Skills ! the essential ingredient in

Working in Social Work is complex Working in Social Work is complex. To work effectively you need to develop and enhance many skills!

First of all we need to know what they are First of all we need to know what they are ! So -What are the skills that a social worker needs to have?

Some Skills Needed Managing Listening and talking Leading Observing Negotiating Supporting Working with an interpreter Information communication and technology including information literacy recording and report writing Reflective writing in social work . Observing Understanding and expressing feelings Analysing Reflecting Giving and receiving Feedback Inter-professional Working Interviewing

Watch the video clip! List the skills used and Identify the ones that are essential? List the ones do you need to improve on ? You will be allocated skills from the open learn material. Discuss how these would be demonstrate in practice with services users- give examples! What would efficiency in this skill look like and what would poor practice look like ?

What is your conclusions about Skills! Employing Skills is a doing word You need to know what is required and what they looks like in action You need to know where your own abilities are in relation to what is required You are need to become aware to develop them It does not happen by itself!

You need to develop skills in Listening and communicating

What Does Effective Practice Look Like? Awareness of self and non verbal communications Ability to understand people- being in their shoes Demonstrate empathy and being fully present Observing and learning Supporting others- conveying acceptance Giving and receiving constructive feedback Negotiating and advocating Reflecting on self and actions and use of supervision Developing the self

Engaging with others no mater what the situation!

Respecting people and understanding cultures

Social Work is about Relationships Your ability to create the working relationship is down to your skills!

You need to be able to be in the world of another by Employing Empathy !

Skills in promoting social justice and empowering

The Core to Everything Your ability to make and sustain relationships with others To employ the values To integrate the knowledge To understand your role To understand yourself To understand the organisation To understand society

Managing- you and others! Analysing looking critically at information and evaluating it Learning, Reflecting and developing our knowledge, skills and use research Accountability and Managing people, information and resources Inter professional working Working with Interpreters Report writing and use of technology

Integration of knowledge, values and skills You need to know what you don't know have insight into your self and your own abilities in order to avoid Defensive practice Danger practice Defeatist practice

Your required to develop your skills and improve them throughout your career!

Professional Development You need to get on board with your professional development now! Improving the skills and competencies needed to create the effective conditions for change in the service user – is a process. A process within YOU- where you become aware of and evaluate what is required to improve- the self It needs to become the norm – away of life to strive for continuous self improvement!

Role of the Social Worker requires Great Skill

As Registered Social Workers We sign up to the notion of developing our skills, knowledge, expertise and confidence in the interests of good practice for service users! This in itself means we are standing up for our profession by asserting the importance of acquiring and contributing to new knowledge and seeking out ways to develop theory and evidence-informed practice. Thus take responsibility for yourself first and always know what you don’t know!

Reading Schon, D (1991): The Reflective Practitioner: How Professionals Think in Action. Ashgate. Basic Books Thompson, N (2009): People skills (3rd Ed). Basingstoke, Palgrave Coulshed, V. (1991).Social Work Practice; An Introduction 2nd edition Macmillan Gould, N. and Taylor, I(1996) Reflective Practice in Social Work Arena Kolb, D. A.(1984) Experiential Learning. Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey, Prentice Hall PTR