‘Becoming an effective student social worker has demanded a new set of skills’

Published by Professional Social Work magazine, 13 Decmeber, 2022

With the festive season upon us,and Christmas being an event I celebrate with gusto, and a break oversees planned for the entire holiday period, I have been working hard to ensure I meet all of my deadlines for university before I allow myself to enter downtime mode.

My dissertation has been my core focus and it has been one of the most challenging pieces of work I have ever had to complete.

My subject area, loosely, is how social workers might be able to support youth offenders to abstain from crime and what challenges (structural, cultural and otherwise) they may encounter in that endeavour.

I have been interested in criminal justice and forensic social work for some time now and it was natural to focus my most important piece of work on an area I have a connection with. However, given the sometimes rigid restrictions I’ve needed to place upon my dissertation, I have had to be increasingly more disciplined in my approach unlike ever before.

With a background in journalism and as someone with a vivid imagination and hunger for learning, I relish deep diving into my subject area. But sticking to one topic has been a trial and it is thanks to my university dissertation supervisor that I have some strategies in place to help with this approach that does not come naturally to me.

Initially leaning towards a narrative style of research approach, I am now using a systematic research method to collate my material to minimise bias and control the scale of my findings by using strict search techniques and limiting my resources.

A secondary research project that requires no first-hand interviews and so on has been difficult for me and I have sought the input of a lot of professionals in the youth justice area as well as the illuminating and eye-opening experiences of youth offenders themselves but cannot record these in detail in my piece.

I’ve been helped immensely by my dissertation supervisor who gave me the most practical and helpful piece of advice I have ever received.

She advised me to contain my thoughts and ideas with what I have coined a ‘crap book’. So now I have a notebook beside me at all times when I am working and use it to jot down any thoughts, ideas or other information that is not relevant to the task at hand.

As a journalist as well as a student social worker, I am an ideas person and constantly looking for information for a story or something that will inform my planned future PhD in criminal justice, criminology and the media. While it is great to be constantly learning and storing up information for the future, it can mean you go off topic easily.

Using the ‘crap book’ means that I never need to worry about forgetting an important statistic, and never have to forget a great idea that has come into my head out of nowhere. Within this I collate everything from ideas for my future PHD, records of legislation or theories that I can use in my future practice and, of course, what I need to remember do in my personal life.

As someone with bipolar, I also utilise the strategies and skills recommended by Bipolar UK, which include closing down internet apps when working and using a concentration app. These sound simple, maybe obvious – but until now I was not doing them and implementing these techniques has been transformative in terms of my work output.

In our cyber world, we are spoilt in terms of the resources we have. Whether it be a concentration and focus app, a stress relieving playlist or reaching out to managers and peers.

I use a specific music playlist when I enter work mode and I avoid the radio with its chatter, news and adverts.

I now set out slots for study/work and allow myself a 15-minute break between slots. Putting on my favourite motivational song just before the end of my break gets me geared up to hit the ground running again with renewed enthusiasm.

I have added my lunch hour as a dedicated slot on my calendar to remind myself not only to take it in the first place – when things get busy it can be the last thing on our minds – but also to take it mindfully and to remember to eat as nutritiously as possible.

I give myself rewards for my stints of work ensuring that I have something to look forward to even if it’s just a delicious meal or a long hot soak in the bath.

Since utilising my effective hours – bipolar speak for maximising the times in the day you are most energetic/ focused – I now front-load my day, ensuring the hardest tasks are done when I have the most energy for them.

Exercise and a nutrient-packed diet is non-negotiable now as is getting up and outside during my lunch hour, even if it is only very briefly. Listening to my body emotionally and physically allows me to tweak my routine to be more effective. I’ve never been one for meditation, but I do keep a gratitude journal on a daily basis and have regular massages to offset stress.

I’m more self-forgiving and less self-deprecating too and while the natural ‘fight or flight’ response to my dissertation deadline is ever present, I have learned to work with it rather than against it.

Becoming an effective student social worker has demanded a new set of skills. This dynamic discipline has demanded organisation and motivation but rewards me with a healthy adrenaline for learning and improving - and a feeling of satisfaction when I have come through for my service users.

Afterall, if I miss a safeguarding meeting due to poor planning or am sleepy when there is a crisis due to lack of sleep, it is my service user who suffers and that simply doesn’t sit well with me.