Category: Social Care

The main principles underpinning Social Care Practice include respect, dignity, and empowerment of clients so they can live a better life and achieve their full potential. The aim of Social care practice to promote social justice for vulnerable individuals so that they can take control of their own lives within their own social context and environment. Social Care practitioners take a holistic perspective toward problem-solving, and advocacy while working with individuals and their families.

(Iasw. ie, 2020) The following paper consists of a detailed insight into the important relevant factors of the role of the Social Care Practitioner. The main aspects of Social Care Practice will be described and it will outline the relevance of Supervision and the value and importance of Reflective Practice. Furthermore, areas of Self Care and Professional boundaries will be explored. Finally, the importance of Confidentially in the workplace will be discussed.

Supervision

According to the social care institute for all excellence (Social Care Institute for Excellence (SCIE), 2020) the use of supervision in an organization provides a positive impact on performance and encourages staff to do their very best. It provides transparency and a solid link between the service users and the workforce. It is a way to gauge the quality of service that is provided. (Scie.org.uk, 2020). In a supervision policy, a care service facility sets out its commitments to supervision and states its expectations and how this supervision will be delivered and evaluated. It also outlines training and development procedures and how recording is carried out (Beddoe, 2016). A supervision policy is the means by which an organization establishes its commitment to supervision, clarifies expectations regarding the standard of delivery, and decides upon how the process will be reviewed and evaluated. The policy will also need to identify how the organization will support the process with resources, including the training and development of supervisors (Morrison 2005).

Supervision in social care practice is a vital tool in the learning process for students and professionals alike throughout their careers of the practioner. It is a process where one member of staff with the capability is given the responsibility to work with another person to promote outcomes for service users. It involves contact and consultations between a supervisor and the practioner and occurs regularly in the work environment. It enables review, and monitoring gives support and guidance and enables the person to identify their weaknesses. Furthermore, it focuses on areas of self-care, and emotional and physical well beign, and generally improves the quality of life of the professional and the service user. In order to encourage and support service users and form respectful relationships, it is paramont that the workforce processes appropriate resources for example, training, strong decision-making skills, social and communication skills. Supervision involves the allocation of work and planning and providing teambuilding and leadership.

Knowledge of the Role

The role of the social care practitioner is to provide care to people of all ages who feel disadvantaged and marginalized within society. These include people who have physical and intellectual disabilities, people in residential care, the homeless, those with addiction dependency, older people, and children. While social care practitioners traditionally have worked with these groups they now work with a much broader group of clients of all ages, many who have special vurnerablieties, these may include victims of sexual abuse, refugees, and asylum seekers or people who are drug dependent. Social care practitioners play an important role promoting change by addressing and highlighting many issues in society, for example, inequality and discrimination. Through building professional relationships with service users the practioner support clients and their families so that they can overcome the many challenges in their lives.

In Ireland, the Social Care Practice will soon be a registered profession and will be regulated by Coru. This means that all social care practitioners must be registered and will be required to meet the professional standards set out in the Corus Registration Board’s Code of Professional Conduct and Ethics for Social Care. The requirements are that the person must have at least an undergraduate degree education level, be fit to practice, and be Garda vetted (Coru.ie, 2020). In addition, these professionals are encouraged to work towards contiuing their professional development throughout their careers. This should include professional supervision, self-reflection, a willingness to advocate and learn new approches to work. Since they work directly in a person-to-person capacity or with in an interdisciplinary team with clients they are required to have a large skill base and knodkedge. They work as advocates for their clients and provide a range of education and support (Social Care Ireland, 2020). They require excellent Interpersonal and communication skills, empathy, self-awareness, and an ability to use critical reflection. The role of the social care practioner is to respect the dignity of service users as well as to have a good knowledge of social justice. They require many skills including planning, organizational, analysis and must the capilitality to working as individulals or as team members.

Reflective practice

Health and social care practitioners must process survival social skills because they work extensively in a stressful enviroment managing many challenges that are presented to them within the workplace Using reflective practice is a way of engaging in the process of continuous learning. It involves paying attention to and examining therois, experiences and ones own personal and practical values. According to Richardson and Maltby (Richardson and Maltby, 1995) keeping a reflective journal and getting into the habit of writing regularly which helps create the skills which are required for good effective reflection. The benefits of keeping an reflective journal can be improved by reviewing it regularly in order to recall past issues and experiences Self-awareness and reflection is about being open-minded and having the ability to observe critically analysis while problem-solving (Rolfe,1998). states that it is very important to be able to tell the difference between knowing something happened and why it happened and suggested that instead of using intuition practioners should use reflection on past events to build up their knowledge. Reflective practice enables professionals to develop a sense of self-awareness and mindfulness of their own practices so that they can continue to improve their understanding so that best the best quality of care is given and best outcomes are continually achieved. It increases confidence and professionalism and provides an insight into the difference of theory and practice. One method of reflective practice that social care practice use is Gibbs’ reflective cycle which uses of six steps. This process encourages the social care practioner to examine a particular situation or event by exploring, recollection and evaluating. From doing this the social care practioner will describe what happened and explore their thinking and emotions about how they felt at that time. They examine in great detail the positives and negativities of the event and attempt to make sense of what happened. It is important to reflect on these things so that one can find new ways of dealing with the experience in order to improve outcomes in the future (Contributor and Contributor, 2020) By reflecting in this way the practitioner will find that problem-solving becomes easier. This method of reflection brings the actions taken in the final stage back to the first stage and the process begins all over again (Moon, 2002).

Self Care

While the job of the social care practitioner is to look after their clients it is imperative that they devote time and attention to their own self-care so to create a greater awareness of the challenging issues that they face on a daily basis It is not unuasal that some encounter negitive experiences that cause stress and trauma (Socialwork.buffalo.edu 2020). Most professionals will face mental, physical, and emotional challenges and feel a sense of vulnerability at some stage in their careers.This may come about as a result of many factors, for example, fategue conflict, negative feedback, and feelings of overwhelment. All these things can lead to cause stress and compremise ones ability to function in a professional way. … It is essential then to take care of one’s own self-care before attempting to care for the needs of others. Looking after ones self-care will enable a practioner to manage and identify areas which may cause undue stress or emotional difficulties. Its important to know where ones vurnabilities lay in order to take approticate measures to limit the potential for essesive stress and burnout. Learning ways to overcome stress by adding some self care tips and activities into your daily routine can be very helful. It is essential that the professional pays attention to and becomes aware of these issues (Baker 2003). Self-care planning helps professionals manage and deal with the stresses of their every demanding job. By reflecting on a daily basis insights and connections with emotions can be made and this helps develop a better sense of self-awareness. As well as being central to ones growth reflection is necessary because it influences behavior, mindfulness and decision-making (Sarakay Smullens, 2015).

It is vital to develop a healthy attuiute towards work and be prepared to balance work schedules by taking self-care breaks eating a balanced diet, taking regular excerise, and getting enough sleep. These act as coping techniques and prepare the body to be more resillient when difficult situations occur. As their role is emotionaly intensive social care practitioners must not ignore signes of stress. One effective way to practice self care is to make time for regular reflection when one can spent time exploring emotions and experiences which will help identify negitive elements that need to be addressed. As a result, action plans can be set in place to deal with these issues in order to avoid any further undue stress. Supervision and peer support are also useful tools in self-caring. Its important to share experiences and self-care techniques so that other practioners can learn from others and feel they are not alone.

