Reviewing The Daycare Sessions Of Age Concern Social Work Essay Essays

Reviewing The Daycare Sessions Of Age Concern Social Work Essay Essays Reviewing The Daycare Sessions Of Age Concern Social Work Essay Essay Reviewing The Daycare Sessions Of Age Concern Social Work Essay Essay The direct observation will take topographic point at one of the day care Sessionss provided by Age Concern. I will work with little groups of service users to discourse with them their feelings and sentiments about the service they receive. I besides plan to inform them of the purposes of Age Concern s twenty-four hours attention service in regard of modernization to guarantee that single demands are met to accomplish personalisation of service proviso. The session aims to derive a more in depth cognition of the demands of the service users and what their personal aims for go toing the Sessionss may be. Following this, the pattern session aims to present some thoughts about activities or the creative activity of smaller involvement groups, within the big group, and to determine how the persons utilizing the service may wish to continue with this. An illustration of which is the debut of the creative activity of life books which would enable the service users to make a record of important events or memories in their life. These could be constructed over a period of clip and purpose to promote conversations and reminiscence and besides stimulate argument, possibly about current personal businesss and political relations and how these may differ from old times. These can be used with service users with a diverse scope of demands and the usage of exposure and images may promote communicating, peculiarly with persons who have more complex demands such as dementedness and cognitive damage. I plan to show a paradigm life book for service users to look at so the construct is to the full communicated. The session aims to promote the engagement of service users in specifying the scheme of modernization of the service, which can so be developed and implemented by Age Concern. How will you fix for the session? What literature will you pull on? Prior to the pattern session I have spent clip at the three day care services provided by Age Concern in South Gloucestershire. During which, in order to derive a thorough apprehension of how the service is provided, I have engaged in all facets of the service proviso including escorting the service users from their ain places onto the community conveyance to the twenty-four hours Centre, prosecuting in conversations and helping at repasts times and detecting the activities etc. which the staff provide for the service users. At one of the day care Sessionss I besides completed a questionnaire with each service user to derive an penetration into how satisfied they were with the service and what alterations, if any, they felt were needed. This has enabled me to take an grounds based attack to fixing for the session and the development of advancing alterations and modernization of the service proviso, in regard of the personalisation docket. My readying has been informed, ab initio, by recognizing my ain experiences of being portion of a group and believing about the positive and negative experiences I have encountered. I am cognizant that frequently it can experience intimidating to voice an sentiment when in a big group of people and fight and power battles can happen. However I besides recognise that the voice of a group can be far more powerful than that of the person when trying to ease alteration. I have drawn on the work of Mullender, A and Ward, D ( 1991 ) who identify the potency that can be derived from working as a group and the usage of this state of affairs to back up each other to get the better of, for illustration, stereotyped positions, reasoning that autonomy and authorization can be found through group rank. I am hence aware of this when fixing for the session and experience that the forming of groups of four or five service users may be a suited size group for persons to experience comfy to voice thei r sentiments, and besides to back up each other in any looks of subjugation or favoritism which may be apparent. I have been informed by the work of Lee ( 1991, cited in Preston- Shoot, 2007 ) who identifies that as a facilitator of a group I will necessitate to utilize my ain cognition and communicating accomplishments to assistance persons, both to unwrap and obtain information and addition support from each other. The service users who attend the day care have a diverse scope of demands and therefore some persons are more able to pass on their sentiments clearly, than others. Therefore, clip will be spent guaranting that all persons have the chance to show themselves and that all group members have understood to the full what has been discussed. This could be achieved by utilizing clear, apprehensible linguistic communication, guaranting that slang is non used and besides sum uping the issues at the terminal of the session. Further conversations, on a one to one footing will be carried out if extra elucidation is needed, or if persons have concerns which they do non wish to discourse in a gr oup scene. As a consequence of this communicating I hope that a partnership can be formed between non merely the service users who attend the daycentres, but besides with the staff who work at that place. There is a concern that the daycare staff may experience disempowered by the alterations which are taking topographic point in the proviso of grownup services, in regard of the personalisation of attention. Therefore the engagement of staff along with service users throughout this period of alteration, is imperative to the constitution of a positive development of the service. I have besides drawn on literature sing the voluntary sector, in peculiar the work of Wilson, D ( 1996, cited in Billis A ; Harris, 1996 ) refering the identify of voluntary bureaus. Wilson argues that they provide service users with a function