Monday 24th May 2010
Today was a sad day; I attended a funeral of a man that I have supported in his own home for the past five years. He lived in a supported living house with three of his friends and a team of eleven of us worked around the clock to deliver every day support with the tasks that they was unable to manage themselves. All four friends have got learning disabilities and do manage reasonable well. All of his friends and family was at the church to say goodbye, He will be missed.
Tuesday 25th May 2010
AM. This morning I attended the first part of the team Meeting at city Limits. This was very interesting for me, listening to all of the projects that the team had run for the YP and the positive outcomes.
I then went and joined AA team meeting. The meeting started with Purple Dog a training provider demonstrating to the team a proposed Induction Course that he is intending to deliver at a workshop for YP. All of the team took part, it was fun. The team then gave feedback on positive and negative aspects of the content of the workshop. For me taking part in this induction gave me a better insight and with the knowledge of the content of the training it makes me confident to signpost the YP onto this training. Knowing what training the YP is receiving when they attend this workshop and the benefits that they can gain. We then went straight into the team meeting. I took the minutes; I am now responsible for typing up these minutes and emailing them to the team by the close of business Friday.
PM. This afternoon I had a keyworker session with a YP, she was thirty minutes late. That’s ok isn’t it? YP are busy people and sometimes cannot make appointments. On a serious note I did wait for her but I will not be waiting that long next time. I am a busy person and I like to be on time when attending appointments so I expect other people to be punctual. Also time keeping is an important skill when working so what better time than to practice this skill and master it? When one is not in employment.
Wednesday 26th May
AM. This morning I had put a slot in my diary to telephone my contact list. This list of YP that I ring and tell them about AA and what it can offer them. Some of the YP are already working or got a place in college to start in September; this is fantastic news to hear. The YP that are not doing anything at this present time are invited to the information session that we are having on Wednesday 2nd June 2pm-3pm at City Limits.
PM. This afternoon I went to Platform 1 at Hemsworth. I was shown around the building and explained what activities and projects took place throughout the week for YP. I asked for a timetable for these activities and I will be signposting YP to these activities. All of the team in the offices was busy with their work and all was very cheerful.
Thursday 27th May
AM. This morning I had an appointment to meet with a Social Worker from Safe at Home a Domestic Violence Unit in Wakefield. I was intending to spend the morning with him and get some knowledge about the work that he does in this area and how it could link with AA and offer support to YP who may need this service. Unfortunately he had to cancel and we are rescheduling another appointment.
PM: This afternoon I had supervision with my Work Place Supervisor (WPS). I have found that with regular supervision and it enables me talk about things that I am unsure of in my role as keyworker at AA. I ask questions in this meeting and get clarity just to ensure that I am carrying my role out effectively and that I am covering my learning needs for my student role. It is a two way procedure WPS and me work together, if I ask for support I receive it but I am also offered support in various ways via supervision. I now have to type up the supervision notes and email them to WPS by close of business Friday. Wow that is tomorrow, I haven’t got a lot of time it is going to be a busy day Friday.
Friday 28th May
Admin day, the day is spent in the office completing all of the admin work and just as I have known all week, I am going to be busy. Regularly and carried out by all of the team the information on AAPAS has to be updated this enables the YP to get paid. Similarly Smartbase is updated with any changes in the YP information however; input of changes into smartbase is an ongoing task. These two tasks are priority and have to be completed and submitted to Head Office before 12pm deadline.
Then I start on my own Friday tasks, this week I have to write up the Team Minutes from the meeting on Tuesday and email them to the team. Write up supervision notes, complete my working hours template, a copy of a pre-written reflective piece taken from my student reflective journal and email to WPS. Forward the weekly completed client list and contact sheet to my manager. Put next week’s appointments that I have in my diary up onto the whiteboard in the office all by the close of business today which is 5pm on a Friday. But it is Friday and there is the long weekend looming, bank holiday Monday.
Sunday, 30 May 2010
Sunday, 23 May 2010
ENTRY 4 23/5/10
Monday 17th May 2010
University today, it was our groups turn to present our presentation on Children, Young People and families. We got good feedback from the tutors. Highlighting that “the whole group was involved and seemed committed to the process” It was good and I enjoyed it.
Tuesday 18th May 2010
AM. Attended Peer Supervision meeting with the team.
PM. I had to go home due to a migraine. Regretfully I had to cancel am imminent meeting with a young person. On reflection this was not a professional way to act; I should have met the young person for a short contact and explained the situation. I thought of myself first and not the YP. However, this is one of the many learning curves for me.
