An anxious process
An Independent Social Work Assessment can often be the final lifeline for a parent to continue to fulfil their parenting role or achieve rehabilitation of their child to their care. There is, nearly always, an inevitable anxiety at that first meeting and it is the skill of the ISW that will steer the path of assessment from that point.
These parents will be experiencing one of the worst moments of their lives and the fear of losing their child will undoubtedly shape their approach to assessment. Intervention and Care Proceedings can merely perpetuate a lifetime of negative experiences for some parents and despite those principles of non-judgemental practice and working together, parents will perceive assessments to be a powerful contradiction of both. It is however, those Social Work principles that will drive an Independent Social Worker to approach assessments sensitively and in a person centred way. Recognising and acknowledging those anxieties has to be the starting point of any effective working relationship but that can only happen if the parent is given a voice.
The power of active listening in reducing the power imbalance
The Independent Social Worker is perceived by parents to be someone in a position of power; someone who contributes to the course of their future and the futures of their children, leaving parents powerless and at the mercy of the recommendations made within the assessment, that the Court have asked for, to assist them to determine the most appropriate disposal of the case. This power imbalance only adds to the level of a parent’s anxiety.
In these very complex circumstances active listening and being fully present with parents cannot be underestimated. Every parent has a story and wants to be heard and active listening helps the ISW to experience the parent’s perspective. It helps with the development of empathy and understanding. It can challenge pre-conceived perceptions and breaks down the barriers that are created by stereotypes and labels. Listening and ‘really listening’ to a parent at the point of crisis can offer insight into how they view and cope with experiences. It lets a parent know that they are valued and that their views are valid and matter.
Empowering practice
Active listening uses a combination of talking and listening skills to make the service user feel you understand their situation and encourages them to place trust in the Social Worker (Cournoyer, 2011). Parents are empowered because they feel that they are heard and that they have some control over their circumstances. That level of control enables a parent to begin to consider the possibility of making meaningful changes in their lives that will effectively reduce professional concerns. They transition from a position of fear paralysis to one of action, all through the process of having someone listen to them.
At Advanced CCA, we recognise and promote the use of active listening. Our experience helps us to understand the importance of this process when conducting our assessments and enables us to redress the imbalance of power and strive to achieve the Social Work principles that we subscribed to when we chose our career path. Whether we are observing a contact, preparing a standard Parenting and Risk Assessment, working closely with a family as part of our 24/7 In the Home Programme or preparing our Resolution Model AAA Assessment, where a child has been seriously harmed in their parents care, our non-judgemental approach of working together with parents, through listening to their story, is what sets us apart from other professions and provides us with the personal rewards that the ISW role can present.
On this World Listening Day, take time to listen to someone’s story. Make that difference and empower change.
