Positive Feedback

 

When working in Social Work we don’t do it for the positive comments because if we did, we would be sorely disappointed.

There is a lot of assumptions made about Social Workers and what we do. I have found that when I say that I am a Social Worker people automatically assume that I work with children. The media show that Social Workers remove children, and some people genuinely believe that they are paid for doing so. Like they get some kind of bonus based on it. That is probably the furthest thing from Social Work values that could happen.

Social Work values focus on social justice and improved outcomes. Social Workers don’t want to remove children from their families but if it is the best thing for them and the only option at that moment then that is what they are going to do because the child in that instance is the focus and at the centre not the parents.

I see similar experiences when working with adults where family members believe that someone should be in care but the person themselves does not want to go into care and I can find an option that would allow them to remain in their own home by increasing their support. I will always go for the option that allows them to remain at home because that is their wish. I am involved to support the person to achieve the outcomes that they want. Don’t get me wrong I take the needs of family members and carers into consideration, but they are not my main focus.

I spend a lot of time explaining myself to families about why I am not necessarily just putting someone in care. I couldn’t live with myself if I put someone where they did not want to me and made their life worse. That is not in my value base.

If you had asked me when I first started my degree, why I want to be a Social Worker I would have said because I want to help people but now, I have finished my studies and have been working that answer would change. I would now say that I am a Social Worker because I want to support people to achieve the outcomes that they want. To allow their voice to be heard. To advocate for them when they can’t do it themselves.

I have conversations where I am told that if I am going to speak to the person, I won’t get anything from them. I always respond by telling them that I understand what they are saying to me, but I still need to try. Even if that person lacks capacity for the decision, I still want to hear their views. I want their voice to be heard because the process that we are involved in is about them. I have had the person I am supporting tell me that my life is in their hands, and I corrected them and said “no it’s your life it’s in your hands. I’m just here to help.”

There is not enough education out there about Social Workers and what they do. Meaning that people’s perceptions come from their own experiences of a Social Worker. The information provided by the media or hearing other people’s experiences. The difficulty with this is that a lot of the time we only discuss negative experiences. It’s the same as if you go into a shop, you are much more likely to tell someone about the experience afterwards if the person serving you was rude than if they were really friendly.

I am fortunate because I do get some really positive comments from the people I have supported. Sometimes these are not explicitly because I have wanted feedback. Some have been said off the cuff in a conversation. I had an experience of this when I mentioned to someone this week that my involvement will be ending, and they went on to tell me how positive they have found working with me.

I find accepting comments like this really difficult. I think as humans we can struggle with positive comments about us. I believe that I am good at what I do but when someone is specifically saying it to me or about me, I find it really awkward. I had my 6 months review last week and that demonstrated this to me even more so. I was glad that I was on a telephone conversation and not on a video call or in person because I could feel myself being embarrassed at the nice comments that were being made.

I do appreciate positive feedback whether it comes from professionals, colleagues, or people we are working with. I know it doesn’t happen often and it is always nice when it does, but it doesn’t make it feel any less awkward for me.