Relationship-based Practice in Social Work: Fostering Connections

Social work is a profession built on the foundation of human connection, empathy, and compassion. At the core of effective social work practice lies the art of building and nurturing relationships with clients. Relationship-based practice in social work emphasizes the significance of genuine, empathetic connections between social workers and the individuals they serve. This approach recognizes that Meaningful relationships are central to achieving positive outcomes and promoting well-being for clients facing diverse challenges in the rapproach of elationship-based practice in social work. The aim of this essay is to explore the concept of relationship-based practice and its vital role in fostering positive change in the lives of vulnerable populations.

Person-Centered Approach and Empowering Service Users in Social Work Practice

Trevithick describes relationships as being 'at the heart of social work'. The relationship base in social work means building strong associations with service users. Trusting relationships are at the core of the design and delivery of social work. Communication is a vital tool in building relationships, for it to be effective it requires an understanding of circumstance and being sensitive to build an open rapport. This links to KSS Child and Family, point 2. Language is a key communication tool; it ensures social workers communicate in a way that the service user can understand. An individual's language is not just a means of communication it is part of their cultural identity, using their preferred language can help to build positive relationships, which leads to better outcomes. There is evidence that the quality of the relationship between the social worker and the service user is critical in promoting good outcomes. Developing a relationship starts with introductions, this helps to create the basis of the relationship. Expanding this relationship involves discussing service user's needs, background, and social and cultural values, whilst showing an interest which will strengthen the relationship. Active listening is a skill in relationship building, it uses different techniques to ensure service users feel listened to and understood, these skills include paraphrasing and summarising. It encourages service users to place their trust in social workers, thus leading to a stronger relationship. In my role play I was very focused on eliciting relevant information from the service user to prevent any assumptions and to adapt a person-centred approach. The effective use of empathetic understanding was a key strength that put the service user at ease. I ensured that irrespective of the service users' circumstances, she could exercise control and choice. I prioritised her feelings and asked her opinions on suggestions and explained things in a way that was clear, and understandable. This links to KSS Adults, point 3 and KSS Child and Family, point 2. I was ineffective in paraphrasing clear issues, however I demonstrated good active listening using nonverbal cues and used summarisation to facilitate effective commutation and ensured that I interpreted the service user based on her personal experiences.

Relationship-based practice has become an influential perspective, thus the social worker-service user relationship is analysed and theorised. Relationship-based Practice uses psychodynamic concepts. These explain human behaviour in terms of both the conscious and unconscious mind which includes their desires and emotions, which is based on lived experience. Relationship-based Practice changes the concept of the relationship further than the individual to include knowledge on any related factors such as political ideology, power, social exclusion, and poverty.

Crucial Role of Building Relationships With Service Users

Cohen states that everyone has the right to good wellbeing, fulfilment, and control over their lives. It reflects that all human beings have fundamental values for which they should be treated equally and be respected as individuals irrespective of their circumstance. Taking my role-play experience, my main goal was to provide the service user with reassurance to improve her wellbeing and to build a good relationship with her. I did this in several ways, through genuine concern, and listening to what she had to say. This links to the KSS Children and Family, point 1. Genuine concern and care are the core of this relationship-based social work. This relationship has a professional and philosophical focus. It clearly explains why relationship-based social work is the key base of practice. It is understood that the service user is the focus in the process of social work practice, which ensures they benefit the most out of the relationship and have the best outcomes.

Research around relationships between social workers and children in care suggests a key theme of frustration, disappointment, and adverse experiences due to various factors including social workers being unreliable, inconsistent, and instable which have impacted on the processes of building and maintaining effective relationships. The importance of relationships is further supported by findings in the Laming Inquiry, which scrutinized the circumstances surrounding the death of Victoria Climbi who sustained 128 separate injuries and who died from her abuse. The relationship between Victoria Climbi and her social worker was scrutinized due to the lack of a relationship being present. The inquiry found that at crucial points in Victoria's life, social workers had generally failed to see her alone or speak to her about her views and wishes. This report is important in the understanding of why building relationships with service users is so fundamental within social work.

To reflect overall on my role play experience, I understood the service users' difficulties and adjusted my approach accordingly. I used my key communication skills such as introductions, open questions, and clear explanation to begin to build a professional relationship and begin to open a dialogue with her. This links to KSS Adult, point 7. Northen and Kurland stated social work practitioners must apply various knowledge and skills to understand and build connections to work directly with carers, individuals, and families, this work enables and empowers service users to achieve the best outcomes. After setting boundaries concerning confidentiality, I placed the session into the service users control using open-ended, close-ended, and probing questions adequately. Using these skills allowed for the service user to feel listened to, which helped to build a relationship.

Conclusion

In conclusion, the relationship base in social work is extremely important in allowing for individuals and families to have better outcomes, the quality of the relationship between is critical in promoting good outcomes, this is because of different skills and knowledge bases used to get to know families and to gather information. Service users are more likely to share information with a social worker if there is trust in the relationship and they feel as though they are being supported and listened to.

References

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