Chapter 62 – Sarah Joyce (D5SOP1)
Domain 5 Standard of Proficiency 1
Know, understand and apply the key concepts of the domains of knowledge which are relevant to the profession.
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KEY TERMS Relevance to Profession Domain 1: Professional Autonomy and Accountability Domain 2: Communication, Collaborative Practice and Teamwork Domain 3: Safety and Quality Domain 4: Professional Development Domain 5: Knowledge and Skill |
Social care is … understanding what people meant when they said ‘find a job you love and you will never work a day in your life’ |
Relevance to Profession
This proficiency recognises that all the domains work in tandem with each other and therefore our knowledge/skill set as practitioners must encompass all domains. This is achieved, first, by understanding each domain and its related proficiencies and, second, being able to relate the relevant skills/knowledge to those proficiencies in a professional setting. While each domain has an allocated number of proficiencies it also has a key concept running through it. For example, in domain 5 the key concept is the knowledge and skills within the social care profession. For the purpose of this chapter I will be relating my points back to working within the homeless sector.
Knowledge in the social care sector is a vast area. It can refer to academic knowledge gained through studies, for example using case studies to learn about unique behaviours. Knowledge can relate to life experience gained outside a lecture hall, for example visiting a client in their home and being able to turn the power back on after a switch has tripped. Social care involves using life skills and knowledge to work with people in order to enhance their lives and support them.
The five domains of the CORU proficiencies are individually unique, yet all are equally relevant to the core of the social care sector. The domains encompass everything that falls under the umbrella of social care. As such, it is vital that all social care workers have a clear understanding of each domain and its relevance to their chosen profession. In college, students learn the knowledge related to social care; on placement they see how this knowledge impacts on practice. The knowledge we have as social care practitioners is what underpins our practice – we make informed decisions based on our knowledge of the sector. It is vital to note that we are always learning and gaining additional knowledge; this is what allows for continuous professional development and development within the sector.
Domain 1: Professional Autonomy and Accountability
Social care focuses on working with people who are often on the fringes of society. Often the client base includes some of society’s most marginalised and vulnerable people. As a result, it is imperative that we as social care practitioners build strong, meaningful relationships with the clients in our care. Positive, meaningful relationships are the very essence of social care. This is what brought a job that was once viewed as a vocation to a professionalised standard. There is always going to be a need for care within society. However, with that care comes responsibility and the requirement to be accountable for one’s actions, both personally and professionally. Practitioners must understand their organisation’s policies and procedures, and know how to address poor practice (Lalor & Share 2009).
It is important to be able to differentiate between the knowledge we gather as practitioners and the knowledge we share as practitioners. For example, when writing a report, it is imperative that the report is clear, factual, and relevant. ‘Would it stand up in court?’ This is an honest question all social care practitioners must ask themselves. ’Would you be comfortable reading out what you wrote in front of the person in a courtroom? That is the level of factual report-writing required from social care workers.
The need for autonomy and accountability within social care stemmed from past failings in the sector: the clerical sexual abuse scandals; failings in the disability sector; failings in childcare; and the current homeless crisis. When there is no one to hold accountable it can be detrimental to the victims (Jones & Carston 2016). This is why we must strive for professional autonomy and accountability and ensure that the highest standards are fostered throughout the social care sector.
Domain 2: Communication, Collaborative Practice and Teamwork
The key concept of teamwork is to achieve tasks that an individual could not. A team encompasses the skill set of all members and results in combined productivity. Within social care, work is often carried out by multidisciplinary teams and it is crucial that there is effective teamwork as each member plays a vital role (Reeves et al. 2011). An example of clear communication within a team is the shift planning meetings often carried out in residential services. When the new shift comes in, there is generally an oral handover followed by a shift planning meeting. The meeting sets out clearly defined goals for the coming shift. It also offers role definition to all incoming staff so they are clear on what they are required to do. This allows for clear communication of what is needed from the staff team.
Social care can be a challenging sector and often one person simply cannot meet all the needs that service users present with. Interagency collaborative practice fills that gap, for example homeless organisations working with medical teams to deliver high-quality care to residents in their hostels. The Safetynet service in Dublin City is a medical charity that delivers care to those marginalised in society and without access to healthcare, including homeless people, drug users and migrants. It also facilitates a network of health services working with homeless people to ensure a co-ordinated approach and promote best practice. It works in conjunction with homeless organisations to achieve this. In-reach services are provided across hostels in Dublin, and the Safetynet bus provides outreach services in Dublin City in the evenings. A full list of its services can be found on its website www.primarycaresafetynet.ie.
