Key words
SOCIAL ASSISTANT IN PRACTICE - Theoretical and practical building blocks 2
Objectives
Social assistants practise their profession in various sectors of society.
Job differentiation is one of the consequences thereof.
To prove how the vocational profile of the social assistant is based, firstly, on core values and a common root but, secondly, how it takes on a specific cachet depending on the sphere of action concerned, this training module is aimed at all job groups and the corresponding core skills of a social assistant in general.
In this module, we also focus, in particular, on the core skills and sphere of action of a HR worker, a socio-cultural worker and a social adviser.
In that respect this training module is interrelated, as regards content, with its sister module: ‘Social Assistant: theoretical and practical building blocks 1’.
It goes without saying that the training module incorporates the social sciences frameworks from the other
modules (lying on standard educational route 1) in order to contextualize professional competence and, vice
versa, in order to clearly communicate theoretical concepts.
Furthermore, this module lays the foundations for modules lying on standard educational routes 2 and
3, especially for modules such as ‘Fields of Social Work’, ‘Work placement and supervision 1’,
‘Methodologies in Staff Matters’, ‘Welfare Consultancy’ and ‘Socio-cultural work’ (standard educational route 2) and various systematic modules: ‘Work placement and supervision 2’ and final year thesis, notably within the specializations: ‘Staff Matters’, ‘Welfare Consultancy’ and ‘Socio-cultural work’ (on standard educational route 3).
The purpose of this training module is to shape these objectives by fostering and developing the following core skills from the training profile:
Job-specific core skills:
1. SW-ers’ vision in all they undertake is based on a broad-based insight into societal
reality
- Sub-competencies:
* base their actions on relevant judgments;
* are driven by a personal vision in which the emancipation of the client and of the client group are their prime concerns.
- Behavioural indicators found among students that point to this competence:
* they regard human behaviour as a combination and interplay of, among other things, psychological, sociological, and biological factors;
* they employ a social sciences perspective when analyzing problems, methods and trends in their specialist field and when gauging the place and value of the social work itself
* they look, from social sciences perspectives, at social problems and societal trends affecting their specialist field;
* understand the different views that exist on the problem of cultural diversity and can formulate their own opinion;
* develop their own image of people and society;
* develop their own stance on social work which can be the primary driver of their actions and which give priority to the emancipation of the client and of the client group.
2. SW-ers employ appropriate, definite and judicially reasoned information in the client’s best interest
- Sub-competencies:
* they’re able to select the salient information and apply it to a specific problem;
* they point their clients in the direction of a suitable service provider;
* have the client’s best interests at heart.
- Behavioural indicators found among students that point to this competence:
* they have a clear grasp of the welfare sector (its organization and structure);
* they systematically search for (and find) information;
* correctly interpret and contextualize the questions and information needs of the client/client group;
* show consideration and concern when referring someone to another specialist.
3. In a systematic way, SW-ers lend shape to processes of social and community work
in their respective task areas
- Sub-competencies:
* through good communication and their creative flair, they speed up the integration and participation of people from different ethnic origins;
* they incite greater enthusiasm among groups and individuals (to become more involved in the local community, thereby improving their social life);
* they actively promote the internal and external development and public image of an organization.
- Behavioural indicators found among students that point to this competence:
* they pinpoint needs and wants and can relate these to the correct social context;
* refer people onto the right specialists;
* manage their case records to an acceptably high standard;
* mediate and negotiate;
* draw the attention of the players concerned to contributory factors to stress & tension;
* can ‘means-test’ the target group;
* are task- and process-oriented in their dealings with groups and individuals;
* give adequate shape to educational, cultural and social forum processes;
* motivates and enthuses groups and individuals;
* they develop functional team-based relationships.
4. SW-ers communicate purposefully in a context of great diversity
- Sub-competencies:
* good interpersonal skills with people and groups from different backgrounds;
* employ informal and formal modes of communication in various contexts;
* can communicate purposefully in informal and formal groups;
* develop their own well-founded outlook on communication in cultural diversity.
- Behavioural indicators found among students that point to this competence:
* understand the processes which go on inside groups/systems and can adapt their own behaviour to match;
* have a command of theoretical models on communication and can use these as a background for analyzing specific, real-life situations;
* can reflect critically on how well they communicate;
* are proficient in several essential speaking (& listening) skills;
* participate constructively in different kinds of meetings and acting in various capacities;
* look upon cultural diversity as a positive challenge in the dialogue with, and the support and supervision of, people and groups.
General core skills:
5. Working in a team
- Sub-competencies:
* can function as a team player within a department;
* can adapt their attitude and role(s) to cater to different settings and types of social assistance;
* take initiatives to foster cooperation.
- Behavioural indicators found among students that point to this competence:
* understand group-dynamic processes and teambuilding factors in task-based forms
of cooperation;
* they gain an insight into their own attitude, choices and roles in a task-based teamworking environment;
* employ constructive communication techniques in support of task-based teamworking;
* can assume different roles during task-based teamworking;
* engender a teamworking culture within the scope of the task in hand;
* behave like a good colleague in a team environment.
