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Social Work Law and Practice Assignment Essay

“To be liable is literally being liable to be called upon to offer an account of what one has done or perhaps not carried out. The account may include all or some of explanations, explanations, justifications or justifications. ” (Banks, 2004, s. 150).

Within my current agency context I have a specialist accountability which will appoints us a duty to carry out and justify my work through; informed assumptive knowledge, specialist judgements and legal frames which control the social work job in the field of felony justice (Kleinig, 2008). Thus far I have carried out my ‘supervised direct practice placement’ within a third sector agency whose aim in the ideal of social attention and safeguard is to enhance the monetary and cultural welfare in Scotland in working with ex-offenders and young adults deemed ‘at risk’ to supply them with the transferable expertise they each require to help them locate or stay within career or education (Agency Insurance plan, 2010a).

The range of settings and engagement designs I proved helpful within more than this period of time, although various, all was executed to uphold the organisations declaration of purpose which specifies that, “our work sticks to the utilization of the organisation’s employability version to; determine, assess and tackle boundaries faced by our services users just like debt, friends and family problems and offending. This service delivery should echo upon the relevant techniques and guidance which focus on lowering re-offending and providing both guidance and advice on conviction relevance and disclosure” (Agency Plan, 2011b). Like a social function student I’ve accountability and adherence to several bodies and individuals whom govern my personal professional practice.

This work to the work within the lines of multiple accountabilities which are often in anxiety with each other present complexity for the work I deliver, which often both represents thus general public bodies while safeguards and promotes the welfare of service users. This statement is decided by Ingram (2011) who indicates that social workers within Scotland have “complex interdependencies and relationships in delivering safe, effective, liable and specialist practice” (Scottish Government, 2011). This brief review also extends on the vital professional partnerships I have to agencies and statutory solutions.

In the aim of my specialist practice I have worked with the appropriate officials and firms that all have the common aim of tackling and delivering practice of various degrees to support users in the criminal justice field. Each of our service users are the essential components of each of our interest concentrate and have brought us with each other to work with one common purpose; their very own welfare (Banks, 2004). Familiarity with the remit in which different agencies function within is critical, allowing for the reduction in both overlaps and voids within our service delivery (Glasby and Peck, 2004).

In my current agency I have used partnership working as a instrument to both source data and gather professional opinions from all those working with people in a different capacity. It has marginally been in liaising with social staff for designed background information around the service users I have caused and informing their professional decision making for each individual’s progression with the organisation pursuing referral. This kind of multi-disciplinary design of working, though beneficial to my personal development and progression of work with people is additionally the best standard of conduct which will governs my personal professional overall performance (Pycroft and Gough, 2010).

The Scottish Social Solutions Council (SSSC) is the regulating body which describes and governs the criteria of carry out which I am accountable to supply in my work together with individuals. Through my essential registration to them it truly is their assistance that traces those specifications and ideals I must comply with in my specialist practice. It is this Authorities that foresees the essentiality of; “Recognising and improving the jobs and knowledge of employees from other firms and working in partnership with them” (SSSC, 2003: 6. 7).

This kind of code of conduct motivated my function of using a number of services user during practice location in collecting data both verbally and the form of documentation by professionals, in most cases their interpersonal workers, while elaborating on the underlying goals I had in terms of developing ‘employability skills’. As a result reflected upon my code’s of practice in contributing to the learning of others in increasing and growing my understanding of our every specific; accountabilities, powers and skills within our contrasting roles of doing work (SSSC, the year 2003: 6. ). Various study and educational legislation outlines my upheld values and duties inside the Scottish context of sociable work.

It truly is this legal writing alongside academic books that affects my ‘need’ to act particularly ways and deliver ‘required’ services. It truly is in controlling my obligations and accountabilities outlined with this published guidance that I are obligated to make my informed decisions and professional judgements with regard to my personal service customer group (Lishman, 2007).

Alongside this is additionally my responsibility o service users and my practice organisation, they might both have expectation from the practice I deliver, however striving to supplement this by simply working closely within the remit of my own allowances as a trainee medical specialist is what I possess aimed to proof to date (Fraser and Matthews, 2008). “It seems that the balance of accountabilities of cultural work practice has become to some degree skewed, with too much emphasis on accountability to the employer but not enough upon individual specialist accountability” (Scottish Executive, 2006, p. 30). This disagreement agrees the fact that delivery of effective practice is often centered more heavily upon one particular group or organisation.

My own working features aimed to display professional accountable to all those and ideal agencies within this practice learning whilst nonetheless implementing and working in the legislation that governs my own work as a student social staff member. Within my individual working with service users I have used equally theory and ‘skills’ produced from the professional context such as active tuning in and open up ended concerns. These ‘skills’ are essential in portraying my professional competence as a sociable work college student and beneficial to the forming of effective professional relationships and details gathering.

