Honestly, my job is a lot like my job with Family Preservation in Austin, but way more chaotic from a management perspective and goals of the team. The team I am part of is called the Crisis Intervention and Support Team. We are basically a part of Social Care (Social Services) and get referrals from other social workers dealing with CPS or just children in need. Within my team there is an educational psych, clinical psych, 2 social workers (including me), a youth worker, and social worker assistants (don't have a degree and do more practical/hands on work with families). We also just got some new family therapists. We work with young people 12-16 and their families who are on the verge of a family break-down or just having major problems. A lot of the kids are also being rehabilitated back home after being in a foster placement due to a CP concern.
Social workers here in the UK definitely have the stigma that I think they did in the USA in the 70's. "Don't really do much and take kids away." I have to keep reminding people that I have clinical training and was previously doing therapy. I have to give myself little ego boosts every now and again...haha. There is definitely more of a hierarchy here than I am used to. Within my team though we have an Australian, South African, Venezuelan, 3 Black Caribbean-Brits, Indian, and two white-Brits. I work in the borough of Brent, which is the most multi-cultural area in all of Europe! White Brits are the minority here. I have had clients from Pakistan, India, Ireland, Jamaica, and Morocco! It is just amazing. I love being a part of such a diverse area. I have learned so much and it is such an experience to be welcomed in to these people's home and get a glimpse of how they live!
The thing that I am not loving are the fact that I have to take public transport every where. I mean there is not another option. It is fine at times, but I am always late and by the time you get to someone's home you are a bit frazzled and tired. It also gets dark here at like 330 so I don't like wondering around with my little street maps in areas that I am not familiar with. I really don't get much here in regards to guidance. In supervision I am not supposed to discuss cases! My supervisor has a very rigid, structured way of doing them. We talk about any issues I am having with the team and or about trainings. I am supposed to schedule case discussions with her, but she is never available. And to be honest, I don't get helpful feedback from her. Kinda annoying. I have become very close though with the other social workers and we process cases every now and then. I guess I am just confused with what my role is exactly. I will be hard to type, but I am not supposed to be doing "therapy" and don't have case responsibility. I am trying to balance that. I have began to establish good rapport with several clients and then to find out that their case will be transferred to a family therapist in a different dept. These kids have attachment issues anyways, do I find this very damaging and confusing. I don't know if that made sense, but I just fine things very chaotic and not defined well.
I have been doing a lot of individual learning and feel like I am getting such a rich cultural experience. A lot of my kids ask about The States a lot and gangs. It is so humorous and precious at times. I have a little 11 year old who said that he was a Crip. I asked how long he has been one and he said since they started a year ago! ahah, super cute. I think I am going to start a group with my good friend and fellow social worker, Joanna, in 08 for teens that have parents that were born in countries other than the UK, but they themselves were born here. I have found that the confusion that they experience is a common theme. They identify as British, but their parents are still living as they would in their native countries and expect their kids to as well. Lots of my families are struggling with this concept. I think that would be a fascinating group and hope I can pull it together. I will also be supervising a university student next year. They will be doing a semester at our office and I will supervise them. Don't know if I am ready for that, but hey I am excited!
20 Dec 2007
18 Dec 2007
18-Dec
What do fast moving jet aircraft, peanut butter, and birthday-clown magic tricks all have in common???
Other than be mentioned in this post, absolutely nothing.
Leah and I got to enjoy a nice night out in London Central for her birthday last weekend. It began when I showered her with gold coins and precious herbs as she left work. (I always go for the "Wow" factor....) We made our way downtown to London's largest skating rink in Hyde Park for one hour of skating. Now...don't get me wrong, I'm a math person...and if indeed your ice rink is the largest by area in London, you have every right to advertise it as such. But, you should realize that people will be expecting a lake-sized expanse of finely sheeted ice which meets the horizon in all directions. The reality is, however, anti-climactic - but we enjoyed every second of our hour on the ice. (well...45 mins..we got there late..) Plus...0 wipeouts.
The rink is part of a Christmas-time family attraction called The Winter Wonderland. A few shops, some rides, and a haunted house(?) filled out the rest of the park area. I managed to snap a photo of one of the more interesting shops we spotted along the way. I wish I got the guy behind the counter included in this shot. He looked equally as festive as the products he was selling....axes and reindeer hides. Nothing like fresh reindeer jerky and a handaxe for last minute stocking stuffers.
Next we took a walk down the most posh street I've ever been on, Sloan Street. I got the feeling we were going to be taxed for getting footprints on the sidewalk. We ended up at a nice little restaurant called Mimosas where our streak of being nearly the only customers continued. Tonight, we didn't mind. Other nights...it gives you the feeling that the restaurant just got slapped with 32 health code violations the night before and your the only one who didn't get the memo. It was a nice place despite them overcharging 12.50 for an item listed only as "Food" on the check. Other non-food menu items included, "Bits of Plastic", "Shards of Glass", and "Sand".
We're both pretty excited to make our trip back to the states for the holidays. It'll serve as nice intermission for me - seperating the transitional phase from the travel and productivity phase. Plus, neither one of us can wait to see the familty and friends that we've been away from.
Next year, we're hoping to get in some good travel (which is being planned already) and have some good trips to write about. My personal hope is that next year, Leah and I are able to continue realizing the vision that we both had before coming here. These past five months have been memorable in their own right. It's already become difficult accounting for all the things that have broadened my views and awareness. That was expected.
Merry Christmas.
More to come next year.....
Other than be mentioned in this post, absolutely nothing.
Leah and I got to enjoy a nice night out in London Central for her birthday last weekend. It began when I showered her with gold coins and precious herbs as she left work. (I always go for the "Wow" factor....) We made our way downtown to London's largest skating rink in Hyde Park for one hour of skating. Now...don't get me wrong, I'm a math person...and if indeed your ice rink is the largest by area in London, you have every right to advertise it as such. But, you should realize that people will be expecting a lake-sized expanse of finely sheeted ice which meets the horizon in all directions. The reality is, however, anti-climactic - but we enjoyed every second of our hour on the ice. (well...45 mins..we got there late..) Plus...0 wipeouts.
The rink is part of a Christmas-time family attraction called The Winter Wonderland. A few shops, some rides, and a haunted house(?) filled out the rest of the park area. I managed to snap a photo of one of the more interesting shops we spotted along the way. I wish I got the guy behind the counter included in this shot. He looked equally as festive as the products he was selling....axes and reindeer hides. Nothing like fresh reindeer jerky and a handaxe for last minute stocking stuffers.
Next we took a walk down the most posh street I've ever been on, Sloan Street. I got the feeling we were going to be taxed for getting footprints on the sidewalk. We ended up at a nice little restaurant called Mimosas where our streak of being nearly the only customers continued. Tonight, we didn't mind. Other nights...it gives you the feeling that the restaurant just got slapped with 32 health code violations the night before and your the only one who didn't get the memo. It was a nice place despite them overcharging 12.50 for an item listed only as "Food" on the check. Other non-food menu items included, "Bits of Plastic", "Shards of Glass", and "Sand".
We're both pretty excited to make our trip back to the states for the holidays. It'll serve as nice intermission for me - seperating the transitional phase from the travel and productivity phase. Plus, neither one of us can wait to see the familty and friends that we've been away from.
Next year, we're hoping to get in some good travel (which is being planned already) and have some good trips to write about. My personal hope is that next year, Leah and I are able to continue realizing the vision that we both had before coming here. These past five months have been memorable in their own right. It's already become difficult accounting for all the things that have broadened my views and awareness. That was expected.
Merry Christmas.
More to come next year.....
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