Wednesday 19th May 2010
Today I attended a training course with the University to train to be a Cybermentor with the charity run Beatbullying, http://beatbullying.org/index.html Beatbullying works directly with young people, helping them to overcome bullying. They also work with those identified as bullies, addressing their negative behaviour.
Unfortunately I was unable to do the training due to miscommunication via University. The training was for the age group 18 to 25 and I do not fit in that age category. However the Volunteer Manager was excited when I told him that I was working on placement with AA. He said that they was looking at holding a training course for EET young people that was in University to mentor NEET young people from the ages 11 to 18. And this was going to take place across the whole of the North.I gave him my managers email address which will enable her to forge a link with Beatbullying.
Thursday 20th May 2010
AM. This morning I had supervision with my Work Place Supervisor, my Practice Educator was present. This meeting summed a lot of positives for me, it identified some learning needs and I attend to positively address this.
PM. This afternoon I had a keyworker session with a young person. This was a very positive session for both the young person and me. The young person identified serious personal issues and left the session with intentions of seeking advice on the issues. My role is to research and present her with information on the subject of concern and to sign post her to relevant services to support her.
Friday 21st May 2010
AM. Admin and research
PM. The team participated in a bit of light hearted enjoyment by toasting one of the keyworkers forthcoming birthday. This resulted in a pleasant end to the week and put the team in a good mood for the weekend.However, in a good mood I may be but the week never seems to end for me whilst studying.
University today, it was our groups turn to present our presentation on Children, Young People and families. We got good feedback from the tutors. Highlighting that “the whole group was involved and seemed committed to the process” It was good and I enjoyed it.
Tuesday 18th May 2010
AM. Attended Peer Supervision meeting with the team.
PM. I had to go home due to a migraine. Regretfully I had to cancel am imminent meeting with a young person. On reflection this was not a professional way to act; I should have met the young person for a short contact and explained the situation. I thought of myself first and not the YP. However, this is one of the many learning curves for me.
Wednesday 19th May 2010
Today I attended a training course with the University to train to be a Cybermentor with the charity run Beatbullying, http://beatbullying.org/index.html Beatbullying works directly with young people, helping them to overcome bullying. They also work with those identified as bullies, addressing their negative behaviour.
Unfortunately I was unable to do the training due to miscommunication via University. The training was for the age group 18 to 25 and I do not fit in that age category. However the Volunteer Manager was excited when I told him that I was working on placement with AA. He said that they was looking at holding a training course for EET young people that was in University to mentor NEET young people from the ages 11 to 18. And this was going to take place across the whole of the North.I gave him my managers email address which will enable her to forge a link with Beatbullying.
Thursday 20th May 2010
AM. This morning I had supervision with my Work Place Supervisor, my Practice Educator was present. This meeting summed a lot of positives for me, it identified some learning needs and I attend to positively address this.
PM. This afternoon I had a keyworker session with a young person. This was a very positive session for both the young person and me. The young person identified serious personal issues and left the session with intentions of seeking advice on the issues. My role is to research and present her with information on the subject of concern and to sign post her to relevant services to support her.
Friday 21st May 2010
AM. Admin and research
PM. The team participated in a bit of light hearted enjoyment by toasting one of the keyworkers forthcoming birthday. This resulted in a pleasant end to the week and put the team in a good mood for the weekend.However, in a good mood I may be but the week never seems to end for me whilst studying.
Saturday, 15 May 2010
ENTRY 3 16/5/10
Monday 10th May 2010
Lecture at University, Practice for learning module. Today the other groups was delivering their presentations. The rest of the students observed and gave critical and constructive feedback. There were some excellent presentations.
Tuesday 11th May 2010
AM. This morning I attended AA team meeting. I was asked to take the minutes and then to email the typed up minutes to the team before close of business on Friday. Taking the minutes is good practice for my note taking, a skill I will need to become an efficient social worker. Notes that hold me responsible for the outcome of somebody’s life. A scary thought when the reality hits that something that seems like a small task could be so detrimental to somebody’s life.
PM. Got a keyworker session today with a young person. I am feeling a bit nervous; I want to understand the concerns that she has the reason why she is disengaging and the barriers she is coming up against and the risks that this will bring about. I want her to feel comfortable when talking to me and to trust me when she tells me her personal information. I want to work with her so that she can work towards her goals. YES I am feeling a bit nervous; I want to get it right.
