FOUNDATIONS OF SOCIAL WORK
Lesson 5 – History of Social Work
1. PCF 7 Skills and interventions
- Use judgment, knowledge, and authority to promote independence, provide support and
enable progress.
- Social workers engage with service users and work alongside them to determine their needs,
wishes and helpful plan. Social workers must build productive relationships and
communicate effectively. Using their professional judgment, social workers promote self-
determination, support, protection, and positive change. They also develop skills relevant to
their work and use their authority appropriately.
2. 4 Stage relationship model (McMullin, 2017)
Stage 1- Engage
Stage 2- Negotiate
Stage 3- Enable
Stage 4- Endings
Stage 1
- Beginning of relationship, rapport building, sharing ideas and thoughts.
- Establishing clarity about roles, expecting and limitations. (No promises)
- Social worker to use values of honesty, openness, clear communication, and active
listening skills to share ideas and offer choice.
- It is important to give service users a choice.
- Be aware of barriers in a relationship (fear, confusion, resistance…) For example, SU
might have had a bad experience with social workers before.
- Engagement may take time.
Stage 2 – Negotiating
- Negotiation and agreeing expectations, contracting limits, boundaries. (Consents,
information sharing, working together and confidentially)
- Establishing shared understanding of the key issues and problems.
- Empowerment and respect need to be evident at this stage.
- Hindrances may be different expectations, both parties not agreeing with
assessment and planning.
- Relationships are at a superficial level; issues may be minimised and mistrust.
Stage 3 - Enabling
- The process of enabling change, information giving, resources, intervention and
choices.
- Need for open, realistic, positive communication that reflects progress.
, - This stage is about building confidence and self-esteem, encouraging, and
motivating.
- Mutually advantageous partnership with motivation, confidence and self-esteem
increased.
- Hindrance at this point would be trying to change may be too difficult (raising hopes,
big possibilities)
- SU may enjoy professional contact but is unable to move forward or
actions/discussions/plans.
- Possible results are a SU feeling they need to disengage from social work
interventions. (Support them if they want to do something different)
- Prioritise or take small steps and consider other resources that may be required to
achieve. (Empowerment)
Stage 4 – Endings
- It is about introducing endings and valuing the ending process as much as the
beginning. It is important to integrate with the relationship expectations and to
remind SU about it.
- Reflection and evaluation on what have works well, strengths for the future and
coping strategies as well as asking other services for support.
- Whenever possible ending process should be planned. (cut dependency, reduced
contact, or phased approach)
- Some SU may have had poor experiences of relationships endings. (saying goodbye
might be too traumatic)
- Social workers need to consider dependency on the relationship.
- Preparation and rituals.
Assessment
An assessment is an ongoing participatory process that aims to understand the SU, and
their circumstances as set out the basis planning on how change can happen.
Assessments are a process of professional judgment and are about ascertaining need. It
is important that assessments are realistic and that addresses the whole situation as
well as be a fluid, and dynamic process.
5 stage process of exploring situation by:
1. Preparing the task – Assessment and data.
2. Data collection which includes perceptions of the SU, family and other agencies
involved and attempted solutions. (Data from school, house…)
3. Applying professional knowledge to seek analysis, understanding or interpretation.
4. Making judgments about the relationship needs, risks, standards or care or safety,
seriousness of the situation and people’s capacities and potential for coping for
changes. (Making hypothesis and recommendations)
5. Deciding and/or recommending what is to be done plus how, by whom and when
and how the progress will be reviewed.
Lesson 5 – History of Social Work
1. PCF 7 Skills and interventions
- Use judgment, knowledge, and authority to promote independence, provide support and
enable progress.
- Social workers engage with service users and work alongside them to determine their needs,
wishes and helpful plan. Social workers must build productive relationships and
communicate effectively. Using their professional judgment, social workers promote self-
determination, support, protection, and positive change. They also develop skills relevant to
their work and use their authority appropriately.
2. 4 Stage relationship model (McMullin, 2017)
Stage 1- Engage
Stage 2- Negotiate
Stage 3- Enable
Stage 4- Endings
Stage 1
- Beginning of relationship, rapport building, sharing ideas and thoughts.
- Establishing clarity about roles, expecting and limitations. (No promises)
- Social worker to use values of honesty, openness, clear communication, and active
listening skills to share ideas and offer choice.
- It is important to give service users a choice.
- Be aware of barriers in a relationship (fear, confusion, resistance…) For example, SU
might have had a bad experience with social workers before.
- Engagement may take time.
Stage 2 – Negotiating
- Negotiation and agreeing expectations, contracting limits, boundaries. (Consents,
information sharing, working together and confidentially)
- Establishing shared understanding of the key issues and problems.
- Empowerment and respect need to be evident at this stage.
- Hindrances may be different expectations, both parties not agreeing with
assessment and planning.
- Relationships are at a superficial level; issues may be minimised and mistrust.
Stage 3 - Enabling
- The process of enabling change, information giving, resources, intervention and
choices.
- Need for open, realistic, positive communication that reflects progress.
, - This stage is about building confidence and self-esteem, encouraging, and
motivating.
- Mutually advantageous partnership with motivation, confidence and self-esteem
increased.
- Hindrance at this point would be trying to change may be too difficult (raising hopes,
big possibilities)
- SU may enjoy professional contact but is unable to move forward or
actions/discussions/plans.
- Possible results are a SU feeling they need to disengage from social work
interventions. (Support them if they want to do something different)
- Prioritise or take small steps and consider other resources that may be required to
achieve. (Empowerment)
Stage 4 – Endings
- It is about introducing endings and valuing the ending process as much as the
beginning. It is important to integrate with the relationship expectations and to
remind SU about it.
- Reflection and evaluation on what have works well, strengths for the future and
coping strategies as well as asking other services for support.
- Whenever possible ending process should be planned. (cut dependency, reduced
contact, or phased approach)
- Some SU may have had poor experiences of relationships endings. (saying goodbye
might be too traumatic)
- Social workers need to consider dependency on the relationship.
- Preparation and rituals.
Assessment
An assessment is an ongoing participatory process that aims to understand the SU, and
their circumstances as set out the basis planning on how change can happen.
Assessments are a process of professional judgment and are about ascertaining need. It
is important that assessments are realistic and that addresses the whole situation as
well as be a fluid, and dynamic process.
5 stage process of exploring situation by:
1. Preparing the task – Assessment and data.
2. Data collection which includes perceptions of the SU, family and other agencies
involved and attempted solutions. (Data from school, house…)
3. Applying professional knowledge to seek analysis, understanding or interpretation.
4. Making judgments about the relationship needs, risks, standards or care or safety,
seriousness of the situation and people’s capacities and potential for coping for
changes. (Making hypothesis and recommendations)
5. Deciding and/or recommending what is to be done plus how, by whom and when
and how the progress will be reviewed.
