Key capabilities in child care and protection

Level 7
Aim:
Students should demonstrate an awareness of social work values and ethical practice.

Students will be expected to demonstrate a readiness to reflect on their own values and experiences and consider the impact these may have on their assessment and intervention generally. Specific to child care and protection they will be expected to start to consider the relevance of their own attachment experiences/experience of parenting to their future practice. For example, students should be asked to reflect on their own experience and views of discipline and how these may influence their practice in the context of current legal frameworks.

Knowledge - An understanding of the difference between explanations based on evidence and/or research and other forms of explanation and the importance of this difference.

Representing in partnership with others to help them achieve and maintain greater independence:

• Overcome personal prejudices to respond appropriately to a range of complex personal and interpersonal situations.

As a foundation for ethical practice students require taught input on social work values. The 21st Century Review Report 'Changing Lives' states that "Social work is based on respect for the inherent worth and dignity of all people and the rights that flow from this…" (2006). Students should be expected to read this and other key documents and to consider how they apply to children, young people, parents and carers.

Knowledge - knowledge that is embedded in the main theories, concepts and principles.
Practice - Use some of the basic and routine professional skills, techniques, practices and/or materials associated with the subject/discipline.

Working within agreed standards:

• Understand the nature, historical development and application of social work values and codes of practice.

Students should be introduced to the concept of anti-discriminatory/anti-oppressive practice and this should include child care and protection case scenarios.

Knowledge - knowledge that is embedded in the main theories, concepts and principles.

Working within agreed standards:

• Analyse and take account of the impact of inequality, discrimination and social exclusion.

Assessing and managing risks:

• Up to date legislation defining the rights of people, especially measures designed to tackle all forms of discrimination.

Most HEIs have developed links with service users and carers and they should have some input to the student's early learning opportunities. We recommend that one of the areas explored highlights how service users have experienced social work intervention. As it may be difficult for children and parents currently involved in the child protection system to speak about their experiences, HEIs may need to employ other resources (video, DVD, audio tape) to ensure that this group is represented.

Knowledge - Knowledge that is embedded in the main theories, concepts and principles.
Cognitive - Use a range of approaches to address defined and/or routine problems and issues within familiar contexts.

Preparing for and taking part in decision making forums:

• Understand factors that inhibit effective participation in decision making in different settings.

Working with groups to promote choice:

• Involve users of social work services etc.

Level 8
Aim:
Students need to demonstrate a broad awareness of values and ethics and deal with ethical issues in accordance with professional/ethical codes ( SSSC Codes of Practice, 2003).

All students should be encouraged to reflect on the importance of ethical practice in child care and protection. Using case examples from different practice settings they will need to demonstrate that while balancing the needs of children and their parents, they can ensure the child's needs remain paramount.

Autonomy - deal with ethical and professional issues in accordance with current professional and/or ethical codes or practices under guidance.

Identifying and responding to crisis situations:

• Understanding factors influencing the selection and testing of relevant information.

Students will be expected to show that they can demonstrate social work values in their learning relationships with their peers and teaching staff as well as service users and carers. Students who cannot treat their fellow students with dignity and respect should not have access to service users and carers and may not be able to progress with their studies.

Autonomy - work in support of current professional practice under guidance.

Manage one's own work in an accountable way:

• Handle inter-personal and intra-personal conflict constructively.

In group and individual tutorials students will be expected to reflect in more depth on their experiences and the "use of self" in their practice. Students might also consider this in reflective logs. Students should expect to be challenged if they express views which are in conflict with social work values. The focus of this is that as practitioners they will need to be able to provide a professional service to a range of service users whose circumstances, behaviour or views may challenge their value base. This might include adults, children and young people who exhibit sexually harmful behaviour, asylum seekers and their children, substance misusing parents.

Knowledge - a broad knowledge of the scope, defining features, and main areas of a subject/discipline.
Cognitive - Undertake critical analysis, evaluation and/or synthesis of ideas, concepts, information and issues which are within the common understandings of the subject/ discipline.
Autonomy - Work in support of current professional practice under guidance.

Promoting best social work practice:

• Reflect critically on their own conduct and practice, identifying the need for change.

Take responsibility for one's own professional development:

• Make a positive contribution to the continuing education of colleagues.

Promoting best social work practice:

• Challenge unacceptable practices in a responsible manner.

Prior to the assessed practice learning opportunity students will be required to demonstrate that they are clear about the nature of professional boundaries and this could be explored using role play. For example, what would they do if an adult they were working with disclosed to them they had been sexually abused by a family member and they were worried about their 6 year old niece having contact with this person, but asked them "not to say anything"?

