Year Four Social work placement within Te Whatu Ora

  Week 12 was my last week of placement with the National burns unit I was able to further reflect on how the praxis of placement has helped me demonstrate the core competencies 1, 2, 4 and 10. 1. Competence to practice social work with Māori 2. Competence to practice social work ethic and cultural groups in Aotearoa New Zealand. 4.  Competence to promote principles of human rights and social and economic justice. 10. Represents the social work profession with integrity and professionalism.  The National Burns Unit at Middlemore Hospital is a complex environment where social workers must stand up for the principles of human rights and social justice, especially when working with people who are not just dealing with physical trauma but also the emotional and psychological fallout that comes with it. Social workers play a critical role in advocating for patients’ rights and addressing the wider social implications of their recovery. In line with Nga Takepū, Manaakitanga (ca...

This week the SWRB core competencies that were observed I focused on 1, 7 and 8. 1. Competence to practice social work with Māori 7. Competence to apply critical thinking to inform and communicate professional judgements.  8. Competence to promote empowerment of people and communities to enable positive change. Working at the Oranga Tamariki Men's Rehabilitation Centre, I’ve had to balance my social work practice with cultural competency, social justice, and a focus on human rights, particularly when working with Māori men who are often dealing with trauma, incarceration, and rehabilitation. Culturally safe practice I aimed to create a culturally safe space for Māori patients by grounding my work in whanaungatanga by building strong, respectful connections with patients. I observed that collaboration is key to rehabilitation with whanau to develop a support plan ensuring that entire family were involved in their son’s rehabilitation journey. Critical thinking was crucial in asses...

This week the SWRB core competencies that were observed I focused on 4, 5 and 9. 4. Competence to promote the principles of human rights and social economic justice. 5. Competence to engage in practice which promotes social change. 9. Competence to practice within legal and ethical boundaries of the social work profession. In this case, the police were called out because there were concerns about abuse in the whānau. However, the person involved was able to make their own informed decision and told the police they didn’t want any further action taken. Legally, the police couldn’t step in or forcibly remove them because there wasn’t enough evidence to justify it. New Zealand law requires clear evidence of abuse before any coercive action can be taken, and without that, the police couldn’t do anything. This situation really showed the gap between what the team expected and the legal limits of what could actually be done. The SAFA social worker understood the law and respected the individ...