PCF Own Learning Assignment Sample

PCF Own Learning Assignment Sample critically explores reflective practice, professional development, ethical decision-making, values and ethics, diversity, rights, justice, knowledge application, intervention strategies, organizational contexts, and leadership skills.

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Professionalism

Professionalism refers to the practice of standards of the code of ethics, being accountable, and striving towards improvement. Throughout my practice learning, I ensured that I followed the regulatory body of the Health and Care Professions Council and the code of ethics of the British Association of Social Workers. An instance in my practice included providing care to a female service user over the age of sixty-five with dementia with risk indicators of neglect. About their care, it was necessary to apply the Mental Capacity Act (2005) to determine whether they had the mental capacity to make decisions. It was a multidisciplinary project aimed at designing a care plan by involving not only healthcare workers but families of the patient as well. This exemplified why there is always a call for a balance between autonomy and safeguarding (Banks, 2020). I also self-constructed learning from this scenario as to how I ought to have addressed the case more effectively if only I had involved the service user directly through basic tools such as questions. This reflection contributes to the PCF Own Learning.

Another example can be recalled that involved a case of a service user who was suffering from mental illness and was experiencing housing precarity. After reviewing their situation, I checked the Care Act (2014) and supported their needs in cross-agency team meetings. I also ensured the integration of theories such as Maslow’s hierarchy of needs to meet her basic needs while being referred for more psychological evaluation and housing. For this, I could have enhanced my advocacy by researching more about local housing policies and organizations before the event (Healy, 2021).

Overall, I focused on being professional and friendly to the clients to ensure the developed relationship was appropriate and served a specific goal. The strategies involved in observation were as follows: Supervision – to monitor my practice as well as analyse areas of development where improvement is required like developing my knowledge of policies in the local setting and overcoming low self-esteem when questioning a particular decision. With time in the course, I was beginning to perform better on the ethical challenges and be in a position to explain my actions according to legislation and theory(Taylor, 2020).

Finally, my professionalism was evidenced by ethical practice, critical reflection as well as compliance with the law. In the future, I would like to broaden my knowledge about anti-oppressive practice and apply the theoretical background more actively in a practical context to contribute to the better results of the service users.

Assignment samples are provided to support understanding of coursework structure and key learning outcomes. Through our help with assignment UK, guidance is shared while maintaining originality and ethical academic practice. The PCF Own Learning Assignment Sample highlights reflective learning, personal growth, and structured evaluation of individual progress. These materials are intended solely for study and reference purposes.

Values And Ethics

The sophistication of the principles of values and ethics was evident while at the placement mainly in implementing the BASW Code of Ethics and Health Care Professional Council standards while working with vulnerable adults. Regarding the first service user scenario about the elderly service user with dementia, I attended the code of ethics by respecting autonomy and safeguarding in light of the Mental Capacity Act (2005). One of the unethical dilemmas experienced was to focus on service users’ autonomy in their choices while handling the risk of neglect. The following case illustration revealed that I incorporated a person-centred approach in comparison with basic principles of social work that include respect and promotion of dignity; nonetheless, despite this, I can improve my communication approach by using other proactive methods that would help me to encourage the clients’ further participation. This particular experience has reaffirmed the principle of ethical practices among nurses to practice ethically even when the client’s capacity is not well-developed (Harrison and Melville, 2021).

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The second case where a client with mental health issues and a housing problem. I had to correctly consider the dilemma between advocacy and resource scarcity. In line with the Care Act (2014) I supported the service user’s choice about their accommodation while being honest about the limitation of service provision. In light of the ethical consideration of justice, I spoke against prejudice misconceptions that anyone who is mentally ill will not seek help, and also being a healthcare worker, I advocated for the recipients to embrace the view that service users can refuse help whenever they want. Still, when reflecting on the presentation, it was realized that there were some disadvantages of being not very informed about the housing policies in the local area (Trevithick, 2021). This highlighted the need to point out that ethical practice requires ‘moral interest’ and that is practice development for countering barriers to effective Work.