Autonomy - Deal with ethical and professional issues in accordance with current professional and/or ethical codes or practices under guidance.
Practice - Carry out routine lines of enquiry, development or investigation into professional level problems and issues.

Work effectively with professionals:

• Function effectively within a framework of complex accountability.

Understanding and managing complex ethical dilemmas:

• Analyse and handle ethical dilemmas and conflicts to produce clear accountable outcomes.

Level 9
Aim:
Students have a critical understanding of a range of skills enabling them to demonstrate ethical practice.

During their practice learning opportunity and whilst at HEI, students must demonstrate that they can practise ethically. This means that they have been observed treating service users and carers with respect, promoting dignity.

Practice - Use a selection of the principle skills, techniques, practices and/or materials associated with a subject/discipline.
Autonomy - Practise in ways which take account of own and others' roles and responsibilities.

Work within agreed standards:

• Work in an open way and be able to justify their own actions within accepted ethical and professional standards.

Students need to demonstrate that they are aware of the impact of discrimination on service users and have taken responsibility to challenge this in an appropriate way. With reference to child care and protection, students need to demonstrate that they are aware of how children can be particularly discriminated against and how this can add to their vulnerability. For example, Kennedy states "large numbers of disabled children use an alternative form of communication and a range of methods to communicate" (in Wilson and James 2004, 152) and in her research found practitioners did not have the skills to communicate. Students need to show they are aware of their responsibility to access additional support services.

Knowledge - A critical understanding of a selection of the principle theories, principles, concepts and terminology.
Practice - Use a few skills, techniques, practices and/or materials that are specialised or advanced.
Autonomy - Deal with ethical and professional issues in accordance with current professional and/or ethical codes or practices, seeking guidance where appropriate.

Working with individuals etc so that they can make informed decisions:

• Consider specific factors that are relevant to social work practice, such as risk, resilience, rights, cultural, racial and ethnic identity etc and responsibilities to protect vulnerable individuals.

Understanding and managing complex ethical issues:

• Challenge individual, institutional and structural discrimination in constructive ways.

Building on previous input on balancing the needs of children and their parents, students should demonstrate, either in practice or using case studies, that they can continue to work in an environment where the views of the service user may be in conflict with their assessment and subsequent actions. For example, a student working in a drug and alcohol team may disagree with the parent's own assessment of the impact of their substance misuse on parenting capacity.

Knowledge - knowledge that is detailed in some areas and/or knowledge of one or more specialisms that are informed by forefront developments.
Autonomy - Exercise autonomy and initiative in some activities at a professional level.
Autonomy - Deal with ethical and professional issues in accordance with current professional and/or ethical codes or practices, seeking guidance where appropriate.

Tackling behaviour which presents a risk:

• The complex relationships between justice, care and control and social welfare and community justice and the practical and ethical effects of these.

Students need to demonstrate while on practice learning opportunities that they have achieved a balance between treating service users with respect and dignity and not being over familiar. The SSSC Codes of Practice reflects this noting that social workers must not "form inappropriate personal relationships with service users" (2003, 5.4). Students need to be clear about the personal/professional boundaries.
An example would be that it would be inappropriate for them to offer to provide substitute care for a vulnerable child in response to a lack of resources.

Knowledge - A broad and integrated knowledge and understanding of the scope, main areas and boundaries of a subject/discipline.
Cognitive - Identify and analyse routine professional problems and issues.
Autonomy - Deal with ethical and professional issues in accordance with current professional and/or ethical codes or practices, seeking guidance where appropriate.

Managing one's own work in an accountable way:

• Identify and keep under review personal and professional boundaries.

Promoting best social work practice:

• Reflect critically on own conduct and practice, identifying the need for change.

Level 10
Students demonstrate ethical practice based on SSSC Codes of Practice (2003).

By this stage, students should be able to assess and intervene appropriately in complex situations where they identify that a child may be in need or at risk. This means that they can prioritise the needs of a child irrespective of who their primary client is.

Knowledge - detailed knowledge and understanding in one or more specialisms, some of which is informed by or at the forefront of a subject/discipline.
Practice - practise in a range of professional level contexts which include a degree of unpredictability and/or specialism.
Cognitive - offer professional level insights, interpretations and solutions to problems and issues.

Understanding and managing complex ethical issues:

• Identify, understand and critically evaluate ethical issues, dilemmas and conflicts affecting their practice.

Tackling behaviour which presents a risk:

• Take prompt action to deal with behaviour or situations that present a risk.

