Madrid competences and skills in social work

FACULDADE DE PSICOLOGIA E DE CIÊNCIAS DA EDUCAÇÃO -
UNIVERSIDADE DE COIMBRA

ESCUELA UNIVERSITARIA DE TRABAJO SOCIAL -
UNIVERSIDAD COMPLUTENSE (MADRID)

II INTERNATIONAL PERMANENT SEMINAR

Social Intervention: An European and International perspective

Madrid, 17th April 2009

PROFESSIONAL COMPETENCES AND SKILLS IN SOCIAL WORK:
CHALLENGES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

Professor Helena Neves Almeida (Phd)
helena.almeida@fpce.uc.pt

Program

0- Introduction
1- Theoretical background
2- Actual Social Intervention Paradigms. Competences and skills in
dialogue.
3- Challenges and Professional Responsibilities

Main Goals

To analyse and debate the new approaches of social workers’ competences and
skills

Teaching Methodology

Theoretical audience and debate, in small groups. Data show and group work
support.

Professional competences and skills in social work 1
Helena Neves Almeida (Madrid, 17 April 2009)



Bibliography

Almeida, Helena (2001), Conceptions et pratique de la médiation sociale: les
modèles de médiation dans le quotidien professionnel des assistants sociaux,
Coimbra: Fundação Bissaya Barreto/Instituto Superior Bissaya Barreto.

Almeida, Helena (2006). Elogio da Prática como Fonte de Teoria. In Estudos e
Documentos, Rev. Centro Português de Investigação em História e Trabalho
Social, www.cpihts.com. (26 páginas) [19.09.07].

Boterf, Guy. (1995). De la Competence, Paris: Les Editions d’Organisation.

Davies, Martin (1995). The essential social worker. An introduction to
professional practice in the 1990s. 3rd edition. England: Arena - Ashgate
Publishing Limited. Chap. 14 – Skills, knowledge and qualities in the essential
social worker, 201-207.

Davies, Martin (ed) (2004). The Blackwell Encyclopedia of Social Work. Uk:
Blackwell Publishing.

Dominelli, Lena (2004). Social Work. Theory and Practice for a Changing
Profession. Cambridge: Polity Press. Cap.8 – New Directions for Social Work.
Interdependence, Reciprocity, Citizenship and Social Justice. 230-248.

Howe, David (1996). Surface and depth in social-work practice. In Parton, Nigel
(Ed.). Social theory, social change and social work. The state of welfare. New
york; Routledge, 77-97.

Iamamoto, Marilda (1992), Renovação e Conservadorismo no Serviço Social.
São Paulo: Cortez.

Maluccio, Anthony (1999). Action as a vehicle for promoting competence. In
Compton, Beulah R. e Galaway, Burt (Ed.). Social Work Processes. 6th edition,
N. York: Brooks/Cole Publishing Company. 354-365.

O’Hagan, Kieran (1996), Competence in Social Work: a Practical Guide for
Professionals, London, Jessica Kingsley Publishers ltd., 1-24.

Parton, Nigel (1996). Social theory, social change and social work: an
introduction. In Parton, Nigel (Ed.). Social theory, social change and social
work. The state of welfare. New york; Routledge, 4-18.

Thompson, Neil (2000). Understanding social work. Preparing for practice.
N.York: Palgrave.


DEVELOPED PROGRAM


helena.almeida@fpce.uc.pt

1 – Theoretical background: Social and scientific reasons for the
thematic choice
A – Changes in society

New problematics
New political features

Reconstruction of Social Welfare
Emphasis on market principles
Emergence of “government by contract”
Development of more responsive

New political and professional approaches

Reconstruction of social work and agencies
Move away from approaches to social work which are based on therapeutic models

B – Changes in the social work profile

Basic Postulates
Social work is always a social construction
Social Work is always in construction
Social work is based on social sciences’ theories, but combining different kinds of
knowledge (theory, practice and values), the daily work gives the opportunity to
reformulate them or to build new theories by research.
Social Work is not morally or politically neutral exercise
Social work includes routine and creative ways of doing

Theoretical points of view:
Holistic Approach to Social Practice
Social Mediation
Care Management

C – Changes in social work education and training

2 - Actual Social Intervention Paradigms. Competences and skills in
dialogue.
A - Conceptions of competence and skills
B – Social work’s competences and skills

3 - Challenges and Professional Responsibilities
1 - How to develop skills?
2 - How can Universities to assure good competences and skills in social work?


