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From watching a video of a child named Jamie I grasped an understanding that is it crucial for social workers to have good observation skills. This is because it enables them to gain an understanding and insight into child development and the structure of a relationship in different cultures and families (Linnet McMahon, 2003). The method of observation I applied while conducting research was the naturalistic approach, which Michael V Angrisano states in his book (Angrisano, 2016). That ‘naturalistic observations enable social workers to understand how an individual’s actions and phrases are placed in their proper form’. However, this approach has its negative factors due to the fact the observation can be biased as different observers may have different outcomes. (Angrisano, 2016) During this observation, I looked out for Jamie’s actions, including his surroundings, movements, and speech, and I applied the work of Jean Piaget, John Bowlby, and Albert Bandura to examine Jamie’s stages of development.
Consider the importance and rationale of observations in social work and why child observation is important in social work-what literature say?
Observation is the deliberate noticing and systematic evaluation of a participant’s behavior and is often carried out in social work settings to identify habits of actions and patterns that necessitate action. (Neil Cowie, 2009) When making observations, social workers weigh and factorize aspects such as the place of the observation, the name of the individual they may be observing, their age and race, including the level of development at which the individual being observed might be for them to make a precise observation. According to literature and conductive research, the action of observation is used frequently and subconsciously by social workers, ‘to reflect and understand meanings of what is seen’. (O’Loughin,2015, Fawcett, 2009) Observation skills enable and assist social workers to comprehend other individuals through non-verbal interactions. The use of system and attachment theories through observation assists social workers in gaining insight and alternative perspectives of conscious and unconscious aspects of relationships. (Journal of Social Work Practice, 2016) In social work, Observing is very salient, because it is the base and foundation on which all social work practices are based, therefore this is used as an ongoing practice to educate those in the social work field (O’Loughlin, 2015). Literature and research also state and conclude that observation is essential as it allows for the sensitive and critical application of theoretical knowledge and procedures to be put into practice (Fawcett, 2009). Another reason why the skill of observation is important in social work is due to it is a way in which people learn how anti-discriminatory principles are put into practice as they develop a clear and precise explicit apprehension of different events that affect and impact children and adults. (Fawcett and Watson, 2016) In the social work profession, social workers may also carry out childhood observations, which is the most common form of observation in social work. Childhood observation isn’t merely watching what is happening around them, it also includes listening to children and acknowledging their outlooks, mindsets, and opinions as well as honoring and validating their ideas, as this implies that they’re being taken seriously and sends the feeling of affection, value, and empathy. Childhood observation is extremely crucial in social work because it is an essential factor for fresh and deeper interpretation of the lived experiences and emotions of children. In many unfortunate cases of child abuse, social workers are specifically under investigation for their role in the event, as reports state that children need to be ‘heard and seen’ a lot more. Therefore, as social workers, we must carry out observations in which we necessitate children being listened to regardless of their ability to communicate and age. Another factor as to why childhood observation is important is due to it being a useful opportunity for social workers to adapt an understanding of the child’s achieved stage of development, by finding out how children interact vocally and non-vocally. This can be carried out by examining the children’s use of gestures and movements, such as eye contact and smiling, and the usage of their hands and feet as they communicate. This is extremely beneficial as it is an empowering intriguing and touching activity for the observer. Due to this observation, it may be indicated to the observer that the child being observed may have a form of special needs or developmental delay. This reinforces the importance and significance of childhood observation. Observation is a crucial aspect of work for anyone working in the field of social work and promotes and reinforces the ability to assess children efficiently which is why social work tends to be referred to as the ‘heart of work with children’. (Fawcett and Watson, 2016)
Discuss your method of observation- narrative naturalistic- what does the literature say about this? Include the pros and cons of adopting this in child observations and social work practice.
