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This reflection will explore my inspiration to become a social worker in the field of family violence. I have come to learn over time that social work draws on key values of respect and social justice, which I believe are key values I hold (Australia Association of Social Workers 2010). Over time, I have been able to reflect on how my personal experience and these values of respect and skills of flexibility have come together to develop my understanding of social work, and in turn, have shaped my decision to aspire to become a family violence support worker.
For as long as I can remember I have grown up in a household where advocacy for human rights and social justice were at the forefront of conversations, and it is these values, instilled by my mum, that have guided my choice to study social work overall. I have come to understand that passionate social workers who have an embedded sense of social justice become strong members of the field of social work (Chenoweth & McAuliffe 2017). It is this deep sense of social justice that is a foundation value of mine, which I believe will align with a career in social work. I am studying social work with the developed knowledge that the principle of human rights underpins social work practices (Chenoweth & McAuliffe 2017). Specifically, I would like to work in the field of family violence due to personal experience in that area. I was able to gain first-hand experience of inside systems and gain role models to aspire to. The idea is that a strong motivation for pursuing social work is often personal experience as individuals become inspired. (Chenoweth & McAuliffe 2017). It is this first-hand experience that has given me insight into the systems and resources of family violence, and has encouraged me to be able to pass those experiences on; for me, personal experience is my key driving factor.
One of my key skills is my ability to remain flexible. I know in places such as crisis centers/ safe houses they can be on a case-case basis, and often depend on individuals' needs and situations. The idea that social work context does not always occur in a neat or straightforward manner is very prevalent. The situations that social workers engage with are often messy, complex, and ever-changing (Williams, D. 2016) I believe it is my ability to be able to adapt and remain flexible in changing situations, that makes me suited to a family violence role. Having gained the knowledge that social work is a diverse and ever-changing field, I am able to clearly see how my skills of flexibility, would be a good fit for a career in the field of family violence in social work. A key value I pride myself on is that of respect. This links into the AASW value of respect and for me solidifies my decision to move forward into a family violence position. The AASW explores how every person has equal worth and needs to be respected for this (Australia Association of Social Workers 2010). I believe in the family violence field it will be my ability to not judge, but respect an individual for what they are going through, which makes me values suited to the position.
I have a strong belief that when experience and knowledge intersect, they form success. In saying that, it is also important for me to keep in mind that not everyone has had the same experience in family services, and therefore my judgment might be clouded. I would need to consider that people entering the system because of personal experience, can be then blinded to the experience of others (Reamer, F. 2013). While I believe my values/skills align with a position in family violence, I will need to keep an open mind of individual situations, and not be affected by biased listening. When discussing working in a family violence setting a common comment for me, is that it is a taxing career. It is discussed that social workers are at risk for experiencing burnout as a result of the nature and contexts of their work (Wagaman, 2015). While I believe that I am very resilient, in reflection, I will need to make sure that I need to have a healthy work-life balance. In order to do this I will need to make sure I regularly consider my mental wellbeing which can be promoted through activities such as journaling and spending time with friends (Moore, S 2011).
At this stage, I am motivated to work in the field of family violence due to my personal values of respect and skills of flexibility aligning with the position. As a whole, it is the impact of personal experience that has given me an understanding of the field, that has ultimately driven me to choose to work in family violence. It is exciting that jobs in the social work profession are predicted to grow by more than 22% by 2022, making it achievable to gain experience in this field. (Australia Association of Social Workers 2017). Despite the strong connection between my values and the SWHS field, I will need to ensure I stay fit for the role by considering my personal bias and work-life balance.
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