Social Worker Sharing

  We work with people in a lot of different situations and although we may have previous experience of working with people with the same diagnosis or similar difficulties this does not mean that we know the best way to approach the situation. I was linked to a very useful website this week via some training I attended about tips from people living with Dementia. It is a website full of ideas about different aspects of life and how to use small fairly inexpensive fixes to make day to day life easier for someone with Dementia. I found this really helpful because although I have worked with people with this diagnosis the people who experience this as part of their daily life have much more knowledge than I do about what works. Working in a community team we look at what is available in the community first before looking into other options and then paid for services. Some of the simple tips that are offered could save a lot of money but also could allow someone to remain in their...

When training to be a Social Worker we do talk about the importance of the language we use and focus on not using jargon because we don’t want to confuse people, but I don’t think this is a topic that is discussed or delved into as much as it should be. We know that we should speak professionally, not swear and be respectful. These are a given but the finer nuances of interactions with people can make a big difference to how the relationship develops and how involved that person feels in working with you. When we first visit someone, it is important to know how they wish to be addressed. Are they happy for you to use their first name, do they go by a middle or different name or do they prefer Mrs X. This demonstrates from the beginning of your interaction with them not only that you care about their preferences but also it can do a lot in terms of respect. I had a conversation not long after starting my final placement with my practice educator about a specific case. I am White...

  How often do we have conversations with carers talking about how they don’t need to feel guilty for needing a break? How they are only human and can only give so much to others because they need something left for themselves. Now how often do we take our own advice? I imagine a lot less than we should. We seem to find it easier to explain to others how what they are doing is what they need to do for their own mental health, but we don’t do the same for ourselves. The rate of burnout in Social Work is high and the average length of a Social Work career is approximately 8 years. There are a lot of reasons for this such as high caseloads and low resources, but I do think that some of it comes from Social Workers who want to make sure they do the best for the people they support and put themselves on the back burner to achieve it. I follow a lot of Social Workers on twitter and see regular conversations about how people are having to work weekends and late into the evening ...