In this assignment, I will reflect on my eight-week observation of a child aged 2. I will reflect on how I used different social work observation methods in practice and if they were effectively used throughout my observation. I will discuss how this has helped me prepare for practice in my second year and how I will use what I have learned.
The use of self is the aspect of an individual’s personality and their identity. This includes someone’s beliefs, values, and experiences that make them who they are. (G. Ruch, D. Turney and A. Ward 2018, relationship-based practice and social work page 61.) We need to explore ourselves to gain a better understanding of ourselves. As social workers, by having a better understanding of our values, beliefs, and personalities we will be able to be more understanding to others as well. This is also important for social workers as it allows them to uphold social work values and ethics throughout their work. By having an understanding of myself and my skills and knowledge I was able to reflect on it during practice and constantly learn new things about myself.
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When going into my observation I was worried as I was unsure what the mum would think or feel having someone, she didn’t know observe her child. I was concerned she might change her mind as she has the right to. My goal for the first week was to explain what I was doing and what it was for. I asked her to sign a consent form so that I had her permission to observe the child as he was too young to understand. The 4th PCF states that social workers should promote and maintain human rights (BSWA 2018) therefore by explaining what I was doing and signing the consent form I was respecting the mum and child’s human rights to participate and make that choice.
I used my experience of child observation in a nursery to help prepare for my observation as I knew the development stages. M. Fawcett and D. Watson (2016) page 14 state “Observation is more than just passively seeing what is around us. It is about taking children seriously, they have to say, respecting their interpretations, their imagination, and ideas, their unexpected theories explorations of feelings and viewpoints.” I went in open-minded and took in everything the child did and said it could be key to their development.
I was worried about recalling information as I haven’t got a good memory. K. Wilson (2008) Page 39 “The observations are recorded from memory afterward, experience so far suggesting that the work involved in recalling and trying to put into words feelings and communications is an important part of developing the skill of observation.” At the start recalling information was a weakness, however over the weeks by constantly watching the child I was able to improve my skills as I remembered key things the child did to help trigger my memory when it came to the write-up. This has helped me prepare for social work as when I have meetings with service users, I will focus on what they are saying and doing instead of looking down and making notes.
I went prepared for my first week of observation. I asked the mum to sign a consent form to allow me to observe the child. (see appendix 2.) H. Hingley-Jones, C. Parkinson and L. Allain (2017). Observation in Health and Social Care page 87 states Consent forms are signed with families to ensure that observations are conducted and recorded ethically with issues of confidentiality being respected in the process.” Asking for consent is a responsibility I had and was the first thing I did. I explained to the mum why I was doing the observation, so she was fully aware. The 4th PCF that social workers should follow is the Rights, Justice, and Economic well-being of the service user. I will be following this as I will be respecting their human rights to give consent in what they are participating in. I will also keep them updated with any information that they should be aware of or that involved them.
The first professional standard on BASW that social workers should follow in practice is Professionalism. BASW (2018) states “Social workers are members of an internationally recognized profession. Our title is protected by UK law. We demonstrate professional commitment by taking responsibility for our conduct, practice, self-care, and development.” When going to my observation I wore appropriate clothing. I ensured that I was on time and came with everything I needed. This was to show that I am organized. I came at the set time every week so it would interfere with their day, this helped me form a good relationship with Mum as I was on time. However, I also considered professional boundaries and ensured that I didn’t cross any unethical lines. This will help me in practice I will ensure that I am professional when going to meetings, observations, or seeing families. This is so I can build strong relationships with other professionals for partnership working and with families so they can accept my support and trust me.
There are three types of observation.
- Passively looking is when an individual is observing the evening and not taking part in it.
- Gaze-looking is when you are observing the child and studying what is going on.
- Actively looking is when you are watching the child but also interacting with them.
The first week as I was still unsure and nervous about my observation, I was passively watching the child and not looking into too much detail. However, by the second week, my confidence improved, and I was studying more about what was going on. this has prepared me for practice because by Observing infants, I will watch their development over time and support them if they have any delays such as speech and language. This is when as a social worker I will intervene with a plan to support them.
Tavistock's methods discussed how the observer should not interact with the child. P. Le. Riche and K. Tanner's observation and its application to social work: rather than breathing (1998) page 11 states “The observer is not an active participant and, at the same time, the impossibility of being a fly on the wall is recognized. Although refraining from active participation, the observer is required to be mentally and emotionally engaged with the events and processes taking place in the observation.” By not interacting I was able to focus more on the child’s development and behaviors as I wasn’t being distracted by playing with him allowing me to look at things more closely. I was also able to see how the interacted with his primary carer (mum) and how she was with him.