Follow this link to read an example of how Safetynet supported a person and her partner to exit homelessness: https://www.irishtimes.com/news/social-affairs/stigma-of-homelessness-they-couldn-t-hide-the-disgust-on-their-faces-1.3646825
TASK 1
Q. How can social care practitioners educate others in order to remove the stigma attached to homelessness?
Divide the class into groups. Can each group come up with four other agencies (either real or imagined) that would provide beneficial in-reach/ outreach to homeless services? Use the headings Mental Health; Physical Health; Addiction; and Emotional Wellbeing.
Domain 3: Safety and Quality
The social care sector encompasses a widely diverse cohort of service users, including people with disabilities, older people, children and families, people experiencing homelessness, people in addiction, and people experiencing mental health difficulties. The common theme is that all of them need help and support from social care workers. It is imperative that this help and support is provided in a safe environment. If it is not, it could lead to additional difficulties being introduced into the lives of people in an already challenging situation.
The Irish Association of Social Care Educators define social care as ‘a profession committed to the planning and delivery of quality care and other support services for individuals and groups with identified needs’ (Lalor & Share 2013: 21).
Case Study 1
‘Maeve’ is a social care practitioner working in a low-threshold day service in a homeless organisation. Low-threshold refers to minimal conditions being placed on clients and meeting clients where they are at. It works in conjunction with a harm-reduction approach when dealing with people using drugs. When working with low-threshold clients, practitioners are often ‘responding to a variety of complex needs namely chaotic drug use and associated risky behaviours; homelessness; complex physical and mental health issues and previous challenging backgrounds and emotions’ (Morton & O’Reilly 2016: 16). As part of her training, Maeve has completed harm-reduction training in order to be able to use these techniques when working with clients. She has also completed Naloxone training. Naloxone is a prescription medication used to reverse the effects of opioid drugs. It can be injected or used in nasal form. In the day service, there are strict procedures to follow when dealing with an overdose. These procedures are designed to ensure the safety of the person who is experiencing the overdose, the other service users present, the staff, and any external emergency personnel.One of Maeve’s key clients is ‘Mick’. Mick has a heroin addiction and regularly presents to the service affected by heroin. Maeve has been working with Mick for over a year and has built a positive working relationship with him. Mick likes working with Maeve and trusts her judgement. They are currently waiting for a detox bed to become available for Mick.
One day Mick presents to the service heavily affected by heroin; he is not responding to Maeve. Maeve directs Mick to the couch in the communal area and gets him to sit down. Staff remove the other clients from the area to allow privacy. Maeve checks Mick’s breathing (number of breaths per minute). Mick’s breathing is low and the emergency services are called. Maeve puts on gloves and administers Naloxone while on the phone to the emergency services as they talk through the procedure with her. The needle is then placed in a sharps bin and secured. Maeve directs staff to the front of the service to look for the emergency services and direct them to the entrance. As Mick begins to come round, Maeve calmly explains where he is and what has happened. The ambulance personnel arrive and staff lead them to Mick. Maeve has printed off a sheet with Mick’s medical information, including what medication he is on, and any medical conditions he has, for the ambulance personnel. Mick leaves with the ambulance personnel to go to the hospital, where he will be fully assessed. Maeve debriefs with staff after the incident.
TASK 2
In pairs, discuss how Maeve ensured that safety standards were followed when Mick was experiencing an overdose. How did Maeve provide quality care to Mick throughout his overdose experience?
Domain 4: Professional Development
Social care is an ever-evolving sector and as a result it is essential that social care workers avail of ongoing continuous professional development (CPD). CORU defines CPD as ‘The means by which health and social care professionals maintain and improve their knowledge, skills and competence, and develop the professional qualities required throughout their professional life’ (CORU 2013: 11). This definition highlights the importance of CPD in the social care sector.
One effective tool for professional development is supervision. Supervision is a safe area for social care practitioners to discuss any issues or difficulties they are facing and receive the support they need. Research has shown that quality supervision results in ‘job satisfaction, commitment to the organisation and retention’ (Carpenter et al. 2017: 1). CPD, combined with effective supervision, can help social care workers through any difficulties they may face in their role. A study carried out by Social Care Ireland into workplace violence in 2016 made a number of key recommendations for future practice, including providing regular professional supervision in a suitable setting, and recommendations for social care workers to engage in CPD. The importance of regular training was also highlighted (SCI 2020).