Wednesday 12th May 2010
Today I had a study leave day. I spent some of the day researching but most of the day writing my reflective journal. This journal is about me and my journey through the social work training. About what I have learnt and identifying what I still have to learn. In my writing I am honest about how I am feeling, I look at the incident I then say how I felt at the time, I analyse the situation and then I reflect to see if I could have handled the situation differently and how. The journey I am on seems never ending, I feel bogged down, and when times get hard I feel like giving in. Then I ask myself
“Why am I studying to be a social worker?” and my answer is “because I am passionate about helping people
Thursday 13th May 2010
AM. This morning I visited The Base at Pontefract, this is a working Hub. I was shown around the building and briefly said hello to the team that work from there. I was told about the projects and activities that take place there on a regular basis. I thought the building was magnificent; it was a huge place with lots of rooms and all nicely decorated, the place felt welcoming. I was told that they do a lot of work with local schools and the youth club was open to YP regularly throughout the week. I asked for a timetable with the weekly activities in the event that some of these projects could be accessible by YP.
I was told about Safer Schools Partnerships (SSPs) that was in operation in the schools. This is a project that is based on a flexible model of prevention and early intervention. SSPs requires a collaborative approach between the school, Local Authority, Police and other local agencies working towards the same goal. SSPs involves improving relationships with YP promoting School Safety and reducing crime and anti-social behaviour within the schools and the community,
PM. I am meeting a new young person today and I am excited at the prospect. I met her before in the Information sign up session. She seemed to know what she wanted and which direction she wanted to go in. She told me that she had been for previous job interviews but had never been successful. I want to explore with her the reasoning to why she thinks this happened.
I feel that she would benefit from the interview and CV workshop that AA offer. I would like to see her break through the barrier of being at a disadvantage because of lack of experience. I want to see her prepared for her next job interview and to be that successful candidate.
Friday 14th May 2010
Admin and Research all day.
Lecture at University, Practice for learning module. Today the other groups was delivering their presentations. The rest of the students observed and gave critical and constructive feedback. There were some excellent presentations.
Tuesday 11th May 2010
AM. This morning I attended AA team meeting. I was asked to take the minutes and then to email the typed up minutes to the team before close of business on Friday. Taking the minutes is good practice for my note taking, a skill I will need to become an efficient social worker. Notes that hold me responsible for the outcome of somebody’s life. A scary thought when the reality hits that something that seems like a small task could be so detrimental to somebody’s life.
PM. Got a keyworker session today with a young person. I am feeling a bit nervous; I want to understand the concerns that she has the reason why she is disengaging and the barriers she is coming up against and the risks that this will bring about. I want her to feel comfortable when talking to me and to trust me when she tells me her personal information. I want to work with her so that she can work towards her goals. YES I am feeling a bit nervous; I want to get it right.
Wednesday 12th May 2010
Today I had a study leave day. I spent some of the day researching but most of the day writing my reflective journal. This journal is about me and my journey through the social work training. About what I have learnt and identifying what I still have to learn. In my writing I am honest about how I am feeling, I look at the incident I then say how I felt at the time, I analyse the situation and then I reflect to see if I could have handled the situation differently and how. The journey I am on seems never ending, I feel bogged down, and when times get hard I feel like giving in. Then I ask myself
“Why am I studying to be a social worker?” and my answer is “because I am passionate about helping people
Thursday 13th May 2010
AM. This morning I visited The Base at Pontefract, this is a working Hub. I was shown around the building and briefly said hello to the team that work from there. I was told about the projects and activities that take place there on a regular basis. I thought the building was magnificent; it was a huge place with lots of rooms and all nicely decorated, the place felt welcoming. I was told that they do a lot of work with local schools and the youth club was open to YP regularly throughout the week. I asked for a timetable with the weekly activities in the event that some of these projects could be accessible by YP.
I was told about Safer Schools Partnerships (SSPs) that was in operation in the schools. This is a project that is based on a flexible model of prevention and early intervention. SSPs requires a collaborative approach between the school, Local Authority, Police and other local agencies working towards the same goal. SSPs involves improving relationships with YP promoting School Safety and reducing crime and anti-social behaviour within the schools and the community,
PM. I am meeting a new young person today and I am excited at the prospect. I met her before in the Information sign up session. She seemed to know what she wanted and which direction she wanted to go in. She told me that she had been for previous job interviews but had never been successful. I want to explore with her the reasoning to why she thinks this happened.
I feel that she would benefit from the interview and CV workshop that AA offer. I would like to see her break through the barrier of being at a disadvantage because of lack of experience. I want to see her prepared for her next job interview and to be that successful candidate.
Friday 14th May 2010
Admin and Research all day.
ENTRY 2, 9/5/10 SUNDAY
Monday 3rd May 2010
Bank Holiday Monday there was no work today; everybody is officially taking the day off and relaxing.