Professional Boundaries

Maintaining professional boundaries in social care is a crucial aspect of a good professional relationship with clients while upholding ethical standards of practice. They set a structure for the relationships between the social care practiceioner and their clients. These boundries are in place to protect the professional and service user and the organization involved and to ensure that all relationships are on a professional basis (socialcareonline.org.uk, 2020). The social care practioer is ablidged to hold the needs of the service user at the centre of all decisions made about them and any infomation obtained should not be disclosed to any outside partys. In addition the worker should not disclose thei rown personal details to clients. It is important to have a professional relationship with the client and not be involved on a personal leval. It is the responsibility of the social care practioner to ensure they are in a fit state to practice and do their job. This also applies to their actions outside the workplace, for example, activity on social media. The limitations of capability must always be understood and athered to while working in the social care practice service. However, due to human error boundries will sometimes be crossed due to a number of issues (Hardy, 2020.) This may be caused by fatugue, stress, mistakes, or even client manipulation. It is important that the worker identifies this potential breach, by using ongoing risk assessment strategies and taking action by early intervention. Where boundaries are crossed, either intentionally or unintentionally it is crutial to recognize this so that they can the risk can be accessed and intervention is applied.. It is important to be clear of one’s professional position in any relationship with a client and that they understand this. In practice the professional holds some power over the client, this must not be exploited and the rules of boundaries must be adhered to at all times. It is important to be aware of the differences between personal and professional boundaries so that all interactions are conducted in a professional manner. It is difficult to re-establish and maintain boundaries onece they have been crossed because service users may become confused (Hardy 2017). Social care practitioners are expected to maintain professional boundaries in order to safeguard themselves, the service user and the service facility in which they are working. Professional boundaries are rules that govern ethical standards in the workplace This means that all relationships with the service user must be professional. Any decisions made must always hold the service users’ safety at its center and it is important to work within one’s scope of practice with an understanding of capacity and limitation (Cooper, 2012)

Confidentiality

Confidentiality is a very important aspect of social care practioner work. All sensitive information learned from interactions with clients must be treated with the uppermost respect and discretion. Confidentiality means that information gathered within a relationship with a service user should not go any further than that relationship and the SCP is obliged to keep that information private. This encourages the client to come forward and confide in the person who is working with them in the knowledge that concerns including those of a sensitive nature are kept private Through sharing information the service user has an opportunity to have problems addressed. .However, there are some occasions, for example, when the information contains details of maltreatment, child or elderly abuse or other instances, then it is the legal duty of the SCP as a mandated person to break that confidentially and report the issue.

Informed consent is where the SCP discusses face to face with the client the expectations of their professional relationship. For example, it might outline what the client can expect from the professional and visa vera, this should be done in terms that is easy to understand. It also involves confidentially and the SCP should inform the client what information they will keep private and when they may break that confidenially. They should also highlight and explain clearly the fact that should they suspect maltreatment or abuse they are legally ablidged to report it. It is vital that the client understands this, if they are impaired its always best to follow up to ensure that it is indeed understood. It is also important to remember that the client has the right to decide on what information they share.

Conclusion

This paper has discussed the main elements involved in the role of a social care practicioner. It discused the main principles underpinning Social Care Practice and its role in providing respect, dignity and empowerment to the clients who use the service. It presented a clear picture of the aim of social care practice and how it attempts to address the relationship between the service and the practitioner.(Iasw.ie, 2020). The essay provided an insight into the relevance and benefit of supervision, professional boundries, and reflective practice. Finally, it discused the importance of and informed concent in the workplace.

Introduction

The following assignment will discuss how social care has been professionalized in Ireland, it examines social care in Ireland in both the past and the present. It briefly explores 4 very high-profile cases that gained huge media attention. Two of these cases are around incest, neglect, and child abuse both mental and physical. Another case is about elderly people in a residential home who were neglected and not given the care they deserved. The final case discussed is about people with intellectual disabilities who were also abused and neglected in a residential care home.

This assignment looks at how our most vulnerable members of society where let down by the health care systems. All of the reports done on these cases had shocking revelations. It highlights how social care in Ireland has had massive failings. What these cases did bring about called for major changes for social care in Ireland.

We also look at recommendations that where made in reports done following these cases to change some of the legislation.

Finally, this assignment discusses the importance of 2 agencies that were set up following these disturbing cases. These 2 agencies were CORU and HIQA. CORU and HIQA’s main aim is to protect vulnerable people in our society. This assignment briefly touches on how these agencies have professionalized social care over the years.

Social Care in Ireland has had major failings in the past. When people ask what social care is or what exactly do social care workers do, it can be quite difficult to elaborate on as it has such a broad spectrum. However, a definition that was agreed over a decade ago by the Irish Association of Social Care is that Social Care is “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, pg. 4).

Social Care work has not always been designated as a regulated profession, this only happened in 2005. One of the main reasons that recommendations, where made to get Social Care work in Ireland instigated by CORU, was The Kilkenny Incest Report. The Kilkenny Incest case was a case about a Father who raped and assaulted his daughter over a period of 15 years. In a court hearing for this case, it emerged that the victim had been in contact numerous times with general practitioners, public health nurses, and social workers (McGuinness, 1993). According to the Kilkenny Incest Report, the victim at one stage openly admitted to a social worker that her father was the father of her baby and yet nothing was done she continued living in the same house as her father. She presented numerous times to the hospital, doctors, and school with varying injuries, and because she had “good” excuses for these injuries nothing was done about it. This shows a massive failing in the system. Recommendations, where made in the final section of The Kilkenny Incest Report one of these, was a call for a change in the constitution to include the constitutional rights of children (McGuinness, 1993).

Another case that rocked the nation and highlighted the flaws in the social care system was The Roscommon Case. This was another case of incest, abuse, and neglect. In an interview with RTE, Mary Harney, Minister for Health and Children at that time, stated that this was possibly the most appalling case of abuse that she had ever read (RTE, 2009). Once again this family had countless interactions with the health services, public health nurses, social workers, and family support workers. As stated by Gibbons et al. (2010) the Western Health Board and other services were involved with the Roscommon family from 1989 to 2004. The question everyone asks is how was the abuse and neglect missed? Why was nothing done sooner to help these kids? Numerous visits were made to the family home by public health nurses and social workers, reports show that there were major concerns for the children’s well-being. It was clear that both parents were problematic drinkers, there was no food in the house, at times there was no electricity. It was confirmed by the Western Health Board core group in November 1999 that these children were neglected (Gibbons et al. 2010). So what went wrong? According to a report by Gibbons et al (2010), there were a number of inter-related factors that contributed to the failure of the services involved in this case. These included putting more value on using family support in a situation where child protection should have been the number one priority and concern, the assessment process and inter-disciplinary working was ineffective, the management systems was weak, the training and professional development were inadequate, there was faulty decision making, this case failed to learn from previous case reviews and overall there was poor knowledge of the relevant child care legislation. The rule of optimism was evident in this case, the professionals who worked with this family had claimed that they were ‘hopeful’ that there would be improvements.

As previously mentioned Social Care work was not always designated as a regulated profession, however, with the arrival of CORU, this is all changing. The role of CORU is to “protect the public by promoting high standards of professional conduct, education, training, and competence through statutory registration and regulation of health and social care professionals in accordance with the health and social care professionals act 2005” (Gov. ie). In order to regulate the health and social care professions CORU will do the following:

• Set Standards that health and social care professionals must meet.
• Promote CPD to ensure professional`s skills and knowledge are up to date.
• Conduct fitness to practice hearings in cases where professionals do not meet the required standards
• Ensure that the relevant educational bodies deliver qualifications that ensure professionals can provide the most appropriate care
• Maintain and publish a register of health and social care professionals who meet CORU standards (CORU.ie)

Another body under the aegis of the department of health that focuses on quality and safety for the public is HIQA. HIQA was established under the health act 2007, it is an independent authority established to drive high-quality and safe care for people using health and social care services in Ireland, in particular children in residential care, older people, and people with disabilities. HIQAs’ role is to inspect and review health and social care services to ensure they meet appropriate standards, they also support informed decisions on how services are delivered (HIQA.ie).

Although it is a great thing to have both CORU and HIQA some may argue that they came a little to late. Certainly, this would apply in the case of what happened in the Leas Cross nursing home. Leas Cross was a high-profile case in the media and it was the main reason that HIQA was set up.

