Critical Observation of Human Development Growth - Essay Example

Critical Observation of Human Development Growth Affiliation Part Introduction The aim of this paper is to critically analyze the work Iundertook when I was doing my placement. I will focus on how I practiced my role as a care giver and reflect on the method which I used in the process of offering my services to the service user. I will also look into the effectiveness of the human development theory that I selected and incorporated in my practice to understand the needs of the patients. Finally, I will reflect on the observation method which I also relied on and determine if I can rely on it in future practice when dealing with a similar case or one related to the one I encountered during the placement. While doing this critical analysis, I will also explore the my social work value base and show how I relied on existing framework and legislations so that the service user gets the best available care which was effective in meeting her needs. Phoenix & Husain (2007) informs that social care intervention and practice starts with the preparation stage. This allows for the determination of the needs of the service users and understanding of her past, and present conditions. I therefore began my intervention by looking at Miss SL history and her currents situations so that I could be able to explore and determine her immediate need. Miss SL is a vulnerable woman who appears to be stuck in her isolative routine. She lacks confidence because of past bully and painful social experience. She is not eating regularly or healthily and complains of problems from her “irritable Bowel Syndrome”. Although Miss SL is sleeping for 7 hours, her pattern is reversed making it the likely case of the pain she complains about. She wants to develop her interests but lacks direction and support she needs to move on in her life constructively. Miss SL’s mother plays passive role in her life. Moreover she has had fleeting thoughts of self-harm but no intent and no history of self-harm. With this information, I could understand could be making her to be in the state that she was in. When dealing with these kinds of case, I had the duty of certifying that the patient’s necessities are met and that they are able to live independently once again. Phoenix & Husain (2007) says that a social worker can only do this where there is proper and effective identification of the needs through an appropriate assessment mechanism, developing interventions and response plans and providing the needed support to facilitate the entire process. As such, I was guided by three basic principles which allowed me to effectively explore her necessities. The first principle is the need to be constantly aware of the growth and development risk that may face the patient (Phoenix & Husain, 2007). In regard to this, I studied miss SL past to determine the possible risks that she may be facing. The second principle which guided me was the assessment of such risks and so that I could up with interventions that will protect the service user from the detrimental impacts of the risks. In most instances, this requires the use of a multi-disciplinary approach. To do this, I engaged the services of a support worker who would work with her on some of the issues she was facing. This way I was able to ensure that her needs were effectively met. Thirdly, it is the general duty of the social worker to protect the patient and her interests. In line with this principle, I decided to always ensure that the information about the service user was kept confidential. I also ensured that I protected her desires and wishes so that we could have a good working professional relationship. I believe that understanding of the human growth and development is very key when dealing with service users having growth and identity issues. Council Report (2004) says that human growth and development explores the changes which occur in people over the course of their lives. Initially, it was more concerned with children and infants but has expanded to encompass the adolescent period, adult development and the aging process. It means that it now covers the entire lifespan of individuals. It is for this reason that I did not only consider the service user’s current situation but also her past to have a understanding of her entire life span. Deater-Deckard & O’Connor (2000) remarks that this field of study looks into a broad range of issue including a person’s motor skills as well as other psycho-physiological process. Cognitive development, acquisition of language, identify formation and problem solving are some of the influential development issues which are key in understanding human growth and development (Jones & Ramchandani, 1999). Steinberg (2005) informs that the process requires the understanding of the various theories that relate to physical development, social development and cognitive development. This is important as they are the major pillars in growth and identity formation in all the stages of growth. It adds are several accepted concepts and developmental issues such as child protection which are also essential in human growth. Recognizing these concepts and principles require social workers to have in depth knowledge of the various problems and situations that affect the service user in childhood, adolescence, adulthood and as they age. In the case of this service user, the Piaget’s cognitive development theory was helpful in understanding her needs. I selected this theory since it allowed me to explore how Miss SL’s cognitive development process may have affected her. Council Report (2004) says that for the theory to be effectively used, it must be understood with respect to the needs of the service user. This, I ensured that I drew a correlation between the various aspects of the theory and the needs of the service user. All through my placement and during the time I was dealing with Miss SL, I was ensuring that I followed the guidelines provided the Department of Health. These guidelines are meant to improve and enhance growth, development and identify formation among service users (Glaser, 2000). It gave me the vital information that is key to handling the situation. While practicing my role during the placement, I worked within the guidelines of the Every Child Matters Initiative which is underpinned in the Children Act 2004. This was an initiative made in response to the death of Victoria Climbie in 2003 and is now one of the utmost vital initiative and program for development and growth among UK children. It covers all children, adults and those with disabilities. Thus, before starting the process, I had to consider the various aspects of the Every Child Matters Initiative to know how well Miss SL met intended outcomes. This way, I was able to determine where to begin by intervention. In whatever action and decision I was making with regard to Miss SL, I always had the provisions of the Children Act Of 2004 in mind. This is an act of the United Kingdom Parliament which forms the basis of official administration of services which are meant to help children. Cheminais (2009) says that this act was created to help meet specific goals in children development and wellbeing. The primary purpose was however to give the local authorities the entitlement to regulate the various interventions which are administered to the UK children. As such, I always ensured that her best interest are taken into account. This or example I did by not forcing her to stop drinking since I believed that it was in her best interest. Moreover, she was not drinking on regular basis and thus this was not a big issue. Phoenix & Husain (2007) informs that overcoming the challenges that are facing Miss SL requires fostering of different types of interventions with each aimed at improving her wellbeing and moving