Hi all, I wondered if anyone has anything they do on a daily basis that they are really proud of, or something specific that you have done that you were really proud of. What work do you do above and beyond your job role to ensure positive outcomes for your clients.
I'm just thinking about writing something about positive social work practice and using 'real life' examples of 'extraordinary' work that social workers actually do on a daily basis. I wouldn't write, who wrote what, I just want some food for thought. Some real intensive work that you are proud of that would make people go 'wow' and not realise that social workers actually do that sort of thing.
Cheers
Andy
unfortuantely I haven't done anything that would make people go 'wow'
me neither really but maybe that is the point, it is the little every day things we do that make the difference...
Hatgirl: me neither really but maybe that is the point, it is the little every day things we do that make the difference...
Those everyday things are what I want to hear. It wouldn't make us go 'wow' as it is part of our day to day stuff, but more around what the public would be surprised at :)
is this only subjected to social workers or do support workers qualify also?
Oz y
Oz y: is this only subjected to social workers or do support workers qualify also?
Most definitely support workers as well. I write for 'Professional Social Work' published by BASW, and I wrote last month (i think) that with everything thats going on its easy to forget the positive side of social care (as a whole not just social work) and want to follow it up in my next column.
Regards
A
as part of my role in early intervention in psychosis team i go into schools, colleges and youth centres to educate young people on the subject of mental health and psychosis in particular
For me, I think it's seeing a child (who suffered years of neglect & should have been removed from their parents years before) thriving and happy with their new family, being giving the opportunities and enjoying their childhood as a child should
ladybird: as part of my role in early intervention in psychosis team i go into schools, colleges and youth centres to educate young people on the subject of mental health and psychosis in particular
See to me thats so important, but i imagine that opportunity to educate people gets missed by so many teams... I know i recently invited an early intervention psychosis team to come and provide info for young people and never got any response.
Hopefully when I qualify I will find time to do things like that
As a student, reading all of this it is quite inspirational actually. This past year has been non-stop stress and I was beginning to forget why I want to be a social worker. A bit of end of year reflecting and reading these is reminding me that I actually want to improve peoples lives... in the most simple, yet creative, of ways as possible.
redana:Send little cards and things they like. Given my own children's outgrown things i.e toys and equipment.
hehe don't know about you but in my LA this would most definitely be considerably frowned upon.
I personally weigh up the risk of being 'found out' in this respect on each indivdual case, I know which of my cases will really appreciate a birthday card and those who would probably use it as evidence of social services harrassment.
simply however, we are not allowed to receive or give any gifts of any monetary value. I personally think it is great you do that as long as there are boundaries
redana:. Given my own children's outgrown things i.e toys and equipment.
Reminds me of the time I gave a family a bag of my son's outgrown tracksuits for their sons. Next time I visited the family both mum and dad had one on! lol!
The very simplist of things we do are setting up chemist to collect repeat prescriptions and delivering it to the service user in their own home. Arranging hospital transport, escorting SU's to hospitals. Benefit maximisation. Making referrals to OT, Social Services, PCT & Day Centres. Weekly contacts. Regular coffee mornings, summer day trips etc.. Being responsive to their needs and being honest -its sth that seems to be valued all the time and keeping them involved in everything that is related to them -good or bad.
The slightly complex things we do that I have noticed my service users seems to think 'wow' to are SOVA Alerts -SU's appreciate the proactive involvement we maintain (I supported a SU through a financial abuse case, she had to take part in a video witness interview, I went with her and ensured a family member was present too). Visiting SU's in hospital when they have been admitted.
One of my SU's has a tetraplegic condition and I have encouraged him to be involved in the planning of a day trip to Hastings and have involved him in designing posters for our events, he enjoys being able to make a positive contribution to the community, he is currently thinking of getting back into work and getting involved in our newsletter.
All these are not much -just in a days/weeks work but SU's really appreciated it, they always express their gratitude -i guess we just need to realise whatever we do does make a difference however little it may seem.
