How to Be a Social Worker - Assignment Example

Daily Journal Name: Institution: Course: Instructor: Date of submission: Entry One: Field Supervision I learnt that through the field supervision is an opportunity for the student to interact with the senior members of his career through field supervision. It is an opportunity for me to learn about new things mainly from the supervisor. It also offered me a chance for direct teaching since my supervisor would be there to see how I was doing during the placement. There are certain things that the supervisor would directly teach me during the placement. Apart from that, he/she is able to identify what the student need. According to AASW (Australian Association of Social Workers) (2014), supervision relationship is an opportunity for learning and reflection. It involves a collaborative talk between the student and the supervisor and requires the participation of the two parties. During this session, I an experience anticipate to have a learning that I will directly talk with my supervisor and at the same time learning so much from him/her. Among the skills I expect to learn include the mode of structuring the time for meeting with the supervisor. It is also a moment of critical thinking since I was required to answer numerous questions touching on the field. Through this, I will be able to share my experiences with my supervisor and also account for my progress while in the field. Through it, I would discuss my professional identity as well as my relationship with the clients. The supervisory relationship offers a blueprint of comprehending how an individual can build a relationship with the client. According to studies, students have a high regard to supervisors who are available, open to differences, supportive, as well as have the capacity to have a positive relation with the supervisee (Alexander & Lopez n. d.). My supervisor was very supportive and willing to offer assistance wherever I needed him. Through the supervision, I would be able to discuss the challenges I am expecting to go through in the field as well as about the environment of work. It is also an opportunity to commit myself to learning from the supervisor. It is my responsibility to place the time when the meeting was to take place. Through the supervision, I would also have an opportunity to seek clarifications regarding matters that I feel is beyond me. I gain various skills including the capacity to utilize the tone, the body language, among others. Entry 2: Being a social worker During the class session, I leant about values as well as ethics that I needed to have as a social worker practitioner. As a social worker, it is essential to discharge the ethical responsibilities to ensure the promotion of the rights of individuals who utilize the services of social work (Blakeley n. d.). It is the duty of the AASW to ensure the promotion of ethics and values to the social workers, employers, and educators working within the field of social work. The key to being a social worker is becoming aware of one’s self by moving away from the crowd as well as maintaining curiosity. I learnt that social workers need to move away from the familiar as a way of comprehending others. Sociology is all about studying about the society (Dunk-West, 2013). The capacity to comprehend things in the sociological perspective gave me an ultimate happiness as I will use the skills I acquired during my career time. I understood that being a social worker is a call to become aware of how the contemporary life emerges as well as its effects on our day to day understandings. I also became aware that sociology entails an intellectual reaction to the modernity’s new experiences. Apart from that, I became more prepared to become a career sociologist and through this, I was taken through the interview perspective. This was a learning experience as I was instilled with the skills and knowledge that I have the capacity to carry out the job. I also realized that social workers have the capacity to utilize theories as a way of comprehending the rapid change occurring within the society. I was equipped with sociological thinking and this gave me an opportunity to become less manipulated as well as more resilient to control and oppression. I gained the efficacy of being a social actor as I started seeing the link between the social conditions and my action. This gave me a feeling of satisfaction because I felt I could perform better as a social worker. The event gave me an opportunity of improving the skills of being a social worker. The implementation of the learning meant that I would become a better social worker. I became motivated to think sociologically with the aim of solving the many problems facing the society. The skills gained here is important to me because it helps in preparing me to become better in my career placement. However, I would still want to develop more work related experience to help me to further develop my career. Entry 3: Social Work Records As a social worker, one of the skills essential for practice is record keeping and maintaining confidentiality of the client’s information. Social workers are required to manage numerous types of information and it is important to ensure the confidentiality of the said information. Ensuring the maintenance of records is an essential part in the social work practice. According to studies, the keeping of records can influence the outcomes of the client. Case notes that