Domain 5: Knowledge and Skill
The professionalisation of the social care sector stemmed from a need to ensure that all social care workers have the highest standard of knowledge and skills required to work in a professionalised environment. This knowledge and skill set is acquired throughout the degree, primarily in a classroom setting; it is then put into practice during placement and refined in the workplace after college. Knowledge is the ability to understand a concept; a skill is the ability to use that knowledge by applying it to a concept (Given et al. 2008).
Case Study 2
‘Michael’ is a third-year social care student on placement in a homeless service. As part of his studies he has undertaken modules on both mental health and suicide. Michael feels he has a wide span of knowledge on both topics. His placement offers him the opportunity to complete applied suicide intervention skills training (ASIST). Michael accepts the offer of the two-day training course. The ASIST training teaches suicide first aid skills to practitioners; it also trains participants to reduce the immediate risk of a suicide and increase the support for a person at risk. It helps them seek a shared understanding of reasons for living. The workshop provides opportunities to learn what a person at risk may need from others in order to keep safe and get more help (HSE 2020). After completing the training course Michael has the skill set and the knowledge to help someone presenting with suicidal thoughts and/or behaviours. He feels confident that he would know how to reduce the immediate risk to the person to keep them safe in that moment.
TASK 3
Can groups display an understanding of each domain using only pictures?
While skills and knowledge can be attained, the personal factor is far more innate to the social care worker. The importance of building and maintaining relationships within the social care sector is at the very core of the profession. This is what brings the skills and knowledge to life. It is the realisation that a person not only has the ability to help and support, but also the willingness and kindness that is imperative when dealing with vulnerable and marginalised people.
Tips for Practice Educators
Use the online Kahoot game (an online tool that allows lecturers to set quizzes for students: https://kahoot.com) to set a quiz for the class based on the key concepts of each domain.
References
Carpenter, J., Webb, C., Bostock, L. and Coomber, C. (2017). Effective Supervision in Social Work and Social Care (Research Briefing 43). London: Social Care Institute for Excellence.
CORU (2013) Framework for Continuing Professional Development: Standard and Requirements. Dublin: CORU.
Given, B., Sherwood, P. R. and Given, C. W. (2008) ‘What knowledge and skills do caregivers need?’, Journal of Social Work Education 44 (sup3): 115-23.
HSE (Health Services Executive) (2020) ‘Applied Suicide Intervention Skills Training’ (online) <https://www.hse.ie/eng/services/list/4/mental-health-services/nosp/training/asistleaflet.pdf> [accessed 16 March 2020].
Jones, C. and Carston, C. S. (2016) ‘Lessons from abroad: Rebalancing accountability and pedagogy in the Irish social care sector through the use of effective leadership’, Administration, 64(2): 61-83.
Lalor, K. and Share, P. (2009) ‘Understanding Social Care’, in K. Lalor and P. Share (eds) Applied Social Care: An Introduction for Students in Ireland. Dublin: Gill & Macmillan
Lalor, K. and Share, P. (eds) (2013) Applied Social Care: An Introduction for Students in Ireland (2nd edn). Dublin: Gill & Macmillan.
Morton, S. and O’Reilly, L. (2016) Community Based Low Threshold Substance Use Services: Practitioner Approaches and Challenges. Dublin: Ballymun Youth Action Project.
Primarycaresafetynet.ie. (2020). [online] Available at: https://www.primarycaresafetynet.ie/services [Accessed 7 Mar. 2020].
Reeves, S., Lewin, S., Espin, S. and Zwarenstein, M. (2011) Interprofessional Teamwork for Health and Social Care, Vol. 8. John Wiley & Sons.
SCI (Social Care Ireland) (2016). Crisis, Concern and Complacency. Dublin, SCI. Available at <https://www.socialcareireland.ie/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/Crisis-Concern-and-Complacency. compressed.pdf> [accessed 8 March 2020].
Shannon, J. (2018) Stigma Of Homelessness: ‘They Couldn’t Hide The Disgust On Their Faces’. [online] The Irish Times. Available at: <https://www.irishtimes.com/news/social-affairs/stigma-of-homelessness- they-couldn-t-hide-the-disgust-on-their-faces-1.3646825> [Accessed 15 November 2020].