in societal life in a manner that does nt go on in local authorization community services. This is achieved as it is more flexible and brooding of alterations in society as is non restricted by the bureaucratism of local authorities. However, as is now evident, in order for bureaus such as Age Concern to go on to have support to supply day care services they need to guarantee that these are in conformity with societal policy such as aa‚Â ¬E?Putting Peoples foremost: a shared vision and committedness to the transmutation of big societal careaa‚Â ¬a„? ( 2007 ) . The session aims to get down the procedure of implementing more individualized day care services and get down to develop the group as an entity in it s ain right, as opposed to a assemblage of persons. I have been informed by literature by Payne, M ( 2006 ) who explores the procedure of group formation. It is interesting to use this in the context of day care as persons have come together through a shared demand for societal contact, instead than through shared involvements. The work of Tuckman, B ( 1965 ) identifies phases in which groups develop and create their ain individuality and over clip may germinate into a wholly different gathering. All of which I will be aware of throughout the pattern session. Underpining my readying are the moralss and values of societal work pattern. I have drawn on the work of Banks, S. ( 2006 ) to inform my pattern in regard of this, researching the function of the societal worker when working with older people. Banks emphasises the significance of esteeming the service users single picks and involvements in relation to the National Occupational Standards for societal work ( 2009 ) . What communicating accomplishments will you utilize? In order to pass on efficaciously with the service users, I plan to ab initio see the environment in which the pattern session will take topographic point. Guaranting there is a quiet and broad country in which the persons will experience comfy may promote engagement. I will be cognizant of both my verbal and non verbal communicating accomplishments throughout the session. Keeping oculus contact when appropriate and guaranting my gait of address and tone are such that persons can understand and follow what is being discussed. I am aware of the SOLER model in which Egan ( 1998 ) identifies the significance of physical and verbal linguistic communication when pass oning with others. Therefore an consciousness of my facial looks and position etc. are all imperative in helping effectual communicating. I plan to follow an exchange paradigm whereby the service users will be at the Centre of the procedure ( Smale et Al, 2000 ) . The usage of unfastened inquiring and care of a compassionate and non judgemental attack will guarantee a Fuller apprehension of the sentiments of the service user will be obtained. Due to the diverseness of the demands of the service users the usage of images or the written word may be more appropriate than entirely verbal communicating. This will guarantee that the persons who are cognitively impaired or have troubles pass oning due to a physical damage, are able to take part and voice their sentiments every bit to those who do non see these troubles. What issues of subjugation or favoritism might be present? How will you turn to them? During the times I have spent helping at the day care Sessionss I have become cognizant of issues of subjugation and favoritism which are present. Many of the service users are centripetal impaired and hence experience trouble in prosecuting in the activities as can non hear to be able to take part in conversations or due to ocular damage feel isolated from the group. I plan to turn to this by guaranting that the environment is suited to enable all group members involved in the pattern session can prosecute or hold appropriate support from the staff to enable them to make so. Taking clip to look into that the service users have understood what is being discussed will besides help in inclusion of all group members. I have recognised that some staff do non promote the service users with complex demands or high degrees of physical damage to take part in the group. On occasions this has resulted in some service users merely sitting in the group environment non pass oning or interacting in anyhow. Premises have been verbalised by staff that these persons do nt desire to take part nevertheless if appropriate support is non offered so they can non be empowered to go involved. I aim to turn to this by pass oning with service users on an single footing ab initio and, If they wish to be involved in a group treatment, guaranting that sufficient clip and support is offered to enable them to make so. In a wider sense, I have gained an feeling of an overall favoritism and marginalization of older people throughout society. Negative premises are made and portrayed in assorted signifiers from media images to political addresss. The pattern session aims to place activities or groups etc which the service users could go involved with, to enable them to research and voice some of their sentiments sing this. As such, the day care group could get down to get the better of some of these favoritisms as a collective. How will you seek service user or carer feedback? Feedback following the pattern session will be gained from the service users by guaranting they are given an chance to notice on my competency and communicating accomplishments. This can be articulated in the group puting nevertheless if a service user wants to raise any issues separately they will be offered the chance to make so. Feedback will be provided verbally, both to myself and my pattern assessor. I recognise nevertheless that some service users may non wish to supply this and esteem that this is their pick. Mentions Banks, S. ( 2006 ) Ethics and values in societal work, Basingstoke ( 3rd edn ) , Palgrave Macmillen. Billis, D. Harris, M. ( 1996 ) Voluntary Agencies, challenges of administration and