Oz y: The very simplist of things we do are setting up chemist to collect repeat prescriptions and delivering it to the service user in their own home. Arranging hospital transport, escorting SU's to hospitals. Benefit maximisation. Making referrals to OT, Social Services, PCT & Day Centres. Weekly contacts. Regular coffee mornings, summer day trips etc.. Being responsive to their needs and being honest -its sth that seems to be valued all the time and keeping them involved in everything that is related to them -good or bad. The slightly complex things we do that I have noticed my service users seems to think 'wow' to are SOVA Alerts -SU's appreciate the proactive involvement we maintain (I supported a SU through a financial abuse case, she had to take part in a video witness interview, I went with her and ensured a family member was present too). Visiting SU's in hospital when they have been admitted. One of my SU's has a tetraplegic condition and I have encouraged him to be involved in the planning of a day trip to Hastings and have involved him in designing posters for our events, he enjoys being able to make a positive contribution to the community, he is currently thinking of getting back into work and getting involved in our newsletter. All these are not much -just in a days/weeks work but SU's really appreciated it, they always express their gratitude -i guess we just need to realise whatever we do does make a difference however little it may seem.
That all sounds really awesome. I guess a lot of my interests lie with the work that takes place around things like these as well as the actual stories. Such as the methods of how we advocate for and empower our service users that led to them feeling comfortable to do te video witness interview and plan a trip out etc. To me this is where the publics knowlege lacks, not only of the positive work that takes place but also the skills used by the workers in order to get the service user to this position. I agree that we all need to realise whatever we do makes a difference, but also that despite tabloid headlines, we all have achieved positive outcomes for our service users- no matter how small or big.
Andy_Pandy: Oz y: The very simplist of things we do are setting up chemist to collect repeat prescriptions and delivering it to the service user in their own home. Arranging hospital transport, escorting SU's to hospitals. Benefit maximisation. Making referrals to OT, Social Services, PCT & Day Centres. Weekly contacts.........All these are not much -just in a days/weeks work but SU's really appreciated it, they always express their gratitude -i guess we just need to realise whatever we do does make a difference however little it may seem. That all sounds really awesome.
Oz y: The very simplist of things we do are setting up chemist to collect repeat prescriptions and delivering it to the service user in their own home. Arranging hospital transport, escorting SU's to hospitals. Benefit maximisation. Making referrals to OT, Social Services, PCT & Day Centres. Weekly contacts.........All these are not much -just in a days/weeks work but SU's really appreciated it, they always express their gratitude -i guess we just need to realise whatever we do does make a difference however little it may seem.
The very simplist of things we do are setting up chemist to collect repeat prescriptions and delivering it to the service user in their own home. Arranging hospital transport, escorting SU's to hospitals. Benefit maximisation. Making referrals to OT, Social Services, PCT & Day Centres. Weekly contacts.........All these are not much -just in a days/weeks work but SU's really appreciated it, they always express their gratitude -i guess we just need to realise whatever we do does make a difference however little it may seem.
That all sounds really awesome.
All well and good, I would love to be able to do this kind of work, but the social work role doesn't really allow for it generally. I work with support workers who get to do this kind of thing, usually after I have asked them to and I feel envious. I enjoy hearing them report back on how successful the day has been, and glad that the SU has had a positive experience. But at the end of the day my role is the hard end of the coal face, safeguarding, mental capacity, residential assessments, continuing care, resource management, commissioning services and generally being the 'bad guy' when it comes to rationing services.
I could have quite easily spent the entire day at one SUs house today, they were outside doing some gardening, and clearly feeling more talkative than usual. I took advantage of this for as long as possible but knew I had to get back to complete an assessment to go to panel on Monday afternoon
indeed.. I get a feeling most people working within social care (including myself) does not fully appreciate what we do and may feel that we cant keep up with the work -but thats the paperwork talking -if we look closely we do achieve alot of things and this does have a positive impact on the service users... I guess we need to reflect more often.. thank you for your post..
its a shame as they way we are having to work now all these simple things we do will be a thing of the past our ones a week contact will most likely to diminish to once a month.. hard times are a head of us... but we also safeguard as we too have a duty of care and not always are we percieved as the good guys.. but nevertheless i prefer to look at the positive as we can always complain about most circumstances within the field..
Small conversations are sometimes the most important - being able to listen properly to a concerned carer and act on their concerns to arrange respite, allow the space to express frustrations and just ensure that they have a knowledge of their entitlements.
Positive reinforcements to someone who is still working through recovery or who can only pick out the negatives of their life - sometimes it needs someone 'from the outside' to be able to measure achievements, particularly if someone is isolated.
