Personal Learning Plan

At Barnardos I am a part of the Child, Youth and Family Support (CYFS) team, which consists of: domestic violence, youth support, child sexual assault and family support. A part of my learning on placement has involved a combination of tasks that incorporate a range of educational and practical tasks; these tasks have been extrapolated from my learning plan. Tasks that I have been involved in have included following up on referrals for clients (for instance cancer support groups), helping to organise school holiday activities (family craft day and a farm day). I found the farm day to be a beneficial learning experience, as it highlighted the importance of seeing the family and children in a different informal setting, where different behaviours …show more content…
Following these house visits, I have been writing up cases notes and as well as debriefing with the social worker I was shadowing; this has given me the opportunity to improve on my communication and interpersonal skills. I have also been asking questions on house visits to obtain information for assessment purposes, which I have been responsible for writing; this has given me an opportunity to apply knowledge for practice using the Support Children and Responding to Families (SCARF) model. SCARF is a guided practice assessment and planning tool that analyses the family’s and children’s strengths, also where hardship is being experienced through an ecological lens by taking into account issues surrounding child development, parenting capacity as well family and community. Barnardos is able to provide family support using the family’s strengths as the basis for empowering and assisting with hardship. Action plans are then developed based on the needs of the family so ongoing services can focus on these needs. Moreover, I had the opportunity to observe a Family and Community Services (FACS) safety assessment, with the outcome of the assessment unfortunately resulting in the removal of the child. I feel this has been a valuable professional …show more content…
There will be a focus on supporting me more to grow in confidence and not be afraid to attempt tasks without much input from others. Practical ways in which learning will be demonstrated will be through experiencing some time with Barnardos Out of Home Care and Temporary Accommodation Program, sharing a client with my supervisor, observing a face to face interview with an onsite interpreter, assisting with the mothers group and childcare that provides information to mothers on talking to their kids about their body, financial advice, education readiness and assistance with rejoining the