6. A solutions-led worker in the sense that (s)he is able, unaided, to define and analyze awkward and complex situations in occupational practice and can develop and implement sound strategies for problem-solving
- Sub-competencies:
* can define and analyze complex problems;
* can develop and implement strategies for problem-solving.
- Behavioural indicators found among students that point to this competence:
* are able to consider case studies and practical situations from several different perspectives;
* tackle problems and assignments methodically and in search of a satisfactory solution;
* evaluate and adapt their own actions and feelings to hasten the process for finding a solution.
General core skills:
7. The acquisition and assimilation of information
- Sub-competencies:
* employ multiple and effective information channels;
* select information according to its relevance;
* synthesize and sort the information to reflect the wording of the question;
* valorize the information.
- Behavioural indicators found among students that point to this competence:
* use the Internet efficiently in their search for information;
* know their way about the cataloguing systems that can be used in libraries;
* assess the value of information according to how evidence-based it is;
* place sources of information against background frames of reference;
* quote people and cite sources in their papers correctly;
* correctly interpret basic statistical concepts in a scientific paper;
* are able to incorporate the retrieved information into a final year thesis (and/or scientific papers) in a meaningful and relevant way.
8. The ability to communicate information, ideas, problems and solutions effectively,
both to specialists and to laypersons
- Sub-competencies:
* are adept at holding a conversation, be it formal or informal;
* develops a purposeful rapport with colleagues, clients and external suppliers/organizations;
* can successfully address small or large groups;
* can express himself clearly in writing.
- Behavioural indicators found among students that point to this competence:
* is able to express himself clearly and concisely;
* can debate constructively;
* make succinct, functional reports;
* set forth their ideas rationally and lucidly in class;
* answers over-the-phone enquiries with brisk efficiency;
* uses email correctly and other Web-based Information & Communications technology (ICT) applications;
* is capable of using various kinds of correspondence;
* can use language functionally and pragmatically;
* produces top-class essays and scientific papers in which theory and practice are well meshed.
Topics
The aim of this training module is twofold:
- firstly, to acquire knowledge;
- and, secondly, to acquire the core skills and attitudes necessary for those starting a work placement and supervision 1 (as described in standard educational route 2).
It focuses on different course components of this total package, which the student has to master:
1. Occupational practice:
The ‘occupational practice’ part consists of several main pillars:
- A theoretical (and practical) presentation of:
- the singularity of the profession
- the SW profile, a profile of the profession and enhancing its public image
- an emancipatory vision as a guiding principle
- the specializations ‘Staff Matters’, ‘Socio-cultural work’ and ‘Welfare Consultancy’: history, definition of the terms, structure, target groups and organizations, methodologies, task and role of the social worker...
- Topic taught via case studies linked to the acquisition of knowledge, skills and attitudinal aspects of the social assistant
- Development of a capacity to systematically reflect on your performance and why you chose this profession
- Practise a few core skills and attitudes (point out mistakes, if any, to the student) necessary for all those starting a work placement and supervision 1 (standard educational route 2)
2, Data acquisition and processing (observation & reporting + ICT):
- Definition of the terms, an introduction to, and learning by practice of, the different basic concepts and perceptual models expedient to different forms of observation in situations that arise in your specialist field.
- Introduction to different reporting formats and discussing the place and significance thereof in social assistance processes.
- Tasks and exercises for teaching the student to observe and report what he sees.
- Exercises to train the student to spot and recognize his observation pattern and its limitations.
- Apply information technology (IT) in the social assistant’s day-to-day practice (both at the level of the client, and at the level of the organization and extending the network).
3. Group work:
- Definition of the terms, theoretical contextualization and information about group dynamics, teamworking, different stages in a teamworking process, kinds of roles, use of weapons,…
- Exploring and experimenting with (one’s own) power of communication as a powerful tool for working with a group via specific tasks and exercises.
- The capacity to objectively assess the ‘ME’ aspect of teamworking: experience and analysis of how well the student functions in a teamworking process, with the emphasis on ‘ME, as a team member’, instead of ‘ME, the self-centred individual’.
- The students learn, as team players, how to create and maintain a team-spirited working climate.
- They experience, at first hand, an activity that was prepared and taught in a work group setting.