In the O’Neill report on Leas cross, it found that the care in the nursing home was deficient on many levels and there was also consistent findings of institutional abuse (RTE.ie, 2006). The principal findings of the report on Leas Cross where that the care been given to the residents was deficient on many levels, the staff where inadequately trained, and overall the standards of care been given where extremely poor (O’Neill, 2006). This case highlighted the urgent need for crucial changes to be made in social care.

The introduction of HIQA and CORU showed the commitment of the Health service in finally professionalizing social care. HIQA have the right to inspect all public and private residential homes without warning. HIQA was also given authority, under the 2007 Health Act, to fine and when necessary shut down a home if there are concerns about the level of care been given (ÓCionnaith, 2011). This can be seen in the Áras Attracta residential home scandal. Áras Attracta is a residential care home for people with intellectual disabilities. Between July 2015 to May 2017 HIQA carried out 14 inspections of this home and found that the HSE were consistently failing to provide appropriate and adequate care for the residents, due to this HIQA issued the HSE with notices to cancel the registration of all 3 Áras Attracta centres if conditions didn’t improve (HIQA.ie, 2017). However as reported in the Irish Times by Pollark (2018) HIQA withdrew the proposal to close the centres following an inspection in January 2018, there where still concerns around the level of care been given so the HSE has been given a time frame to make these improvements and further inspections will be carried out.

Conclusion

This assignment looked at how social care has developed over the years in Ireland. It discussed 4 disturbing high-profile cases that happened in Ireland in previous years. These cases ranged from incest, neglect, child abuse both physical and mental, neglect of the elderly in care homes, and neglect and abuse of people with intellectual disabilities in residential care. Each of these cases received a lot of media attention and following these, major changes in social care where called for.

This assignment also highlighted how social care in Ireland failed to protect our most vulnerable members of society.

All of the reports done on these cases had shocking revelations

Finally, this assignment goes on to talk about the two agencies that where set up in the aftermath of two of these disturbing cases. It looks at the importance of these agencies in social care and what their role is in protecting the public.

This assignment briefly touched on how these agencies have professionalized social care over the years.

References

1. Coru. ie. What is Coru? Available at: https://www.coru.ie/about-us/what-is-coru/ (Accessed on 6/10/2019).
2. O’Cionnaith, F., (2011). Irish Examiner. What has changed since Leas Cross? Available at: https://www.irishexaminer.com/ireland/what-has-changed-since-leas-cross-157382.html (Accessed on 8/10/2019)
3. Gibbons, N., Harrison, P., Lunny, L., O’Neill, G. (2010). Roscommon child care case. Report of the inquiry team to the Health Service Executive. Available at: https://www.tulsa.ie/uploads/content/publication_Roscommonchildcarecase.pdf. (Accessed on 4/10/2019).
4. Gov.ie. Bodies under the Aegis of the Department of Health. Available at: https://www.gov.ie/en/organisation-information/9c9c03-bodies-under-the-aegis-of-the-department-of-health/#health-and-social-care-professionals-council-coru?referrer=/health-and-social-care-professionals-council-coru/ (Accessed on 6/10/2019).
5. HIQA.ie (2017). HIQA publishes an overview report of monitoring activity in Áras Attracta. Available at: https://www.hiqa.ie/hiqa-news-updates/hiqa-publishes-overview-report-monitoring-activity-aras-attracta (Accessed on 7/10/2019).
6. HIQA.ie. About us. Available at: https://www.hiqa.ie/about-us (Accessed on 7/10/2019).
7. Lalor, K., & Share, P. (2013). Understanding Social Care.
8. McGuinness, C. (1993). Report of the Kilkenny Incest Investigation. Dublin: The stationary office.
9. O’Neill, D., (2006). Leas Cross review. Health Service Executive, Naas.
10. Pollark, S., (2018). Irish Times. Health inspectors withdraw a proposal to close Áras Attracta. Available at: https://www.irishtimes.com/news/health/health-inspectors-withdraw-proposal-to-close-áras-attracta-1.3428793 (Accessed on 8/10/2019).
11. RTE.ie, (2006). Leas cross report finds ‘systematic abuse’. Available at https://www.rte.ie/news/2006/1110/82375-leascross/ (Accessed on 7/10/2019).
12. RTE.ie, (2009). Mother gets seven years in an incest case. Available at: https://www.rte.ie/news/2009/0122/113023-roscommon/ (Accessed on 4/10/2019).

Introduction

Within this essay, the role of a social care worker in contemporary, also known as modern, Ireland will be talked about under different headings. The first thing that will be talked about is what Social Care work is, along with the differences between Social Care Work and Social Care Practice then the qualities and characteristics required to become a Social Care worker in the first place along with the standards they must meet with regard to CORU. It will also cover the principles regarding Social Care work. There will also be differences between Social Workers and Social Care Workers. The final thing will be the types of clients a Social Care worker could be working with throughout his or her career.

Social Care Work

Social care workers’ job is to provide a service, mainly among members of the public that could be in more vulnerable situations. There are two types of practice in Ireland, Social Care Work, and Social Care Practice, Social Care Work is mainly based on needs and strengths-based approaches to resolving the client’s problems. While Social Care practice uses shared life space, and opportunities to meet the emotional, physical, and social needs of the clients. (O’Grady 2019)

Social Care Work focuses mainly on people and relationships, Human Development, Helping and Growth processes, Specific Needs of Particular Groups, Living and Working with Children and Families, and Individual and Interpersonal Dynamics. Comparing Social Work and Social Care Work they work on separate areas that aren’t all that different from one another, but Social Care Work is a newer profession. (Lalor and Share 2013 p.8) In comparison to a Social Worker who focuses on Networks, Organisations, and Policies, A Wide Variety of Societal Groups and Issues, knowing about Children and Families, Problem Solving, Social and Community, and Social Problems. (O’Grady 2019)

Professional Relationship and Goals

The relationship between a case worker and a client is based mainly on confidence and trust, if the client has been in vulnerable situations previously this will be critical for them to be able to open up to their case worker, even if it is only a temporary, that isn’t a mutual relationship with equality. The relationship is basically a professional helping their client who is receiving help, ensuring that there is both an interaction and that there is progress. It’s built to help with multiple purposes such as psychological, emotional, and physical problems and it has a level of being emotionally involved. Social Care Workers’ main goals are to guide, protect, support, and advocate for their client’s behavior, it is based on interpersonal relationships which require the worker to have good communication skills, empathy, self-awareness, and the ability to use critical reflection. (O’Grady 2019)

Practices

The practice with regard to Social Care work would be to be able to expand and adapt to various different groups, such as people with disabilities or residential childcare work, along with multiple settings. They in addition plan and provide professional and social needs along with planning and providing, which includes more than ensuring the plans from other professionals, that may be helping the client in some way, are being applied. Similar to the goals they support in any way possible, protect, guide, and advocate for the client, and must be able to work with different group dynamics, including interdisciplinary work which is used for discussing patient care between a group of professionals. (Lalor and Share 2013 p. 6)

CORU

CORU was set up in 2005 under the health and Social Care Professionals Act. It is a multi-professional regulator, that is made up of the Health and Social Care Professionals Council and the Registration Boards. The main role of CORU is to protect the public by making sure there are high standards of professional conduct, training, education, and competence through statutory registration of health and social care professionals.(O’Grady 2019)

The regulation reassures the members of the public that any Social Care Worker registered with CORU have met the specified approved standards.(O’Grady 2019) Within CORU they have five standards of proficiency regarding how social care workers should work, CORU (2017) stated they are the following: Safety and Quality, Professional Development, Professional knowledge and skills, Professional Autonomy and Accountability and Communication, Collaborative Practice and Teamwork. (O’Grady 2019)