I do not work on Mondays because I attend University for a lecture. At present I am nearing the end to a Learning for Practice module. Students from BA2 are presently
working in teams on a power point presentation covering our placement client groups. The team that I am in are representing children and families group to the rest of the year students.
Tuesday 4th May 2010
AM. I attended a Peer Group Supervision meeting this morning in the office. This is a team discussion where collective ideas and activities are discussed between the team about the young people to enable maximum positive outcomes for the young person. I introduced a young person that I am working with and together as a team we agreed on a path that would be advantageous to her action plan. In addition team meetings are used for discussing and introducing new links that have been forged with outside agencies. Introducing and discussing present training providers. We are all given copies of the MI figures, we examine these figures and discuss the outcomes between the team in the meeting.
PM. I met a young person this afternoon for a keyworker session. We reviewed last week’s action plan and had a chat and reflected on how she was feeling and how she handled the tasks agreed last week. We discussed further her career route and created a new action plan for next week. The young person was open and honest with me; I am working to building up a relationship of mutual trust and respect.
Wednesday 5th May 2010
AM. I went to meet up with some young people at City Limits that have formed as a group to apply to Dosh Donors for funding. If successful with this application then it would enable them to choose and carry out activities that they think will be fun and enjoyable as a team. In addition they will also acquire accreditation for the activities to add to their CV. Lots of good ideas had previously been suggested between the young people but the main activities that they agreed on was go-carting, motor x, and paintballing.
PM. I attended an information, sign up session at city limits. This is held fortnightly on Wednesday between 2pm and 3pm. Young people that have been referred to Activity Agreement (AA) are invited to come along and discover what AA have to offer them and the positive outcomes they could gain from the AA project.
Thursday 6th May 2010
AM. This morning I had supervision with my Practice Educator. This time is set aside to flag up any concerns that may arise from both parties. In my role as a student at the Activity Agreement this time is mostly for observing the work and tasks that I undertake and a chance for receiving important critical feedback and praise in areas that I am doing well. I am learning to utilise this time appropriately.
PM. This morning I attended a basic skills assessment session at Manygates. This allows young people that have achieved less than a grade C in their Maths and English GCSE results an opportunity to be assessed at Maths and English. The outcome of the results will determine an entry level 1 or 2 to resit Maths and English enabling the young person to bring their grades up to a C. I found this really interesting and asked if I could complete both tests, unfortunately for me there was not a computer spare. They were all in use by the young people.
Friday 7th May 2010
Friday in the office is a day of administration and research. Priority is recording and payments, Friday 12pm is the cutoff point when details of the young person’s weekly activities have to be entered on to the system to ensure that they get paid.
An example of research is that it directs keyworkers to discover new services with agencies in local areas that keyworkers and young people can access for information.
All the keyworkers had prepared a power point presentation with information relevant to people who would be referring young people on to the Activity Agreement project. Time was set aside this Friday afternoon for keyworkers to present their presentation.
Bank Holiday Monday there was no work today; everybody is officially taking the day off and relaxing.
I do not work on Mondays because I attend University for a lecture. At present I am nearing the end to a Learning for Practice module. Students from BA2 are presently
working in teams on a power point presentation covering our placement client groups. The team that I am in are representing children and families group to the rest of the year students.
Tuesday 4th May 2010
AM. I attended a Peer Group Supervision meeting this morning in the office. This is a team discussion where collective ideas and activities are discussed between the team about the young people to enable maximum positive outcomes for the young person. I introduced a young person that I am working with and together as a team we agreed on a path that would be advantageous to her action plan. In addition team meetings are used for discussing and introducing new links that have been forged with outside agencies. Introducing and discussing present training providers. We are all given copies of the MI figures, we examine these figures and discuss the outcomes between the team in the meeting.
PM. I met a young person this afternoon for a keyworker session. We reviewed last week’s action plan and had a chat and reflected on how she was feeling and how she handled the tasks agreed last week. We discussed further her career route and created a new action plan for next week. The young person was open and honest with me; I am working to building up a relationship of mutual trust and respect.
Wednesday 5th May 2010
AM. I went to meet up with some young people at City Limits that have formed as a group to apply to Dosh Donors for funding. If successful with this application then it would enable them to choose and carry out activities that they think will be fun and enjoyable as a team. In addition they will also acquire accreditation for the activities to add to their CV. Lots of good ideas had previously been suggested between the young people but the main activities that they agreed on was go-carting, motor x, and paintballing.