2 - Actual Social Intervention Paradigms. Competences and
skills in dialogue.

A - Conceptions of Competence and skills

Guy le Boterf (1995) defends that the term competence includes different
kinds of knowledge: to know, to do and to be, arguing that many people have
theoretic knowledge or some skills, but are not competent, because they don’t
know to mobilize them adequately and in the right moment. To be competent is
to mobilize those resources to resolve a situation.

Kieran O’Hagan (1996), as the same position: professional competence is the
outcome of Knowledge, skills and values. In this way, a competent practice
includes critical analysis and reflection.

Parton (1996), analysing social worker as a “Care manager” , refers different
skills, such as: The assessment of need and risk; coordinating packages of care;
costing and managing of budgets for services; and monitoring and evaluating of
progress and outcome. There is a renewed emphasis on inter-agency
coordination and multidisciplinary joint working which has to recognise the
increasingly fragmented nature of services and expertise.

According Anthony Maluccio (1999:354), in the book Social Work Processes,
edited by Compton, Beulah e Galaway, human or social competence is
generally defined as the repertoire of skills that enable the person to function
effectively. However he does a distinction between discrete skills or
competencies and the broader ecological or transactional concept of
competence, “which may be defined as the outcome of the interplay among:

a person’s capacities, skills, potentialities, and other characteristics;
a person’s motivation – that is, her interest, hopes, beliefs and
aspirations;
the qualities of the person’s impinging environment – such as social
networks, environmental demands and opportunities.

From this perspective flows a set of attitudes, principles, skills, and strategies
designed to promote effective functioning in human beings by:

• promoting their empowerment
• focusing on their unique coping and adaptative patterns
• mobilizing their actual or potential strengths
• using their life experiences in a planful way
• emphasizing the role of natural helping networks
• using environmental resources as major instruments of help . “

Thompson (2000:82) separates competence and skills, saying that
“competence” refers to a demonstrable ability to fulfil one or more aspects of
the role, and is therefore closely linked to the notion of skill. A skill is the ability


to carry out a particular activity effectively and consistently over a period of
time.

Skills are characterized by the fact that they can be learned. That’s why a
number of things that are generally regarded as qualities or relatively fixed parts
of our personality are in fact skills. Examples:
Patience
Sensitivity
Being well-organized
Confidence

B – Social work’s Competences and Skills

Martin Davies (1995) argues in the book The essential social worker, that
society could survive without social work, but it would be a society with a very
different attitude towards its marginal citizens. For this author, social worker is
essential in two ways: 1 - because if social workers did not carry out certain tasks
to maintain an acceptable level of humane social management, those who don’t
get done and vulnerable people would suffer even more than they do now; 2 -
because of the professional standards on the tasks allocated to it, reflects
democratic and humanist values.

According the same author, social worker mobilizes Skills, Knowledge and
Qualities (see tab 1 and annexe 1).

Tab. 1 - Social worker’s Competences

Skills Knowledge Qualities
Assessment Law Perseverance

Writing Local Resources Confrontation and use of
authority

Workload Management Human Behaviour and its Creativity
Social Context
Assertiveness and self-
Welfare Rights confidence

Ability to work with hostility

Skill in working within time-
limits

Ability to work in stress
situations
Sinopsis: Davies, Martin (1995). The essential social worker. An introduction to professional practice in the 1990s. 3rd
edition. England: Arena - Ashgate Publishing Limited. 201-207.