direction. Basingstoke, Macmillen. Egan, G. ( 1998 ) The skilled assistant, London, Brook Coles. Mullender, A. and Ward, D. ( 1991 ) Self Directed Groupwork: Users take action for authorization, London, Whiting A ; Birch. Payne, M. ( 2006 ) What is professional societal work? , Bristol, The Policy Press. Preston- Shoot, M, ( 2007 ) Effective Groupwork, Basingstoke ( 2nd edn ) , Palgrave Macmillen. Puting people foremost: A shared vision and committedness to the transmutation of grownup societal attention ( 2007 ) Available from: hypertext transfer protocol: //www.dh.gov.uk/prod_consum_dh/groups/dh/groups/dh_digitalassets/ @ dh/ @ en/documents/digitalasset/dh_081119.pdf ( Accessed on 02 July 2010 ) Skills for attention ( 2009 ) National Occupational Standards for Social Work. Available from: hypertext transfer protocol: //www.skillsforcare.org/developing_skills/National_Occupational_Standards/National_Occupational_Standards_ ( NOS ) _Health_and_Social_Care.asp ( Accessed 07 July 2010 ) Smale, G, Tuson, G, Statham, D. ( 2000 ) Social work and societal jobs. Basingstoke, Palgrave Macmillen. Tuckman, B. ( 1965 ) Developmental sequences in little groups. Available from: hypertext transfer protocol: //www.chimaeraconsulting.com/tuckman.htm ( Accessed 11th July 2010 ) . Direct OBSERVATION OF COMMUNICATION SKILLS: FORM 5 Section B Report TO BE COMPLETED BY SUPERVISOR ( Note, pupil should notice at the terminal of Section B ) Student: Sarah Lewis Supervisor: Peter Iles Date: 27th July 2010 5 = Very Good 4 = Good 3 = Satisfactory ( minimal competency ) 2 = Skills Need Developing 1 = Poor 1 Preparation Skills Remarks A Understanding of function and undertaking B Ensured environment was contributing to the program for communicating 5 4 3 2 1 5 4 3 2 1 2 Battle A Introduced him/herself b Clearly explained intent of pattern degree Celsiuss Identified and encouraged a participative procedure 5 4 3 2 1 5 4 3 2 1 5 4 3 2 1 3 Verbal Communication A Addressed service user ( s ) suitably B Communicated clearly degree Celsius Asked relevant inquiries vitamin D Asked inquiries one at a clip vitamin E Used unfastened and closed inquiries as appropriate degree Fahrenheits Used apparent linguistic communication in topographic point of professional slang g Acknowledged and explored issues as presented by service user ( s ) H Checked on a regular basis that he/she understood service user ( s ) position I Checked on a regular basis that service user ( s ) understood worker/agency position 5 4 3 2 1 5 4 3 2 1 5 4 3 2 1 5 4 3 2 1 5 4 3 2 1 5 4 3 2 1 5 4 3 2 1 5 4 3 2 1 5 4 3 2 1 Student Signature: Supervisor Signature: Direct OBSERVATION OF COMMUNICATION SKILLS Section C: Contemplation ON COMMUNICATION SKILLS To be completed by the pupil after the observation has been undertaken. Student Name: Sarah Lewis Date: 28th July 2010 How effectual was the readying? What might I need to bear in head for the hereafter? I feel the readying I carried out in regard of pulling on literature sing groupwork, was truly effectual as it enabled me to hold a greater apprehension and consciousness of how groups function. In peculiar the work of Tuckman ( 1965 ) which provided me with increased acknowledgment of the kineticss which can be present in a freshly formed group. Each of the little groups I spoke with had their ain individuality and as such their ain alone moral force, as a facilitator of the group it was my duty to back up the development of this ( Doel, 2006 ) . This is something which I will be peculiarly aware of when working with groups in the hereafter. The readying of imagination to back up the subjects of treatment were peculiarly effectual as they positively aided communicating. I feel that the usage of an imagination board besides provided a focal point for the service users and stirred conversation. I think the readying of this was peculiarly utile in prosecuting some of the service users who were loath, ab initio, to go involved. This is a communicating method which I will use in my hereafter pattern if appropriate. What communicating accomplishments were effectual and how did I cognize how effectual these were? In order to guarantee engagement and inclusion of all service users I prepared a big image board to exemplify the types of activities etc which could be provided at the daycentre. This was good as a communicating tool, peculiarly for some of the service users who are hearing impaired. This besides proved to be really effectual in pass oning information to some of the service users who are cognitively impaired. Through utilizing these images I was able to interpret my thoughts and besides derive a clearer apprehension of what they wanted from the service. I besides provided a paradigm of the memory / life books which I have proposed as a undertaking which could be undertaken within the daycentre. This enabled service users to see what would be involved with this and once more, is a ocular, physical manner of pass oning thoughts. I followed an exchange theoretical account of communicating, inquiring unfastened inquiries which led to treatment between group members. I found that by summarizing the thoughts raised by the service users at the terminal of each subject, provided verification that I had to the full recognised that issues set uping the group members. This besides enabled all group members to hold a clear apprehension of what had been discussed. The effectivity of these methods of communicating were confirmed to me by the response of the service users in the group. Through the usage of images some of the service users who are cognitively impaired were able to indicate to these to show their ideas or feelings. The usage of the memory / life book stimulated more treatment peculiarly when looking at exposure, many of which the service users could associate to. This prompted more input from some of the quieter members of the group which indicated to me that this was a really effectual manner of prosecuting with the group. What were the issues of