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As child and youth care practitioners, we find ourselves struggling and
grappling with a lot of issues in our work. At times challenges look mammoth and
insurmountable. Some workers are fortunate enough to receive supervision, which
is important. Others continue to grapple with issues alone, and have no
opportunity to share and reflect on their experiences with others who are more
experienced in the field. The young people and their families who we come into
contact with deserve nothing but quality services. This is why I would like to
look at the
term ‘REFLECT’ within the context of Child and Youth Care Work and explain why
it is such an important process.
R=Reflect
It is important to reflect on what we do with young people and their families.
Does what we do make a difference in the lives of the young people? Is it done
within the recognized national and international instruments, as well as in line
with the code of ethics? Are the programs rendered ecological, relevant and
appropriate? Do they prepare young people for life in their communities?
E=Experience
What kind of experiences do we go through from our work, whether positive or
negative? What is the impact of this on our daily functioning and interactions
with the young people and their families? If our experiences are negative why do
we continue to recreate them again and again? Have we not received feedback from
colleagues that these behaviours are not helping to better services, and ensure
our personal and professional growth?
F= Familiar
Have we begun to familiarize ourselves with the legislation that informs our
work, including national and international instruments? Do we ensure that we
comply with these? Do we challenge others when rights are violated? Are we also
familiar with our surrounding environments, particularly the areas from which
our clients emanate? Do we develop this familiarity for the purposes of tapping
the resources of these communities?
L= Lessons
The kind of lessons we learn every day in our work settings are important to be
recorded and documented. These are lessons and stories that could be shared
amongst us and other professionals – for the purpose of developing intervention
techniques that may assist our clients.
E=Enjoy
The reasons we pursue Child and Youth Care Work vary from one individual to
another. Do we enjoy our job? Do we do it with pride and commitment? Are we
prepared to walk the extra mile for our clients? We work with young people and
their families, many of whom are very resilient. Are we resilient? Do we have
the endurance, as well as the spirit to triumph over adversities?
C=Care
We cannot begin to start talking about “care” if we do not take care of
ourselves. “Care” in Child and Youth Care Work is an important component, which
cannot be overemphasized. This Care is professional in nature, and how we
provide it is different from the nanny or any other layperson providing it. Are
we aware of the professional dimension in our care work?
T=Time
Our interaction with the young people and their families often occurs within
a short space of time. It is time bound. Has our intervention and contact made
in the moment made a difference in the life of the young person and his/her
family? |