On the other hand, S. Briggs (2008) page 50 states “Observation as it was developed by Bick in 1964 is an intensive experience involving regular hourly visits to the infant in higher home setting each week for a period of one or two years (Bick, 1987).” At the start, I tried to follow the model as much as I could and not interact with the child. Due to the observation being done over weeks the child became more comfortable and kept trying to interact with me by giving me toys. Therefore, following the Tavistock method was hard as I couldn’t reject him and ignore him completely. To overcome this, I tried to interact as little as possible, when he brought a toy to me, I would smile and give it back. He slowly stopped bringing me toys and just played near me.
Weekly I used technology to communicate with the mother to confirm if it was still okay for me to come and do my observation. Technology was an easier way of communicating and fast. J. Bottomley, P. Cartney, and S. Pryjmachuk (2018) page 100 states “The most well-known synchronous service is instant messaging – you may be familiar with examples such as WhatsApp……This software is especially useful for communicating over long distances, and it now often includes audio and video functions.” This shows the benefits of technology within communication and how things such as WhatsApp can be beneficial for us. I will use the software in my practice such as Word to write up my reports and notes from meetings. I will use things such as WhatsApp, skype, email, and other forms of social media to communicate with service users, professionals, and other services that will help me support my service user.
I had to ensure that I was non-judgmental and open-minded when going in. The child I was observing was of a different religion from me and different culture. BASW (2018) PCF states “Diversity is multi-dimensional and includes race, disability, class, economic status, age, sexuality, gender (including transgender), faith and belief, and the intersection of these and other characteristics. We understand that because of difference, and perception of difference, a person's life experience may include oppression, marginalization, and alienation as well as privilege, power, and acclaim.” In my observation, I didn’t discriminate and understood her values, and respected her home. For example, I took my shoes off in the shoes to show respect. This has prepared me for practice as I will be open-minded to learning new things. I will continue to promote anti-discriminatory practices throughout my career.
To conclude to keep improving my observational skills I will try to improve my recalling skills. One way I may do this is by doing memory challenges such as observing people in my household or friends. Overall, I believe my observation went well as I was able to complete the 8 weeks and identify key development stages and behaviors in the child. Finally, I have gained more knowledge of culture and the importance of respecting service users’ cultures to create relationships.
References
- BSWA (2018) Readiness for Direct Practice. Available at: https://www.basw.co.uk/professional-development/professional-capabilities-framework-pcf/the-pcf/readiness/rights-justice-and-economic-wellbeing (Accessed: 20/01/2020)
- Gillian Ruch; Danielle Turney; Adrian Ward (2018) Chapter 3 use of self: in Gillian Ruch; Danielle Turney; Adrian Ward (ed.) relationship-based practice and social work: Jessica Kingsley. page. 61. (Accessed 21/02/2020)
- Helen Hingley-Jones, Clare Parkinson and Lucille Allain (2017) Observation in Health and Social Care. Jessica Kingsley. Page 87. (Accessed 11/02/2020)
- Jane Bottomley, Patricia Cartney, and Steven Pryjmachuk (2018) Studying for your Social Work Degree. 1st edition. England: Critical Publishing. Page 100. (Accessed 01/02/2020)
- Kate Wilson (2008) 'The place of child observation in social work training. Page 39. Available at: https://www-tandfonline-com.ezproxy.mdx.ac.uk/doi/abs/10.1080/02650539208413485 (Accessed: 06/02/2020).
- Mary Fawcett and Debbie Watson (2016) Learning Through Child Observation, 3rd edition. Jessica Kingsley. Page 16-17. (Accessed 04/02/2020)
- Mary Fawcett; Debbie Watson (2016) Learning through child observation, 3rd edition. London: Jessica Kingsley Publishers. Page 14 (Accessed 01/02/2020)
- Pat Le Riche and Karen Tanner (1998) Chapter 1: introduction in Pat Le Riche; Karen Tanner. Observation and its application to social work: rather like breathing. London. J. Kingsley. page. 11. (Accessed 23/02/2020)
- Social Worker England (2018) Professional Standards. https://www.socialworkengland.org.uk/media/1640/1227_socialworkengland_standards_prof_standards_final-aw.pdf (Accessed: 01/02/2020).
- Stephan Briggs (2008)
- Child observation and social work training. Page 50. Available at: https://www-tandfonline-com.ezproxy.mdx.ac.uk/doi/abs/10.1080/02650539208413486 (Accessed: 01/02/2020).
- Susan Reid (2013) page 2. Development in child observation (Accessed: 06/02/2020)
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