Qualities

There are two types of qualities needed, the more academic ones such as Field based knowledge, Research-based knowledge, Problem-solving approach, and the ability to self-start and be part of a team. There are also more personal qualities such as being open-minded, having empathy which is understanding how someone is thinking or feeling rather than feeling sorry for them, compassion which is being able to put yourself into other people’s positions, being trustworthy, reliable to be someone that a client can count on if they need it and will be there for them when they need it, mature and having concern for the happiness of others. (O’Grady 2019)

Values

Concerning a professional relationship between worker and Client, there are various values such as Equality with regard to the different clients, empowerment which is proving the power for the client to do something, and independence such as allowing them to do things for themselves rather than taking over, justice, rights, choice, and respect. Many of the valves interlink with principles because they are very important within Social Care Work. (O’Grady 2019)

Principals

With regard to Social Care work, there are multiple principles regarding how they work on a day-to-day basis, they are required to empower the clients to achieve their full potential, and they must have respect for the client’s dignity and Social justice. (O’Grady 2019) The clients are encouraged to do things for themselves but have the Social care worker there to fall back on if needs be, they aren’t there to take over completely, if this happens the client may feel belittled or feel they have no control in their life. The social care worker has to try find a certain area where the client they are working with is happy to do tasks alone, but it isn’t too much for them.

Organizations and Career Opportunities

Social Care workers work with organizations such as TULSA or more local like Clare or Limerick Youth Service to ensure children are safe in their own homes and if not, they work to get the children to a safer environment. They can work alongside organizations that specialize in helping people with regard to their mental health such as Jigsaw or CAMHS, which stands for Children and Adolescent Mental Health Service. In addition, they can work with various homeless organizations also such as The Simon Community, NOVAS, Focus Ireland, and Enable Ireland who works with clients that have disabilities along with the homeless. There are also communities such as Adapt which was a domestic abuse service along with ALONE which works with elderly people.

Conclusion

In conclusion, a Social Care Worker has to have various different qualities and values to work within Ireland especially now under the CORU guidelines to be up to their standards to be able to work professionally and at a standard acceptable. There is a better understanding on the differences between Social Care Work and Social Care Practice mentioned, along with what each one focuses more on. It’s also a lot clearer how the Social Care Workers’ goals link to the qualities required along with how they are all linked in together. Also mentioned is the types of clients the Social Care Worker many works with throughout their career such as disabled or vulnerable clients along with the types of organizations that work with each client group and with how a professional relationship would work with a client within an organization.

Introduction

This essay will focus on the role of a social care worker, specifically, the history of the profession, what the practice has learned from its predecessor, and how it has evolved into the current model of social care practice that is seen today. These subjects will be researched through relevant books, web pages, and scholarly journals.

Historical Context of Social Care Practice

“The master says it’s a glorious thing to die for the Faith and Dad says it’s a glorious thing to die for Ireland and I wonder if there’s anyone in the world who would like us to live.”

Frank McCourt, Angela’s Ashes

Before there were social care practitioners, there was the Church. In 1868, the first industrial schools in Ireland were created and facilitated by both Catholic and Protestant churches, and they were public. They were created to care for neglected, orphaned, and abandoned children (Caranua n.d.). By 1908, the Children’s Act was introduced and included some loose parameters for schools around feeding, teaching, clothing, and housing children. The system, as it stood, suffered from an extreme lack of regulations as well as a duty of care, and became a source of abuse, disease, neglect, maltreatment, and in many cases, death, for young people (Caranua n.d.). The safety, protection, and well-being of children within the Church’s care, was virtually non-existent. So it was that in May of 1999, the Taoiseach, Bernie Ahern, apologized on behalf of the government to the survivors of child abuse within the industrial schools, acknowledging the responsibility of the Irish State. The government vowed to tackle the issue of past abuse, as well as provide counseling to survivors (Caranua n.d.).

The current social care practice seen in Ireland was born out of ‘serious deficiencies in the running of children’s centres… and the recognition of the need for professionally trained staff, as is stated by Kennedy and Gallagher (Kennedy and Gallagher p. 12) (2009 p. 12). It was influenced by international models that distanced themselves from institutions and focused on the community (2009 p. 13).

In 1972, several decades before this apology, the national organization representing care workers, known as the AWCC (Association of Workers with Children in Care) began their inception. The organization had only 73 members at the time and has since changed its name and evolved into a wider provision of care to include different sections of the public who required social service (2012 p.2). The word ‘social’ was included, as it best described its professional outreach, and the IASCW (Irish Association of Social Care Workers) now holds over 1500 members. The current mission of the IASCW is to provide its members with advocacy, representation, and support in the practice of Social Care Work, as well as an opportunity to improve the Standards and quality of Social Care Work in Ireland (2012 p.2) (Social Care Ireland 2019).

With increasing professionalization and regulation within the practice, there is hope that many issues that care has faced in its past will be addressed in its future. (2009 p. 20)

The Current Model of Social Care Practice and Moving Forward

Social care practice, by today’s definition, is complicated and ambiguous as some government agencies do not have a standard definition. Unfortunately, the consequences of an undefined profession can lead to vague career and salary structures. Several different bodies have attempted to clarify what it means to be a social care worker, and as Share and Lalor state, those bodies are usually involved in the provision, management, or funding of social care in the education and training of its practitioners (2009 p. 5)

A definition from the Irish Association of Social Care Educators (IASCE) states that:

“ a profession committed to the planning and delivery of quality care and other support services for individuals and groups with identified needs.”

It is important to highlight the term profession within this definition, as it indicates that it is not done on a voluntary or amateur basis, and requires access to a specific body of knowledge, skills, and awareness (2009 pp.5-6). In Ireland, the minimum qualification needed in order to practice as a Social Care Worker in the publicly funded health sector is a 3-year Level 7 Degree. The social care students are trained to optimize the personal and social development of those with whom they work, and are involved in a number of varied supervised work placements.

Although there are social care workers in the field currently who hold no qualifications, in time, social care professionals will be subject to statutory registration with the Health of Social Care Professionals Council (CORU). This will require any individual wishing to work as a social care worker, will legally be required to register with CORU (Social Care Ireland 2019).

Social Care Practice in the Field

Social care practitioners usually work within two main areas of practice, which are direct service to clients, and organizational activities. Direct service to clients can include examples of group/individual intervention, counseling, life skills training, assessments of a child/family, abuse interventions, and many more. Organizational activities can include case management, financial budgeting, staff training/supervision, court appearances, etc. (2009 pp.17-18).

Social care practitioners are usually employed by the state (statutory) sector, non-governmental sector, and community-based organizations. Regardless of the employers, the role of the practitioners is to work alongside the service users in order to maximize and empower their growth and development. They plan and provide care to vulnerable groups and individuals of all ages who are marginalized, disadvantaged, or have special needs (2009 p. 18).

The role of a social care worker is very important within Irish society, and it is crucial that continuous growth and learning within the field is practiced in order to be nurture capable, professional, and dynamic practitioners. The active role of maintaining and improving one’s knowledge, skills, and competencies in order to develop professionally is called Continuing Professional Development or CPD (Social Care Ireland 2019). There are several methods of contributing to professional development including, but not limited to, completing an academic course, reflecting on current practices, researching/reading related articles, etc. CPD is highly beneficial to a service user as it enhances the effective delivery of services and a high provision of a standard of care (Social Care Ireland 2019).

Collaborative Practice (Internal/External Staff and Clients)

The goal of a social care practitioner is to create a positive experience for the client. By nature, social care practice deals with conflict on a very regular basis, as users and team members come from different backgrounds, experiences, expectations, and skill sets. It is important to recognize that in order to develop one’s own practice, and best assist the client’s needs, social care practitioners must be open and willing to collaborate with other colleagues as well as the clients and their families. These colleagues could include the internal staff which belongs to a specific organization, but can also include external members of staff which are used to assist the client such as the An Garda Síochána, Medical Practitioners, Social Work Services, Monitoring Officers, etc. (Tusla – Child and Family Agency n.d.).