In each of these cases, I acted ethically in my interactions with the clients by practicing professional discretion regarding the scope of my involvement and engaging in continuous, value-based behaviour. I used the supervision sessions especially when applying the Mental Capacity Act to determine the best interest of the client in exercising power. Finally, I realized better ways of giving ethical reasons for my actions concerning the law and anti-oppressive theories.

Diversity

The placement underlined the necessity of multicultural practice in social work, especially when working with adults at risk. Reflecting on the case of elderly service users with dementia, I understood the way, how ageism and cognitive stereotype might downplay the role of the old person in care management. I repeatedly questioned these biases by adjusting the approach toward these patients according to the social model of disability that would allow them to be involved in decision-making about their care. The Mental Capacity Act (2005) helped me to evaluate capacity without discriminating against the patient and the Equality Act (2010) assisted me with an understanding of reasonable prerequisites such as the use of visual aids and extra time for communication. Bearing in mind these areas, I was reflective of the fact that had engaged the consultants working with dementia patients earlier I would have gained further insights regarding how age and disability influence the service user (Webb, 2022).

The second case where I found myself with a patient, who had some mental health issues, used diversity through an intersectional approach. He further noted that because of the mental health problems and homelessness, the service user was disadvantaged in several ways. I was able to uncover personal, cultural, and structural factors that existed in their case using the said model of Thompson’s PCS model. At the micro level, I adjusted the way I interact when it comes to anxiety or any kind of fluctuations in cognition. In terms of culture, services needed to Treat male and female patients as preferred in terms of gender-specific Support Workers. I also explained within the policies adopted by the local authorities how and why mainstream solutions are inadequate for people with neurodiverse concerns (Jones, 2021) . The problems that emerged from my supervision sessions were: Though I efficiently met clients’ needs, I could have done more in terms of identifying local peer support groups focusing on various mental health situations.

Although critical reflection pointed out areas that need improvement, these cases show my progress in terms of responding to diversity emerging in the workplace. Growing more experienced, I was able to notice inequalities in various types of systemizations and at that, the transition from the mere provision of adjustments to an inclusive approach. The inequalities or diversity standards by the General Social Care Council and the BASW’s call for a non-oppressive approach supported the advancement of this progression (Ferguson, 2020).

In the future, I must create more in-depth connections regarding various characteristics of diversity in adult services and how they influence the impacts of SES statuses. This involves ascertaining how minorities receiving care and support have further been impacted by austerity policies. I will be able to apply cultural formulation tools more often while assessing the needs and have better collaboration with community organizations for marginalized adults.

Rights, Justice And Economic Well-being

This placement highlighted how we ought to stand for service users in the protection of their rights as well as advocate against organizational injustice and instabilities in the economy. When advocating for the preferred care arrangement of elderly service users with dementia, I supported their rights under the Human Rights Act (1998), especially Article 8 which concerns the right to respect for private and family life. This was offered by the Mental Capacity Act (2005) and aimed at protecting but also allowing them decisions making on the residents’ part concerning the rest home. Unfortunately, in this case, several economic factors became limiting factors since there was scarce funding from the local authorities for the choice of appropriate care homes. This brought out the conflict between formal legal responsibilities facilitated by the Care Act 2014 and the issue of resources, where I had to seek charitable funds for meeting the needs of the family while at the same time was very much aware of the available funds (McLaughlin et al., 2022).

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The key events of the housing case with Mental health problems made it clear that the issues of Social Justice are amplified by poverty. When using the Care Act 2014, I was able to define the service user’s ability to be supported and with this identified some of the system’s limitations in a housing market with limited stock of homes that would effectively meet the service user’s mental health needs. I used the social justice approach based on Rawl’s theory of justice, undermining the local authority’s interpretation of the term ‘reasonable’ in the Equality Act 2010 (Featherstone, Gupta and Mills, 2023). I was able to get temporary accommodations for them, but what I realized is that, except for the awareness of owning a place, I am not fully knowledgeable about welfare rights (e.g. PIP appeals), thereby making it impossible to address their economic injustices as well.