When carrying out my observation, I carried out and applied a naturalistic observation, which is the act of observation of an individual without interaction in their natural environment. Upon conductive research, Adler describes naturalistic observation as ‘the fundamental base of all research methods’ (Adler,1994). Naturalistic observation is carried out in social work to investigate individuals to put their actions into perspective, as this will allow social workers to consider and comprehend behavioral patterns that need improvement or attention. Throughout my observation, I ensured that I observed Jamie precisely and rigorously, whilst applying the technique of naturalistic observation, as Adler stated (Alder, 1994 pg. 378) that ‘we must learn to use all our senses to accurately perceive the whole picture’. As specified and enforced by (Thomas J Dishon and Isabella Granic, 2004) ‘Parents are often unaware as to which extent their child exacerbates their problem behaviors,’ This validates and represents how beneficial naturalistic child observation is, as this method of observation reveals the fundamental of potential relationship issues that may arouse in the future. Naturalistic observation is also beneficial in the social work practice because it gives social workers a sense of the child, as well as the understanding of the child’s nature, behavior, and mindset in which they are observing which increases the legitimacy of certain family aspects that may be unleashed to the knowledge of the social worker. (Bornstein et al., 2015). Naturalistic observation is also carried out in a natural environment which is extremely beneficial in observing an individual in their natural environment as they may feel the need to act out of their usual character due to being removed from their zone of comfort and stability. Lastly, another advantage of naturalistic observation includes being allowed to study something that cannot be studied in a lab, and breaking down the physical traits and words that are made in children and adults with an empathetic mindset.
Naturalistic observation tends to consist of studying people in the real world and although that may have its advantages which include descriptive analysis of the development of a child furthermore, the foundation of an Individual emotion. Naturalistic observation, of course, has its disadvantages which may include gathering inadequate information due to the circumstances. In other words, naturalistic observation does not always provide enough information about functional dynamics. Although naturalistic observation can be of use in analyzing a child in their natural environment, the observation may also include insufficient information due to the inability to always observe the child interacting with different individuals and therefore, the observation isn’t carried out from different viewpoints and perspectives. Naturalistic observation can also be viewed as biased due to the conscious or unconscious act of the child or guardian of the child trying to portray themselves in a good light. Parents may often purposely positively portray themselves or their children to seek and display a perfect parent image. (Oberzaucher, 2017). Another disadvantage of naturalistic observation in social work practice is that it can be viewed as intrusive to both the child and caregiver as they may feel uncomfortable with the observer being in their setting, especially if they aren’t familiar with or understand what the social worker is doing. It may be viewed as ‘stalking’ or breaching different forms of privacy, which creates potential discomfort in adults, but mainly children as they are not always comfortable around individuals who are not part of and are outside their support bubble. When carrying out a naturalistic observation, seeking consent may affect the natural element which is also a negative attribute as well as the bias that comes with this observation as different observers may have different outcomes.
Reflect on the process of observing the video and you’re recording by considering the emotions triggered by the video
As a social worker, it is crucial to be considerate of the factors that influence observation and apply that when carrying out your observation. When carrying out my observation, the factors which I used to influence and comprehend my observation were the personal information of the individual being observed such as the individual’s race, age, and gender. Another factor that can be used to influence observation is coming to an understanding of what developmental milestone the individual being observed may be at and assessing it. This enabled me, as an observer to gain a deeper insight and understanding of Jamie and make a precise and just observation. Throughout my observation, Jamie displayed a wide range of emotions which were excitement, frustration, and curiosity. At 7 months Jamie was surrounded by many objects such as rocks, fluffy material, metal objects, etc. She often put objects in her mouth which displayed her curiosity as children at this age often explore objects through their mouths, this is beneficial in improving their sensory-motor development. This made me as an observer feel content as this indicated to me that Jamie is making progress in her development. Jamie was often excited and happy when playing with the objects as she particularly liked playing with the cardboard box and shaking it due to the sound that was coming from this. Also, Jamie displayed good fine and Gross motor skills when reaching out for the objects which also reassured me as an observer that she is making positive signs of development, and showing interest and curiosity with the things around her. Although Jamie was happy playing with most of the objects, she displayed frustration at certain times which was when she was unable to reach her golf ball and when she was unable to lift one of the rocks. When Jamie was frustrated, she looked to her guardian for help which gave me insight that Jamie felt secure in her guardian and indicated that Jamie had a sense of attachment to her guardians as Bowlby’s attachment theory suggests that children rely on their parents to help them to survive. Therefore, children are biologically attached to their parents. This made me as an observer feel affirmed in Jamie’s developmental progress and reassured me as an observer that Jamie’s curiosity was active as his frustration in not being able to carry the rock indicated that she was not only curious to play with it, but apprehends that she, as a baby is willing to interact with these things around her no matter how big or small it is.
