Better and Care Worker free essay sample

Task 1 – you are going to be a mentor for a new care worker as part of their induction process. Part of your role is to help them prepare for their probation period. 1. Create a guide for the new care worker about how to reflect in their practice. The guide must include the headings listed with an explanation of each: What is reflective practice? Why is reflective practice important? How reflective practice contributes to improving the quality of service provision? How standards can be used to help a care worker reflect on their practice? Reflective practice helps social workers to develop an understanding of practice events. Group sessions may lead to action in certain cases, but that is not the main goal of the reflective process; instead developing understanding in the context of a supportive peer group makes it easier for social workers to admit feeling failure and personal vulnerability. It is a safe space in which to talk without fear of repercussion – and this can dramatically reduce work-related stress. There are a few steps to be taken in reflective practice: 1. Develop an awareness of that is happening 2. Find a way to describe or capture it 3. Develop understanding 4. Find a way forward Reflective practice is very important in order to ensure that high standards are kept continuously as circumstances, people and environments change. In order to reflect you must continuously be aware of approaches used and how they can be changed or developed to improve. Continually improving and adapting approaches benefits all carers ensuring that each individuals needs are catered for. Reflective practice involved evolving a person centred approach, the carer benefits as their skills grow and develop enabling the highest standard of care and provision it. It also promotes a better level of understanding and acceptance of those different from us, taking on board the opinions cultures and attitudes of others to ensure a diverse and positively productive daily experience that enables higher levels of understanding from all. It also includes personal and team development because a reflective practice evolves our experiences, experience can only be beneficial when it is either a positive experience (good practice), or a negative experience that is reflected upon and consequently changed and improved. 2. You arrange a mentor meeting to feedback to the car worker. You have comments to make which includes both praise and constructive criticism. Write notes to prepare for your meeting. In your notes, explain: Why it is important for a care worker to seek feedback on performance. The different ways that people may react to receiving constructive feedback Why it is important for a care worker to use the feedback to improve their practice There are many reasons why everyone wants feedback, one of them is to pursue improvement. In social care they need feedback so that can serve the community better. They might be able to find alternatives and new ideas so they can give more to the community. By giving feedbacks on their performance, it helps them to evaluate what should they stop doing or what should they constantly do. It is also important for a social care worker to seek feedback on their performance so they can improve on ways of working that they may need to, helping them work in the best possible way. If you do not agree with feedback regarding your performance, talk to a senior member of staff for advice. People mat react differently to constructive feedback. Some may not agree and see the feedback as negative, when it is meant to help them improve their practice. Others accept feedback positively and work to improve their practice listening to and taking in advice. Some people may take the feedback but not work on improving on anything, so stay at the same. It is important for social care workers to use their feedback to improve their practice, to help them become the best they can be. Task 2 1. Design a template for a personal development plan (PDP) that you could use to improve your learning, development and professional practice. For each heading in the template, provide a brief summery describing what should be included. Development objectives are objectives that you have identified to enable you to meet the learning and development needs. Priority identifies whether your development objectives is; Critical to your current role Beneficial but non-critical to your current role Critical to your progressing in to future roles Beneficial but non – critical to progressing in to future roles Activities can constitute any learning or development actitiy that will enable you to achieve your development objectives e. g formal training, on – the job training, work shadowing another colleague etc. Support/resources describe what you need to help you achieve your development objectives. Typically this would involve support from your manager, development or colleague to enable you to undertake a learning or development activity such as allowing you time away from your role or funding from your department. Target and actual dates state when you intend to achieve your development objectives followed by the date you actually achieve them. Data in these columns is particularly useful when you review your PDP as it will enable you to identify any factors that may have prevented you from achieving your development objectives on the target date and build in contingencies to prevent this from occurring in the future. Review date stated when you will review progress on your personal development plan. Assuming that you undergo the personal development process annually, we recommend that you review your PDP every six months therefor enabling you to: Assess your progress Reflect on your learning Identify whether your development objectives need to be amended Identify factors that may have prevented you from achieving your development objectives Build in contingencies to enable you (where possible) to meet your agreed target date in the future Template Personal Development Plan: What are my development objectives? Priority What activities do I need to undertake to achieve my objectives What support/resources do I need to achieve my objectives Target date for my achieving my objectives Actual date of achieving my objectives 2. Explain how a PDP can help a social care worker identify improvements in their knowledge understanding a practice? It can help a social care worker identify improvement identifying sources of support for planning and reviewing your development. Identify people who can help you develop your knowledge, understanding and practice. Those that can help me develop my knowledge, understanding and practice are my manager, deputy manager service users, family, friends, leaflets, NVQ assessor, and other professionals. 3. Identify sources of support for planning and reviewing your development/4. Identify people who can help you develop your knowledge, understanding and practice? Line manager – they help me by answering any concerns I have about work. Observations – college assessor comes in to watch you do your job and then talks to you about any concerns they have seen they will advice and support you with your performance and development. Also the line manager observes on your progress every month Colleagues you can talk to other professionals that are in your work to get guidance on things, and also observe or shadow them to help you see how some things are done improving your development. Meetings – we have staff and key stages meeting where progress is discusses and you get to know about any new plans and any changes that are going on. Training – to be able to learn the things that you are struggling with by going on various courses to improve your development. Mentors – someone who is assigned to you to be able to answer your questions about the job and put you on the right path. Yearly appraisal – this is a meeting to discuss your development progress where you can ask questions and review the things in your job description to make sure you are meeting them. A social care worker can get all aspects of help and support to develop their knowledge, understanding and practice form manager, supervisor, senior care worker, nurse and mentor. Even he can obtain and support from social care council website and also other related websites, you can also Ask colleagues and other professional’s questions. Accessing internal and external training. Spending time working alongside colleagues and other professional Team meetings and discussions. 5. Explain how the people identified above can help you appreciate your strengths and areas for development? The people explained above can help by answering any concerns you may have about work, they can also watch you work at your job and then talk to you about all the concerns that you may have, who will then give you advice on what steps to take next and how to support you with your performance and development, also to observe or shadow them to help you see how things are done improving your development. Training should be provided if you are struggling, going on various courses to improve your development. Task 3 1. Describe how your own values, beliefs and personal experiences might affect your working practice? Everyone has their own values, beliefs and preferences. It is recognition of who we are and what we believe in, your value, beliefs and experiences may not be the same as others. The way you work, the things you believe in and the way you think can be different from others, however you may have come across service users and colleagues whose view or method of work you do not agree with or they never seem to understand your view. It is the crucial part of you practice how you react to the difference and affect the serviced you provide. Disagreement and conflict easily may arise when your personal experiences or views are not agreed by others or you are not agreed of others views. But standard of service should not be affected at all. Compromising attitude respect to others are eliminated these variations. You may bring some personal experiences form your previous employment which may not be allowed in your present service provision.