A Written Episode from Social Practice at Riverside House - Report Example

An Episode from Social Work/ Practice Number Department Contents page Introduction Introduction to workplace Describing and evaluating the structure, major activities and responsibilities of the organisation Identifying personal role within the organization A Written Account of an Episode from Practice Conclusion To: From: Re: Report on a Written Episode from Social Practice at Riverside House The scope of this paper is to the dynamics of volunteer programmes and exercises. Teamwork, personal initiatives in a structured and routinely supervised environment, proper communication channels and methods, and rational and organised approaches to issues are some of the issues that critically inhere this paper. This information is in turn made inn light of the volunteer work which was done at Riverside House, as one of the centres of Salvation Army which provides social welfare services in Britain, London. As already mentioned, Riverside House is one of the centres of Salvation Army that provides social services in London. The centre provides accommodation for drug-and-substance-addicted single homeless men aged between 18 and 65 as an artifice to helping them live in a conducive environment that is totally bereft of drug taking and alcohol consumption. The rationale behind Riverside House’s undertaking is the hope and intention to inculcate a sense of abstinence-based lifestyle upon the addicts, by taking these addicts away from conditions where drug taking and alcohol consumption is extant. Riverside House is a full fledged organization, having a distinct chain of command and flow of protocol, as is shown in the diagram below. Riverside House is well structured vertically and horizontally. This organisation is a bureaucracy, with the chain of command flowing vertically. Every office is self-accountable; having its unique duties, while the topmost hierarchy comprises the managerial staff. The junior staff forms the bulk of the organisation, numerically, followed by the auxiliary staff. However, the success of this organisation is underpinned by the fact that it allows free flow of information, at both vertical and horizontal planes. This free flow of information is made possible by the organisation using sundry and all means of communication such as telephones, notices, meetings, memos, word of mouth and the office of the secretary (Adams, R [Ed]. 2007, 22, Care Quality Commission, 2009, 2 and Hart, 1971, 11). When presented in an outline, Riverside House’s structure and flow of information and activities may be aptly represented by the diagram below. My roles as a project worker in the organisation are multifaceted, as shall be seen forthwith. For one, as a project worker at the Riverside House, I have to work closely with the patients, right from the point of referral right through to resettlement. I also conduct interviews and assessments to ensure that prospective clients satisfy the eligibility criteria, and that the services he has been listed for are in line with his needs. This also helps ensure that the patient has been accorded the most appropriate housing options. In a closely related wavelength, I help orientate service users by acquainting them with house rules and licensing agreements, while upholding the ethos of an open and supportive environment, as a way of helping ease service users and show them empathy. I also take the responsibility of key-working several service users in a manner that is more objective, realistic and unbiased manner, in the bid to encourage them to follow action plans, towards the fulfillment of long-term goals. This has required selflessness and patience from me, since I have had to dispense this duty in an unbiased manner; the personal predisposition of the service users notwithstanding. That the role I discharge requires strong interpersonal skills is a matter that is underscored by the fact that I help service users horn their skills to achieve their potential in the community. This has also required of me negotiation skills and facilitating and empowering techniques. This entails constantly working in partnership with service users until they reach a point whereby they are able to handle emotional and practical aspects of moving, as the end of their stay demands. This in turn makes assisting these service users to utilise basic life-skills which they may have acquired throughout their stay in the Riverside House. As a project volunteer, I also take charge of post resettlement for 6 months, in the community, to help the service users sustain their tenancy. As part of this effort, I encourage service users to make input in all the programmes that have been set up in Riverside House. Because of this, I have to also advocate on the service users’ behalf with outside agencies, in the bid to determine the necessary link to meet their needs. In summation, it may be rightly said that although serving as a volunteer, yet I am part of the centre staff team that develops, implements and maintains the very programme which helps disadvantaged and vulnerable service users access Riverside House’s services, values, skills and to help them maximise their sense of autonomy. One of the most unforgettable episodes that I had to deal with in Riverside House is working with Jerry, an alcohol drug addict whose alcoholism was worsened by his abrasive and uncooperative mien. This means that as a volunteer social worker with Riverside House, handling Jerry and dispensing the duties owed to him as a Riverside House was