Positive risk-taking - arguing with other medical and social care professionals that support CAN be provided at home as opposed to in residential care and although risks are present, they are not enough restrict someone's rights substantially.
When there is the need to 'enforce' such as when I carry out a Mental Health Act Assessment, ensure that the person is absolutely respected and treated with care, compassion and consideration through what is one of the most difficult periods of their life. Above all, not to be caught up in the power that this position exposes us to.
Admitting to mistakes when we make them and that we do make them. Pretense of infallibility is very dangerous in this line of work.
cb: Small conversations are sometimes the most important - being able to listen properly to a concerned carer and act on their concerns to arrange respite, allow the space to express frustrations and just ensure that they have a knowledge of their entitlements. Positive reinforcements to someone who is still working through recovery or who can only pick out the negatives of their life - sometimes it needs someone 'from the outside' to be able to measure achievements, particularly if someone is isolated. Positive risk-taking - arguing with other medical and social care professionals that support CAN be provided at home as opposed to in residential care and although risks are present, they are not enough restrict someone's rights substantially. When there is the need to 'enforce' such as when I carry out a Mental Health Act Assessment, ensure that the person is absolutely respected and treated with care, compassion and consideration through what is one of the most difficult periods of their life. Above all, not to be caught up in the power that this position exposes us to. Admitting to mistakes when we make them and that we do make them. Pretense of infallibility is very dangerous in this line of work.
totally agree in all aspects.. respect works both ways..
Its great to see some enthusiasm here. It really is those small things we do that the public just dont realise. Particularly the skill behind the work
The enthusiasm is there because truly, 10 years after qualifying I love my job :) I don't love every moment of it. It's stressful and some of the bureaucracy drives me mad but the positives outweigh the negatives ten fold.
Several years ago I was OT for an elderly woman who shared her large house with her son, who had significant mental health problems but wouldn't agree to see anyone to help him. I was involved in doing a wheelchair adaptation to her kitchen, which took a couple of years of input, for lots of reasons. The woman had disclosed that she was scared of her son and that his behaviour was abusive, but wouldn't talk a lot about it because of a fear of being overheard by him, and he wouldn't let her out. She hadn't been out of the house other than for hospital appointments for a couple of years. As the kitchen work was progressing we needed to make some decisions about appliances so I managed to get agreement from the son that I could take her out in a taxi to John Lewis to look at fridge-freezers to see which one would be suitable - that she could open the door, reach into it etc. So we spent the afternoon in John Lewis trying out fridge-freezers then we went and had a look at handbags and things, then went up to the cafe and found a quiet spot where we couldn't be overheard, where she had a cup of tea and two slices of cake and told me everything that had been going on.
It was the best afternoon's work I've ever done. It was productive in that we got to choose the appropriate appliance for her needs, and she felt able to open up to talk to me about her situation. It was great for her state of mind getting out of the house for the first time in years, she really enjoyed browsing through the handbags and sparkly things and I think it was the first time in a long time she'd been able to eat as much as she wanted without her son interfering.
Kirst, I'm really interested to hear how things progressed from there, sounds like some really good work, but were you able to continue it?
Sadly I find that often those small initial milestones are sometimes about as far as you can get, which is sad.
I am sure that this has just slipped your memory or maybe that you didnt acknowledge it to yourself in that way.
I am so pleased that there is this opportunity though to promote positive practice rather than the constant slating we usually get.
I am not currently working but am trying to get back into my profession. However, I can think of many examples where I woke in the night thinking about something that I needed to do regarding a case - all these things are both positives as well as negatives. I rewarded myself with something nice for something that I achieved, no matter how small - where a difference was made - to promote my own self worth. This could be spread across teams to bring morale up. Teams going to the gym together - support your local authority gym or aquarobics or whatever. Team sports drive up morale in a big way!
They are all just small things but they make a difference. Watch t.v. - the Politics Programme 11.30am on BBC2. As well as This Week at 11.35pm - I appreciate it is both within the working day but also late at night but the political definitely becomes personal in seeing how we can develop our profession. These programmes could be recorded and taken to team meetings for discussion. Broaden thinking not narrow the thinking.
I think we need to develop a Social Work Complaints Commission (as with the Police) as a separate investigative body to look into serious case reviews. I cannot think that either Nursing (Health) or Police would allow themselves to be put forward for further slatings. When are we going to commence not being the whipping post for front line services! It is disproportionate against the other front line professions. It undermines our profession when we need to keep together to be strong and have someone be on our side.
