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Flexible communication skills

Upon reviewing the previously mentioned four discourse samples from within the social work field, a required flexibility in communication is apparent. Day in and day out social workers sharpen their skill to write to a widely varied audience while successfully communicating their point. This skill is somewhat similar to bell hooks’ preferred stylistic writing choices, in which she chooses not to write at any particularly fancy level with the desire to be inclusive. A social worker must always consider the each client’s level of comprehension, while still exhibiting a level of competence in their own field.

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Here is a sample of one of the many ways a social worker can do a self assessment. There are no specific guidelines outlining how self assessments should look, this sample created by social worker Ignacio Pacheco of Socialworktech.com, is a concise and simple approach. (Downloadable pdf copy of this template for your use.) Since self assessments are for personal use, these can be some of the most informal of all social work literature within the community. It is at each worker’s discretion how formal/informal it is, what formatting they use, etc.

#self assessment #social work

Social Work Self Assessment Analysis

The intended audience of the assessment is only one person, the author. The purpose of the assessment is to spend a minute to evaluate a social worker’s mental well being. This is one of the few informal genres a social worker will produce throughout their career, since it is meant only to be viewed by the author. I think the basic layout and overall intention of the worksheet go hand in hand, expertly conveying its purpose to evaluate a social worker’s mental state at the time of writing it.

#self assessment #social work

What’s a Social Work Self-Assessment?

This Self Assessment worksheet is made by a social worker himself, with the goal of being able to track and assess personal psyche over time. This is important because within the social work field, the first thing any educator or upper management will tell social workers is that one has to help themselves to help others. It is common within the field to perform these sort of self-interventions to reflect on oneself, to consider one’s overall mental state. This simple and comprehensive worksheet could be filled out in less than five minutes and even compared to ones’ previous assessments to measure growth or deterioration.

#self assessment #social work

Do you think there are any boundaries within social work discourse?

The main and ethically binding boundary within the social work field is confidentiality. A social worker must always adhere to the code of ethics within their county of residence and examine their writing with a close eye. In order to protect the client, there will be specific guidelines a social worker must adhere to strictly depending on the document they are writing.

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Investigation Narrative Analysis

The intended audience of this document is the court. The purpose of the document is to inform the court of the social worker’s findings regarding the allegations made against a family, and why they were made in the first place. The document includes dates and case numbers, this is how the social workers supports his/her claims and establishes credibility.

#investigation narrative

What’s an Investigation Narrative?

An Investigation Narrative used in the social work field has the purpose of describing to the court why a case has been opened and what the social worker did to aid the family. This document must be impartial, similar to the way a police report should be written, simply factual with no opinion whatsoever. As well as describing why a case has been opened, the social worker is responsible for providing an evaluation of the claims made against the family. In this case, there were child abuse allegations made so the social worker had to perform a preliminary assessment of the child’s body as well as question the child to find out what was really happening in the home. The social worker then went on to explain, in detail, what he did to aid the family.

#investigation narrative

A sample of a typical Foster Home Safety Checklist a social worker might use when performing a home visit. It is a comprehensive and concise worksheet, developed to support the social worker in making sure every detail is examined as necessary. While the layout is simple, it is the social workers discretion to write as much or as little as they professionally deem necessary. However, to facilitate detailed note-taking, there is a section at the bottom of the page where the social worker will make specific notes that must be addressed by the client.

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Came across a list of 10 documentaries recommended for social workers on Netflix! Could be great material for discussion among colleagues.

Click here

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Foster Home Safety Checklist Analysis

The purpose of this document is straightforward and much more tunnel visioned than one generally finds within the social work field, with it’s single goal being to inform the state about the safety of a foster home. Lacking the usual in-depth and personalized background information about a family and their life history and dynamics, this document jumps straight to the point with no frills. That is an excellent decision considering the purpose of the document is to determine a home’s safety level for incoming children, something that should be taken very seriously with no room for interpretation. The layout of this document is minimal and organized. The structure facilitates the purpose simply because if there are too many missing checks, the state will immediately know that the home is unsafe and can reference the document to know exactly why. The predetermined checklist is detailed enough that the social worker completing it doesn’t have to spend much time adding in details themselves. Overall, the document is effective in conveying its purpose, upon first glance the reader will know whether or not the home is safe for children to occupy and why or why not.

