Spark of Genius, but staff in the unit are working towards her regaining her place in mainstream education. X is lacking in self-esteem and again knowledge of attachment theories has been influential in my working with her. For working with this young person I have been looking at Marcia's (based on Erikson's theory) theory of Identity diffusion: The young person is not in the midst of a crisis, (although there may have been one in the past) and has not made a commitment. Diffusion may thus represent either an early stage in the process (before a crisis) or a failure to reach a commitment after a crisis. (Lifespan & Development,p312). The piece of work that I intend carrying out with X is a self-assessment booklet. I do not intend using this as an initial assessment tool but as a 'comparative' assessment. This young person abuses solvents, alchohol and participates in other risk taking activities. I intend to highlight some of her strenghts and make a comparison with her initial self assessment which had been completed just before her arrival at the unit. (2 years ago). This involvement with the young person has just started and will be ongoing. X was caught on camera vandalising the local community and her photograph was on the front page of the local newspaper. X was visibly upset at her photo being in the paper and the thought of other peoples perception of her. After an initial cooling off period, I helped to empower X and she went out into the community and painted over 'her' graffitti, although facing negativity from others. (C2:4, 4:3)V2. I believe that I supported X through the process of change - taking responsibility for her actions and invoking change.
SUPERVISION
Supervision can be seen to play a crucial role in promoting good practice, and an integral part of my student development whilst being on placement. A minimum of one and a half hours per week shall be set aside in order to discuss various aspects of my practice, e.g. learning and developmental areas, also to address any issues that have arisen relevant to my placement. My practice teacher offers both formal and informal supervision. Hawkins and Shohet suggest,'' the many reasons to be pro-active in getting good supervision for ourselves. First, supervision is a central form of support, where we can focus on our own difficulties as a worker as well as have our supervisor share some of the responsibilities for our work with clients. Second, supervision forms part of our continual learning and development as workers. A good supervisor can also help us to use our own resources better, manage our workload and challenge our inappropriately patterned ways of coping''. (1989, p21)
Supervision has allowed me to reflect on my practice and how it is informed not only by my academic study or personal experience but also by discussion with my practice teacher.I believe that this will heighten my understanding of the relationship between reflection on life experiences to inform values and practice, to understand social problems into legitimate theories, gain knowledge of legislation to empower service users, recognise values and challenge prejudices and stereotypical notions and give an opportunity to gather some constructive feedback both positive and negative. My practice teacher has highlighted and encouraged the use of supervision and the importance of keeping a reflective journal, direct observation and being aware of the importance of recording and observing the practice of other social workers and residential care staff.
Supervision was also used to highlight and encourage the availability of learning opportunities whilst on placement. Specific areas of learning were identified through discussion with my practice teacher and myself. These include working with young people in ways that reflect their individual circumstances, understand the needs of young people and their families and to look at individual needs in a wider context, to work within a legal framework and to explore issues in social work practice. Other learning opportunities available to me in this placement involve working as part of a wider area team, including the area team and the generic duty system. This will involve working in an inter-disciplinary, inter-agency context including schools and health agencies. Due to the dual role of my placement there are also opportunities to develop understanding through observation of the social work role and responsibilities in child protection. (C6:1)
I had concerns about my academic ability of linking theory to practice in my written reports. Watson et al (2002, p13) suggests,'' Failure in the integrated assignments can sometimes occur because students substantially misunderstand how to evidence theory, research, ethics... in their practice through academic writing''. The use of reflective journals and small exercises are used to help me have a clearer understanding on how to combine theory and practice and evidence this in my reports. (C6:1, 6:2)
