Carer Long Learning

‘As social care worker, you must be accountable for the quality of your work and take responsibility for maintaining and improving your skills knowledge ‘.

The Professional Capabilities Framework developed by the social work reform board and owned by The College of Social Work provides a structure to support the career development of every social worker: from initial social work education, through continuing professional development, towards the role of principal social worker. The framework provides criteria for career progression and opens new career pathways that will allow experienced workers to sustain engagement with the challenges and rewards of practice. Furthermore The PCF applies to all social workers in England (including independent social workers), in all roles and settings and so it is an essential

UNIT 2 - PRINCIPLES OF PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT ASSIGNMENT OVERVIEW In this assignment, you will investigate standards that influence adult social care practice. You will look at examples of these standards and how they affect the role of social care workers. Personal development and reflective practice are important for social care workers, and you will be completing tasks that cover these concepts. You will look at the different ways that this is done, how you can benefit from it and who will support you. TASKS There are three task to this assignment. TASK 1 2 3 EVIDENCE Short answer questions Case study Reflective account OUTCOMES 1.1, 3.1, 3.2, 3.3, 3.4 1.2, 1.3 2.1, 2.2, 2.3

The complexity of the case meant I had to draw on a large range of social work skills to facilitate my engagement with the service user and carers and to complete my recommendations for panel. My Skills strongly developed throughout the process of assessing the service user and carers and they were acknowledged by my practice assessor.

Social Worker’s must undertake “relevant training to maintain and improve your knowledge and skills and contributing to the learning and development of others” (SSSC, 2009 section 6.8). The requirement of continued learning is fifteen days which can consist of courses, reading

The Professional Capabilities Framework developed by the social work reform board and owned by The College of Social Work provides a structure to support the career development of every social worker: from initial social work education, through continuing professional development, towards the role of principal social worker. The framework provides criteria for career progression and opens new career pathways that will allow experienced workers to sustain engagement with the challenges and rewards of practice. Furthermore The PCF applies to all social workers in England (including independent social workers), in all roles and settings and so it is an essential document for all.

not only make you a better social care worker but it will also give you a level of

I understand that I have gained a good knowledge based from my university degree, but once I graduate from my degree my learning will not end. To maintain my evidence-based framework I will have the opportunity to build on my knowledge through specific training, attending seminars and being involved in reflective practice. All social work methods can be utilized to improve and expand the skills and knowledge I will use with future clients (Chenoweth & McCaullife, 2015, p. 290).

After I gained some practical experience in social work, I wanted to excel my knowledge so decided to pursue my Master’s degree. Social work, today, now isn't just confined within societal factors and uplifting people. It goes way beyond this. It is rather a holistic approach, the one that comprises the multifold thematic areas like social entrepreneurship, community ownership and empowerment. There is a Chinese proverb “Give a man a fish, and you feed him for a day. Teach a man to fish, and you feed him for a lifetime” and social work is about teaching a man to fish so s/he does not have to beg a single day in life for living. For me studying social work is to become someone who can teach people to earn for their living, help them get their every right, be a voice for those who are vulnerable and make people strong enough to stand against the injustice they face and for that I know I need to study more, learn

At this point on my career, I feel there is a lot more that I can do. At my current job I am expose to many trainings and curriculums regarding the wellbeing of individuals. I have only been able to have an observer and supportive role. In order for me to take a more active role, I feel that I need a higher level of education. This is going to improve my ability to better understand the social issues and be able to tackle tougher cases. Upon completion of my Master’s in Social Work degree I envision myself helping individuals, as well as communities, to recognize and build up their strengths in order to fully realize their potential for positive change. I would like to help and guide individuals to learn how to manage present and future goals,

I strongly believe that I will not be an effective social worker unless I gain the proper knowledge, skills and experience in that subject. The Manchester Metropolitan University (MMU) Master program in Health and Social Care will provide me with the required skills to build and shape my character, enrich my educational background, fulfill my professional ambitions and develop a future career path in consultancy business. The MMU program will allow me to understand the variations in health and social care context between national and international as wells as individual versus organization, analyze and solve health and social related issues and problems and to enhance my research skills in terms of literature review, research methodologies

The work placement in a human service agency in Perth will further offer me contextualized knowledge of social services in Australia. I have fully recognized that being a social work practitioner is quite challengeable for an international student, my compassion and commitment to have an impact on the lives of others will continually motivate me to excel in the field of social work. Frequent participation in voluntary work in China and the UK has taught me to be a good listener to understand people’s needs. Meanwhile, these experiences nurtured my intercultural competencies, problem solving and time management skills, which are essential qualities for a social work practitioner. After graduation, I wish to work as a counselor in a community health center, offering direct professional service to people who need help. Regarding my long-term career goal, I wish to develop advanced skills in developing relevant programs for community groups, and training

I often reflect on the reasons why Social Work as a profession is underappreciated and devalued compared to other professions. Given the fact that we rally the cause for advocacy of those persons who are disenfranchised, we serve to protect vulnerable populations, one would think that Social Workers would be held in a higher regard. Unfortunately, this is not our reality and as a result, it is incumbent upon each and every Social Work practitioner to reinvest in the profession. It is my belief that as a profession, we must reinvest in young, impressionable Social Work practitioners. I am a firm believer in Sankofa. Sankofa is an African word borrowed from The Akan Tribe of southern and central Ghana and in the southeastern Ivory Coast. The literal translation of the word Sankofa and the symbol is “it is not taboo to fetch what is at risk of being left behind.” Far too often, new Social Workers become fatigued and burned out once they enter the field and they are left behind, to experience dissatisfaction and emptiness from the profession. The once optimistic being, which left graduate school

To become aware of the before mentioned the social worker can complete a self-reflection assessment. Self-reflection is, “careful thought about your own behavior and beliefs” (Merrian Webster Dictionary, 2015) . Self-reflection should focus on two areas; personal and professional. There is a three step process to self-reflection; self-reflection assessment, learning, and change. The first step in self-reflection is the most important part as it determines what deficits the social worker has. During this part the social worker will answer different questions. These questions will look at the social workers personal/professional beliefs, knowledge, skills, and etc. when looking at the professional side of one's skills the above areas should be looked at. For example; do I have a rapport built with outside resources? It is hard to answer these questions, but important to answer them truthfully. The completion of the self-reflection assessment brings about the next step, learning. Learning what deficits one has can be difficult as no one likes to know he or she is falling short. However, learning those areas of deficits moves to the next stage of change. Change is not easy for anyone, but to address deficits and improve service delivery the social worker must change. Changes could be related to the social workers education, knowledge of

Knowledge and skills are two important concepts that must be considered before a student social worker’s entry onto the course, which is why