Importance Of Professionalism In Social Work

Professionalism

During placement I have been responsible for organising my diary and managing my caseload. I have completed this task fairly well as I have remained punctual and not double-booked appointments. My caseload has, at times, been fairly heavy and demanding, yet I have still ensured that I have been reliable and competent at meeting deadlines. I achieved this by being organised, prioritising work and accurately recording information.

I predominately have good awareness of professional boundaries as I abided by the agency rules, including not transporting service users, despite being asked, such as with child R. However, I now recognise how easy it is, when you are too emotionally involved with a case, to lose sight of professional boundaries and get them mixed up with personal ones. The desire to help individuals you are supporting can distort your view of the correct practice. This happened to me, however, the experience has been a massive learning curve as I have learnt from mistakes and now recognise the importance of protecting my
Maintaining confidentiality has been massively important with all the service users I have worked with, both adults and children alike. During my work if there were no safeguarding concerns, I only shared information with the service user’s consent. One example, was a child who felt sad and unable to discuss feelings surrounding the mother’s absence for fear of upsetting the carers who refused to have the mother’s name mentioned in their presence. With the child’s permission, I helped break down this barrier by explaining to the carers, as the main source of comfort, how important it is for them to listen to the child’s thoughts. By me highlighting the point of putting the child needs first, the carers have now started to acknowledge and encourage the child to off-load his thoughts and feelings to help him understand his