Conclusion

The role of the social care practitioner is complex, yet highly rewarding. The profession has evolved over decades, from the industrial schools run by the Church, to what social care practice is today. It is seen, essentially, as a much more dynamic, comprehensive, inclusive, and community-based service. Social care practice will continue to develop as CORU is introduced in the coming years, and it is hopeful that the new regulations will strengthen the profession, and ultimately create a better service for the users and the community.

In recent years, the influence that organizational culture has on shaping performance in social care practice is of growing concern (Commission for Social Care Inspection, 2008). It has seen lots of discussion in the media with international scandals dominating headlines such as the Orchid View case and Winterbourne View tragedy (West Sussex Adults Safeguarding Board, 2014; Department of Health, 2012). Often, the failings of the system to prioritize the needs of the most vulnerable citizens have been blamed on organizational culture, with the Department of Health in England (2012) stating that the management “allowed a culture of abuse to flourish” in Winterbourne (p. 8). Learning from these cases it is evident that the influence of organizational culture on performance in social care and the absence of constructive leadership is of increasing concern. Even in organizations that don’t make the media headlines, organizational culture holds significant importance. Managers need to have an understanding of whether a failure to achieve outcomes and quality of care is directly related to organizational culture.

Organizational culture is a widely used term but one that seems to give rise to a degree of uncertainty in terms of evaluating its impact on differing variables in an organization. In its entirety, organizational culture comprises of the assumptions, values, and norms shared by and influencing how members of an organization behave and interact (Schein, 1990). In simpler terms, it’s basically “how things are done around here” (Schein, 1996).

Schein (1990) identified three levels of organizational culture: visible artifacts; espoused values and underlying assumptions. He states that culture develops over time and is individual to each organization. As Schein (1996) also notes, once organizations learn to see their organization through cultural lenses, different types of issues become clearer, such as why, despite explaining in detail why some practices must be updated, there is an overall tendency towards inertia, that ‘we’ve always done it this way, even when the evidence suggests a different course of action to be more suitable.

This literature review seeks to examine how organizational culture shapes practice in social care with the investigation of emerging themes from nine peer-reviewed international research papers published on the topic. It seeks to review the evidence that shows why managing organizational culture is important to effectively enhance organization performance, provide effective leadership and result in high quality of care.

Methods

A review of the literature was undertaken in order to answer the aforementioned research question. Originally, the search criteria aimed to examine the impact of organizational culture on social care practice in Ireland in the past ten years. However, due to a shortage of relevant literature, it was expanded internationally to the United Kingdom, Australia, and Scandinavian countries, who are known to lead other countries in social care practice. The search was extended to journals published between 2003 and 2018. This timeframe was considered suitable due to the infrequent and sparse evidence of relevant articles. Then, databases were searched for peer-reviewed English-language articles. The databases which were searched included: Scopus, CINAHL, Social Care Online, SAGE Journals Online, Social Services Abstracts, and the Social Care Institute for Excellence. The databases were searched using key search terms which included: ‘organizational culture’ and ‘social care’ or ‘organizational culture’ and ‘shaping social care practice’. The majority of the search terms were found in either the title or the abstract.

Following the database search, an initial analysis of the abstract of the articles was undertaken to examine whether they were relevant to the review. Reference lists and bibliographies of relevant papers were also reviewed for related materials. Both qualitative and quantitative papers were included in order to get a broad understanding of the area and for numerical data. Following the initial inclusions and exclusions, there were 9 remaining studies for review.

Findings/Themes/Results

Social care is a rapidly changing and developing field, in Ireland and across the globe (Share & Lalor, 2013). The nature of social care practice involves the planning and delivery of quality care and other support services for individuals and groups with particular needs (Share & Lalor, 2013). Reflecting on this wide-ranging nature of social care practice, this review examined organizational culture across a broad range of social care settings, and various participants involved including social care staff, managers, and service users. Different levels of organizational culture were assessed in each study, and varying methodologies were applied. The findings revealed the common themes of leadership, communication, and impact on service delivery.

Leadership

Throughout the qualitative data, leadership was consistently observed to be of note in developing the culture in organizations. The importance of leadership as a key element of the organizational culture was shown to have a direct impact on outcomes of both staff and service users (Etherton-Beer, Venturato & Horner, 2013). Some studies suggest that successful leadership is a process that involves influence, which occurs in groups, and shares common goals (Klinga, Hansson, Hasson & Andreen Sachs, 2016). This proposes that leaders must know how to direct staff so as to achieve positive outcomes for the people supported in the organizations. The importance of management in creating and maintaining the culture of an organization was also emphasized, “to establish and maintain a culture based on collaboration, visionary and stable leadership over a long period of time is needed” (Klinga, Hansson, Hasson, & Andreen Sachs, 2016, p.2).

Values

Going hand in hand with effective leadership in an organization are shared values between management and staff. In an effective work environment shared values at an organizational level and an individual level can lead to a unified and consistent approach and enhance care provision. As shown in one study: “Staff understandings of what may be needed to practice person-centered care, such as compassion and making emotional connections, developed into assumptions: ‘you’ve got to have a compassionate side and be able to connect with someone before you can do any personal care, because it’s not fair otherwise. I wouldn’t like a stranger looking after me that I couldn’t talk to (interview with care assistant)” (Killett et al, 2016, p.174). This importance of shared values is backed up by Mitchell and Pattison (2012) where they argue that similarity in values also plays a critical role in shaping intersectoral work collaboration and the uptake of new roles.

Support

Support is another factor that the research proposed influences and is influenced by organizational culture. A lack of support within organizational culture can result in unmotivated staff and low job satisfaction. The provision of supervision and training provides staff with professional development opportunities and support. Beardsmore and McSherry (2017) argue that the organizational culture influences service provision in a positive manner within their research where they state that “the results indicate that valued employees create more positive working environments, can influence culture and can contribute to the delivery of compassionate quality care through a positive and supportive working environment.” (p. 52). Furthermore, support to engage in professional development was consistently associated with positive organizational culture and its importance expanded upon: “flexibility and support for staff members to explore and develop innovative practice; encouragement of information sharing and regular reflection on practice” were all seen as constructive to the culture of an organization (Mitchell & Pattison, 2012).

Communication

Another emerging theme from the review found that communication can affect organizational culture in a positive or negative manner. Communication is an essential aspect of the role of a social care practitioner. Communication between the service and staff, and staff and service users are essential for successful service delivery. An organizational culture that fails to communicate effectively will undeniably make profound errors and fail to co-operate. When the interaction between management and practitioners is constructive, practitioners will make a greater contribution to team communication and collaboration and will also be encouraged to work under the ethos of the organization to accomplish objectives, which in turn increases job satisfaction. This is highlighted in the studies which suggest that “it is through the process of translation and communication that decisions are made regarding what is workable and acceptable in practice.” (Hawkins, Prashar, Lusambili, Ellard, & Godfrey, 2018, p. 1837).

Implications for practice

The findings which have emerged from the research show various implications for social care practice. Leadership, both effective and dysfunctional as explored in the papers, has many consequences on practice. Staff in an organization are led and influenced by the behavior of their leaders. A strong, supportive leadership style results in a motivated workforce. Schein (1992) proposes that “much has been said about the need for vision in leaders, but too little has been said about their need to listen, to absorb, to search the environment for trends, and to build the organization’s capacity to learn” (p.383). On the other hand, when leadership becomes stagnant and dysfunctional, it has a negative impact on frontline staff which in turn affects job satisfaction and stress levels among staff. This has many implications on practice such as staff turnover and absenteeism (Gillett & Stenfert‐Kroese, 2003).

