Provide a critical reflection on a piece of work you have undertaken with an individual, family or group. Include brief references to the PCF, legislation, and relevant literature to support your discussions and evaluate your learning, and include a reference list. Provide a brief introductory paragraph regarding the event/case, including the main reason for the agencys involvement.
Outline how you assessed and planned your work
Outline what interventions you actually carried out and why
Include a critical evaluation of your understanding and use of professional judgement and autonomy.
Discuss and evaluate how you assessed and managed risk
What skills, methods and approaches did you consider or apply to your practice
What helped you to reflect on your practice and development
Include the challenges and dilemmas you faced and how you addressed these
Reflect on what you learnt about yourself (self-awareness), your skills, your values, and your resilience
What future learning needs have you identified and how will you address these
The overall purpose of the task is to demonstrated that you are able to justify ad critically analyse your own practice in relation to social work law, knowledge, skills and values relating to social work methods and models of intervention, ethical dilemmas, inter professional challenges and or dilemmas, risk and resilience, research and or evidence based practice.I went to observe a placement gong in with one of our foster carers. This was going to be a parent and child placement. The parent was a 16-year-old mum and the baby was a boy of 18 weeks old. There were issues around the care of the baby and this was going to be assessed by the parents local authority over a period of about 12 weeks.
There was some concerns over threats that mum had made to shake the baby although this was never proven.On arriving at the placement our foster carer was shown the paperwork and asked to sign where relevant to her. When the parent and child turned up with their social worker and placement support worker it was clearly evident how nervous and vulnerable she seemed. Here was a young girl that had left her family home and her parents and was now going to be living with strabgers with her son.All the relevant paperwork was getting completed when the parents social worker advised our social worker that the mother of the parent had given medical consent if anything should be needed for her daughter. Our supervising social worker at that point queried why the arent of the parent would need to give consent as the young parent was not a looked after child. This then set about a lot of confusion as our foster carers are only approved for three children and they already have two boys in placement, but if this was the case it would mean that the parent and child would be an extra two people and this would take them over their limit which is not allowed unless in exceptional circumstances. At this point the young parent was looking very confused as was everyone else and it was clearly upsetting for her. Phone calls had to be put in place to various departments to establish what was happening. It was established that consent to place alongside the two current foster children had to be obtained from their residing council and also from the council that the parent and child were being placed from and also from the local authority where the parent and child would be residing. If consent was not given then unfortunately they would have to leave. This was all happening at 4pm and was becoming a very tense situation especially for the arent and the baby who was becoming more anxious and upset the same as mum was.Eventually all local authorities gave consent but this situation should never have happened in the first place. From our foster agency it was asked if the parent was a looked after child and it was stated that she wasnt hence why our foster carer could take on the placement. As the parent of the parent had signed a section 20 agreement (which I think is now a section 76) this categorized her as a looked after child which brought about the confusion to everyone. If the young parent had signed herself into care then the Suffolk law could have been looked at, as she would have been homeless with a baby. But this situation should never have happened when the placement was due to go in all of this should have been sorted prior to placement going in.The poor parent was utterly distressed and so was her baby. I tried to comfort the baby just to take the pressure away from mum, which I managed to do and got baby sleeping. I then tried to comfort parent and explain that this was nothing that she had done it was just a catalyst of errors from the local authorities that should never have happened.We all left the placement and the parent and child stayed and when I phoned the next morning I was advised by the foster carer that the parent and child had had a very good night and had settled well and the parent had expressed how keen she was to prove everyone wrong and be a good parent to her sonNeed to look at theories involved, reflection on how this matter should have been dealt with, the young parents views and how this made her feel, professionalismThen at the end of the critical reflection the following needs to be done relating to a foster care agency with 50 words in each under the following headings:-e.g 50 words for professionalism, 50 for values and ethics etcProfessional Capabilities Framework Evidence
1 example of dated evidence
Approximately 50 words per example.
1. Professionalism
Below are indicators of professional social work activity.
( these indicators do not need to be individually evidenced)
1.1 Recognise the role of the professional social worker in a range of contexts.
1.2 Recognise the important role of the supervision and make an active contribution.
1.3 Demonstrate professionalism in terms of presentation, demeanour, reliability, honesty and respectfulness.
1.4 With guidance take responsibility for managing your time and workload effectively.
1.5 Be able to show awareness of personal and professional boundaries.
1.6 With guidance recognise your limitations, and how to seek advice.
1.7 Recognise and act on own learning needs in response to practice experience.
1.8 Show awareness of own safety, health, wellbeing and emotional resilience and seek advice as necessary.
1.9 Identify concerns about practice and procedures and how they can be questioned.
2. Values and Ethics
Below are indicators of professional social work activity.
