Core Competencies

1. Core Competencies Presented by: Whitney D. Brown

2. Comp. #1: Identify as a professional social worker and conduct oneself accordingly.

3. Gen. 1.1 Advocate for client access to the services of social work. • Spoke with a client about possibly receiving services from DSS, such as daycare assistance, food stamps, TANF, child support, and etc.

4. Gen. 1.2 Practice personal reflection and self-correction to assure continual professional development. • I plan to hold myself accountable when mistakes are made and admit when I do something wrong, so I can learn from the experience.

5. Gen. 1.3 Attend to professional roles and boundaries. • When visiting Client X he asked for certain privileges, but I could not overstep the boundaries of the group home or his court counselor.

6. Gen. 1.4 Demonstrate professional demeanor in behavior, appearance, and communication. • Business attire for court. • Verbally communicating disagreements.

7. Gen. 1.5 Engage in career-long learning. • I intend on continuing education, and joining and attending the NASW meetings as a way to learn new information.

8. Gen. 1.6 Use supervision and consultation. • After going over a goal plan with a client I spoke with supervisor on how I completed the task.

9. Comp. #2: Apply social work ethical principals to guide professional practice.

10. Gen. 2.1 Recognize and manage personal values in a way that allows professional values to guide practice. • I use my personal values such as honesty and integrity as a way to conduct myself when I work. Also since I recognize that my values may be different from others I will not push them onto my clients.

11. Gen. 2.2 Make ethical decisions by applying the standards of the National Association of Social Workers Code of Ethics and, as applicable, of the International Federation of Social Workers/International Association of Schools of Social Work Ethics in Social Work, Statement of Principles. • If I am ever faced with a dilemma that I may think is potentially unethical I will refer back to the NASW Code of Ethics and I will also refer back to the Operational Guidelines for the Eckerd staff.

12. Gen. 2.3 Tolerate ambiguity in resolving ethical conflicts. • If I’m working with a client who is using drugs and knows he must stay clean or will be sent off to a group home if his drug test does not return clean, although he keeps telling me he wants to change and do better, but doesn’t show it with his actions. I will continue to work with and encourage this client and not terminate services.

13. Gen. 2.4 Apply strategies of ethical reasoning to arrive at principled decisions. • I do not think I will be involved in any decision making, but if I was, first I would examine the facts, look at the population affected by the issues, and look at the possible outcomes of my decision.

14. Comp. #3: Apply Critical Thinking to inform and communicate professional judgments.

15. Gen. 3.1: Distinguish, appraise, and integrate multiple sources of knowledge, including research-based knowledge, and practice wisdom. • When working with clients, apply the Botvin Life skills assessments and use the life skills training work books.

16. Gen. 3.2: Analyze models of assessment, prevention, intervention, and evaluation. • Calculate scores of the YASI, Botvin, and YOQ assessment pre and post test, then determine if the interventions given were significant or not.

17. Gen. 3.3: Demonstrate effective oral and written communication in working with individuals, families, groups, organizations, communities, and colleagues. • When speaking with clients I speak more slowly and clearly as a way to ensure that they are hearing me and understanding me. I noticed some of the intervention counselors ask if they understand them. Also sometimes when we are completing assessments they read them to the client before they sign as a way to ensure that they understand what was written.

18. Comp. #4: Engage diversity and difference in practice.

19. Gen. 4.1: Recognize the extent to which a culture’s structures and values may oppress, marginalize, alienate, or create or enhance privilege and power. • I will recognize and understand that when working with clients of various populations, they may have different cultural beliefs and values. I will take the initiative to educate myself and become culturally competent.

20. Gen. 4.2: Gain sufficient self-awareness to eliminate the influence of personal biases and values in working with diverse groups. • I will recognize my own personal biases and values. I will not push my personal values and beliefs onto others.

21. Gen. 4.3: Recognize and communicate their understanding of the importance of difference in shaping life experiences. • I will try to understand all knowledge that I obtain from clients about their culture, and I will also express to them my understanding of the significance of their culture in their life.

22. Gen. 4.4: View themselves as learners and engage those with whom they work as informants. • When working with different populations I will ask question as to how their specific culture may come into play when dealing with various situations.

23. Comp. #5: Advance Human rights and social and economic justice.

24. Gen. 5.1: Understand the forms and mechanisms of oppression and discrimination. • Recognize and understand oppression and discrimination.

