Working in social care and social work are extremely rewarding career paths, but they come with their own challenges including finding time to reflect on your practice, on your learning and your career goals.
Creating space to reflect on this by yourself, with a colleague or as part of a group, can help you to deal with pressures, share lessons within and across teams and improve your practice.
Availing of coaching services and using reflective conversations can also support you to solve problems, develop your skills and abilities and explore your career goals to unlock your full potential.
To support the “Know,Check, Ask” campaign, we are including our Medication Management resource to support your learning, development and reflective practice.
Reflective Practice for Social Care Workers
The Reflective Practice for Social Care Practitioners resource provides guidance on what is reflective practice including case examples to help you understand how reflecting on your practice can support your continuous professional learning and development.
A free and independent coaching service for social workers
Supported by the Department of Health NI, the Social Work Professional Support Service offers free, independent and confidential coaching sessions online. Available to all social workers and social work students in Northern Ireland, coaching offers the potential for personal growth and positive change in life and work. Through reflective, open conversations with a qualified social worker and trained coach, you will be able to identify personally meaningful goals and make progress in moving towards them.
The Healthcare Library
The Health Care Library of Northern Ireland helps deliver world class patient/service user care by providing health and social care professionals, including social workers, with a free library and information services. This library also offers expert advice and training to support patient/service user care, evidence-based practice and continuous professional development.
News bulletins and supplements are provided monthly on a wide range of topics.
Medication Management
This resource provides guidance on the principles of safe and effective medication administration, the importance of knowing your role and responsibility with regards to administration of medication and being appropriately trained for any medication tasks you are required to carry out.
Reflective scenarios based on Fitness to Practice cases, and questions are included to support you to reflect further on what you have learned and share your learning with your colleagues and manager. Remember you can record this learning for your Post Registration, Learning and Training (PRTL).
Know, Check, Ask
Don’t forget, further resources are available through the Department of Health Medication Safety scheme.
These include awareness posters and email signatures, guides for health and social care staff and the My Medicines List (printable form for patients). You can even watch the ‘Know, Check, Ask’ Project ECHO Campaign Awareness Session.
Access your learning in a way that suits you…
There are almost 50 resources available in our Learning Zone resources to support your social care and social work practice, so check back regularly to ensure you never miss an update.
This online platform is to support your continuous professional development and access is free. It is designed to give social care practitioners, social work students and social workers, one-stop access to a growing portfolio of digital learning resources and other guides to support your career and learning journeys.