Along with displaying my own ability to practice these methods within my own working My spouse and i am liable to do so by the SSSC who also state that I need to; meet the traces standards of practice although working in the two an effective very safe way even though within the restrictions of current legislation (SSSC, 2003: 6. 1). This has been displayed most often been through the initial contact evaluation meetings I’ve both executed and participated within. The main aim of these group meetings is to; notify, assess and discuss obtainable routes and options available with each service end user whilst anticipating their problem behaviour and criminal verite and other relevant factors which could influence the sustaining of current or future work (Agency Plan, 2010b).

A common example of my working in this kind of service delivery is in collaborating a disclosure letter with an individual, this document specifics their criminal convictions and provides an account because of their occurrence; even though drawing on the influences that had been apparent for them to have happened. In order to complete such a letter using a service user I have needed to obtain authorized authorisation from them in order to get their charge sheet which can be in the possession of their cultural worker.

This element of work is governed by Shedule 20 of the Data Portection Act 98; which sets out that the interpersonal worker gets the authority because an official worker to supply confidential information in the event that requested even though permitted by the individual who is definitely specified inside the data (Gibbons-Wood, 2008). Upon receiving a replicate of this standard summary of convictions, I then calculate what convictions will be ‘spent’ and ‘unspent’ beneath the Rehabilitation of Offenders Work 1974. This legislation governs the dotacion of the ‘employment and guidance’ service the organisation delivers.

I worked well within the remit of its legal advice by establishing what convictions need to be unveiled to an workplace and what ones do not in every service user’s case. This calculation is done dependant on; mother nature of certainty, time in between offending and reoffending plus the length of sentence/probation period they will served (Croall, et ing. 010). The end result of assisting service users to write a disclosure notification is finally to have a paper document that may support their very own job applications and selection interviews. The letter, in accordance with the kind of legislation provides the information that will enable an employer to evaluate the significance of an individual’s convictions to the post being applied for (McLaughlin, 2008).

Within this work I was mindful in all honesty in my tips with regard to assistance user’s wants towards work whilst respecting their decisions and wants towards function. I did not at any point wish to be seen as discouraging or perhaps negative of the ambitions nevertheless had to be practical about how the size of their croyance could impact the post they want. One example of this lies within just my dealing with Stacey*; your woman was wanting to learn about the best suited way to reveal your previous to sobre employer including her felony convictions by making use of the company. Stacey wanted to pursue a career in day care however acquired four convictions of ‘assault causing long term disfigurement’ as well as some pending charges of fraud.

Although the lady may have been regarded as getting the ambition and caring character which is required for this job her croyance would almost certainly put a barrier about working with kids and those in a vulnerable people grouping. I had developed to convey these details to her properly whilst staying sensitive with her feelings. Eventually I described that I could hardly provide a truthful answer to if employment with this field can be possible since it is always in the employers’ acumen, however had to be realistic with regards to how these types of convictions may possibly influence ser working with children.

Delivering this information in the most; open honest and exact way I possibly could posed intricacy on the relationship I was building with Stacey through this discussion?nternet site was not able to determine how she’d respond although I aimed to not let any false pretences within her targets. This integrity to assistance users is known as a factor ruled by my personal professional responsibility to practice and uphold the right ethical making decisions and values for cultural workers (Walker and Crawford, 2010). My own values and ethics although in part derive from a lot of personal values and encounters are governed within my personal professional practice through my own accountability towards the British Affiliation for Sociable Workers (BASW*).

This association defines my own responsibility to service users alongside the ethics and values I must adhere to within my assist them. It really is within this assistance that my personal obligation and duty to respect services user’s experience and philosophy are outlined as well as valuing their thoughts and would like whilst operating at all times to meet their needs and interests (BASW, 2002). The dilemma My spouse and i faced in working with Stacey came following discussion we all engaged in about her legal convictions disguising limitations on her desire to assist children.

She told me that she realized why the lady may not be capable of work in this sector and exactly how limitations to other jobs inside the care and support discipline may also be a result of this. Despite Stacey recognizing and displaying understanding to the information the girl disclosed that if the lady thought within any job application that she would not be regarded as due to her criminal record she would simply claim that she has simply no criminal verite or pending charges.

This kind of left me which has a an moral decision for making; although I felt that Stacey acquired many personal attributes and the passion to produce a success of a career within just child care her not disclosing this information may ultimately put individuals including the children your woman may come to utilize at risk. I was both also responsible and liable to convey this info to business employers or various other professionals in this case for the purpose of both equally public and child security if your woman were not for this herself and i also made this obvious to Stacey.

Although I actually encouraged the value of being honest with companies when it comes to the criminal history of service users I am bound simply by governmental plan in relation to kid protection to talk about any information which may put the welfare or basic safety of children in jeopardy (Scottish Professional, 2002). Parallel with my accountability to service users are my personal additional accountabilities to my personal organisation and practice with the social work profession in which I represent as a student. I upheld this responsibility through devotedness to and practice within the diverse efficiency policies which were in place and abided by the local and national policy that administers work within the field of criminal justice.