#foster home safety checklist

What is a Foster Home Safety Checklist?

This document is aptly named The Foster Home Safety Checklist, considering it is exactly that. The document is a comprehensive guideline for social workers, to know exactly what to look for when performing Home Safety Checks for prospective or current foster parents. There are six sections to this checklist, they are as follows: general, kitchen, garage, bathrooms, bedrooms, and grounds. Within each section a social worker will follow the list as they make visual observations throughout the home, with the goal to determine the overall safety and whether the family is abiding by the guidelines of their specific state. At the bottom of this checklist, after both the social worker and the foster parents have signed in agreement that the Home Safety Check actually occurred, there is a line for correction plans. This is where a social worker will give their honest feedback and overall recommendation based on what they viewed in the home. They can give constructive feedback that the family can fix or give a negative recommendation and halt any cases potentially happening within the home.

#social work discourse #foster home safety checklist

Case Plan: in-depth explanation

I’ve linked a video I found that explains the collaborative efforts of a Case Plan in great detail. Essentially, the type of Case Plan I referenced in previous posts is a voluntary case plan, in which the client is agreeing to abide by certain terms to avoid going into court against their state of residence. This explains why the terminology used is extremely straight-forward and not too sophisticated. It is of utmost importance that the client is understanding of the Case Plans terms and conditions when they agree to it.

#case plan

Case Plan Analysis

The purpose of this document is clear: to inform. To inform not only the court of the agreements made between client and social worker, but also to inform the client what exactly they are agreeing to. The tone is professional and straightforward throughout, while maintaining an absence of any particularly sophisticated language, which is great in order to avoid leaving the client unsure of what they are being asked to do. The document is structured in a minimal and organized way, making it an easy read. This facilitates all readers’ ability to follow along in court if necessary. There is definitely a prevalence of specialized vocabulary throughout, including the following: inpatient, sentencing, codependency. This document effectively conveys its purpose to disclose the agreed upon plan of action to reach a specific goal made by a client and social worker.

#case plan #discourse analysis

What’s a case plan?

A case plan is a file prepared by a social worker to communicate varying objectives to a court system. It is important to note that case plans are collaborative efforts, the terms of the document are prepared and agreed upon by the family it is regarding and the social worker in partnership. This document is drafted during a meeting in which the two aforementioned parties decide what their end goal is and what steps are necessary in order to reach those goals. The document will be presented in court, so it must extrapolate the terms of the agreement in great detail, none being too minor to mention. These details include everything from beginning/end dates to times, places, and even frequencies of certain steps. Similar to writing a paper with a thesis, the two parties must approach this document with a specific goal in mind that they aim to work toward by the end date they agree upon. As I mentioned, this is a collaborative effort, so even the social worker’s responsibilities to the case are discussed in great detail. At the bottom of the document both the client and the social worker will sign and date, making it clear that all parties understand and agree to the terms they outlined.

Example Case Plan

#case plan

Who is the client?

Throughout my analyses I will often mention a ‘client’. For those unfamiliar with the social work field I think it is important for me to start this research with a simple definition for the clarity of my readers. In the field of social work, socialworkguide.org defines the client as,

“[Persons] dealing with a range of challenges including poverty, physical and mental health issues, addiction, and family problems]”.

Based on this definition, it is clear that the client will vary, especially depending on the specialty chosen by the social worker. People dealing with addiction, abuse, homelessness, and so on, will all be possible clients. With this in mind, one can imagine how different each client’s comprehension level may be. This variance and the social worker’s responsibility to cater equally to each client will be discussed further in my studies.

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What types of discourse are to be expected in the social work field?

Since social work is such a far-reaching field, with many differing purposes and specialties, one can expect various types of discourse throughout their career. A social worker has the particularly difficult task of being able to produce work that reaches multiple audiences at once, while simultaneously protecting confidential client information. When examining multiple types of discourse in the social work field, it is apparent that each type of writing is written with the delicate balance of displaying knowledge and catering to the comprehension of the clients who come from varying backgrounds. I will examine four types of discourse on this platform:

1. Case Plan

2. Safety Checklist

3. Investigation Narrative

4. Self-Assessment

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