Thompson (2000) argues, in the book Understanding social work, that skill
development in social work education tends to involve two main elements:
1 – Building on, consolidating, enhancing and sharpening existing skills
2 – Recognizing, understanding and developing new skills

According the distinction made by this author can be identified the following 5
basic competences and 15 skills (see Tab.2 and annexe 2):

Tab. 2 - Social Worker’s Competences and Skills

Competences Skills
Communicate and engage Communication
Promote and enable Self-aware
Assess and plan Analysis
Intervene and provide services Handling Feelings
Work in organizations Self-management
Develop professional competence Presentation
Co-ordination
Sensitivity and Observation
Reflection
Creativity
Think on feet
Humility
Resilience
Partnership
Survival Skills

Sinopsis: Thompson, Neil (2000). Understanding social work. Preparing for practice. N.York: Palgrave. 77-103

As Oded Manor (2004:290) comments, in the Blackwell Encyclopedia of Social
Work, the relationship skills are the observable behaviours to which workers
resort while forming, sustaining, and terminating the working alliance with
clients and others involved.

Exercising these skills is necessary for promoting the process of bonding,
among, those involved in a collaborative working, alliance. These skills can be
learned, and include:
Listening actively
Conveying respect
Communicating empathy
Expressing oneself genuinely
Being specific
Sharing one’s own feelings

As we have seen, social work’s competences and skills are in permanent
dialogue, and will not be separately analysed from the daily practice of those
who operates in agencies with administrations, other professionals, teams,
social partners, communities and users. In the approach of empowerment,
advocacy, social mediation, partnership or other, the communication
competences seems to be the crucial one, which adequate using in and with
different context and persons allows the human and social development in
respect for the values of citizenship and quality of services provided.


GROUP-WORK 2

Challenges and Professional Responsibilities

Consider the 15 sets of skills outlined. For each of these, think about
your own level of skill development.

How confident do you feel about each of these areas?
In what ways do you feel you need to develop?
In particular case can you “priorize” these by identifying what you
see as the tree most important?

Use the spaces to make some notes.

[Please note: There are no “right answers” to this exercise. It is simply an
opportunity for you to reflect on your skills and begin to consider ways of
developing them]

3 - Challenges and Professional Responsibilities

1 - How to develop skills?

Experience provides the “raw materials” for skill development and capitalizes on
the potential for learning that social work practice offers.

To promote skill development, we need:
Reflect on practice
Be prepared to change
Have faith in yourself
Learn from others
Use supervision and training
Don’t get complacent

FINAL DEBATE

2 - How can Universities to assure good competences and skills in
social work?


ANNEXE 1

Davies, Martin (1995). The essential social worker. An introduction
to professional practice in the 1990s. 3rd edition. England: Arena -
Ashgate Publishing Limited. Chap. 14 – Skills, knowledge and
qualities in the essential social worker, 201-207.

“Society could survive without social work, but it would be a society with a very
different attitude towards its marginal citizens. (…) Social workers are essential
because of the frailties of human genetics and the ageing body, because the
aberrations of the human behaviour, because plans go wrong and people die,
because …Social work has emerged as one of the 20th century’s attempts to cope
with such problems as best it can “. (202)

Skills (203-204)

1 – Interpersonal skills.

Social worker have to be able to relate (talking, listening, sharing, giving, receiving,
understanding, empathising, inspiring trust) not just to clients and their networks, but to all
those with whom they have dealings, especially to close colleagues, including those from
different disciplinary or professional background. Social work requires cooperation and
collaboration, and the social worker must be capable of developing an effective style within her
working team…you can not be a social worker unless you can relate to other people in a fruitful
and personal manner….” Interpersonal skills “allow the social worker to communicate through
counselling (including the art of listening), through more directive interviewing (advising), in
groups…” (203)

“2 - Assessment skills.

All social workers have to review the social and psychological aspects of each case, and then
prepare assessments in the light of their enquiries…The quality of their performance may have
incalculable consequences for good or ill, on the subjects of their attention.

3 – Writing skills.

Most assessment have to be presented in written form. Such skills include gathering relevant
information, keeping it in note form, then turning it into a convincing and professionally
impressive document that incorporates an appropriate and persuasive recommendation….

