Dear Social Work Students and Newly Qualified Social Workers (NQSW’s),
As I reflect on the past 2 years of my social work degree, MTV decides to play Mad World by Gary Jules which felt spooky. The lyrics are quite apt “All around me are familiar faces, worn out places, worn out faces. Bright and early for the daily races, going nowhere, going nowhere…” Is it really a ‘Mad World’ out there? How prepared are we in working with people who feel they are lost in their life? This is only my reflection and I am on the same journey as you. So let’s share our experiences and have a collective voice in raising the profile of a much revered, important and enjoyable profession…social work!
I believe making the most out of your course is a great starting point in building your resilience. Social work students need to be as much prepared to cope with the climate of adversity. It is the social work educator’s responsibility in enhancing social work student’s well-being also. Building resilience in the future workforce should be a key element of social work education (Grant and Kinman, 2012). Create a ‘toolbox’ throughout your social work education journey consisting of strategies that will help you manage your well-being more effectively in professional practice.
Strategies to make the most out of your course could include:
- Networking via face to face
- Making the most of social media and creating a positive presence
- Having the confidence to have a voice, to project a positive image of the profession and being radical in a safe and ethical way
- Standing against something you feel is wrong – remember to protect yourself and the people you work for and with
- Making most of supervision and peer support
- Taking time to reflect and achieving a study life balance
Networking can never be under estimated, not just for job searching, but creating quality connections to help you throughout your journey. I was able to build trust with a Children’s Services Senior Interim Manager and Consultant who is currently my mentor. We talk every month and he gives me his time to discuss any matters relating to social work education, career advice and motivation. Such mentors can be hard to find, but we need to know who to trust and take advice from.
Social work education changes you as a person and sometimes this can disagree with you and those close to you. I am growing as person in regards to being aware of knowledge I have not learnt before, getting out of my comfort zone, realising prejudices that I felt I never had and work around them to not let it affect my practice. My ideas have changed to that of my family and it can feel like a conflict.
Supportive peer relationships, effective use of supervision in professional practice, university student support services and most of all your learning advisors help to contribute towards keeping your sanity and dealing with issues you aren’t able to deal with. Although, it does not have to be all about struggles, it is great to talk and share about good times because social work is all about commendable work. My learning advisor is an academic and recently practising social worker in child protection who continues to be a pillar of strength for me. Practice Managers to leaders of my course have always been accessible, especially when there have been occasions of tears.
The British Association of Social Workers (BASW) has been a strong pillar throughout my education so far. I’m not just an active BASW member, but also a student member part of the All England Committee. It’s an exciting and invigorating role in which I have seen myself grow as a radical professional. Get involved in a member led organisation and be active for social work. I look around at BASW events and see that there are not many students/NQSW’s around – make the most of your membership and if you can make it, take advantage of the events to enhance your knowledge base. Don’t’ just stay in the box, but think out of it and get out of it to make an impact in a safe and ethical manner!
Social media for me is addictive, do use the BASW Social Media Policy to enhance your experience and benefit from the many platforms that you are comfortable in using ethically. I communicate and interact with social work students, practitioners and academics on an international level. There are various innovations recently, such as, the Social Work Book Club an initiative by Amanda Taylor (@AMLTaylor66) from the University of Central Lancashire. I was involved from the East Midlands to Lancaster via live streaming discussing literature with a panel of students and academics. Amanda Taylor, an enthusiastic social work academic (her enthusiasm rubs off on you) uses “Storify as a platform for offering a teaching & learning resource in social work education”. You may view it here: http://storify.com/AMLTaylor66.
Tarsem Singh Cooner (@Akali65), another inspiring social work academic has launched a social media app. The discussions are in accessible language and instantly you are engaged in a way of thinking that includes values and ethics in using social media in social work. Link to the app: https://sites.google.com/site/socialworksocialmedia/. There are many I have not mentioned, but if you are a Twitteratti, do check @BASW_UK’s timeline and list of followers and also a dedicated Facebook page.
The Masked AMHP (@MaskedAMHP) is now on twitter as well as Facebook – a great example of online learning for students interested in mental health. I have been involved greatly with child protection and learning disability work, so it’s great to interact with the Masked AMHP’s Facebook members. I even asked them how to approach an assignment related to mental health.
One of the first blogs I followed was that of Relando Thompkins (@Relando_T) – Notes from an Aspiring Humanitarian, which is what I achieve to be within my career. Do check out his blog for an international perspective http://www.relandothompkins.com/blog/ which has inspired me from my first year and onwards. Reading Relando’s reflections on “diversity, exclusion. equity and social justice” makes me feel even more proud and honoured in aiming to be a social worker.
Our course has a dedicated Facebook page led by a senior lecturer I admire for introducing me to social media. If your course does not use a social media platform as yet, then be creative and propose one.
Keeping a journal (online or offline) is a good idea where you can highlight in different colours maybe for theory, legislation and values derived from your practice experience. It’s amazing to see the difference in yourself as you progress throughout your course via your personal and or professional journal – I like to keep both!
Resistance versus resilience is a hot topic with my student friends…how much pressure can we take? Can we say no? It is ok to say you’re not ok and it doesn’t mean you have failed. Some of my course friends have found it very difficult to cope if they have failed an assignment or had a bad experience in practice. Don’t take failure in a negative way, but think that it is another step in improving your skills. Protecting yourself is as important as protecting those whom you serve as social work is a rewarding yet an emotionally stressful career.
I have merely given a brief outline here, but I leave it to your good selves to explore further to your own advantage. Use other platforms to enhance your social work education, as I feel for me the degree is not enough to learn to be more analytical, learning and challenging your values, using theory, research and legislation for evidence based practice. I have had the benefit of seeing this in action via BASW and its members, the England Committee and the Professional Officers who work tirelessly for the profession and for you! Gosh, I am a fan!
On my induction day, I was told to make the most out of your course and when you are sitting in the graduation hall waiting to collect your degree, make sure you have no regrets! Wish all my fellow social work student colleagues all the best in their journey of education. Take time to reflect and breathe…it can be difficult, but aim to achieve a study life balance because life and work experience can be crucial in preparation and duration of further study. Make the most of your social work course as it may not come back again.
Aspire to be the best for the profession, because IT and YOU are worth it!
Best Wishes,
Manisha Mahendra Patel
2nd Year Social Work Student at Nottingham Trent University
@ManishMahen
ManishaMahen 