Reflection forms a central part of social work practice and education, and it is

particularly important for social workers in placement settings or newly qualified

social workers. It is essential that social workers have the confidence to question
their own practice, the organisation that they work in, and dominant power structures
in society at large. Reflection, and in particular critical reflective practice, forms a key
part of this, as social workers are called on to reconsider and reconstruct the
dominant social discourse. As a social work student, I have to critically identify and
reflect upon some issues & my learning throughout the placement. This will enable
me to identify some more personal strengths and areas for further development. On
self-reflection of considering my strengths, I am cooperative, good-natured,
generous, helpful, humble and modest and I trust others. As a professional, I am
non-judgmental, respectful and sensitive towards my clients. Finding the right service
for each client based on their needs requires a creative person. These qualities are
important for me, because I am working and will work with a variety of persons other professionals, clients, and so on - who may exhibit inflexible and demanding
personalities that may be challenging to work with(Heron 2005).

Critically reflected on ethical issues that arise out of the face to face interview
and Householders assessment process:

During the assessment process, some ethical issues arose out of the face to
face interview with older people. For example, in an assessment with a male
householder, he preferred female homesharers with the age above 50. Literally, he
was looking for a partner. In some cases, Householders need homesharers to do all
the household chores for the exchange of free rent which will exceed 10 hours of
support. One householder, who is living alone in a huge area of land (about an acre),
was seeking a couple as a homesharers to maintain the yard and her horses all the
time which was not possible for a homesharer to complete their task within their
timeframe. In the world of the elderly, ethical issues have an even greater
significance because they usually involve an elder who is likely to be more
vulnerable that the average adult. For that reason, in many ways the elderly are
taken advantage of by people in whom they have misplaced their trust. Respect for
individuality is a core value in our society and is no less so when dealing with the
elderly. In fact, it may be even more needed because the elderly are usually not as
able as the younger population to stand up for their rights and their decisions.
However as by the Homeshare program, we have to look for both parties and
homeshare has its own procedure and policies. In the case of the male householder,
as a social worker, I can understand his feeling & situation that he dont want to stay
alone and need some company but as a homeshare program worker I need to follow
the organisations norms. So after the face to face assessments with householders,
we assess their suitability for the program. So we marked the suitability flags for
each clients and percentage of possibilities for them to proceed further in the
program. After a brief meeting which includes me, other student, and our

supervisors, we will come to a conclusion about their place in the homeshare

program. Thus I developed my social work skills on working as one of the team
members and adapting to the organisations norms and procedures.(Holland and
Kilpatrick 1991, Banks 2001).
In working with older persons, the strengths-based approaches can prove to
be extremely useful in view of the fact that most elderly have an enormous repertoire
of knowledge, practice wisdom and a wide range of skill sets and by and large,
helping professionals approach the whole issue of working with the elderly from a
perspective of dealing with dependency and burden of care associated with-it.
Particularly, social work interventions, in order to be effective, need to be offered
from the stand point of strengths-based approach rather than other patriarchal
models of care. A strengths-based approach is more than a set of hard and fast
rules. It is a perspective. It strives to lead with the positive and values trust, respect,
intentionality, and optimism. It is based on the idea that people and environments
interact and change each other in the process. Each has the ability to build the
others capacity. Health care and human service professionals may utilize a
strengths-based perspective in their work with individuals. While they do not explicitly
follow particular model, they view and define individuals by their values, strengths,
hopes, aspirations, and capacities, regardless of the stressful or burdensome nature
of the situation around them (Hepworth, Rooney et al. 2009).
To effectively meet the mental wellness needs of older adults and those with
disabilities, a strengths-based approach is recommended. This perspective suggests
that there is a need to find out what has helped the older adult / individual get to
where he or she is in life. A strengths-based approach operates on the assumption
that people have strengths and resources for their own empowerment. Traditional
health intervention models concentrate on deficit based approaches, ignoring the
strengths and experiences of the participants. In a strengths-based approach, the
focus is on the individual not the problems or concerns. Drawing on strengths-based
approaches does not ignore problems. Instead, they shift the frame of reference to
define the issues. By focusing on what is working well, informed successful
strategies support the promotion of mental wellness in older adults with mental
illness(Early and GlenMaye 2000).
Strengths-based and empowerment-oriented interventions simultaneously focus on
client strengths and environmental strengths and strategies that include education
(transfer of knowledge and skills, often among individuals in similar circumstances),
self-help, enhancing social networks, advocacy, and social action. Empowerment
oriented practice maintains special focus on consciousness-raising (regarding the
personal and political dimensions of issues), multi-level intervention strategies and
change, and collectively in problem solving and action. Both perspectives strongly
support client participation in all aspects of the decision-making processes affecting
their lives and seek free working relationships between social worker and client
(Chapin and Cox 2002, Saleebey 2002)

To help older adults remain independent, workers emphasis is on predicting and,

declines in overall health. Several efforts have been developed to address a single
aspect of health; however, to support aging in place, a holistic approach to
assessment of householders well-being and health is needed. To date,
methodologies are lacking that address the holistic and multidimensional
assessment of health and wellness. The concept of holistic care in current tradition
helps to enhance the total well-being of the client. Portraying the human being only
by his/her present needs is insufficient. Every individual is unique and should be
cared for as an entity comprising of body, soul and spirit. The objective of the
process is to gain more knowledge and to shed additional light on the concept
Holistic Home care for the elderly within the home setting from the perspective of the
carers. Examining ones own beliefs and values, and ones subsequent biases, is
essential in examination of ethical issues. Our values and beliefs will impact on care
provision, that is, on what care is provided, as well as when, where, why and how it
is provided(Worth 2001).
References:
Banks, S. (2001). "Ethics and values in social work."
Chapin, R. and E. O. Cox (2002). "Changing the paradigm: Strengths-based and
empowerment-oriented social work with frail elders." Journal of Gerontological Social Work
36(3-4): 165-179.
Early, T. J. and L. F. GlenMaye (2000). "Valuing families: Social work practice with families
from a strengths perspective." Social Work 45(2): 118-130.
Hepworth, D., et al. (2009). Direct social work practice: Theory and skills, Cengage Learning.
Heron, B. (2005). "Selfreflection in critical social work practice: subjectivity and the
possibilities of resistance." Reflective practice 6(3): 341-351.
Holland, T. P. and A. C. Kilpatrick (1991). "Ethical issues in social work: Toward a grounded
theory of professional ethics." Social Work 36(2): 138-144.
Saleebey, D. (2002). The strengths perspective in social work practice, Allyn and Bacon
Boston.
Worth, A. (2001). "Assessment of the needs of older people by district nurses and social
workers: a changing culture?" Journal of Interprofessional Care 15(3): 257-266.