4 – Workload Management skills.
Social workers have to handle complex pressures from a variety of conflicting directions, and
they must have skills to cope with them in an organised fashion.” (204)


Knowledge (204-205)

“1 – Knowledge of the law:

(…) the law not only draws the boundaries but increasingly demands positive behaviour from
social work profession. Competent practice depends on the social worker knowing the details of
relevant legislation, and constantly updating her knowledge in the light of emergent case law
and new statutory instruments.” (204)

“2 - Knowledge of local resources:

In case of change of job, it must begin afresh the task of getting to know the neighbourhood, its
social and demographic structure and the availability of helping agencies. The professionally
efficient social worker will always have a working networking (…)The network will vary
depending on the social worker’s own specialist interests but it may well include: specialist
workers within her own agency, the social security system, voluntary agencies in the vicinity,
self-help groups, psychiatric services, general medical practitioners, the job centre, the court
system, schools, and available accommodation in lodgings and hostels.

3 - Knowledge of human behaviour and its social context:

A social worker is neither a psychologist nor an applied sociologist. (…) she/he needs an
amalgam of experience, personality and accumulated knowledge, including some coverage of
relevant psychology and sociology. Sociology has made social workers aware of stigmas,
discrimination, and gender and race issues; psychology has taught us about family relationships,
child development and interpersonal conflict.

4 - Knowledge of welfare rights:
(…) in an increasing number of instances, the client’s rights may need to be represented against
the social worker’s own employer, the social services department.(…) it is not unreasonable to
demand that all social workers should have a basic sensitivity to welfare rights issues, that they
should know where to refer clients who need advice and that they should be prepared to act in
an advocacy role whenever necessary and appropriate.” (205)

Qualities (205-207)

“(…) the broader notion of qualities provides a more accurate picture of what
social workers themselves say about their professional profile.

Moore (1992) has provided a list of skills necessary for high–quality child protection social
worker (…)” (205)
“Perseverance
Skill in confrontation and the use of authority
Ability to create action
Assertiveness and being appropriately self-confident
Ability to work with hostility
Skill in working within time-limits
Ability to work in stress situations” (206)

“The social worker is jointly accountable both to her(/his) client and to the agency, and, because
of this duality, social work must inevitably reflect a degree of tension and ambiguity, and be
increasingly ill-at-ease and eventually untenable in any society under absolute rule or a state of
anarchy. (…)


Social worker is essential in two ways. First, because we know that, in a complex urban world,
there are certain tasks that need to be carried out if we are to maintain an acceptable level of
humane social management; if social workers did not carry out these tasks, they would not get
done – and vulnerable people would suffer even more than they do now. And second, (…)
because of the professional standards on the tasks allocated to it(…that) … reflect democratic
and humanist values…” (207)


ANEXXE 2

Thompson, Neil (2000). Understanding social work. Preparing for
practice. N.York: Palgrave. 77-103.

The skills base

“Competences

The term “competence” refers to a demonstrable ability to fulfil one or more
aspects of the role, and is therefore closely linked to the notion of skill.(77)

“Communicate and engage:

being able to get your message across clearly and effectively (…) with:

Clients, carers and other members of the community
People within one’s own organization in order to make best use of the resources,
facilities and support available
Colleagues of other organizations in order to develop, consolidate and benefit from
multidisciplinary networks

To engage implies being able to enter in an effective working relationship based on a degree of
trust and respect. (…) it is possible to communicate very well but still not succeed in engaging.

Promote and enable:

Promote opportunities for people to use their own strengths and expertise to enable them to
meet their responsibilities, secure rights and achieve change” (78).

This passage implies important points:

“A focus on strengths (as well as weaknesses)
People’s own expertise
Meeting responsibilities and securing rights
Achieving change

Assess and plan:

This mean gathering information to form a picture of the key elements of the situation, the
strengths and weaknesses, the steps that have to be taken to resolve the situation and so on. This
has to be done in partnership so that the plans developed are shared”.(79)

“Intervene and provide services:

Assessment is the precursor to intervention. Being able to identify the steps that need to be
taken is one thing, being able to take them is another, involving another set of skills:
A range of problem-solving activities geared towards empowering people
Providing and managing a package of care-related services or other supportive
measures


Supporting people through the process of change
Contributing to the management of risk,….