are poor can for instance lead to poor decision-making as well as adverse outcomes of the client. According to the 2015 code of ethics by AASW, it is important for the social workers to ensure the recording of information in an accurate as well as impartial manner, and at the same time reporting the relevant and essential details. Acquiring the recording keeping skills was essential for me because it would help while interacting with the clients as well as in the process of support provision such as email and telephone correspondence. I leant that case record should incorporate the information about the client including the date of birth, contact time, and this should be clearly readable in case it is handwritten. During this time, I also learnt about the various methods utilized in disposing paper and electronic data, and the need to maintaining the security data in the process (Chenoweth & McAuliffe, 2015). Through this skill, I could become accountable to the individuals whom I was serving as well as to the employer or the agency. Through this, I gained the capacity to record the action I would be taking as I practice social work. Apart from that, I leant how to maintain vibrant event’s account. The experiencing was so thrilling because I became more accountable to the client. The client records’ ownership is dependent on the employment or practice context. I also comprehended that the social worker owns the client record since the organization as well as the social worker represent one and the same thing. Apart from that, I gained the knowledge that in social work, the client’s information should be kept in a confidential manner and that the privilege is given to those who need to access the information. I leant that I can become a better social worker if I can ensure the confidentiality of the client. The only time I was entitled to disclose the client’s information is case the client is facing a security risk. Entry 4: Role Play During the session, I leant that role play is an essential part in enhancing the skills and competence of a future social worker. Through this session, a student is given a chance to do the actual work practically in the presence of other student. A case is presented to the student where he (the student) is required to act like a professional social worker. The session enabled me to acquire behavior skills when it comes to interviewing a client. I was taught how to position myself during an interview with the client. The role play session was particularly important to me because it was the first time that I was having a direct interaction with a client. The session was facilitated by a lecturer who offered insights and directions. The role play revolved around a 66 year old man called George as the client and Fiona as the social worker. I learnt that as a social worker, one is supposed to introduce him/herself to the client and at the same time assuring the client that he/she is at his/her service. The second step involves asking the client to introduce him/herself. The client is also asked to give his/her background information regarding the problem (MacDonald & Biegel, 2012). In the role play, the client had just returned home after being away from home for a long time and he is trying to adjust to the new environment at home. He is having problems in doing this, and he is seeking help from the social worker. He informs the social worker that he used to have a busy schedule at work but now he has retired thus he is forced to spend much of his time resting. I enjoyed the entire role play session and at the same time found it to be so informative.. asking questions to the client and listening to his problem was so thrilling. Since this was the first time I was involved in the role-play, it was not an easy task. I became more reflection through the transition from surface questions towards the questions that are deeper. I was engaged in the process of learning allowing me to take the possession of my education. The role play session also allowed me to carry out the assessment of the situation as well as determine the client’s additional needs as well as formulate a plan of action. Apart from that, this was an opportunity for me to develop confidence in my individual strength (Dunk-West, 2013). References AASW. (2014). Supervision Standards. Kingston: ACT Alexander, M., & Lopez, R. (n. d.). social worker career: Preparing for placement and beyond. Australian Association of Social Workers (AASW). (2015). Information management: social work records, record ownership and access. Blakeley, M. (n.d..). case note writing. Chenoweth, L & McAuliffe, D. ( 2015). The Road to social work and human service Practice (4th Edition)  Cengage Learning Australia    Chapter 3/4 and 8  Cleak, Helen & Wilson, & Jill (2013). 'Critical reflection for teaching and learning', in Cleak, Helen Mary & Wilson, Jill, Making the most of field placement, 3rd edn, Cengage Learning, South Melbourne, Vic., pp. 56-62. Dunk-West, P ( 2013) How to be a social worker. Palgrave Macmillan   Chapter 5  Royse, David, Dhopper, Surjit Singh & Romfp, Elizabeth Lewis. (2012). 'Client systems: the recipients of service', in Royse, David D, Dhooper, Surjit Singh & Rompf, Elizabeth Lewis, Field instruction: a guide for social work students, Updated 6th edn, Pearson Education, Boston, pp. 123-151. MacDonald, C., & Biegel, A. (2012). Using role-play to teach competencies for acquiring behaviors as a social worker. NACSW. Read More