Emily Lauder

Competency Reflection

The competencies and learning contract provided a great outline for the expectations

surrounding the social work field. The behaviors of each competency gave a further breakdown

of how to effectively complete these competencies during my field placement. Demonstrating

professional and ethical behavior is a must no matter what task is being completed as it is a

requirement to be an effective social worker. The reflection of personal values is crucial to

keeping personal biases in their place and not allowing them to effect work performance or

ethical behaviors. During social work engaging in diversity and difference in practice is common

as most of the clients worked with will come from diverse backgrounds. Being aware and

considerate of these differences will help the social workers ability to effectively assist these

clients. I found engaging in practice-informed research the hardest competency to complete as

the internship had certain limitations. However, when I enter this field this step is a large part of

the process in choosing relevant interventions and goals for clients. Without researching

intervention options and those used in the past the client cannot be assisted properly.

Social work is not only about acting ethical, but also following policies and procedures

relevant to assignments. Continually educating ones self about updated policies proves to help

the social worker provide proper assistance to clients while upholding the appropriate procedures

and providing accurate information. During the internship I have become aware of a variety of

policies and find this information can quickly become complicated as these policies often do not

cover the gray areas present in social work. Additionally, policies frequently change as they are

updated to best serve the varying populations social workers encounter. Engaging, assessing,

intervening, and evaluating the members of the community is the process of social work. These

steps are generally followed for each client/case and are important to properly assisting them and
 Emily Lauder

advancing their lives. Properly assessing a situation is a step I have learned is important in the

beginning stages because reports are often misleading or the information reported might not be

accurate. Intervening and evaluating clients helps empower them to advance their lives through

our assistance. I find evaluation an eye-opening part of the process and not just for the client

being evaluated, but for applying the findings to future clients in similar situations. Overall, I

found the competencies and practice behaviors relevant to the social work experience and ones

that will be utilized throughout the entirety of my social work career.