Work in organizations:

Social workers do not operate independently of their employing organization. It is necessary to
develop the ability to work within that organization by:
Playing a part in the planning, monitoring and control of resources
Working as an accountable professional within the context of agency policies and
procedures
Contributing to wider organizational processes, such as evaluation of the impact and
appropriateness of policies and practices within the agency “(80)

“Develop professional competence:

One expectation of professional practice is that practitioners continue to learn and develop. (…)
This involves:
Using information sources appropriately
Reflecting upon and critically evaluating one’s own practice
Being flexible and responsive
Contributing to the resolution of professional dilemmas and conflicts, balancing rights,
needs and perspectives
Making use of learning opportunities through supervision, training, appraisal and so
on.” (81)

“Skills

A skill is the ability to carry out a particular activity effectively and consistently
over a period of time. Skills are characterized by the fact that they can be
learned. (…) a number of things that are generally regarded as qualities or
relatively fixed parts of our personality are in fact skills. Examples: (82)
Patience
Sensitivity
Being well-organized
Confidence

Social worker’ Skills

Skill development in social work education tends to involve two main elements:
1 – Building on, consolidating, enhancing and sharpening existing skills
2 – Recognizing, understanding and developing new skills

“Neil Thompson dived up the basis skills into 15 categories: (83)

1 - Communication skills

Communication Forms :
Verbal, Telephone, Non-verbal, Writting


“2 - Self-aware skills

An important component of what goes on, and an important resource to draw upon, is the social
worker him- or herself. We are constantly giving people a picture of who we are and what we are
like. It is important that we develop the skill of “keeping in touch” with our feelings.

Self-awareness is something that can develop over time, but not automatically do so.” (86)

The longer we go without reflecting on (what effect other people and situations are having on
us), the more ingrained and fixed our view can become – and thus potentially more out of touch
with reality.

3 - “Analytical skills

The ability to analyse involves breaking a situation or issue down into its component parts so
that the interconnections and patterns can be uncovered. It involves:
Identifying the key issues within a particular situation, sorting out the important bits
from a mass of information
Recognizing patterns across a range of factors, noticing interconnections
Understanding the processes that feed into the situation and flow from it (inputs and
outputs)

These skills are used in a number of ways in the context of actual practice;

Planning
Assessment
Review
Evaluation
Problem-solving
Setting priorities

Asking 3 questions can encourage analytical skills: What patterns can be detected here? What
appear to be the most important elements in this situation? What appear to be the important
connections or inter-relationships?” (87)

4 - Handling Feelings

“Social work is a professional activity with a significant emotional component (…) because it
involves dealing with people who are experiencing distress, disadvantage and discrimination
and other related difficulties, and it involves processes of change, often painful change, for
example, in coming to terms with a loss or responding to a crisis”.

It “involves developing sensitivity and observation skills (87)”

5 - Self-management skills

They underpin all the other skills involved in working with people. Thompson focus on three:

Assertiveness: means striking a balance between being aggressive and submissive,
enabling both parties to interact constructively and both to achieve their aims. This
involves being able to communicate and negotiate.

Stress management: Monitoring own levels of pressure, developing coping abilities and
being willing to seek out support when needed.

Time management: Being clear about how best to use the time and personal resources
available. (89)


6 - Presentation skills (90)

These skills are needed because the social worker acts as a focal point of a multidisciplinary
network. In this point of view he or she needs to be able to present information clearly and
effectively to groups of people. 5 basic elements can be summarized:
Be prepared
Be clear about the purpose
Get the balance right
Get the tone right
Relax

7 - Co-ordination Skills

Co-ordination is part of the process of time management, but there are other aspects:

Care management: co-ordinateing a package of care related measures for an individual
or family in need of community care services, co-ordinating the envolvement of various
people to monitor the process, review its effectiveness and appropriateness and
intervene where necessary.
Multidisciplinary work: Maintaining good links with a wide range of groups as part of
the social work process, from assessment, trough intervention and review, to
termination and evaluation.
Workload management: Social workers have to be careful that they not overload
themselves with work to the point where they are not functioning properly, or where
they are experiencing stress. Co-ordination skills include the ability to co-ordinate
oneself in terms of setting priorities. (92)

8 - Sensitivity and Observation Skills

Two central aspects of sensitivity can be readily identified: (93)
1 – Reading body language: non-verbal communication is a very powerful medium for
conveying feelings
2 – Empathy: Involves understanding or appreciating the feelings of others, but without
necessary experiencing them.