Furthermore, with all leadership comes to the dynamics of power. Leadership indicates authority in the broadest sense of the word (Lorentzon,1992). Power dynamics in an organization can be shared, as shown in the studies where it is suggested that bottom-up management structures create new types of knowledge (Virtanen, Laitinen, & Stenvall, 2018). The implications of this structure on social care practice signify a shift in work practices from the traditional hierarchical approach. It recognizes the significance of expert knowledge and power in supporting staff to empower service users to have control over their own lives (Virtanen, Laitinen, & Stenvall, 2018). This calls for more accountability for social care practitioners to become experts in their field. This is reflected in current practice by the increased pressure for the professionalization of social care practitioners under CORU, The Health and Social Care Professionals Council, under the Health and Social Care Professionals Act 2005 (Coru.ie, 2017). It also has many benefits for social care practice by findings showing that it reduces fragmentation and duplication of assessment information and that it is more cost-effective and better for the care as a whole (Virtanen, Laitinen, & Stenvall, 2018).

As noted by the findings of the studies, an organization that possesses a strong culture shares common values among its team, which assists them in accomplishing the organization’s strategic outcomes and goals. This approach, alongside collaborative practice, results in a workplace where different professionals share their knowledge and value the opinions of the individuals working together (Hawkins et al, 2018). This horizontal and vertical collaborative practice is discovering new solutions in the creation of better services (Virtanen, Laitinen, & Stenvall, 2018; Klinga, Hansson, Hasson, & Andreen Sachs, 2016).

On the other hand, a particular organizational culture in a social care organization cannot be achieved merely by just importing a certain set of organizational values or the ‘correct’ staff. The evidence shows that it is essential to figure out new ways of resolving the “everyday demands of practice in a method that is conducive with the espoused values (Killet et al, 2016). These findings have implications for all social care organizations, leaders, and social care staff. The organization must be responsible for the appropriate allocation of resources such as time, funding, and staff to tackle day-to-day issues that arise. In turn, frontline staff must communicate issues and barriers effectively to leaders and managers, who then must work as a cohesive unit and be actively involved in guiding staff on how best to overcome these issues. The evidence suggests the most appropriate tools for this are engaging in supervision, reflective practice, and regular progress meetings (Killett et al, 2016).

Additionally, the implications organizational culture has on communication within an organization requires consideration. In line with the ever-changing nature of social care practice and the updating of various laws and policies, the evidence shows that most organizations are continuously evaluating what they do and how they can best accomplish their goals and objectives to be in line with best practice. Once such implication is the management of change. Tyler and Parker (2011) as cited in Killett et al (2016) highlight that a culture that understands change and pursues development is likely to yield positive reactions from staff and service users. The implication of this on social care practice resonates with the recent development in social care organizations on the change in The General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) which came into effect across the European Union on 25 May 2018. This new regulation increases employers’ responsibilities in relation to how they gather, store and protect personal data (CitizensInformation.ie, 2018). Under this, organizations must communicate all the requirements now placed upon staff and provide training on GDPR. The direct implication of this sort of change on social care practice is noted in Kellett et al (2016) where it found that “a lack of responsiveness to change at management level along with failings at organizational level were cited as contributing factors to the serious, chronic, understaffing” (p. 178).

Conclusion

Many times in recent years failings of social care organizations have been blamed on organizational culture. This can lead to a failure to prioritize the needs of often the most at-risk members of our society. This review has sought to shed light on organizational culture in social care organizations, what is meant by the term, the prevailing themes of organizational culture, the importance of effective leadership to a functional organizational culture, and the association between organizational culture and performance.

The profession of social care practice has been around for a very long time, but consistent with Gill Mac Mullin, the definition has not been set in situ. Mc Mullin states that “it has suited the government and other agencies to not have a standard definition because it helps keep salary and career structures vague” (Gillmacmillan,2019). 2005 caused about the implementation of the health and social care practitioners act and there was still no definition.

The educators from this practice describe this area as “a profession committed to the design and delivery of quality care and other support services for individual people and groups with identified needs”. Social care focuses more on individual and interpersonal dynamics, people and relationships, human development, living and dealing with children and families, helping and growth progress and gaining self-awareness. During this assignment I will describe what social care is, I will explain about the history of social care, give three examples of factors that have shaped Ireland and eventually I will discuss how social care is rapidly changing and developing.

If you would like to understand how social care came about, you must look at where it came from. In the attempt to figure out the history of social care practice in Ireland inevitably leads to a robust emphasis within the institutional context. Social care practice happened from “serious deficiencies in running children’s centers and therefore the recognition of the necessity for professional trained staff” (Kennedy and Gallagher, 1997). Social care in independent Ireland was provided historically on behalf of the state by the catholic church and other churches, and up until very recent times, was hugely unregulated and perhaps more regulated in a scattered way. One example of this was the preschool regulations that were only introduced in 1996, several years after the public and private law. In the year 1908, a piece of British legislation came out, called the 1908 Children’s Act and this provided the legislative framework in Ireland for the greater part of the twentieth century. By the year 1991, the social and political scenario concerning children ‘at risk’ had been considerably modified, thus reflecting a greater consciousness of the centrality to the rights of the child (Buckley et al., Focus Ireland 1996). The Childcare Act came in total contrast to the 1908 Children’s Act, which imposed negative duties to rescue children who had criminal offences committed against them or who were being cruelty treated. The welfare of the child as the first and most important consideration and this is the reason the 1991 Act. The rights and duties of parents are important and taking into consideration (and are supported within the constitution) but due regard must be giving to the wishes of the child (Arrow.dit.ie.; 2019).

For a very long time, social care has been associated with residential care. This emphasis has changed dramatically, particularly with the decline of huge institutions such as children’s homes and also the emergence of alternatives such as foster care, community childcare and community-based projects. This field of study has dilated vastly in recent years, particularly in Ireland and somewhat in other places. The knowledge and types of skills that social care practitioners exhibit can be constructively applied to other areas such as working with people with disabilities, in working with older people and in responding to the needs of a broad range from asylum seekers, drug users and domestic violence victims. Inevitability, this brings social care practitioners into contact with groups such as ‘An Garda Siochanta’, social workers and medical professional. Social care practitioner’s participation in multiplicatively professional teams is now quite common and these present challenges as to how people work in these fields (Gillmacmillan, 2019).

Across Europe, there are hundreds and thousands of people with disabilities, mental health problems, older people or abandoned and vulnerable children live in large segregated residential institutions. These institutions were initially created to provide care, food and shelter, but by now evidence has shown that they are unable to ensure person-centered services and adequate support needed to achieve full inclusion. Physical separation from communities and families significantly limits the ability of those living or growing up within institutions to fully participate in their culture and wider society.

Countries will need to move away from the institutional model of care towards a system of person-centered community-based care and support in order to promote social inclusion of people with needs in line with the targets set out by the Europe 2020 strategy. The transition method is complicated to manage and politically sensitive. In the past the EU put their funds towards refurbishing these establishments, but the money should have gone to making more new community based services (Ec.europa.eu.; 2019).

One example of a factor that has shaped Ireland historically is women in work outside the home. A women’s role has changed tremendously and is making the greatest impact on our society today. Many years ago, women’s contributions to society were very limited and very much so controlled by men. In 1950 one in three women participated in the labor force and since then the force has begun to grow and grow. Due to technological advancement, opportunities for woman have continued to increase and the desire to work has also grown. Among women aged between sixteen and over, the labor force participation was 33.9% in 1950, 59.8% in 1998 compared to 2008 were 48% of women worked and 52% men. Although men are still a higher rate, the rate of women in work outside the home is certainly increasing. This gives the woman a chance to have some independence and they also bring new skills to the profession (The Balance Careers; 2019).