Similarly, both involved the balancing of power about the rights of an individual and the entitlement to resources. I was able to exercise rights-based advocacy most when dealing with cases involving vulnerable adults especially when certain decisions had adverse impacts on those individuals. With time, I started to be more effective in utilizing legislation such as the Care Act 2014 and Equality Act 2010 as a bargaining chip when operating in a multi-agency team and at the same time somewhat aware of how neoliberal policies have undermined care solutions. Supervision made me consider various ethical issues that arise in rationing, especially the scarce resources and the ideal process to adopt when making the decision as much as possible to eliminate causing harm. For my future development, it is one of my goals to improve my understanding of welfare rights and economic development plans for adults with learning disabilities and their benefits (Wilson and Ruch, 2021).

Knowledge

Vulnerable adults were at the centre of my intervention during placement and I ensured I applied theoretical knowledge and orientation to legislation and relevant evidence. When treating the dementia case, I exercised legal understanding of the Mental Capacity Act of 2005 about capacity evaluations while integrating Kitwood’s dementia care model. I was also aware of neurocognitive disorders, and this made me realize that a service user’s capacity to comprehend things could vary thus calling for its implication on the strategies to be used in communicating information. Nevertheless, supervising the slot exposed me to a few weaknesses in my existing knowledge about further advanced dementia care planning tools, and hence, I needed to undertake research in ADAEDP and DFAAM. This process forms an important aspect of the PCF Own Learning.This proved the point that every time I come across a limitation in practice, serious attempts are made to gain more information (Trinder and Stone, 2022).

The mental health and housing case will integrate components of knowledge from several categories as follows. To make my case I applied the Care Act 2014 eligibility criteria and stress-vulnerability models of mental health. Overall, more well-established knowledge about Maslow’s hierarchy of needs helped to support this idea as it unveiled how housing insecurity contributed to the deterioration of mental state. When faced with some resistance from some of the providers of the housing, I was able to rely on the tenets of the reasonable adjustment provided in section 20 of the equality act 2010. Critical reflection also entailed recognizing that it would have been useful to have become more familiar with local policies on housing allocations to do a similar study of council housing strategies and compile a file of such cases for reference in the future (Graham and Clarke, 2024).

My knowledge development of mine, about the context of the placement, is illustrated below: The practice plan and procedures based on initial directly identifiable legal requirements and basic model began to evolve into an applied sophistication of knowledge of the specialty area, such as the principles of working with the mental health service user in the context of the trauma. Thus, I also used sources other than statutes such as the British Journal of Social Work about the effects of austerity on adult services. The most effective experience was performing regular supervision as it allowed understand how theoretical concepts relate to practice, for example, how bureaucracy can alter a legislation’s intent. In the future, I would like to study further two areas concerning welfare rights: benefits for adults with mental health issues and intersectionality of the issue of adults safeguarding.

Critical Reflection And Analysis

This placement showed that it is not possible to undertake critical reflection and analytical approach as an optional activity when undertaking social work practice. When engaging with the elderly service user with dementia, implementing a balance of care planning and decision-making for capacity assessments with this model of reflection was achieved through Schon’s model. At the beginning of my placement, I focused mostly on the process issues of the Mental Capacity Act (2005), but through the supervision and the completion of the reflective logs, I acknowledged how the technical approach has tended to mask the emotional issues of a service user as well as the family. This realization helped me make Brookes’ emotional intelligence framework a part of my practice as I was then planning and undertaking my assessments in a more rounded manner which included assessment for psychological health as well as ability.

Mental health and housing were ideal topics for structural analysis, given the extensive information available from the case (Parker and Ashencaen Crabtree, 2022). I was able to use Fook’s critical reflection model to go from practice to process and look at how people with mental health conditions are disempowered by housing policies. Although I ensured that temporary accommodation was provided, awareness evaluation of the case after intervention showed that my mainstream disastrous operation may have overlooked preventive work. This led me to research the Housing First models and their applicability to such circumstances as this is an example of how critical analysis can change practice. During both supervision sessions it was particularly useful to be encouraged to question the nature of the expectations of the possibility of achieving realistic goals within an elongated and heavily regulated system of nursing (Payne, 2023).

