Placement proposal and implementation framework

Placement Proposal

Prospective field agency in social work:

Child, Youth & Family Services Department of the Government of Newfoundland, Canada

My decision to enter the field of social work is directly related to my personal experiences. I am a First Nations person and currently live on a reservation in Newfoundland, Canada. First Nations peoples strive to retain their cultures while still interacting with the rest of Canadian society. I believe that when dealing with problems relating to healthcare, child services, job placement, and other areas with which social workers can be helpful, there must be cultural sensitivity to the perspective of the individual who is being assisted. I believe that growing up as part of a bi-cultural environment will make me uniquely attuned to the needs of my future clients. I grew up with a profound need and belief that I was put on the earth to help people, and the profession of social work will provide me with a platform for doing so, and give a structure to my personal sense of mission.

My passion revolves around helping children. I truly believe that young people are the future and that every child has a right to a safe, healthy, and supportive environment. That is why I want to work for the Child, Youth & Family Services Department of the Government of Newfoundland, Canada. I know the area, I know the communities that are in need of support, and I can use my personal and professional experience to be of aid to me in my profession.

My initial learning goals and objectives revolve around gaining a greater awareness of the specific services provided by the Child, Youth & Family Services Department. I hope to gain greater understanding of the mission and evolving role of the Department. For example, one priority of the new department is to develop a more proactive child protection system. I would like to bear witness to how to handle this sensitive issue, so that children are protected without being further traumatized. Finding homes for at-risk children is a critical part of the Department's work. The Department also strives to provide support for families in need of services that enable them to care for their children. For those who cannot care for their children, the agency also provides adoptive services. All of these are highly individualized missions and must be tailored to the needs of the specific child as much as possible to prove truly effective. Through my initial education and observation, I hope to hone my sensitivity and so I can work with such difficult cases.

"The objectives of field education are the development of practice competence and the preparation of a professionally reflective, self-evaluating, knowledgeable and developing social worker (CASWE Standards for Accreditation, 2008, p.9). To work in an emotionally demanding field like child protective services requires intensive exposure within this specific subspecialty, and thus I believe this placement is essential for me to become the type of social worker I wish to become in the future. Understanding the needs of children and families cannot be conveyed through books alone. Also, because children cannot always articulate themselves, I believe that social workers who work with children must rely upon their past experiences and gut instincts as well as their knowledge to provide quality service. To become the type of social worker I aspire to become thus requires me to gain as much experience as possible in a hands-on fashion as soon as possible -- talking to children, working with children and their families, and above all observing the heroic men and women currently serving as social workers and how they interact with their client base.

I have experienced and witnessed, on a personal level, the stresses the families facing poverty, job loss, and health problems can face. Often children are the most vulnerable victims when turmoil strikes the home, because they have little choice about how and where they live. They are subjected to the conditions of their parents and when parents cannot provide for their families for economic, psychological, and social reasons, children are often forced to 'grin and bear it,' regardless of how young they are -- unless a caring and articulate social worker is willing to speak for them.

At present, I believe I have a sound theoretical base in social work as the result of my education. Now I seek to merge the knowledge of my heart derived from personal experience with my academic knowledge in this field education project. This would be the ideal opportunity to begin to realize my life's dream of working for the Child, Youth & Family Services Department near where I live and where I grew up.

Goal 1: To improve counseling practices

Objective 1: Witness at least one counseling session

Objective 2: To interface with clients to the maximum degree I can, even if only casually.