One thing that is changing is we as social care practitioners are trying to get in on CORU and have registered and currently waiting on the result. CORU is the regulator of health and social care professionals. Its main function is to safeguard the public by promoting high professional conduct, education, training and competence through statutory registration of health and social care professionals. CORU was set up as part of the Health and Social Care Practitioners Act 2005. Some professions that are currently registered with CORU include occupational therapists, physiotherapist, radiographers and speech and language therapists (Coru.ie.; 2019), but how has CORU changed the history of social care practice? Firstly, we now have a service that aims to protect the health, safety and well-being of the service users, in addition to this members of the public will have much greater confidence in the profession, they will know that professional standing and qualifications have been independently verified.

In conclusion, in independent Ireland, social care was historically provided on behalf of the state by catholic churches and other churches. Its changing perceptions of the status and the rights and the changing structure of the family. Social care practitioners are working on becoming registered with CORU and on completion of this will be great benefits for both the profession of social care and its members. It can only get better from here. I think social care is great and it originates from the catholic churches and indeed other churches as well.

In this assignment, I will define social care and its origin from different sources and authorities. I will talk about social care as a profession, its regulatory body, the skills and roles of its members. Finally, I will analyze the merits and demerits of the professionalization of social care in Ireland.

Definition

Social care is a profession committed to the planning and delivery of quality care and other support services for individuals and groups with identified needs (Share, 2013).

Social care has been formally defined by (Affairs, 2002) as the professional provision of care, protection, support, welfare and advocacy for vulnerable or dependent clients, individually or in groups. This is achieved through the planning and evaluation of individualized and group programmes of care, which are based on needs, identified where possible in consultation with the clients and delivered through day-to -day shared life experience.

These definitions are not exhaustive. However, it captures a number of key terms that covers the professional territory of social care practice. Social care services are not rendered ordinarily. It is different from the care that is unofficially carried out in Irish society by family and community members. The professionalism here means that this is an occupation with some status that requires access to a specific body of skills and knowledge.

Planning and delivery in social care is not all about delivering services, it involves formulating and developing them. This process requires various abilities and understandings to know what the people’s needs are, and an ability to plan accordingly, drawing from an available evidence and policy guidance, and being able to communicate directly with the people in an authentic way. Social care includes other support services, e.g. advocating on behalf of another, answering court sermons or knowing where to refer a person who has a specific need. Social care can be provided on one to one basis. It also involves working with a small or large group or community. It requires a good communication between people and a good knowledge of group mechanism. Social care practitioners in Ireland initially worked with children and people with disabilities who are in the care of voluntary organizations. Social care practitioners now work with a broader range of people of all ages, who have special needs or vulnerabilities. People who are suffering from one form of marginalization and discrimination or another. They work with people suffering from the structural deficiencies and discrimination in our society such as poverty, sexism, racism and violence. They equally work with children and adolescent in residential care, children with hyperactivity disorder, people with learning disabilities, the homeless, people with drug and alcohol addiction, survivors of clerical sexual abuse, migrant community, travel community, older people and families in the community.

The History of Social Care

Historically, children with disabilities were taken away and kept in institutions run by the religious orders. In independent Ireland, social care was historically provided on behalf of the state by the Catholic and other churches (Fanning and Rush, 2006) and was largely unregulated or regulated in a fragmented way. A piece of British legislation, the 1908 Children’s Act, provided the legislative framework in Ireland for the greater part of the twentieth century. But by 1991, the social and political situation with regard to children at risk had changed significantly, reflecting a greater consciousness of the centrality of the rights of the child (Buckley et al., 1997, Focus Ireland, 1996, O’Higgins, 1996). Modern social care practice was born out of serious deficiencies in the running of children’s centres and the recognition of the need for professionally trained staff (Kennedy and Gallagher, 1997). Several influential reports have helped to shape the development of social care practice. With what is obtainable globally, they aimed to reorient the direction of social care provision away from care in large institutional settings and towards care in small-scale units and in the community. They emphasized the rights of those they cared for and criticized many aspects of the institutional practice. In the education and training sector, the report of the committee on caring and social studies (NCEA, 1992) laid out the basis for the range of educational programmes and training in social care practice. There is now less emphasis on some practical skills and a greater emphasis on research, policy issues and academic knowledge. There is now less emphasis in social care practice in large institutions such as children’s homes. The emphasis has changed dramatically in favor of alternatives such as foster care, community-based projects and community childcare.

Social Care as a Profession

Professionalization is a process whereby an occupational group can claim special status and power for itself. A profession should show ownership of a recognized body of knowledge exclusive to that profession with development of new knowledge through research, self-government through a body that sets and monitors its own standard of practice, control of training and practice, monopoly of practice in its own field of toil, conformity to moral and disciplinary codes of behavior, autonomy of practice, greater individual accountability, and a public ideology service to a client group (William, 2001:77).

In Ireland, (CORU) the Health and Social Care Professionals Council was established in March 2007 with the appointment of the Social Care Work Registration Board in April 2015. CORU is the body responsible for regulating health and social care professions. CORU’s role is to protect the public by promoting high standards of professional conduct, professional education, training and competence amongst Health and Social Care professions.

The reason for the professionalization of social care in Ireland was as a result of the serious deficiencies found out in the report into the running of children’s centres, and the recognition of the need for professionally trained staff.

The Skills of Social Care Members

Social care members need interpersonal skills-relationship which require empathy, communication skills, self-awareness and an ability to use critical reflection. Social care members should be able to work therapeutically with clients. They should be reliable, responsible and observant. They should be capable of problem solving, competent in effective and efficient decision making, implement and evaluate the effectiveness of treatment programmes and sensitive in their communication with vulnerable people. They should be able to keep records, maintain confidentiality and use their own initiatives. These skills are necessary in the realization of the core principles of social care work which includes, respect for the dignity of clients, social justice, human rights, and the empowerment of clients to achieve their full potential.

The Roles of Social Care Members

Social care members are responsible for the care, protection, support, welfare and advocacy to vulnerable individuals and groups of all ages who experience marginalization, disadvantage or special needs. Client groups are diverse and include children and adolescents in residential care, young people in detention schools, people with intellectual disabilities, the homeless, people with alcohol/drug dependency, families in the community or older people. They are professionally required to guide, challenge and help those in their care and support them in achieving their life goals and to reach their full potential.

The Merits and Demerits of Professionalization

Professionalization of social care practice has brought about significant changes in the training, education, skills and roles of social care practitioners. Modern social care practitioners with the scope of their training and knowledge can work in as many places as possible.

Professionalization in Ireland has created a means by which those with power and status has limited the ability of others to access them Max Weber (1858-1817). Professionalism is thus a form of social closure. Those who enjoy privileged membership of a professional group, can make it very difficult for others to join them by establishing long and expensive course of study, limiting the numbers admitted, discriminating against certain categories of people or creating difficult and complex bodies of knowledge that people must master (Share 2013).

Professionalism has made a clear point of departure in the provision of care in defined institutional contexts. In Ireland, Social care has evolved into a loosely linked set of practices that spans youth work, residential care, community childcare, project work, community development, educational work and therapeutic practice.

Professionalism has broadened the scope of practice for social care members. It has equally changed the circumstances surrounding the programme of education, training and deployment of qualified social care practitioners (Farrell and Doherty (2005: 84).

Social care practice in Ireland developed as a range of activities that people carried out in institutions and residential centres belonging to religious bodies. Professionalization has broken these chains of activities. The professional social care practitioner can now be a free agent who can offer a lot of experiences and who can now lay claim to a certain range of competencies.

Conclusion

Social care is a new area of growth in Ireland. It is a demanding and rewarding occupation, as social care practitioners make a real difference in the lives of the people. Formal social care practice has a humble beginning in the history of healthcare in Ireland. It was located within a largely religious or humanitarian contexts but has now expanded to include the statutory community and voluntary sectors.

Social care practitioners are well educated and highly trained. A statutory registration system is being established to oversee future professional development in the field. The management and reporting structure in social care practice is moving towards the acceptance of social care practitioner as an independent and autonomous professional.

