Social Work News - Winter 2021

Page 14

SOCIAL WORKERS SHOULD FEEL ABLE TO TALK ABOUT THEIR OWN CARE EXPERIENCE

I

wish to state upfront that, in writing this, I’m not seeking to force anyone ‘out of the closet,’ as it were.

Likewise, I do not wish to push people with lived experience into discussions and public acknowledgements they’re not yet ready for. Rather it is my aim to assist in the creation of an environment that would allow for an easy admission, should someone ever wish to discuss their own care experience in the workplace. There are, of course, many definitions of what it means to be care experienced, but for the purposes of

this piece, my understanding of care experience is anyone that has been in care for a period of three months or more - whether that’s fostering, secure care, residential care, kinship care, adoption, or respite care. For most care-experienced people I’ve come across, their experiences stick with them, often shaping their lives far into adulthood. Over the last two years of my studies, through discussions and reflections, I have come to the belief that we do not actively engage in discussion about care experience, or the issues faced by care experienced social workers.

IT FEELS AS THOUGH THESE EXPERIENCES ARE ACCEPTED, BUT IN HUSHED TONES AND WITH A ‘DON’T ASK DON’T TELL’ MENTALITY. Many people qualifying as social workers are entering into a profession that is designed to support people with similar experiences to them, yet they feel unable to publicly acknowledge or speak about their own experiences. To qualify my interest in this topic, I should explain that I myself am care experienced, growing up under the


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Articles inside

The best of you is still 'Out There'

3min
pages 54-55

“OOH I NEED ONE OF THOSE!”

3min
pages 52-53

The reality of working as a social worker at Christmas...

4min
pages 48-49

"No more trash bags for children in foster care"

3min
pages 44-45

5 THINGS ON EVERY SOCIAL WORKER’S CHRISTMAS LIST

3min
pages 46-47

THE BITE-SIZED LECTURE

3min
pages 34-35

How many people did social workers REALLY help in 2021?

13min
pages 26-31

12 things every social worker should keep in their car

3min
pages 24-25

Is it ethical to use social work techniques on family and friends?

2min
pages 22-23

EVER FANCIED SEEING YOUR WORDS IN PRINT?

1min
page 20

My Top 5 Social Work Videos of 2021

2min
pages 18-19

EMBEDDING ANTI-RACIST PRACTICE IN SOCIAL WORK

2min
pages 16-17

Social workers should feel able to talk about their own care experience

3min
pages 14-15

THE SECRET DIARY OF A SOCIAL WORKER ON CHRISTMAS EVE...

5min
pages 12-13

IT’S TIME WE CHANGED THE NARRATIVE I’M SO PROUD TO BE A SOCIAL WORKER!

2min
pages 10-11

Okay, so you've won the lotter...do you still go to workl?

3min
pages 8-9

THANK YOU TO ALL THE OUT OF HOURS SOCIAL WORKERS ON DUTY THIS CHRISTMAS

3min
pages 6-7

THE FAMILY COURT POLITICS NOBODY TALKS ABOUT

2min
page 5

"Having a space to get things off your chest is powerful"

3min
pages 42-43

Why Lemn decided it was time to take back Christmas

3min
pages 40-41

"Children get one childhood. Let's help make it a good one"

5min
pages 36-37
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