I have been able to transform my reflective practice from describing the events to analysing them indeed. Whereas, early research concerned itself with the events that took place, later versions asked why such events occurred and how the power relations shaped the course of actions. For instance, in the first case, I advanced from note-taking in multiagency meetings to arguing about how the profession hierarchy impacted service users. This was done by the concepts gleaned through engaging with systemic theory and anti-oppressive practice.

The most significant learning I obtained from this was the understanding of the place that I occupy, which is usually referred to as the insiders/outsider’s framework. Thinking about the case of a dementia patient, I understood why my age and lack of experience influenced me to over-emphasize medical professionals’ opinions. In the same instance in the exercising of the case on housing, it elucidated me to the prospects of how my middle-class social drilling inhibits the appreciation of the service user’s squeeze. They have been universally helpful in my career and helped me to be keen on how personal factors affect practice (Payne, 2023).

For the future improvement I plan to pay more attention to the development of my analytical abilities and make use of more structured reflection models, for example, Gibbs’ cycle. Engaging in such reflective practices is central to the PCF Own Learning.

I also seek to enhance my critical thinking in evaluating organizational systems and policies, in addition to practice, as a way of changing systems in a way that would benefit the service users.

Intervention And Skills

I learned a lot regarding intervention in the health care systems particularly for the grown-ups during my placement period. Considering that the elderly service user had dementia, I undertook the following strategies of communication; life story work and use of objects in simple language. This showed how I am capable of flexibly applying the general approaches as described in the Mental Capacity Act (2005) depending on the patient’s requirements. My intervention evolved from mere safety concerns and developing a risk management care plan to offer safe care and most importantly quality life for this poor patient. Self-organization provided an insight into how sensory stimulation techniques in the past could have created interest for engagement hence forcing me to take dementia care training during placement(Brown and Moore, 2023).

In the mental health and housing case, I had to use crisis intervention skills while using the recovery model. I used motivational interviewing in engaging the service user during the change from one home to another and mediation while dealing with unwilling landlords and landladies. To do the needs assessment, I followed the Care Act (2014) but incorporated principles from trauma-informed care when asking about previous experiences of homelessness. Supervision revealed to me that while I have focused mainly on procedures, various approaches I took to a particular task sometimes are not creative enough. This could be attributed to the fact that it enhanced my networking skills with other local housing charities hence increasing my resource availability for future cases (Smith, 2024).

Both cases presented challenges that required me to enhance my multi-agency working skills, especially in foster and adoption meetings when receiving different professional opinions. I was also able to learn how to apply professional judgment yet be able to keep amicable relations, a factor that took time to improve. From the foregoing observation, my recording skills developed from simple documentation of case notes to goal-oriented documentation, which involves formulating observations with an outline of the planned interventions.

Towards the future, I aim to expand my knowledge with more specialized interventions for therapy and advanced advocacy for the patients with a focus on those who experienced the trauma. These cases also clearly support the notion of both formal skills and adaptability within the contextual practice of Exceptionalism as a professional who is free to use innovative methods when addressing the particular but remains confined by the professional code.

Contexts And Organisations

Working within one of the renowned Trust in London my placement confirmed that organisational dynamics and broader policy frameworks set the practice agenda of working with vulnerable adults. When working with the dementia case, it is important to reconcile various legal frameworks within the NHS continuing healthcare and principles of the Care Act 2014 for adult social care. This described how funding ceilings and criteria prescribe more of the service choices than the need for the service. I also adopted the ability to reason from organizational policies in my arguments and the reason, I was able to successfully appeal the case to have Liberal Democrats’ funded nursing care for patients who require primary health needs, categorized under the NHS. Critical reflection identified that I underestimated the role of commissioning structures in care pathways to require me to explore the local integrated health and social care strategy to be able to predict the systematic challenges (Walker and Beckett, 2025).