Other important issues to consider:
Interpersonal dynamics
Power relations
The “light in the fridge” paradox
Crisis points
Awareness of difference

9 - Reflection Skills

Being able to learn from our practice is a precursor for the development of other skills.

Reflective practice involves avoiding uncritical, routinized practice by remaining open to new
ideas, new perspectives and new approaches.

Strategies:
Frequent reviews of practice
Using opportunities for formal supervision and appraisal
Using informal supervision and support
Undertaking in-service training as and when appropriate


Contributing to “practice teaching”
Evaluating practice (for example, inviting feedback from clients) (94)

10 - Creativity

Developing the skills involved in creativity is an important contribution to good practice. A
major part of developing creativity is to break free of routines, and to look at situations from a
different perspective. (95) Creativity can be linked with confidence and security. The more
confident we are and the more secure we feel about our abilities, the more likely we are to think
and act creatively. (96)

11 - Think on your feet

For many aspects of social work there is ascope for careful and deliberate planning, with no
need to rush about. However, at times, there is a need for a very quick response. Situations can
arise where it is necessary to think on our feet, to be able to react quickly but without panicking.
The danger of acting rashly in pressurized situations is one we have to be wary of. What steps
can we take to minimize the risk of panicking?

Thompson proposes:
Anticipate
Keep channels of communication open
Acknowledge feelings
Get an overview of the situation
Keep calm
Keep a clear focus

12 - Humility

Is a quality of freedom from pride or arrogance, the skill of being able to recognize the
limitations of what can be achieved in difficult and constraining circumstances whilst remaining
positive and constructive.

In this respect, humility would be characterized by:
Not having unrealistic expectations about what can be achieved
Recognizing our limitations
Acknowledging the enormity of social work task in seeking to address personal and social
problems
Understanding that new challenges can arise at any moment
Recognizing that we regularly run the risk of making errors. (97)

13 - Resilience

Social work is a demanding occupation that can be physically, mentally and emotionally
draining. The ability to be resilient to the pressures, demands, frustrations and disappointments
of the work include:

Having to say “no” when the demand exceed supply
Encountering solutions for which there is no apparent solution
Applying for funding or resources
Making a good progress in a particular situation
Team colleagues or others within a multidisciplinary network


There is a need to develop resilience to the factors that can undermine, obstruct or derail the
social worker’s motivation, efforts or achievements. This can involve:
A commitment to making a success of social work as far as possible
A willingness and ability to stand back from the situation and not let it get the social
worker down
A well developed set of coping skills
A support network to be drawn upon as and when required.

A sense of humour can be also be a very valuable resource to be able to draw up! (98)

14 - Partnership Skills

Working in partnership has to be recognized as a highly-skilled activity. It requires the ability to
communicate and engage, to assess and plan, to be sensitive and observant,…
The skill of working in partnership needs to be able and will to use power to empower. (…)
Working in partnership involves facilitating the collective use of power on the part of these
involved to meet needs, resolve difficulties,…Social work involves control as well as care. It is
important not slip into a medical model of social work, where social worker is seen as the
“expert” who “diagnoses” the problem and “prescribes” a “cure”. Such model has the tendency
to disempower people and can prove counter-productive. (99)

15 - Survival Skills

Thompson dives the survival skills into two groups:
1 – Self-care skills: This includes the self-management and time-management skills and the
ability to recognize the satisfactions social work offers, maintaining the enthusiasm and
commitment for high-quality professional practice.
2 – Influencing skills: The ability to influence individuals, groups and organizations, without
coercing or exploiting, is a central part of successful social worker’s repertoire, a skill to develop.
(100)


Madrid competences and skills in social work

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