PM. I attended an information, sign up session at city limits. This is held fortnightly on Wednesday between 2pm and 3pm. Young people that have been referred to Activity Agreement (AA) are invited to come along and discover what AA have to offer them and the positive outcomes they could gain from the AA project.
Thursday 6th May 2010
AM. This morning I had supervision with my Practice Educator. This time is set aside to flag up any concerns that may arise from both parties. In my role as a student at the Activity Agreement this time is mostly for observing the work and tasks that I undertake and a chance for receiving important critical feedback and praise in areas that I am doing well. I am learning to utilise this time appropriately.
PM. This morning I attended a basic skills assessment session at Manygates. This allows young people that have achieved less than a grade C in their Maths and English GCSE results an opportunity to be assessed at Maths and English. The outcome of the results will determine an entry level 1 or 2 to resit Maths and English enabling the young person to bring their grades up to a C. I found this really interesting and asked if I could complete both tests, unfortunately for me there was not a computer spare. They were all in use by the young people.
Friday 7th May 2010
Friday in the office is a day of administration and research. Priority is recording and payments, Friday 12pm is the cutoff point when details of the young person’s weekly activities have to be entered on to the system to ensure that they get paid.
An example of research is that it directs keyworkers to discover new services with agencies in local areas that keyworkers and young people can access for information.
All the keyworkers had prepared a power point presentation with information relevant to people who would be referring young people on to the Activity Agreement project. Time was set aside this Friday afternoon for keyworkers to present their presentation.
ENTRY ONE
Hi my name is Gaynor and I am a 2nd year social work student on placement with Activity Agreement, (AA) Wakefield. This placement is for 3 months and is part of my training. I am a mature student returning to study after raising a family. Bus driver, teacher’s assistant, care work with older people with learning difficulties, bar work are just some of the jobs I have had over the years. I can empathise with you young adults attending AA because I too had to brush up on my Maths and English before being accepted to University. I know how difficult returning to study in order to gain experience or knowledge to improve my life chances is very difficult and many days my confidence and dedication is sorely tried. However, I contend myself that anything worthwhile is never easy. And sometimes the hardest struggle is the most rewarding.
I have worked with Activity Agreement for three weeks now. Looking back I cannot believe how fast the time has gone by. I have been shadowing different key workers to learn what they do. They have all been very generous and patient in sharing their knowledge and experience with me, I am very grateful. However, there is a lot to learn and I know that it is going to be a challenging placement which will stretch and test me.
Watching the professionalism of the keyworkers with young people has given me insight into the work and outcomes of what Activity Agreement is all about I have not been there when young people have started with Activity Agreement but I have been there when they have exited. To see the young person and the pride they express at their achievements is amazing.
One thing that I have learnt is that young people are diverse; they have all got different ideas, plans and aspirations and all have a different level of ability to get them there. I am not a judgemental person, working ant-discriminatory towards people that I work with. I have total respect for every individual inclusive of class, gender, culture, religion, sexuality and disability. I am here to learn to be a key worker which will help me practice and improve my communication and people skills. In turn this will help with my confidence, my ability to relate social work theory to practice and improve the skills and knowledge I already have. I am excited about working with both young people and the staff at AA. I hope my presence is an inspiration to the young people I will be working with. That they will understand that even if you have left school without any qualifications, it doesn’t matter. Because AA is here to help them rectify that. It’s never too late, just look at me.
I have worked with Activity Agreement for three weeks now. Looking back I cannot believe how fast the time has gone by. I have been shadowing different key workers to learn what they do. They have all been very generous and patient in sharing their knowledge and experience with me, I am very grateful. However, there is a lot to learn and I know that it is going to be a challenging placement which will stretch and test me.
Watching the professionalism of the keyworkers with young people has given me insight into the work and outcomes of what Activity Agreement is all about I have not been there when young people have started with Activity Agreement but I have been there when they have exited. To see the young person and the pride they express at their achievements is amazing.
One thing that I have learnt is that young people are diverse; they have all got different ideas, plans and aspirations and all have a different level of ability to get them there. I am not a judgemental person, working ant-discriminatory towards people that I work with. I have total respect for every individual inclusive of class, gender, culture, religion, sexuality and disability. I am here to learn to be a key worker which will help me practice and improve my communication and people skills. In turn this will help with my confidence, my ability to relate social work theory to practice and improve the skills and knowledge I already have. I am excited about working with both young people and the staff at AA. I hope my presence is an inspiration to the young people I will be working with. That they will understand that even if you have left school without any qualifications, it doesn’t matter. Because AA is here to help them rectify that. It’s never too late, just look at me.
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