towards her independence. Therefore, I decide to rely a task centered approach, procedure-driven intervention and the involvement of service users as well as the carers in ensuring that her needs are met. I selected this approach due to the nature of needs that I identified. Miss SL showed childlike manners and did appreciate the level of neglect that she has. She has head lice just the same way as her mother who is supposed to help her deal with such concerns. This issue can be handled by means of appropriate therapies which will enlighten her on the need for physical hygiene. The efforts that I put in dealing with her challenges and concerns were meant to solve the problems at the local context and also create an authorization environment which will allow for positive deviation from her current practices and behavior to ensure that the outcomes of the Every Child Matters Initiative are achieved. The cognitive development theory which I considered applies to her case in that she was not able to develop some of the human cognitive abilities as she grew up. She cannot for example leave the house without her mother. This overdependence on her mother is a clear indication that cognitive development did not take place as expected in normal circumstances. This is further supported by the social development theories which points out that social interactions affect growth and development. In her case, the neglect and bullying that she experienced in school affected her growth. Since she is protected by the Child Act of 2004 and also the DOH’s Every Child Matters framework, I had the duty of ensuring that her needs are met and that she can live without the challenges and issues which she currently experiences. I realized that the valuation of the essentials of the patient is paramount in this case. Therefore, I asked an access team support worker to visit the family at home to work out a care plan for Miss SL and to take a look at the home environment. The worker must also work with her on the inability to go out of the house alone and cleaning of her bedroom. The social interactions in Miss SL’s childhood life are responsible for her present status. Thus, I recommended that she be referred to Independent MINS so that she can access community based activities. I did this because it will be able to interact with other individuals and in the process, her cognitive and social abilities will be developed. Barker (2009) points out that this kind of initiative works when the service user is will to engage in it. Since Miss SL expressed the desire to alter the negative aspects of her life, the intervention will contribute positively to her well-being. Part 2 Social care is complex and at times requires the understanding of the human actions and development so that the best kind of intervention is initiated. In an attempt to do this, I used observation to inform me on the social work practice. Through this method, various concepts and approaches to social work could be identified. Barker (2009) says that the observation gets one closer to the everyday routines and methods is social practice. It allowed me to get an understanding of actions, decisions and routines in everyday practice. From this, I could determine both the advantages and the disadvantages of this method when it issued as a way of understanding social work practices and procedure. One main strength of this method is that it allowed me to be part of the process by being near other practitioners who are carrying out the procedures and the service users. This way, I could easily understand the activities and the reason why some decisions are made. Domain 5 of the PCF for example requires that the care giver must have knowledge about various psychological cultural as well as social influences on people. By observing how the service users acted based on these factors, I gained this kind of knowledge which will be key in my future practice. Through observation, I was able to determine the effective intervention skills that can be used in dealing with social care problems. In all instances, 7th Domain of the PCF requires me to engage individuals and families so that I can come up with the best intervention. Therefore, by observing how patients behave and react, I was able to acquire various skills such as those of communication. These skills will be very helpful in coming up with appropriate interventions in future practice. I also realized that observation as a method has some shortcomings which impacts on its efficiency when used in social care settings. First, it was not easy for me to know when to getting in or start the observation process and where to stop. Since social care may involve multidisciplinary approach, it involved several practitioners who carried out diverse functions and duties .Thus, it was not easy for me to know when to getting in and when to stop. Secondly, it was not easy for me to know what to focus on due to the wide range of functions that are carried out in such settings. The other concern that I realized was that it was a time consuming process. By using observation to inform me about social work practice, I realized the importance of diversity and equality in the care process. Standards of Proficiency and the Domain 3 of the PFC requires that diversity is promoted and embraced so as to ensure that the rights of the service users are respected. By observing how this was done, I appreciated how difficult it may be at times to promote anti-discriminatory behavior especially in cases where the interest of the service user may be conflicting with the view of the care giver on a particular practice. However, the SOP requires that the rights and interest of the user must always take precedence so that the y can be placed at the center of the entire process. After using this method during the placement, I noted that it also impact on the service user. Observation method required me to be near the service user so that I could know the underlying issues affecting her. However, it also raised ethical concerns which impact on the nature of care given to the patients. Appleby (2000) warns that there is always the possibility of paternalism in observation as it invades the service user’s world to be able to obtain the information which is required. However, domain 3 of the PCF coupled with the SOP can be effectively be applied to handle this challenge. I believe that confidentiality of the patient information must always be ensured even if observation methods being used in the course of the practice. From the placement, I comprehended that observation is not only a tool for assessment but also one that can be used to understand the current contexts of working when dealing with individuals and groups. I now consider it as a tool which can be very helpful in ensuring that the best care is provide to the patients so that the outcomes can be achieved. However, I also realized that it can be subjective in nature and thus, I must always remember to be guided by the PFC and the SOP so that the patient receive the best care. It is therefore a toll that I will use to explore various social acre needs and contexts in the course of my future practice. Reference List Appleby, L 2000, ‘A new mental health service: high quality and user-led’, British Journal of Psychiatry, vol. 177, pp. 290. Ary, D, et al. 2000, ‘Development of adolescent problem behavior’, Journal of Abnormal Child Psychology, vol. 27, pp. 141–50 Barker, R 2009, Making Sense of Every Child Matters: Multi-Professional Practice Guidance. Policy Press, London. Bakermans-Kranenburg, M, & Juffer, F 2003, ‘Less is more: meta-analysis of sensitivity and attachment interventions in early childhood’, Psychological Bulletin, vol. 129, pp. 195–215. Bandura, A 2007, Social Learning Theory. General Learning Press, New York. 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