An observation of Jamie was also carried out at 23 months old in which I saw a significant change in her gross and fine motor development. This made me very optimistic as an observer as I witnessed Jamie stand up and walk to get a toy, which highlighted to me that she is no longer in need of the help of a guardian to reach certain objects, I could see that she was happy that she was able to carry out this task by herself which made me as an observer also feel cheerful as I was able to identify a significant change in her gross motor movement which gave me an insight of my childhood and how happy my parents must’ve been when I also made development in my gross motor movements. Upon further reflection Jamie became more complex in her play and would place cups and wooden rings in order, she was also able to grasp items properly and could place them where she required them to be in their order, this reinforced the significant positive change in her development and highlighted how she has matured to me as an observer. Jamie felt confident in her play when arranging the plastic cups and wooden rings and demonstrated this activity with confidence to achieve her goal attainment. When the task was carried out successfully, I could see that Jamie felt proud of herself and wanted to gain affirmation from her guardian this conveys the security that Jamie attains from her guardians which is a good sign of secure attachment and good development as it highlights that Jamie feels inspiration and motivation from her guardians, this made me feel assured and gleeful as an observer. Although Jamie was quite cheerful during this observation, she experienced some challenges when playing as she was unable to stack wooden rings together, I could see that she was angry during this part of the observation as this resulted in her crying. However, this did not stop Jamie from participating in play which informed me that Jamie has good perseverance and can move on from a situation that may cause her grief, this made me feel deep pleasure as it assured me that Jamie would be able to make very good progression in different circumstances due to her resilience.
Similarly, me and Jamie both portrayed some of the same attributes as children as I also explored objects by placing them in my mouth as a child. This is a common trait in children as children tend to place objects in their mouth to explore how soft or hard the object may be and the different sensations of the object, this helps children to develop sensory motor developmental skills. As a social worker, it is essential to look out for this when carrying out observation. A child who still places objects in their mouth past the age of two may be experiencing developmental delays. Furthermore, me and Jamie displayed more of the same attributes as children which also includes walking, most children start walking from 9-12 months onwards. When carrying out observation of Jamie when he was 7 months old, he was unable to walk however in the 23-month-old observation Jamie was a confident walker as he didn’t fall while making any attempt to walk which indicates he made great progress in development and experienced no delays, I also experienced no delays in my walking and started walking around 12 months. However, some children may experience delays in the ability to walk and it is essential social workers adhere to this as this is a sign of developmental delay and could be a result of excessive pampering.
Overall, the role of observation can be intriguing as well as challenging, due to the circumstance you are uninformed of what event the individual being observed might partake in next. The role of observation requires one to make a precise and detailed analysis of the developmental progress of an individual which can be quite overwhelming to an individual new to this role as it may be a challenge to identify the developmental issues an individual may have as well as the developmental progress. People new to carrying out this observation may have a sense of uncertainty on whether they’re carrying out the observation to the correct social work standard. The role of observation requires a lot of time, patience, and understanding and maybe a bombshell to anyone new to it as it requires you to be always alert due to the suspense of not knowing the activity in which the child may partake in that you may be faced with. Furthermore, although the role of observation has its challenges it is an extremely beneficial role in establishing how a child has made developmental progress and how they interact with the world, things, and people around them.
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