Tackling behaviour which presents a risk:

• Plan, manage and record intervention designed to change the identified risk behaviour positively.

Students need to demonstrate that they are aware of their own personal values in relation to child care and protection and if necessary can separate these from their practice to ensure they respond professionally.
Students need to demonstrate that where there is a conflict between their personal and professional values, they can use supervision effectively to address this.

Knowledge - A critical understanding of the principal theories, concepts and principles.
Autonomy - Deal with complex ethical and professional issues in accordance with current professional and/or ethical codes of practice.
Autonomy - work effectively under guidance in a peer relationship with qualified practitioners.

Understanding and managing complex ethical issues:

• Devise effective strategies to deal with ethical issues, dilemmas and conflicts.

Managing one's own work in an accountable way:

• Use professional and managerial supervision and support to improve their practice.

Students need to be aware that their professional assessment of a child's needs may be in conflict with that of the agency providing their practice learning opportunity. They need to demonstrate an ability to challenge appropriately to ensure that they discharge their professional responsibility. For example, where students believe the agency's overall assessment is based on resource rather than need, they have a professional responsibility to confront this using appropriate channels.

Cognitive - Offer professional level insights, interpretations and solutions to problems and issues.
Communication -communicate with professional level peers, senior colleagues and specialists.
Autonomy - Exercise autonomy and initiative in professional/equivalent activities.

Working effectively with professionals:

• Deal constructively with disagreements and conflict within work relationships.

Promoting best social work practice:

• Use supervision together with other organisational and professional systems to influence courses of action where practice falls below the standards required.

While discharging their authority, students may encounter aggression or abuse from service users. For example, parents may be angry where the student has acted on a concern for a vulnerable child. Students need to demonstrate that they can seek appropriate supervision to ensure that their professional assessment and intervention is not compromised.
Students need to be clear that it is not acceptable to carry out their duties in an unsafe environment and they need to be clear of the agency's responsibility to put in place reasonable safeguards to protect them. Notwithstanding this, the needs of any children should be paramount. For example, if a student decides it is not safe to visit a child at home because s/he hears a violent argument as s/he approaches, the student should seek immediate guidance about the needs of children in the house. This might involve a referral to other professionals (e.g. police).

Practice - practise in a range of professional level contexts which include a degree of unpredictability and/or specialism.
Cognitive - Critically review and consolidate knowledge, skills and practices and thinking in a subject/ discipline.
Cognitive - Make judgements where information is limited or comes from a range of sources.
Autonomy - work effectively under guidance in a peer relationship with qualified practitioners.

Assessing and managing risks:

• Assess, analyse and record potential risk to themselves and colleagues.

Assessing and managing risks:

• Practise in ways that maximise safety and effectiveness especially in situations of uncertainty or if there is incomplete information.

Understanding and managing complex ethical issues:

• Act appropriately even in uncertain and ambiguous circumstances and critically reflect on and learn from the outcomes.

Assessing and managing risks:

• Manage risk to individuals, etc, regularly monitoring and re-assessing priorities.

MacDonald and Winkley state:
"Every child has the right to expect that professionals intervening in their lives will do so on the basis of the best available knowledge" (2000, 1). Students need to be clear that in order to practice in an ethical manner their methods should be based on the best evidence of what works for children and that they are responsive to new ideas from research.

Knowledge - detailed knowledge and understanding in one or more specialisms, some of which is informed by or at the forefront of a subject/discipline.
Practice - Use a range of the principal skills, practices and/or materials associated with a subject/ discipline.
Autonomy - work with others to bring about change, development and/or new thinking.

Managing one's own work in an accountable way:

• Carry out duties accountably, using professional judgement and knowledge based social work practice.

Evaluating and using up to date knowledge and research:

• Use professional and organisational supervision and support to research, critically analyse and review the evidence base for effective practice.

Students should be aware of the outcomes of their intervention including unintended outcomes. For example, while it may support parents with learning difficulties to provide extensive home care from a range of professionals, this may have the unintended outcome of increasing their child's vulnerability and attachment difficulties.

Knowledge - A critical understanding of the principal theories, concepts and principles.
Practice - practise in a range of professional level contexts which include a degree of unpredictability and/or specialism.
Autonomy - Deal with complex ethical and professional issues in accordance with current professional and/or ethical codes of practice.

Assessing and managing risks:

• Review intentions and actions in the light of expected and unintended consequences.

Assessing and managing risks:

• Plan, monitor, review and record outcomes and actions taken to minimise risk, stress and harm.