Guidance on Report/9 credits Social Care Placement
To complete the credits for this module you need to do two placements and evaluate and
compare the experiences in a report
You need to complete a reflective report which describes the key points of each of your
experiences (see brief) and evaluates your own contribution to the organisations during that
period. You should complete notes as soon as possible after each visit, the same day is
desirable.
Keep a log of your hours to include in the report.
Preliminary Questions
What legislation is relevant to health and safety at work? 1.1
Important Note: It is vital that you familiarise yourself with the health and safety laws
prior to your placement and that you always comply with legislation, even if you observe noncompliance in your placements.
Prior to undertaking the work placement you need to have done the following1. Completed a CRB check with the college
2. Have advised your tutor of the placement details so that the Health and Safety
officer can check its suitability.
3. Have confirmed with your tutor that a letter has been sent to your placement
4. Confirmed the time, place and duration of the placement
5. Arranged when the tutor’s visit will take place
Reflecting on your experience
You will have several theories to apply to this part of the report. You can use the
Habits of Mind material, the self-concept material covered in SWP and the team
work theories used in the Preparatory unit. Another is detailed below:
A cyclical reflective model: Gibbs’ model of reflective practice:
(Gibbs 1988)
You should complete your reflection as soon as possible after the incident / situation you are
going to reflect upon. This enables you to remember the impact of the incident. Take notes
about what you did and what experiences you had. Analyse how you felt at the end of each
session.
Choose 2 events which have provided experiences that have provoked a reaction in you
(critical incidents).
There is a need to be open- minded, honest and self-critical. You should aim to develop your
awareness by thinking and feeling about what you do and why you are doing it. Examine each
situation honestly. How does the situation affect your client and how does your client’s
reaction affect you? Challenge your level of knowledge and skills with an aim to improving
them. Relate theory to practice.
Evaluate how you could deal with similar situations in the future. Be positive, proactive and
self-directed.
This is one of the few types of academic writing on the Access course where you will be
required to write in the personal sense ie. “I”.
Reflection will help to ensure that your professional development confidence is always
improving. This is achieved through:
 Learning from experience
 Reflection and self-evaluation
 Self-awareness in relation to professional practice
 Ability to recognize strengths , limitations and confidence levels
 To be able to perform critical analysis and evaluation of situations
 Problem solving abilities
 The application of theory to practice
 Motivation and learning through setting of personal goals and action plans
Further reading on reflective writing:
Boud, D. Keogh, R. and Walker, D. [1985 ] Reflection: Turning experience
Into Learning.
London: Kegan Page
Analysis of Experience.
The questions below are a guide to the information you will need to includeWhere did this work experience take place?
Describe the organisation What does it do?
Who is in charge?
How is it funded?
How many workers are there?
Is it an effective and successful organisation in terms of meeting its aims and objectives?
Health and Safety
What was the relevant legislation regarding Health and Safety applying to this experience?
Were any problems with health and safety compliance evident in the work place?
Discuss how any Health and Safety considerations affected your role.
Did compliance with health and safety practices affect any decisions and actions by the
carers/organisation in this session?
What did you do?
What are your main contributions to the workforce?
Which of your skills were most useful?
Which skills do you think you need to further develop?
When your placement has been completed, evaluate your experience and assess the
effectiveness of the operational structure of the organisation.
What is a critical incident?
Any occurrence that you were either part of or witness to that involved a break from the
normal routine, which you feel are important and perhaps where different skills were needed
to deal with events (either by yourself or by someone you were observing.)
Confidentiality
Take great care in your report to ensure that you do not breach any client’s confidentiality.
Do not supply information which could identify a client or service user. No names or personal
details are required of either clients or staff.
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