Diego Kravetz - Jefe de Seguridad en Buenos Aires

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Social Work Tips And advice

• Diego Kravetz

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Top tips for social workers.Remember that you
can say no 

• As a newly qualified social worker, youre
  probably desperate to prove yourself, both to
  clients and your managers. With shortages of
  trained staff, yet no let up in the number of
  cases that need attention, its likely that
  youll be given a demanding caseload. 
• As a student, you had a protected caseload, so
  the prospect of juggling clients can lead to
  overload. The consequences can be serious, not
  just for your clients but also your own health.
  Newly qualified social workers often talk of the
  emotional strain of managing their caseload.

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Take time out to reflect on your work

• When youre constantly in the moment, digging
  away at a problem and focusing on one thing, its
  easy to get tunnel vision. Stop. Step away from
  your desk. Make yourself a cup of tea. Maybe ask
  a colleague for a fresh insight. Its the best
  way to make sure that you dont end up with a
  blinkered approach that has missed something.
  Sometimes, just by articulating a problem that
  you cant figure out, youll realise what the
  solution is. 

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Understand The Importance Of Emotional
Resilience 

• Emotional resilience is not the same thing as
  detachment or callousness you can remain
  resilient while still caring deeply for your
  clients. And they will get more from you if you
  are emotionally resilient because youll be
  thinking clearly and be able to put forward the
  best solutions. This will also help you to
  influence senior staff and other agencies to get
  things done. 
• The best way to achieve resilience is to be
  self-aware. Some social workers experience a
  sudden mass of emotions bearing down on them,
  because they are focusing entirely on the
  clients needs without realising the impact it
  has on their own well-being. By considering how
  you feel about something, and what impact it has
  on you, youre able to deal with those stresses
  more easily. 

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Stay curious and ask questions

• Even simple cases contain hidden complexities
  that may not be easily uncovered. Asking
  questions is a vital social work skill and being
  new is a great advantage. Dont be afraid to ask
  your colleagues questions about aspects of your
  cases and clients, and take advantage of the
  benefit of their collective experience.
• A fruitful thought experiment is often to imagine
  your clients as young adults this helps you
  think of them as people. What questions would you
  ask them if they were at their full capacity?
  What would they want to say to you? 
• And dont forget your training. Even though more
  studying is the last thing on your mind after
  completing three years of a degree course, it
  offers you the chance to refresh your curiosity.
  Best practice changes and training can help you
  progress in your career. Dont forget to find out
  what your entitlements are to supervision and
  protected development time ask your manager.

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Make the most of your induction period

• Shadowing colleagues is a great way of learning
  about your organisational culture, and will save
  you time later on as youll know who you can call
  on for expert advice and help. Its all too easy
  for organisations to downplay inductions and just
  show you where the kettle is but you can take
  some responsibility and get what you need to
  thrive in your career if you ask the right
  questions.
• Who are the best contacts in other partner
  organisations and how do they view your role? Who
  might be a good mentor for you? What are the
  rhythms of your office and working year? Dont
  forget about booking holidays, claiming expenses
  and other important admin functions that are
  easily overlooked.
• When you come to the end of your induction, dont
  forget that your job is not your only identity
  make time for your loved ones too. They deserve
  it just as much as your clients do.

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Diego Kravetz