Discuss how personal values and professional social work values were taken into consideration this week. Reflect on your use of self in your placement

Hope And Life Outreach (HALO)

Description of Activities (narrative, include type of activity, when and where it occurred, who was involved (staff/clients), describe what occurred, including your role); include log topic, if applicable

I’m  an intern at HALO, and my core responsibility surrounds helping people (women/ children ) navigate the challenges they encounter in accessing sustainable housing. The procedure is conducted within the institution’s premises, and participants include staff members engaged in the program, as well as women and those with children.

Feelings: Describe positive and negative personal reactions you had to situations that occurred this week.

​This week we concentrated primarily on helping women with housing applications by guiding them on effectively filling out application forms. Per HALO’s core mission – to achieve a life-changing outcome by emulating Jesus’ ways (HALO, 2022)– I perceived the situation as empowering and a source of hope for a better tomorrow. I felt strongly that I was fulfilling my purpose by valuing those faced with adversities and being excellent stewards of the Almighty’s resources. I developed a sense of self-worth, respect, and humility when they recognized that other people genuinely cared about them. However, a negative personal reaction I experienced was the prevalence of poverty in the surrounding, which has contributed to increased homelessness and the inability to afford sustainable housing.

Values: Discuss how personal values and professional social work values were taken into consideration this week. Reflect on your use of self in your placement

​This week’s activities required active interaction and a show of care to the institution’s ‘guests.’ Therefore, as a social worker, some personal values include compassion, empathy, equality, and integrity. These principles guide how I relate with the guests and other staff personnel while ensuring to achieve the week’s core objective. Also, they influence my actions, decisions, and professional judgment. On the other hand, professional work values like human dignity and service to others relate to my value of respect, and this improved the nature of my relations with those in need. This week we sought to empower individuals by respecting their dignity and value and raising their willingness to alter their needs; we boost their self-worth.

Knowledge/Skills: Describe theories and skills used as well as competencies and behaviors demonstrated

​The social work theory that was demonstrated is systems theory. According to Bales (2017), the principle asserts that individuals are perceived as complex systems’ products instead of people acting in isolation. People’s behavior is caused by various factors working in tandem, including friends, family, economic situations, home surroundings, and social settings. The applicable skills included professional commitment, communication, active listening, empathy, organization, and cultural competence. Additionally, some competencies correlate with the skills, including engagement with communities, individuals, and families and assessment and intervention with these groups of vulnerable people. Similarly, there was an effective demonstration of professional demeanor in oral communication and behavior, applying consultations and supervision to influence professional behavior and judgment, and self-regulation to manage personal beliefs and values.

Supervision: Describe what was discussed in supervision with your field supervisor. What progress has been made on your learning contract goals? What successes did you have this week? Challenges? What areas for growth have you identified? What feedback were you given? What questions do you have for your next supervision meeting?

​Significant progress has been realized on my learning contract goals. For instance, I have participated in community organizing initiatives, practiced facilitating groups in HALO, established confidence in performing social worker roles, and developed experience working with vulnerable populations and children. Notably, this week I successfully evaluated and explored potential solutions to the prevailing situation where some ‘guests’ were missing critical information. Also, I managed to maintain a daily journal of reflections and up-to-date activities and deliberated on personal ethics, biases, and values in case management meetings. On the other hand, the challenges were minimal, like increasing the needs of the ‘guests’ exceeding the resource capacity of the institution at a given time, and some situations were difficult to maneuver and offer effective assistance. However, some of the growth areas include the expansion of the initiative’s outreach and increased interaction with communities and the surrounding through social media platforms like Facebook.

References

Bales, R. F. (2017). Social interaction systems: Theory and measurement. Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781315129563

HALO. (2022, April 11). Our Story. Halo Ministry. Retrieved September 30, 2022, from https://haloministry.org/our-story/