A key document which sets out my learning requirements and elements I have to both comply with and show is The Platform for Cultural Work Education in Scotland. It is this kind of document, placed by the authorities, which displays thus helping principles We am supposed to uphold and practice through my use service users. One of which is my capability to demonstrate within a practice environment a “high level of transferable skills” (Scottish Government, 2003).

This in turn identifies my requirement to put my own learning of theory and a range of; modules, abilities and data I have researched from the interpersonal work framework into practice within my personal practice organisation and illustrate it into a competent normal. An obligation I possess which is outlined in areas within the Interpersonal Work (Scotland) Act late 1960s is to record with respect to every individual; what I do, why We done this and the effects or specialist judgements We made in every instance (Davis and Gordon, 2011). Regarding my company I achieved this obligation by keeping documents up to date and accurate, recording only data that was relevant to the welfare in the service consumer and purposeful regarding their very own employment requires.

Most of my personal work with the organisation has become with the younger generation aged among 16-25 years who are in contact with sociable work. A lot of00 my dealing with them continues to be influenced by conditions/orders or perhaps convictions they have incurred throughout the Crime and Punishment (Scotland) Act 97 and Proper care and Protection (Scotland) Action 1995 (Gibbons-Wood, 2008). Nevertheless it is dependent for the nature of conviction which usually deems what legislation the majority of heavily impact on the sentencing of each support user as well as the diverse characteristics and aspires of the functioning style getting formed with them.

Inside my working with found guilty sex offenders I was mindful of the relevant guidelines and guidance in place a national level which regulates my working objectives and outlines my obligation to be aggressive in showing information with external organisations and local authority teams. The Multi-Agency Open public Protection Arrangements (MAPPA’S) structure was formed following a Management of Offenders Take action 2005.

It is this framework that regulates my professional working with these convicted of a sexual offence making me personally “obligated with a statutory responsibility to cooperate, all relevant agencies which includes local authorities, non-reflex organisations and, crucially, overall health services are jointly recharged with the ‘management’ of this kind of offenders (Gibbons-Wood, 2008, g. 232). Just before my first assessment meeting with an individual billed with a sex offence I actually used guidance from my workplace supervisor to discuss my personal concerns over my lack of experience in working with those support users found guilty of plan one accidents.

I sensed I essential more information for the individual’s circumstances and convictions prior to this kind of arranged speak to to aid my personal preparation and knowledge of his criminal history. I explained to my own supervisor i wished to contact his sociable worker to collect this information, which usually would simplicity my concerns on this occasion with respect to his affiliate information being extremely brief. This allowed for more relevant preparation to become conducted and a building up in alliance working with his social worker as we distributed professional thoughts and other data relevant to the objective of his recommendation to the support.

This specialist partnership working adhered to the MAPPA framework in helping our delivery of successful and appropriate practice (McNeill and Whyte, 2007). The preparation at this juncture also included me personally independently requiring a risk assessment to be carried out before conference the individual by way of one-to-one involvement. As I need to date had no sexual intercourse offender or perhaps collusion teaching I requested this always be carried out with support coming from my fellow workers.

My workplace supervisor told me that this is certainly not mandatory within the policies and procedures with the organisation even so I explained that I believed it to become necessary at this juncture and how We felt it would positively assist future practice. Following the manifestation my matter I was sent risk examination paperwork by my superior in which I passed on to the individual’s social worker to be completed. The risk analysis paperwork aimed to allow his social staff member to; “Make professional reasoning on the level of risk this individual may cause onto personnel whilst detail their confidence and victim group and showing what they recommend to get risk management to get the known as individual” (Agency Policy, 2011a).

I experienced in my ask for such an analysis to be carried out My spouse and i displayed competence in my capability to use resources to aid my personal working interactions and support a ‘safe’ working environment. Though it was not essentially common practice within my own agency is definitely proved to be good practice in supporting my readiness for primary contact. Effectively, a problem I confronted throughout the life long my practice placement was that the firm was not a statutory organisation. This meant that my work on a day to day basis was not constantly governed by simply national recommendations and authorities legislation, rather by efficiency policies and procedures which are in certain cases only motivated by this relevant legislation.

My spouse and i responded to this kind of by doing work as well as I could within the conditions set by both my organisation and those in place for me to best utilise my skills as being a social job student. Working in the best relation to the obligations I have as a student practicioner from your Social Operate (Scotland) Take action 1968 My spouse and i acknowledged that; “the require an understanding of legal issues which usually service users may face even though right now there may not be an immediate social function responsibility mixed up in issue” (Brammer, 2010, p. ). I am aware that I i am not a certified or authorized social member of staff therefore I are not yet liable for to make individual decisions with no input of supervision by colleagues (Lackey, 2006). Yet , I was executed to show my accountability to the vast array of persons and organisations I came into contact with over the duration of immediate practice learning despite my personal obligations lying mostly together with the organisation I was practicing within just.

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