The mental health housing case revealed literacy on how cuts in the austerity policies affected the local authority. Through working in a housing department where budget is a constraint, I understood how to appropriately quote and use the Equality Act 2010 and Care Act 2014 requirements of the organization to address restrictive gatekeeping practices within the institution. My interventions progressed from passive acceptance of services and forgiving of limitation of service to acknowledging when, where, and how to escalate cases via official complaints procedures of the organization. This has proven to show the increasing awareness of how to manoeuvre in a bureaucratic setting without compromising on the aspired ethical standards.

In both cases, the insider was expected to draw out the overall organizational structures from clinical commissioning groups to the third-sector providers. I also got skills in operating within different professional arenas and documenting and observing how Beer and Clarke’s (2008) ideas on information sharing could enhance or hinder inter-agency collaboration. As the course progressed, I was able to correctly find key individuals involved and recognize how organizational objectives affect the outcome of the case (Turney and Tanner, 2020).

In the next stage of this professional journey, the main work in terms of increasing knowledge is associated with commissioning processes and resource management to enhance the advocacy within organizational requirements. These shaped the understanding of the fact that good practice in this field entails knowledge of both the small details and the broad system that guides service delivery.

Professional Leadership

In the course of my placement, I was able to display some samples of professional leadership for instance handling complex cases but with the understanding that I was just a student. In the dementia case, I led by being the focal person in coordinating a meeting for different professionals who would be attending to the service user and insisting on the principles of the Mental Capacity Act (2005). The continually advanced assumptions that are normally used in the medical field about quality of life were aimed at criticizing by leveraging person-centered dementia care theories. This needed having the confidence to articulate professional opinions while at the same time exhibiting manners of professionalism. My leadership experience grew from the interaction when I used to avoid challenging my senior counterparts - through dialogue with peers and others, I was able to argue facts-based positions.

Leading across bureaucratic systems was specifically required in the mental health housing case to find practical solutions for the individuals it served. On my own, I was proactive in looking for new practices in the housing and finding out its policies then sharing my understanding of the recovery model and the Care Act (2014) wellbeing principle to the senior managers. This proved that I can effectively design and plan for cases while operating under the confines of an organization. Thus, critical reflection indicated that I could provide stronger leadership at the beginning when it comes to resources; I should have taken the issues above through the chain of command since the initial requests that the stakeholders made were rejected (Davis, 2023).

In both cases, I have had to address situations where I have to display professional values when performing my tasks. I was very professional but at the same time, I acted with a lot of compassion and tried to be comprehensible even to people who are most often in everyday communication. Gradually, I became surer of myself when it comes to decision-making and the justification of the decision based on legislation policies and ethical principles. Supervision sessions played a very strategic role in the development of this professional judgment.

Future goals that can aid in leadership development include gaining advanced knowledge on organizational change management and enhancing policy influencing. These made me learn that the social work profession entails being an advocate at the individual level as well as being willing to influence the structures that underpin the practice.

Appraisal and critique on own practice Development

In regard to my placement, I witnessed personal and professional development in my skills and understanding of the theoretical knowledge of the legislative framework and ethical practice with vulnerable adults. The two simulations I was able to complete as part of this course – the dementia simulation and the mental health simulation where the client is at risk of homelessness – offered several examples for the development of the core social work competencies while also highlighting areas needing improvement.

In the areas, noted above, my practice details multiple strengths. I developed the ability to implement relevant legislation, or at least the Mental Capacity Act (2005) for the capacity best practice and the Care Act (2014) for the best practice when assessing the need to demonstrate that I am able to translate the legalities into a person-centered approach. My communication skills were put to good use while working as a midwife when it comes to cooperation with different stakeholders and other specialists in health-related areas such as health professionals, housing officers, care providers, etc. I developed the ability to speak out for the service user and at the same time remain polite to the other suppliers.

