"It was an honour and a privilege to work with such courageous people"

Being nominated for the Student Social Worker of the Year Award admittedly generated mixed emotions. Of course I was honoured, excited and amazed that I was even considered for the nomination, but I was also acutely aware that I was merely the tip of the iceberg. The truth is, whilst I stood alone on stage and gratefully accepted my award, that very stage could have been overflowing with people who have helped me to become the person I am today. As this year’s award focused on human relationships, it would be an injustice to fail to acknowledge the many truly amazing human beings in my personal and professional life that helped me achieve this award. From the more directly involved individuals, such as my excellent practice teacher and link worker, my supportive colleagues at the British Red Cross (where my placement was) and the service users themselves, to other influential individuals, such as my fellow classmates, thought-provoking lecturers and the countless number of people who have interacted with my life.

Thrown in with my already conflicting whirlwind of emotions was the consideration that during my placement I was only aiming to treat marginalised and institutionally oppressed individuals in a humane way; to see them as people with their own unique experiences instead of merely as their label - ‘Asylum Seekers’. It was honestly an honour and a privilege to work with such courageous and morally strong people. People who had often risked their lives by refusing to collude with corruption and choosing to stand up to oppression. People who chose to take a stance and contribute to something bigger, whilst knowing it would likely jeopardise and drastically change the most important human relationships in their lives.

Since receiving the award, I’ve had some time to consider how human relationships can be developed through practice and the impacts that they can have. Upon reflection, I have come to realise that the British Red Cross prioritised building human relationships as a fundamental aspect of practice. This was demonstrated in several ways: by viewing the people who used their services as valued human beings; by always advocating for the rights of the individuals they work with; and by making themselves available to talk problems over, no matter how small.

Perhaps a story that exemplifies the human relationships the charity seeks to build is when myself and my link worker gave an individual we were working with a card, wishing him a happy birthday. Upon receiving the card, the person was clearly overwhelmed; overcome by emotions, tearful and expressing his gratitude for this card whilst wearing a smile so wide it sticks in my mind clearly today. At first glance, this might seem like a humungous overreaction to a birthday card, but what the card resembled is much deeper than the mere well-wishes printed on it. This card signified that we remembered the small things, such as his birthday, and that we therefore listened to him. It signified that he could rely on us, that we were there for him. It signified that no matter how bad things are, how isolated he felt, how oppressed he was, how unwelcome he was made to feel, we were there for him, and we will continue to help him fight his corner. And the individual’s reaction? That shows us all the power and importance of human relationships in social work.

Unfortunately, this pleasant reflection continued on to thoughts about the interaction (or lack of which) I had with practising social workers during my placement. Before I go any further, I want to emphasise that I am not trying to attack social workers; all too often the media seeks to capitalise on human errors made by social workers, so having a platform like SASW to promote positive and inspiring social work practices should be cherished and nurtured. However, continuing my reflection, I do not believe it would have been possible for me to build the strong human relationships that I did if my placement was in a statutory service. Many of the social workers that myself and my colleagues on placement referred service users to regrettably had very little interaction with the individuals. They often sought to declare the individuals ineligible for their services (based on false claims), and quite simply did not have the time or resources to invest in the individuals referred to them the same way as the Red Cross did.

This reflection is not a slight at the social workers I had contact with over the course of my placement. It is a reflection of the path that social work as a profession is travelling down, after taking a wrong turning somewhere along the way. It is a reflection of the lack of resources; the increase in social worker as gatekeeper of resources. It is a reflection of the increase in managerialism; in seeing human beings through the obsession of meeting targets instead of through the eyes of humanity. But out of this reflection, I have come to realise that we can change the direction of social work practice. That we can make a meaningful impact on people’s lives. That we can once again show solidarity with those most marginalised in our society. That we can take a different route off the beaten path that we currently travel and find our way again. And perhaps the new adventure begins with understanding the importance of building strong human relationships.