Social Work Degree- reflection on my Practice

Social Work Degree- reflection on my Practice 

Reflective practice is at the core of social work education and practice, and it is of particular importance for newly qualified social workers or social workers working in placement settings (Staempfli & Fairtlough, 2018). However, when it comes to actual practice, reflection is a far more complex concept. As such, social workers must have the confidence to challenge their own practice, the organization they work for, and dominant power structures in society as a whole (Butler et al., 2007). A critical reflective practice, which is part of reflective practice, enables social workers to rethink and reconstruct dominant social discourses. Through this essay, I will explore my reflection experiences during my practice placement at a non-profit organization in the U.K. The reflection essay will entail my experiences while on placement, diverse culture in the U.K and its impact on social workers and diverse communities in Britain and their influence on social work practice. Furthermore, the essay will examine the opportunities and challenges of migration for social work in the United Kingdom and also analyze international social work models and compare with U.K social work practice.  

I explored and engaged with multiple models of reflection during my placement, but Schon's theory of reflection (Schon, 1983) stood out to me as the most useful. Schon recommended two types of reflective practice.  First, reflection-on-action involves evaluating an experience you have already had, or a task you have already accomplished, and considering what can be done better in the future, as well as the benefits of such an interaction. Schon also notes a type of reflection called reflection-in-action, in which you reflect on your actions and take into account things like best practices while you are carrying them out. However, considering the current medium, I'll focus mainly on reflection-on-action. 

While on placement, I was assigned the role of meeting with the charitable organization’s social worker to negotiate the best possible outcome on behalf of my client. The charitable organization aims to provide aid and support to asylum seekers and refugees, as well as identify issues and meet practical needs with assistance from legal professionals, social workers, counselors, and other local support networks 

The experience I gained during my work experience introduced me to different approaches to problem-solving. My duties involved dealing with people daily and resolving issues that they might be facing. For instance, communication and problem-solving skills were important in resolving the incident involving my client's accommodation refusal. As Heppner et al., (1983) point out, problem-solving skills serve as soft skills needed in both personal and professional lives. My work experience allowed me to develop excellent problem-solving skills. In these situations, I learned how to analyze the information available, apply the information for making a sound decision and argument, and then adapt to the compromise of both parties. I was also responsible for assisting and coordinating with other charities, and in some situations, I had to adapt to the surroundings of the charity organization to get a better sense of what it is like to work there. I gained skills such as problem-solving abilities and adaptability from my work experiences, which will help me in my career path, since many recruiters today are looking for candidates with diverse skills. Currently, recruitment firms require that the candidate is flexible to different situations and environments and capable of absorbing concepts and ideas of a broad nature. 

I addition, I was able to interact with different people while on placement who had different values, social believes, cultures, and biases. Although, it was a challenge, I was able to navigate and adapt to their ways in order to make my services as a social worker effective for them. In health and social care, culture and cultural identity are crucial concepts, and this is evident in literature, legislation, and social work education. In contrast to popular belief, social workers do not require a deep understanding of the cultures of the people they serve but must treat these people with courtesy and respect, and be willing to learn about them. Due to this reason alone, I believe self-awareness and rigorous self-examination are important components of culturally competent practice. In the UK, there is a very multicultural society, with a very open mind toward new religions and cultures. However, most people are Christians with around 86% of the population, followed by Muslims which only claim a small percentage (Unsworth & Voas, 2017). Most U.K citizens speak and English thus it was easy for me to communicate with them when dealing with their issues. I am also a Christian and thus, I didn’t face any hardships have with their beliefs regarding their way of worshiping. While still on placement, I realized that U.K people believe in respect and tolerance. As such, I was forced to make sure I maintain high respect with my clients during the process of interacting with them. I adapted to their cultural beliefs, social norms and their way of living to avoid challenges while dealing with my clients. 

I was also awed by how the U.K is culturally diverse. White British people make up the largest ethnic group in the United Kingdom, followed by Asian British people (Population of England and Wales 2020). The British government conducts a national census to inform the public about ethnicity. However, census figures for 2011 documented a lessening proportion of White British people compared to those for 2001 (Harris, 2017). Minority populations are growing due to a variety of factors, including characteristics of birth rates and immigration (Coleman, 2010). Therefore, with such a diversified culture, social workers are called upon to be aware of these people’s social beliefs, be open, honest, reliable, and fair.  Social workers should maintain high respect when with these clients and keep these people’s dignity and privacy. Rather than acting separately, people are products of large complex systems as argued by system theory (Yihong, 2012). According to this theory, behavior is affected by several factors that are interconnected and they include families, friends, social settings, religious beliefs, economic status, and home environment. Thus, as a social worker, you have to be aware of such factors to work with such a culturally diversified country. 

I also noted that social workers who migrated to the U.K from other countries face lots of challenges. Some of these challenges include the difference in social work practice and culture, adapting to life in the U.K, home and belonging, and adapting to a foreign language since some could not be proficient in English. On the other hand, this could turn out to be a bigger opportunity for social workers who migrated into the country since they will have the opportunity of helping homeless people, drug addicts, refugees, among others together with good pay.  Social workers who are not U.K citizens undergo many challenges such as feeling like they don’t belong to the U.K as a result of the private nature of most people in the U.K. They also find it hard when adapting to the way of living in the U.K and the U. K’s social norms, however, most manage to adapt. 

Lastly, social learning and problem-solving models are the most crucial international models that social workers should apply when they are working at the international level.  According to social learning theory, learning takes place as a result of observing others and modeling their behavior (Pratt et al., 2009). As such, the social learning theory helps social workers learn how role models influence people's behavior and moods. In addition to using social learning theory for intervention strategies, social workers can also conduct positive reinforcement and modeling to promote new positive behaviors in clients. Whereas the problem-solving model helps social workers identify problems, come up with an action plan that will be utilized in solving the problem as well as implementing the solution (Anon, 2021). All this model works effectively when compared to social workers working in the U.K. Social learning helps social workers to study the culture of U.K people. This will significantly help them know what is expected of them when dealing with clients. The problem-solving model on the other hand, helps social workers formulate solutions for problems that emerge when interacting with their clients. This implies that social workers should put into consideration culture of people they have been assigned to work with and as well consider social work models that is relevant to their working condition setting. 

List of References

Anon, 6 important theories in Social Work. Online MSW Programs: A Comprehensive Directory of Accredited MSW Degrees. Available at: https://www.onlinemswprograms.com/social-work/theories/ [Accessed October 4, 2021]. 

Anon, 2020. Population of england and Wales. GOV.UK Ethnicity facts and figures. Available at: https://www.ethnicity-facts-figures.service.gov.uk/uk-population-by-ethnicity/national-and-regional-populations/population-of-england-and-wales/latest [Accessed October 4, 2021]. 

Butler, A., Ford, D. & Tregaskis, C., 2007. Who do we think we are? Qualitative Social Work, 6(3), pp.281–299. 

Coleman, D., 2010. Projections of the ethnic minority populations of the United Kingdom 2006-2056. Population and Development Review, 36(3), pp.441–486. 

Heppner, P.P., Reeder, B.L. & Larson, L.M., 1983. Cognitive variables associated with personal problem-solving appraisal: Implications for counseling. Journal of Counseling Psychology, 30(4), pp.537–545. 

Harris, R., 2017. Measuring the scales of segregation: Looking at the residential separation of White British and other schoolchildren in England using a multilevel index of dissimilarity. Transactions of the Institute of British Geographers, 42(3), pp.432–444. 

Pratt, T.C. et al., 2009. The empirical status of Social Learning Theory: A meta‐analysis. Justice Quarterly, 27(6), pp.765–802.