Professional Competencies

Student’s Name

Institutional Affiliation

Introduction

Social work practice can be described as the application of the professional skills which relate to the social work techniques and principles. Social work practice aims to help people obtain tangible services such as psychotherapy and counseling of individuals, their families, and the community. The categories of social work can be categorized under micro, mezzo, and macro levels. The prerequisite courses that I have studied have helped me acquire the skills and knowledge required in social work practice.

Body

Under the introduction to the special issue on the field of students, I learned how to connect the theoretical things taught in the classroom to the practical world. Both classroom and field practice is very important if one wants to learn social work practice thoroughly. The area has mainly helped in understanding the micro-level of social work. Mainly when people hear the term social workers, they think about the day to day activities at the micro-level. For instance, helping people find houses, social services, and health care facilities. The article taught me how the fieldwork is supposed to be done and how one is supposed to apply the knowledge and skills learned in the classroom to the public. For instance, it explained that clinical social workers could identify trauma in patients and other practitioners (Bogo & Sewell, 2019). It explains how this can be done for one to be able to help these people with trauma.

One of the competencies taught was that one should engage in policy practice. Engaging in policy practice means that a social worker should be familiar with all the human rights and social justice rules and the policies implemented in regards to the social welfare services (Holden et al. 2017). As social workers, one should understand the role they play in the policies that are aimed at development and implementation as they practice the different levels of social work levels. Social workers should also be able to assess how the different policies that are developed and implemented impact the delivery of social services.

The second article explains the students’ perceptive on matters of importance of field education in learning social work practice. Some of the students who participated in the process of determining the student’s opinions on the effectiveness of fieldwork showed that fieldwork is very important and can be applied at all levels of social work practice. After the right procedures were followed, for instance, in the data collection and analysis of the data and the results showed that studying fieldwork is essential in social work practice. Some of the article’s findings were that many opportunities arise when one applies the theory learned in practice (Eltaiba & Ndoye, 2018). As a result of participating in the fieldwork, the students were able to see the linkage in the theory and practice. They realized that there is a relationship and also had a positive experience. Also, as a result of practicing the theory learned in cases, the students were able to apply the ethics taught when faced the ethical dilemmas in the field. Therefore they developed the necessary attitudes and behaviors that are conducive when practicing social work.

One of the competencies in setting in social work practice being the demonstration of professional behavior and ethical practices, help one understand the importance of being ethical and practicing professional standards. One should make decisions based on the standards set by the NASW code of ethics and also should be in line with the relevant regulations and laws set up (Terziev, Latyshev, & Georgiev, 2017). Also, social workers should engage differences and diversity in the practice of social work, which ensures that the human experience is good, especially of those being served. For instance, at the mezzo level that entails larger groups apart from the family and individuals, there is a need to practice professional standards to solve problems since one would be dealing with a large number of people.

The last article explains the meaning and value of supervision in social work field education by outlining the various benefits of supervision of fieldwork. As explained, supervision is vital in social work practice since the information the instructors obtain from observing the students can evaluate the capabilities of the students and determine whether they are ready to serve as social workers. Also, students find it essential to learn from experienced professionals since they get accurate feedback, and they are offered assistance with mentors who help in skill development (Ketner, Bolinskey, & VanCleave, 2017). There are different types of work supervision; for instance, students can be matched with other students, social workers, and other superior people with the necessary experience. Out of those, the most proffered type of supervision is individual supervision. Therefore, from the information on the article, I have learned how supervision is essential in social work practice and the different levels of supervision.

Conclusion

Social work practice is the application of the professional skills which relate to the social work techniques and principles. It can be divided into different levels that are the micro, mezzo, and macro level. From the courses I learned, I have acquired the necessary skills and knowledge required in the practice of social work. Applying the theory learned in the classroom in the field is very important since it helps one gain more knowledge and figure out what is expected of them. Also, the competencies and code of ethics, such as engaging diversity and difference in practice, help social workers perform their duties in line with the laws and end up doing credible work.

References

Bogo, M., & Sewell, K. M. (2019). Introduction to the special issue on field education of students.

Eltaiba, N., & Ndoye, A. (2018). The effectiveness of field education in social work education: A student perspective. Advances in Social Work and Welfare Education, 20(1), 170.

Ketner, M., Cooper-Bolinskey, D., & VanCleave, D. (2017). The meaning and value of supervision in social work field education. Field Educator, 7(2).

Terziev, V., Latyshev, O., & Georgiev, M. (2017). Building competencies for social work through continuing vocational training—proceedings of ADVED.

Holden, G., Barker, K., Kuppens, S., & Rosenberg, G. (2017). Self-efficacy regarding social work competencies. Research on Social Work Practice, 27(5), 594-606.