Introduction
The purpose of this report is for me to develop critical awareness and self-reflection of core social welfare competencies experienced while volunteering with the Healthy Living for Seniors Program (HLSP). The HLSP is a UnitingCare community day program for people over the age of 65 years thus the field of practice is “aged care” (Chenoweth & McAuliffe 2012, p. 141). The program is designed to support the health and wellbeing of their clients through a focus on social participation, independence and their quality of life (UnitingCare Ageing 2015). Chenoweth & McAuliffe (2012) suggest that group work has therapeutical benefits for clients. The HLSP is open-ended group work with a focus on holistic health goals. Other key concepts …show more content…
The issue of performance efficacy is an important aspect of the social welfare process because it determines the outcome of the work (Chenoweth & McAuliffe 2012). Personally, I feel that this is perfectly understandable as the relationship between a client and social worker is at a deep level. Thus, my effectiveness as a welfare worker is based on my confidence in the work context, “group dynamics and the stages of group formation and termination” (Chenoweth & McAuliffe 2012, p. 15). In contrast, my perception was based on the assumption that my help would solve the problems the clients where encountering, such as social, exclusion, oppression and discrimination. In addition, when the group work was presumably failing to achieve my assumed goals, I was momentarily perplexed as to how to deal with the situation (Hill 2015). Although I effectively dealt with my confusion/agitation by professionally detaching from my feelings thus performing appropriately, the fact that my assumptions almost reduced my effectiveness was enlightening (Hochschild 1979). For these reasons, I felt that my overall experience was good because not only did I become aware of my feelings and assumptions in the heat of the moment, I know understood in practices the theory related to becoming a critically reflexive practitioner (Hill 2015; Hochschild 1979; Chenoweth & McAuliffe …show more content…
To begin with, what I could have done differently would involve more research and questions. Chenoweth & McAuliffe (2012) suggests that developing a practice framework, such as the combination of knowledge, values and skills to create the foundation for the “purposeful use of self” (p. 203), helps the practitioner to make ethical, judgments, decisions, actions in challenging circumstances. With this in mind, my lack of knowledge with regards to the client’s reasons for attending the HLSP, such as social exclusion and the purpose for the HLSP activities, such as open ended group work, needed more focus (Chenoweth & McAuliffe 2012). Similarly, my communication skills, such as questioning, could have been more focused if my energy was not taken up by my somewhat successful professional detachment as mentioned in previous paragraph. For these reasons, the way I will improve my practise is by developing a practice framework that considers me as “the main instrument of practice” (Chenoweth & McAuliffe 2012, p. 203), my current skills and limitations, my current knowledge and ignorance and my values and
The purpose of this report is for me to develop critical awareness and self-reflection of core social welfare competencies experienced while volunteering with the Healthy Living for Seniors Program (HLSP). The HLSP is a UnitingCare community day program for people over the age of 65 years thus the field of practice is “aged care” (Chenoweth & McAuliffe 2012, p. 141). The program is designed to support the health and wellbeing of their clients through a focus on social participation, independence and their quality of life (UnitingCare Ageing 2015). Chenoweth & McAuliffe (2012) suggest that group work has therapeutical benefits for clients. The HLSP is open-ended group work with a focus on holistic health goals. Other key concepts …show more content…
The issue of performance efficacy is an important aspect of the social welfare process because it determines the outcome of the work (Chenoweth & McAuliffe 2012). Personally, I feel that this is perfectly understandable as the relationship between a client and social worker is at a deep level. Thus, my effectiveness as a welfare worker is based on my confidence in the work context, “group dynamics and the stages of group formation and termination” (Chenoweth & McAuliffe 2012, p. 15). In contrast, my perception was based on the assumption that my help would solve the problems the clients where encountering, such as social, exclusion, oppression and discrimination. In addition, when the group work was presumably failing to achieve my assumed goals, I was momentarily perplexed as to how to deal with the situation (Hill 2015). Although I effectively dealt with my confusion/agitation by professionally detaching from my feelings thus performing appropriately, the fact that my assumptions almost reduced my effectiveness was enlightening (Hochschild 1979). For these reasons, I felt that my overall experience was good because not only did I become aware of my feelings and assumptions in the heat of the moment, I know understood in practices the theory related to becoming a critically reflexive practitioner (Hill 2015; Hochschild 1979; Chenoweth & McAuliffe …show more content…
To begin with, what I could have done differently would involve more research and questions. Chenoweth & McAuliffe (2012) suggests that developing a practice framework, such as the combination of knowledge, values and skills to create the foundation for the “purposeful use of self” (p. 203), helps the practitioner to make ethical, judgments, decisions, actions in challenging circumstances. With this in mind, my lack of knowledge with regards to the client’s reasons for attending the HLSP, such as social exclusion and the purpose for the HLSP activities, such as open ended group work, needed more focus (Chenoweth & McAuliffe 2012). Similarly, my communication skills, such as questioning, could have been more focused if my energy was not taken up by my somewhat successful professional detachment as mentioned in previous paragraph. For these reasons, the way I will improve my practise is by developing a practice framework that considers me as “the main instrument of practice” (Chenoweth & McAuliffe 2012, p. 203), my current skills and limitations, my current knowledge and ignorance and my values and