( these indicators do not need to be individually evidenced)
2.1 Understand and with support, apply the professions ethical principles.
2.2 Recognise and with support manage the impact of own values on professional practice.
2.3 Identify and with guidance, manage potentially conflicting values and ethical dilemmas.2.4 Elicit and respect the needs and views of service users and carers and, with support, promote their participation in decision-making wherever possible.
2.5 Recognise and, with support, promote individuals rights to autonomy and self-determination.
2.6 Promote and protect the privacy of individuals within and outside their families and networks, recognising the requirements of professional accountability and information sharing
3. Diversity
Below are indicators of professional social work activity.
( these indicators do not need to be individually evidenced)
3.1 Understand how an individuals identity is informed by factors such as culture, economic status, family composition, life experiences and characteristics, and take account of these to understand their experiences.
3.2 With reference to current legislative requirements, recognise personal and organisational discrimination and oppression, and identify ways in which they might be challenged.
3.3 Recognise and, with support, manage the impact on people of the power invested in your role.
4. Rights, Justice and Economic Wellbeing
Below are indicators of professional social work activity.
( these indicators do not need to be individually evidenced)
4.1 Understand and, with support, apply in practice the principles of social justice, inclusion and equality.
4.2 Understand how legislation and guidance can advance or constrain peoples rights.
4.3 Work within the principles of human and civil rights and equalities legislation.
4.4 Recognise the impact of poverty and social exclusion and promote enhanced economic status through access to education, work, housing, health services and welfare benefits.
4.5 Recognise the value of independent advocacy.
5. Knowledge
Below are indicators of professional social work activity.
( these indicators do not need to be individually evidenced)
5.1 With guidance apply research, theory and knowledge from sociology, social policy, psychology, health and human growth and development to social work practice.
5.2 Understand the legal and policy frameworks and guidance that inform and mandate social work practice, relevant to placement setting.
5.3 Understand forms of harm, their impact on people, and the implications for practice.
5.4 Apply knowledge from a range of theories and models for social work intervention with individuals, families, groups and communities, and the methods derived from them.
5.5 Value and take account of the expertise of service users and carers and professionals.
6. Critical Reflection and Analysis
Below are indicators of professional social work activity.
( these indicators do not need to be individually evidenced)
6.1 Recognise the importance of applying imagination, creativity and curiosity to practice.
6.2 Inform decision-making through the identification and gathering of information from more than one source and, with support, question its reliability and validity.
6.4 With guidance understand how to evaluate and review hypotheses in response to information available at the time and apply in practice with support.
6.5 With guidance use evidence to inform decisions.
7. Intervention and Skills
Below are indicators of professional social work activity.
( these indicators do not need to be individually evidenced)
7.1 With guidance use a range of verbal, non-verbal and written methods of communication relevant to the placement.
7.2 With guidance communicate information, advice, instruction and opinion so as to advocate, influence and persuade.
7.3 Demonstrate the ability to build and conclude compassionate and effective relationships appropriate to the placement setting.
7.4 With guidance demonstrate a holistic approach to the identification of needs, circumstances, rights, strengths and risks.
7.5 Identify and use appropriate frameworks to assess, give meaning to, plan, implement and review effective interventions and evaluate the outcomes.
7.6 With guidance use a planned and structured approach, informed by at least two social work methods and models.
7.7 Recognise the importance of community resources, groups and networks for individuals.
7.8 Demonstrate skills in recording and report writing appropriate to the setting.
7.9 With guidance, demonstrate skills in sharing information appropriately and respectfully.
7.10 Demonstrate awareness of the impact of multiple factors, changing circumstances and uncertainty in peoples lives.
7.11 With guidance understand the authority of the social work role.
7.12 With guidance identify the factors that may create or exacerbate risk to individuals, their families or carers, to the public or to professionals, including yourself.
7.13 With guidance identify appropriate responses to safeguard vulnerable people.
8. Contexts and Organisations
Below are indicators of professional social work activity.
( these indicators do not need to be individually evidenced)
8.1 With guidance, recognise that social work operates within, and responds to, changing economic, social, political and organisational contexts.
8.2 With guidance understand legal obligations, structures and behaviours within organisations and how these impact on policy, procedure and practice.
8.3 With guidance work within the organisational context of your placement setting and understand the lines of accountability.
8.4 Understand and respect the role of others within the organisation and work effectively with them.
8.5 Take responsibility for your role and impact within teams and with guidance contribute positively to team working.
8.6 Understand the inter-agency, multi-disciplinary and inter-professional dimensions to practice and, with guidance, demonstrate partnership working.
9.Professional Leadership
Below are indicators of professional social work activity.
( these indicators do not need to be individually evidenced)
9.1 Identify how professional leadership in social work can enhance practice.
9.2 Recognise the value of sharing and supporting the learning and development of others.