Entry-level skills
Exit qualifications in secondary education
Exit-level skills
The core skills from the training profile listed in the ‘objectives’ section are fully underpinned by the following exit-level skills of the training module:
- At the level of knowledge and comprehension:
The students:
- cite the singularity of the profession (see under ‘Topics’)
- can clearly state the self-knowledge, skills and attitude needed in the context of social work
- correctly define the course components (see under ‘Topics’) of the specializations: ‘Staff Matters’, ‘Social- cultural work’ and ‘Welfare Consulting’
- know (and recognize) their own nascent views on man and society
- add a current knowledge of societal reality to the discussion (have an eye for national and international news)
- analyze communication as a powerful tool for working with a group
- identify group-dynamic factors and phenomena correctly (see under ‘Topics’)
- correctly pinpoint the significance of observation and perception, in general, and of the different forms thereof, in particular
- spot the different factors which could influence the observation
- correctly distinguish the basic principles of the Harvard method for referencing (citing) sources in the text
- At the application level (skills):
The students:
- correctly apply their nascent (professional) communicative and social skills (in preparation of a work placement and supervision 1, as described in standard educational route 2), such as:
excellent powers of observation; empathy; the capacity to objectively assess one’s own functional performance; skills to impart to others and to foster feedback; verbal and non-verbal (body language) communication, written communication, participation and involvement, presenting and speaking to the group, the ability (as objectively as possible) to observe simple and straightforward situations related to the specialist field of the social assistant and to report on them correctly, correct use of the different kinds of reports and their specific field of application, the selection and correct application of relevant information technology (IT), the capacity to objectively assess one’s own functional performance (whether in a team environment or not), experiment with the notion of working with, or within, a group, the ability to mediate and consult with others, aspiring to a high standard of communication, decision-making and evaluation within the group,…
- employ effective organizational and administrative skills, e.g. making adequate use of information sources, correctly citing information sources according to the agreed referencing system, adept at applying the requisite formatting tools when composing a report, orderly recording and well-structured, straight-to-the-point reports; good use of language (articulate) and applies the prevailing performance standards correctly, preparing and adhering to a work schedule, the ability to organize an activity, stays within the rules and can state the relationship between said rules and the specified objectives, deals flexibly with unforeseen events, correct use and rational application of information technology (IT),…
- working in a team: the student’s teamworking skills are honed, among other things, in:
the collaboration groups, which are part and parcel of this training module. Besides the specificity of the product, the student also gets usefully involved in the process through correct application of the theoretical frameworks of communication and group dynamics;
the group tasks which are devised: start-up, phasing of the work, planning and finalizing;
know, recognize and fine-tune their role within the group;
can clearly explain the constructive / destructive behaviour of the team members;
draws attention to the common pitfall of a ‘ME’ mindset in a team environment;
eager to become a good team player, to take co-responsibility and to help build a constructive, team-spirited working climate;
keeps appointments, honours agreements, observes working arrangements and heeds rules;
- At the level of integration (attitude)
The students:
- show a committed attitude: show an attitude of commitment made concrete in the following aspects: regular attendance and punctuality, motivation, social attitude, eagerness for learning, taking initiatives and responsibility, developing perseverance and venturing an opinion.
- show a critical attitude: this is a position made concrete in the following aspects: a balanced view, a view on one’s own frame of reference, a view on one’s own capabilities and limitations and those of others too (peer tutoring); putting oneself, the course materials and the context of social and community work into question.
- show a respectful attitude: this is an attitude made concrete in the following aspects: correctness in agreements, being present, openness, sincerity, equality, empathy, discretion and a non-judging attitude.
Prerequisites
Final Objectives
Materials used
::Click here for additional information::
The booklet “Learning and working as a social assistant” is used (VVSH)
Syllabus (available from the courseware department)
Additional texts (available in the classroom or accessible via Dokeos)
Topical subject-matter
Study costs
The estimated cost price is ca. € 30 (photocopies, the booklet, exploration of the specialist field, travelling expenses incurred in execution of certain tasks or assignments…)
Study guidance
- During the lessons, frequent attention is paid to feedback, corrections (pointing out mistakes,...), ... regarding assignments, exercises, conversations, ... and also with regard to the course materials.
- Coaching is given during assignments in sub-groups
- The ‘Monitoraat’* system is available - by appointment only – for questions about theoretical and practical aspects of observing and reporting. (*: This means that some extra tutorials are put on, where students can ask their monitors questions concerning the courses during the tutorials)
- Remediation and/or differentiation is possible on application-type tasks in the field of information technology (IT)
- Contact details can be obtained from the training staff members involved in that module.
Teaching Methods
The introduction to, and the assimilation of, the course content is supported and stimulated by :
- at the level of knowledge and comprehension: lectures, demonstration, a teaching group and supervised self-instruction
- at the application level (skills): tutorials, project and assignment-based work
- at the application level/level of integration: interactive tutorials, demonstration, tutorials and problem-oriented methods of working
Assessment
This training module is evaluated after the 2nd 6-month term.
The overall evaluation of the student’s performance on the course is done in close consultation with all the staff members involved in that training module for that student.
- 1) Continuous assessment (50% of the marks) depending on their knowledge, attitude and skills. A prerequisite for the process evaluation, is that all course components of this training module are attended by the student. The (growing) process of the students and their active participation during classes are key considerations here.
- 2) Product evaluation (50% of the marks): the students make several different products:
- a practice work book (with, among other things, student experiential reports, observation reports, in-course reflection reports,…)
- a folder on topical issues
- an out-of-school assignment
- application-type tasks
- written exercises
- presentation of a group activity
- self-appraisal and self-analysis
- an integration assignment in which the student’s knowledge, among other things, is tested
- an oral test on the student’s observation and reporting skills.
Regarding the product evaluation, the products of ALL components of the course content count towards the final mark.
Resits:
Regarding the product evaluation part, provision is made, in the resits, for an analogous assignment (50%).
The marks gained in the continuous assessment part (50%) during the 1st examination period are carried over.
Lecturer(s)
Nicole Vanhoucke
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