subjugation or favoritism, and how did I turn to these? There were issues of subjugation nowadays within the group. I identified these as being an overall feeling by the service users that they could non divert from the usual construction of events and modus operandi at the daycentre. Many of the older people told me that they were just grateful for any service regardless of the quality, which saddened me greatly. From treatment it transpired that this was due to the staff keeping the same form of events at every session and this had become so constituted that the service users did non experience sceptered to propose alternate activities or alterations. During the group conversations, it appeared that the demands of the service users had become low-level to those of the staff. The dominant group in the daycente appeared to be the staff and I found this instability of power really refering. The staff appeared to be specifying the service users place as one of inactive receiving systems, instead than authorising them as persons ( Dominell i, 1996 ) . I addressed this by pass oning with the group to set up what changes they would wish to do, and besides to reenforce the impression that the day care is their service. Therefore the day care service should be run intoing the demands of all members and back uping them to enrich their lives through proviso of a truly individualized service. All of these identified concerns were discussed farther with the day care squad leader following the session. I did experience that during the day care session the service users with the highest degree of demand were discriminated against. An illustration of which is sing an older individual who has sustained a shot and as a consequence of this, experiences troubles in showing herself verbally. When I asked if she would wish to take portion in the group to speak about activities etc at the daycentre, a member of staff interjected, reding that she would nt be able to fall in in. I found this to be improbably prejudiced and disrespectful, and I addressed this by promoting her to prosecute in the group and take part every bit to the other group members. It was interesting to detect the support offered to her by other service users and I feel that this illustrates the ability a group has to dispute prejudiced pattern. Bing portion of a group can construct assurance in persons and supply power to it s members to dispute issues which are set uping them ( Brown, A. 1994 ) . What did I larn overall? ( refer to literature ) Transporting out groupwork at the day care session provided by Age Concern has increased my apprehension of the demands of older people, and besides provided me with a heightened consciousness of the subjugation felt by older members of society. Many of the service users are sing high degrees of societal isolation and the proviso of a day care service aims to assist cut down this. However, I have observed several state of affairss in which service users are sat entirely or non involved in an activity and there has been no support to enable them to prosecute in what is taking topographic point. I have reflected on my observations, and the pattern session, in which thoughts for development of the service were discussed. I have learnt that in order to make a to the full individualized service, in regard of the the Putting people first policy ( 2007 ) , a important alteration in the manner staff interact with the service users is required. In order for an inclusive, anti aa‚Â ¬ prejudiced service to be provided all staff need to prosecute to the full with all of the older people who attend the daycentre. A civilization of presuming what the service user is traveling to state, or assuming that they have to the full comprehended what has been said leads to subjugation of the person. If the service users are enabled to show themselves to the full and these sentiments are listened to, the person may be empowered to do alterations or happen a solution independently ( Coulshed A ; Orme, 2006 ) . I have recognized that the day care services provided by Age Concern are non making out to black and minority cultural groups as all service users go toing are white, British. Age Concern are supplying the service to cover all countries of South Gloucestershire which incorporates a diverse population and includes both rural countries and more dumbly populated communities. Childs A ; Melton ( 1983 ) argue that there is frequently a perceptual experience that people who reside in rural countries are immune to alter and doubting or oppugning of others of different civilization or faith to their ain. However, this is a stereotyped position and rural communities now comprise of a diverse scope of civilizations, ethnicity and faiths therefore this can no longer be assumed. Some culturally diverse communities have increased engagement of the services provided in the country to run into the demands of a diverse population nevertheless in other state of affairss, a multicultural community ca n dwell of abstract, stray groups of people ( Ginsberg, L. 2005 ) . I have hence increased my consciousness of this, peculiarly when transporting out the group treatments, as the deficiency of cultural diverseness within the group was important. The pattern session has increased my apprehension of, and ability to pattern, effectual communicating accomplishments. In order to derive a thorough apprehension of the demands of the service users within the group I have developed my accomplishments in battle, inquiring unfastened inquiries and listening and reflecting on what has been said. Using these accomplishments in a group puting besides enables direction of any tensenesss which may originate between group members ( Lymbery A ; Butler, 2004 ) . Through transporting out the group treatments I have gained a greater consciousness of the marginalization experienced by older people in current western society and the importance of disputing these attitudes to make a positive alteration.