Of course there are mistakes, but inviting the public into the arena of life where they do not understand the complexities involved as a method of throwing ourselves to appease the lions is doubly wrong - on the part of the public as well as social services and the subsequent fallout on social workers.
The whole point of a serious case review is the examine what went wrong so that it can be put right.
What do others think?
Hey eddison.j
Thanks for your reply. You raise some really good points. Interestingly I was talking about SCR's today (as a student I tend to talk about most things social work related... 24/7- I really have no life!). What is annoying about SCR's is that they all say the same thing, and as you say they are about investigating/examining so that we can improve things. But the gap in them that I see is that we do not learn- so the question is how does a social services department in Berkshire learn from an SCR is Scotland. Thats the failing, we need a stringent and stable system so that we can all learn from reviews and implement change in our own local authorities or wherever we work.
Also, brining up morale in social work is so important. Im with you on that. Just basic stuff can make a big difference. I write a column in 'Professional Social Work' magazine which goes to members of the British Association of Social Workers. And I am hoping to use the ideas/stories on here to inform some of my writing, I want to write something about positive practice but also about how to build the morale of the profession- so thank you for that thought.
Thanks for replying
Andrew
hi every body am fatty and i am 60years old and am doing a foundation degree on working children young peole and families i do not think am to old for this job as and am not actually a social worker yet but i do admire peole who are social workers and trying to get there as it is hard so good on everybody who is nearly there but i work in a restbite home for children who have diabilitities and i need some food for thought as well how can you write a report on something out of nothing i need some ideas please so that i can write one up do you do it from experiences or bluf it
fatty, your age is not a factor, but your question suggests you are either very naive or you are havin a laff.
Fatty- I ditto what redana said.
I thrive on service user feedback. One comment that stays with me was from a service user I was working with who had sever mental health issues. Being told you are the only 'friend' and person that has helped them in their whole lives- being told you were their guardian angel always reminds me why I do this job. We do make a difference to so many people - maybe this is what should be show in the media??
Last week, I spent an hour with a carer- answering her really basic questions about how to deal with husband following a depressive episode. She had not had any chance to ask things like 'was it okay to still ask him to walk the dog, or mend the dripping tap or was that putting too much pressure on him?' (I reassured her that it might be good for him, as it would help him to recover and still feel needed and wanted in his home/ family, and that she should treat him as she normally would and not wrap him in cotton wool, but still enable him to say no if he wasn't up to something). Taking the time to reassure her, listen to her fears and enable her to express her feelings about the event was so important, and I went away feeling like I had done something really valuable.
He rang me today to tell me he had put up some pictures that had been in the garage for months, and felt so proud- it felt like a real achievement and he realised that he wasn't totally useless and a burden on everyone.
Come on people, it's mid-week now, whats made you smile? Whats the hardest but most successful piece of work you've completed this week (or to date as a QSW)?
One of my most rewarding achievements was arranging for an older gentleman with a moderate to severe learning disability to have singing lessons. It was on the pretext of him getting ready to sing to his mum (who had the previous year been admitted to a nursing home with dementia) from the stage of a leading local opera house. It was hoped that this would not only give him another activity to do but also redirect what we all thought was a totally unrealistic dream. The lessons were "interesting" and the teacher dealt with his constant falsetto singing brilliantly. Sadly the lessons didn't continue but he DID get to sing to his mum on the stage of that opera house.
Andy_Pandy: Oz y: is this only subjected to social workers or do support workers qualify also? Most definitely support workers as well. I write for 'Professional Social Work' published by BASW, and I wrote last month (i think) that with everything thats going on its easy to forget the positive side of social care (as a whole not just social work) and want to follow it up in my next column. Regards A
how did you get on that Andy?
Ive got a few but one i remember is spending hours walking and talking outside with a floridly psychotic service user to give partner and family a break and prevent them been admitted eventualy got to the root of the stress and prevented the annual admission which had been happening for 6 years it was the stress of xmas spending. Well worth the shoe leather
I once spent a morning talking to a duvet but eventually got her to accept respite for her drained FPs.
I mainly remember her going on about who killed the bear in the forest of dean.
redana:Shirack- are you feeling light headed?