challenging and sometimes, annoying. At most times, Jerry would disobey instructions, refuse to participate in Riverside House activities or even sabotage important duties such as eating and bathing. Managing Jerry has been a challenge which required patience. Even during his bouts of resistance, I had to remain calm, collected, friendly and supportive. However, I would not immediately answer his outbursts, in the heat of the moment. Several times, I had to summon my wherewithal to ensure that he abided by the rules and standards that Riverside House had set. This demanded the ability to tinker gentleness with firmness, since both the need to show Jerry emotional support and the need for discipline were both paramount. At other times, Jerry would be stubborn, thereby compelling me to involve the vertical chain of command. During times of outright and adamant disobedience such as refusing to get out of bed according to Riverside House’s programme, I involved the intervention of the housekeepers and security personnel. When bouts of despondence and withdrawal symptoms seriously kicked in, I involved the input of Riverside House’s medical officers and psychiatrists (Department of Health, 2010, 22 and Hapworth, Rooney, Rooney and Strom-Gottfried, 2010, 61). In turn, my input complemented that of medical officers and psychiatrists since I ensured Jerry took his prescription to the latter and that he was ready for counseling sessions. These arrangements would happen on a tri-weekly basis during the first trimester. During the second semester, these arrangements would take place in a bi-weekly basis. In the third semester, the appointments with the medical officers and psychiatrists took place on weekly basis. This arrangement required working with the administrative echelons of Riverside House since medical and counseling recommendations were a culmination of the administration, medical officers and psychiatrists, as is always postulated by Illes and Sutherland (2001, 17), Wigens (2006, 22), Day (2006, 1) and Jasper (2003, 56). Just as Owen and Leva (2009, 250), Santy and Smith (2007, 66), Jackson and Thurgate (2011, 41) and Henwood (2006, 408) divulge, the same also demanded close communication with administration since counseling and treatment sessions for Jerry were time-specific. Keeping the medical officer’s and the psychiatrist’s timetable was binding, due to the large number of service users Riverside House managed. The release of such timetables would be communicated from the secretary’s desk. During eventualities, phone calls would be made directly to me, or any other officer concerned. At the same time, monitoring Jerry’s progress and noting it down, was not only a weekly duty, but was also a serious exercise whose reports were to be handed in at the medical officer’s, the psychiatrist’s and Riverside House’s offices. Although it is hard to objectively make appraisal on one’s own performance, I personally think that the duties I dispensed attest of high level of skills and performance abilities. For instance, my ability to remain firm on Jerry and to tactfully help Jerry observe the rules and procedures set by Riverside House is a clear testament to my stickler for discipline. This is especially in light of the fact that I had to accord Jerry the highest extent of emotional support possible, in order to help him appreciate the fact that his stint at the Riverside House was for his own good, the rigours that stint brought regardless (Hull, Redfern and Shuttleworth, 2005, 34, Naidoo and Wills, 2003, 56 and Doel, Sawdon and Morrison, 2002). Conversely, my ability to produce reports on Jerry and his ilk attest of my ability to: do proper record keeping; work with, and fulfill firm deadlines; use effectively, proper communication skills; and multitask related duties. That I had to work with housekeepers, medical staff and the psychiatrist at the Riverside House and Jerry himself, is also a clear manifestation of my ability to observe teamwork and to strike meaningful and sustainable interpersonal relations. Musick and Wilson (2008, 56) and Pearce (1993, 34) are poignant that normally, the ability or inability to maintain teamwork occasions the success or failure of volunteers in social work. In conclusion, despite the challenges that accosted the duties that I discharged at Riverside House, my tenure of office as a volunteer went a long in inculcating in me, patience and interpersonal skills. Without patience, dealing with people as wonderful as Jerry could be impossible. The same experience at Riverside House also helped me appreciate the role of interpersonal skills and communication, since the entire stay in this institution involved a close coordination of the inputs made by the medical officer, the psychiatrist, the secretary and myself. References Adams, R [Ed]. 2007. “Foundations of Health and Social Care.” Palgrave Care Quality Commission. 2009. Care Quality Commission. Retrieved 22 December 2010 from http://www.cqc.org.uk/ Day, J. 2006. Inter-professional Working. Cheltenham: Nelson Thornes. Department of Health. 2010. Equity and Excellence Liberating the NHS. Retrieved from Department of Health: http://www.dh.gov.uk/en/Publicationsandstatistics/Publications/PublicationsPolicyAndGuidance/DH_117353 Doel, M., Sawdon and Morrison, D. 2002. Learning, Practice and Assessment: Signposting the Portfolio. London: Jessica Kingsley. Hapworth, H. D., Rooney, R. H., Rooney, D. G. & Strom-Gottfried, K. 2010. Direct Social Work Practice. Theory and Skills. 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