Nonetheless, analysis shows some areas of weakness or improvement needed in the process of developing practice. In the beginning, I thought the most important thing was to work through fulfilling all requirements provided by statute law leaving aside the need-based solutions’ perspective. In the dementia case, for instance, the interventions I would have liked to employ in the first contact would have entailed the use of a dementia borne communication approach and involving experts in this field. Although the documentation was legal, its analysis at the beginning was somewhat weak in terms of associating observations with planning for intervention.

The housing case especially helped me to expand my perspective on systematic factors pertaining to the issue at hand. Although I was able to devise ways of managing scarcity to my disadvantage later on, my initial practice failed to appreciate how bureaucratic procedures and scarcity affect front liners. This led me to carry out further research about the local commissioning for welfare rights and this enriched my later involvement greatly.

Supervision was also a strong factor in the enhancement of my professional judgment that I gained. In the beginning, I was extremely timid when coming up with ideas in front of my superior colleagues but I was able to argue with conviction based on data analysis and arguments. Nevertheless, I understand that there is a tendency to prioritize safety in ethical issues, which shows the self-improvement perspective in managing risk.

The development needs identified are the areas of welfare benefits with regards to economic aspect, skills in systemic advocacy for systems change and a wide range of therapeutic interventions in trauma work.

References

  • Banks, S. (2020) Ethics and Values in Social Work. 5th edn. London: Red Globe Press.
  • Brown, K. and Moore, S. (2023) ‘Mental health, housing, and intersectionality in adult social work’, Journal of Social Work, 23(1), pp. 87-103.
  • Davis, L. (2023) ‘The role of legislation in social work practice: implications for the Mental Capacity Act and Care Act’, British Journal of Social Work, 53(1), pp. 55-70.
  • Featherstone, B., Gupta, A. and Mills, S. (2023) Protecting Children: A Social Model. Bristol: Policy Press.
  • Ferguson, H. (2020) ‘Ethics, relationships and emotions in social work: insights from practice’, Journal of Social Work Practice, 34(2), pp. 131-148.
  • Graham, M. and Clarke, K. (2024) ‘Social justice and anti-oppressive practice in adult social work’, Social Policy and Society, 23(1), pp. 55-72.
  • Harrison, G. and Melville, R. (2021) Rethinking Professionalism: Boundary Work and Identity in Social Work. Bristol: Policy Press.
  • Healy, K. (2021) Social Work Theories in Context: Creating Frameworks for Practice. 3rd edn. London: Palgrave Macmillan.
  • Jones, R. (2021) ‘The Care Act and adult social care: policy, practice, and ethics’, British Journal of Social Work, 51(2), pp. 473-490.
  • McLaughlin, H. et al. (2022) ‘Diversity and inclusion in social work: current challenges and future directions’, Social Work Education, 41(3), pp. 305-320.
  • Parker, J. and Ashencaen Crabtree, S. (2022) Human Growth and Development in Adults: Theoretical and Practice Perspectives. London: Routledge.
  • Payne, M. (2023) Modern Social Work Theory. 5th edn. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
  • Smith, L. (2024) Advocacy in Social Work: A Guide to Best Practice. London: SAGE Publications.
  • Taylor, B.J. (2020) Decision Making, Assessment and Risk in Social Work. 3rd edn. London: Learning Matters.
  • Trevithick, P. (2021) Social Work Skills and Knowledge: A Practice Handbook. 5th edn. London: Routledge.
  • Trinder, L. and Stone, C. (2022) Evidence-Based Practice in Social Work: Challenges and Debates. London: Macmillan.
  • Turney, D. and Tanner, K. (2020) ‘Safeguarding adults: balancing autonomy and protection’, Social Work and Social Sciences Review, 24(3), pp. 189-205.
  • Walker, S. and Beckett, C. (2025) Social Work Assessment and Intervention. London: Bloomsbury Academic.
  • Webb, S.A. (2022) The Politics of Social Work. 2nd edn. London: SAGE Publications.
  • Wilson, G. and Ruch, G. (2021) ‘Reflective practice and professional supervision in social work’, European Journal of Social Work, 24(1), pp. 110-126.

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