References

1. Criteria and Standards of Proficiency for Education and Training Programme. CORU.
2. Affairs, H.S.E.f.t.D.o.S.a.F., 2002. Joint Commitee on Social Care Professionals , Dublin : HSE.
3. Kennedy and Gallagher, 1997. Social pedagogy in Europe; Irish Social Worker 15(1), pp 6-8. s.l.:s.n.
4. Share, K.L.a.P., 2013. Applied Social Care An Introduction for Students in Ireland. 3rd Edition ed. croydon: Gill Education.
5. Share, P.C.M.a.C.B., 2012. A Sociology of Ireland.. Dublin: Gill and Macmillan.
6. Share, P., Jan 2019. Code of Professional Conduct and Ethics for Social workers. CORU 2019 Regulating Health and Social Care Professionals ( online ) @ www.coru.ie.
7. William, D.a.L.K. .. (. )., 2001. Obstacles to the Professionisation of social care in Ireland.. Irish Journal of Applied Social Studdies, pp. 73-90.

I will be providing a guide to group activities in a social care setting. This guide will examine the practical uses, benefits and also the reasons for using group activities in a social care setting.

According to Coru their definition of social care is as follows: “Social care work is a relationship-based approach to the purposeful planning and provision of care, protection, psychosocial support and advocacy in partnership with vulnerable individuals and groups who experience marginalisation, disadvantage or special needs” (Social Care Ireland, 2019).

As you can imagine, this definition results in vast potential career opportunities for social care workers. Disability services, Youth services, Traveller services, Residential care work, support workers and LGBT support services to name but a few. As the work we do is relationship based, it is vital that we equip ourselves with the knowledge of building positive and trusting relationships with our clients. A great way to help you develop this skill is by facilitating group activities for the group of people you are working with.

Principles and Values of Facilitation

Facilitators must demonstrate their commitment, verbally and non-verbally in the following ways:

• Listening to what others are saying and tuning into what they’re not saying.
• Confidentiality is important for participants to be able to partake fully. It can never be fully promised but it should be discussed and outlined.
• Respect and acknowledge each individual and prevent other group members disrespecting each other.
• Equality: ensuring that each person is regarded as having equal rights to participate.
• Each member’s contribution to a discussion / skill-sharing activity should be valid and valuable.
• Agreed Goals must be shared in order to develop a belief in and sense of ownership to the group.
• Giving attention to how the group operates. Resolving any difficulties or conflicts the group might have.
• Trust and safety ensures maximum participation.
• Inclusion and encouragement: everyone in the group must be included and encouraged to participate.
• The importance of a positive/ beneficial experience: it is important to meet realistic needs of the group to ensure a positive experience in the group (Prentiville, 1995, p. 15).

The Benefits of Groups Activities

Group Activities is not only fun, but it has a whole host of underlying advantages for the facilitator, for the participants and for society as a whole. If facilitated correctly, group activities can be used as a therapeutic way to train yourself in the following areas.

Personal Development

Through group activities both the facilitator and the group members can develop many personal development skills. They include building one’s self-esteem, confidence, interpersonal skills, assertiveness, self-awareness and self-empowerment. As these skills are improved it improves the quality of life for the participant and helps them become comfortable in their own skin and less afraid of being authentic in society.

Developing New Skills

By trying something new you can always learn a new practical skill or enhance skills you already had. For some it may be enhancing their communication skills or maybe something a little more practical like learning how to make a paper airplane. Developing new skills gives people more confidence and enables them to be included in more practical tasks in society.

Building Relationships

Group activities helps break social barriers and aids us to build trust, bonds and lasting relationships instead. The Guardian (2016) states that this gives people a sense of belonging and improves mental health and personal wellbeing. This will help users to develop positive relationships with their families and peers and also promote them to become more involved in their communities.

How to Prepare

In order to create an environment where those in your care feel comfortable expressing themselves during an activity, Lyons (2010) & Prendiville (1995) suggest that the facilitator must prepare efficiently by gathering some of the following information.

1. How many people are in the group?
2. What are their ages?
3. What are their genders?
4. Have they experienced group activities before?
5. What materials have they worked with?
6. What do the group want to achieve
7. What are their interests?
8. What are their weaknesses?
9. Are they verbal? Do they speak your language?
10. Do they have any intellectual, physical or psychological needs?
11. Do the group members know each other? Get along well?
12. How long should the activity last?
13. What do you want to achieve?

Group activities can be used to achieve numerous objectives. Sometimes the organisation that caters for your group will have specific themes they want you to work with. If they do then perfect, you’ve already established the needs of the group. If they haven’t provided this information, then you must evaluate the needs of the group you are working with and choose and adapt an activity to suit them (Lyons, 2010, p. 20). If for example you’re working with a group from Western Care and you discover that they recently gained a new member in the group, you could plan a name game to help them introduce themselves to each other. This also helps the users to get to know the facilitator. Similarly, if you are working with a group of youths for example, they may know each other but you may discover that they lack some self-confidence that you would like to help them improve on. You could boost their self-esteem and confidence by getting them to recognise and share a positive comment about one another in an activity.

What to Consider When Choosing an Activity

There are many things to consider when you’re choosing the activity you wish to facilitate. As Lyons (2010; p.22) states: “The effort you put into planning your activity, the manner in which you prepare the room and the way you interact during your introduction will impact on how ‘cared for’ your participants feel and the extent to which they speak and trust you”. it is important that you choose an activity that you have a genuine interest in because that makes it much easier to convince others to participate. The abilities and interests of the group should always be in the front of your mind but also the available space you have to work with, are there any potential hazards or safety risks you need to assess? What materials do you need for your activity? It is also vital that you know your limitations of facilitation. Facilitation has therapeutic benefits, but it is not a therapy group. Appropriate and relevant boundaries must be developed and maintained within the group you are working with (Prentiville, 1995; pp. 15-16).

Prepare and Practice Your Activity

Once you have picked your activity, it is a good idea to write it down in a clear and simple way so that you can use it as an aid in explaining the activity to the users. This helps your facilitation skills on the day. In order to be sure that your activity is going to work well as intended it is also good to practice putting your activity into motion in your private life with friends and family. This helps you practice your facilitation skills and it also gives you a good indication if the activity needs modifying or changing to better suit the group you intend on working with.

Use appropriate language for the group you are working with, making sure that everyone is understanding you as you speak. Make sure you have your activity summary with you for prompting or in case you fall into difficulty explaining the activity. Ask if everyone understand the task and also ask if they have any questions for you. Once everyone has a good understanding of the task you can organising the group to fit the task and proceed with your activity. The five stages you should take notice of depicting the needs of the group and the associated behaviours of members.

Conclusion and Reflection

Really good reflections can be therapeutic as they give participants an opportunity to consider and share what they have learned. Leave time after your activity to reflect and discuss the groups experiences. Initial questions can be simple for instance you could ask: ‘What materials have we worked with today?’. If you get a good vibe from the group and they’re willing to take part in the discussion then you could delve deeper and ask them how they felt when doing the task, what they liked and didn’t like about the task and maybe if they would change anything about the task. This gives the facilitator feedback to reflect on how the activity was perceived by the group and allows for further adjusting of the activity if necessary, for the next time the facilitator intends to use it. Always focusing on how you can make activities as relevant as possible to ensure the greatest personal benefits can be taken from it by all involved.

Bibliography

1. Gaurdian, T. (2019, December 6). Thegaurdian.com. Retrieved from https://www.theguardian.com/social-care-network/skills-for-care-partner-zone/2016/may/18/why-relationships-matter-in-social-care
2. Lindsay, T., & Orton, s. (2014). Groupwork Practice in Social Work. Sage publications Ltd.
3. Lyons, D. (2010). Creative Studies in the Caring Professions . Gill Education.
4. Prentiville, P. (1995). Developing facilitation skills. Combat poverty agency.
5. Social Care Ireland. (2019). CORU Registration . Retrieved from Social Care Ireland: https://socialcareireland.ie/coru-registration/