Who am I to stop them?

One thing that people keep telling me is so difficult about my Social Work journey is that I did most of it in a pandemic. I have discussed my views on this in a previous blog post that was on Social Work students page and I have now added onto here.

The main worry for people is that I have yet to really spend any time in an office. I was fortunate when I started my final placement that the team, I was in meant that I had a couple of days a week in the office and had my supervision face to face. I agree that I was fortunate but since changing team I have not been in the office at all. I don’t see this as a major issue because I have still been able to build really good relationships with the people I work with.

I know that in an office you get the buzz, and you learn through being around people and that is something I am yet to experience but also, I think speaking on the phone provides something different. It has added benefits because I find when someone can’t see you, they are more open, maybe more honest. Like I said I haven’t been in an office environment in my current team so I may be completely wrong but that’s how it feels.

I have gained so much knowledge from the people around me. I have had long phone calls that have explained full processes to me and other situations that have been an off the cuff comment that completely changes my thinking.

Recently I was speaking with someone and talking about the approach I take to Mental Capacity assessments, and I found it really interesting that although we do the same job, and we stick to the same principles the way we do it could be completely different. I realised when thinking back on it that although within my degree I was taught the process, I wasn’t really taught the process. I was told the on paper this is what you need to find out and these are the principles you stick to, but nobody ever taught me this is how you do it.

I never saw an example one, or a video of what it would look like. I never saw what types of questions you would ask. Don’t get me wrong this is difficult because each one is time and decision specific but an example of for this situation, I would ask these types of questions would have been helpful. I would have appreciated someone talking about it in a way that made sense, it is a conversation that’s all. I know through speaking to other people who have qualified in the last few years that they were scared of these types of assessments because they felt when they were explained to them when they were studying, they were explained in such a way that it made them sound terrifying. Like if you made one mistake that was you done. 

It would be so much easier for Newly Qualified Social Workers if someone had just showed us how when we were studying, let us do a practice run with other people, told us the types of questions, why we actually do them and that the most important thing about them is that we write down what the person tells us word for word so that we have captured their wishes. Whether they end up being deemed to have capacity or not that is the important part in my opinion. What is it they want? Don’t get me wrong what they tell you may not always be an actual option but at least you know. There may be other options that are similar that you could try because you know it leans closer to what they would want.

In my opinion one of the main reasons for assessments such as these are to hear the person. Not have what they think as a side note in the overall story. When I am on visits, and I hear someone say that I have their future in my hands I always correct them and tell them that it is their life, and I am just there to help with anything they need. I explain regularly to families that I will do what is best for their family member, on occasions that means something that everyone else doesn’t agree with and I may not agree, as long as they are safe, and they have capacity to decide that...who am I to stop them?