25. Gen. 5.2: Advocate for human rights and social economic justice. • Advocate and be the voice for the vulnerable populations I work with. Help them get passed discrimination and oppression.

26. Gen. 5.3: Engage in practices that advance social and economic justice. • Attend classes, meeting, etc. to educated myself on laws, amendments, rules, and etc. to prohibit any forms of discrimination and/or oppressions.

27. Comp. #6: Engage in research-informed practice and practice informed research

28. Gen. 6.1: Use practice experience to inform scientific inquiry. • When working with clients CIC’s and I use curriculums such as, Botvin’s Life Skills, YASI, YOQ, SSIS as intervention models to help the clients.

29. Gen. 6.2: Use research evidence to inform practice. • Research the latest practices and studies done for children and apply them with my client population. Specifically for the clients I work with, I could research studies about ADHD, bi polar, and anger management.

30. Comp. #7: Apply Knowledge of human behavior and the social environment

31. Gen. 7.1: Utilize conceptual frameworks to guide the processes of assessment, intervention, and evaluation. • Use theories such as the Social Systems theory, attachment theory, Erikson’s developmental stages, and etc. to help assess and understand a particular client population.

32. Gen. 7.2: Critique and apply knowledge to understand person and environment. • Use the person in environment theory when working with clients and applying possible intervention.

33. Comp. #8: Engage in Policy Practice to advance social and economic well-being and to deliver effective social work services.

34. Gen. 8.1: Analyze, formulate, and advocate for policies that advance social well-being. • Advocate for clients to receive the proper services that are needed for their specific situation.

35. Gen. 8.2: Collaborate with colleagues and clients for effective policy action. • Attend Family-Team meetings and ISP meeting with Clients, family, Court Counselors, and etc. to ensure that the client is receiving the proper services and the most effective policies for their particular case.

36. Comp. #9: Respond to context that shape practice.

37. Gen 9.1: Continuously discover, appraise, and attend to changing locales, populations, scientific and technological developments, and emerging societal trends to provide relevant services. • Research and attend NASW meeting to stay informed and current and changing policies and trends. To be able to provide the best services to the clients.

38. Gen. 9.2: Provide leadership in promoting sustainable changes in service delivery and practice to improve quality of social services. • Encourage staff and advocate for clients to receive the best possible services. Introduce new effective curriculums and encourage staff to grow and change with time.

39. Comp. #10: Engage, assess, intervene, and evaluate with individuals, families, groups, organizations, and communities.

40. Gen. 10.1: Substantively and affectively prepare for action with individuals, families, groups, organizations, and communities. • Create curriculums and treatment plans when working on either the Micro, Macro, on Mezzo level of practice.

41. Gen. 10.2: Use empathy and other interpersonal skills. • Empathize and relate with the clients. I will not judge the clients, but consider what it would be like to be on the other side of the desk.

42. Gen. 10.3: Develop a mutually agreed—on focus of work. • Give the clients self-determination and allow them the opportunity to help create their ISP.

43. Gen. 10.4: Collect, organize, and interpret client data. • Give assessments to clients and enter them into data bases. Explain to clients our course of actions based on the scores from their assessments.

44. Gen. 10.5: Assess clients strengths and limitations. • Understand the client’s strengths and needs. To create a plan that would be beneficial for them.

45. Gen. 10.6: Develop mutually agreed—on intervention goals and objectives. • Allow the clients the opportunity to help create their ISP, by voicing what they want to gain while in the program, by deciding what their goals are and how they plan on reaching those goals.

46. Gen. 10.7: Select appropriate intervention strategies. • Based on the clients assessments, goals, and objectives select or develop the best curriculum intervention model for them.

47. Gen. 10.8: Initiate actions to achieve organizational goals. • Help the clients determine how they plan on reaching personal goals. Give them assignments that can start them off on the right track.

48. Gen. 10.9: Implement prevention interventions that enhance client capacitates. • Give the clients curriculums that will help strengthen their needs.

49. Gen.10.10: Help clients resolve problems. • Help clients think through their actions, looking at the pros and cons of their decisions to decide how they would like to resolve their problems.

50. Gen. 10.11: Negotiate, mediate, and advocate for clients. • When clients are in situations I will act as the voice for them and advocate for them. I will serve as a mediator for them. And negotiate with the community to best help the client.