SUMMATIVE: CRITICAL REFLECTION ON THE SOCIAL EXCLUSION EXERCISE.
A 1500 word critical reflection on your learning about i) the topic and ii) the process of your social exclusion group presentation
Plan:
Reflecting critically and ethically on the topic (remember to mention my learning about social exclusion)
This should relate to the scenario you studied and include:
• the social exclusion scenario you worked with (NOT included in the word limit);
• a reflective discussion that links your learning about:
o the locality;
o the nature of the social problem/s, how they are defined and explanations offered about their causes;
o the impact on individuals (described in your scenario) of these problems. (Articulate all of these concepts)
– Ensure I provide examples for my understanding of the evidence base.
Reflecting critically and ethically on the process should include
• your reasons for choosing this scenario;
• how you prepared to engage in working as a member of your group;
• how the group worked to plan the research;
• how the group worked to plan and deliver the presentation;
• what you perceived to be the strengths of the group and what challenges you faced;
• how you overcame any challenges you faced;
• how you experienced the presentation itself;
• what you have learned about your own strengths and areas for development.
Intro
What am I discussing in assignment. Reflection, learning. What models is my reflection based on.
The topic
What was the scenario I studied in my group. What did I learn from the scenario e.g the locality, the nature of the social problems (how are these problems defined and explained/theories to off explanations of causes), what is the impact on the individuals in our scenario of these problems (articulate concepts), articulate my understanding of the evidence.
The process
Why did I choose this scenario. How did I engage in working with the group. How did we plan to research. How did we work to plan and deliver presentation. What were the strengths and challenges faced. How did we overcome challenges. How did I experience presentation itself.
Conclusion
What have I learnt about my own strengths and areas for development. Theory behind reflection and the benefits it will have on my future work/learning.
Introduction
Within this assignment I will discuss my learning and ideas surrounding the topic of social exclusion and the process of my group presentation. In order to reflect critically and effectively in this piece, I have adopted the framework: ‘The process of writing reflectively’ created by Moon (2004) in the hope that this will provoke potent thoughts and questions that will contribute to my pedagogy.
The scenario
The social exclusion scenario my group and I worked with is detailed below:
“You are a 38 year old Syrian man who has recently arrived, with your family, in Gateshead as part of the Syrian Vulnerable PersonsResettlement Programme. You and your wife are both university graduates. You have two daughters aged 8 and 12.”
Social problems surrounding the scenario
Upon my research and learning surrounding the locality of the Gateshead area, it is of my understanding that Gateshead is the 73rd most deprived local authority in England out of 326 local authorities. Gateshead JSNA .org (2018) highlight that 23,600 (12%) people in Gateshead live in one of the most deprived areas of England. These statistics are particularly important and can be decisive in linking patterns of deprivation, housing and social exclusion. According to Lee and Murie 1997 as cited in Rowntree Foundation, there is increased evidence that housing circumstances relate to and contribute to problems of social disadvantage. Non-white families, like those presented in our scenario are often found to be placed in concentrations of deprived, urban households that are in the council sector; therefore it can be harder to integrate and connect with the wider community, thus social exclusion occurs. With that being said, Fahmny and Gordon of Bristol university 2002 note that the aforementioned may not be entirely representative as there is an invisibility to poverty in rural areas that creates an ‘urban bias’ in which many major problems of rural areas are overlooked and remain hidden. Whilst we should remain aware of biases Berry 1997 still enforces that regardless of area, when someone falls into the marginalisation or separation category, they are at risk of social exclusion; this links back to my own understanding of Bourdie’s (1985) theory of cultural/social capital and how having the ‘correct’ capital can play an important role in successful social inclusion.
Levitas et al 2007 define social exclusion as a complex and multidimensional process that involves the lack or denial of resources. The nature of the problems brought on by a lack of resources can be extremely damaging to the individuals presented in our scenario as well as the family unit. With my group and the support of a north east local authority, we were able to identify the barriers facing our family in the Gateshead borough which involved: Language, cultural differences, access to education and employment and long term health needs including mental health.
Our findings proved language to be the greatest barrier to our families integration. In the ever progressing working world, services are currently more tailored and personal, therefore employers seek to find employees with exceptional communication skills. Despite both parents holding degrees this still leaves the family greatly disadvantaged as English stands as their second language. The impact of English as a second language can also make it challenging for the two children to fully access education. The challenge lies in that: “almost every aspect of education is underpinned by language, and yet good communication skills are often assumed or expected” (department for education 2006) thereby a child with English as a second language is limited before even embarking upon schooling.
Language can too pose barriers to socialisation as English speaking skills are generally needed to connect with other members within the Gateshead community. I can (2007) highlight the impact that English as a second language can have on a child’s ability to enjoy interacting with others. Those with limited language are more likely to be withdrawn and less likely to socialise than their peers. Likewise in adolescence, language plays an important part in peer relationships so those who find it difficult to talk on the phone for example, or understand verbal jokes are excluded. Difficulties continue for some, so adults who have persisting language barriers like the parents named in our scenario, may be at risk of having fewer friends and successful relationships leading to further issues such as isolation and poor mental health.
Another serious difficulty faced due to the effects of language barriers is the access to quality health care. Access to health care is a basic human right; but among refugee populations, language and translation issues create barriers regarding interaction between doctors and patients. Sharing personal, medical information can be remarkably intimidating for those with limited English speaking skills. In a study Molly green American journal of public health (2017) highlighted when working with Syrian refugees for a summer internship in Germany, she discovered that refugees held concern about calling clinics to make appointments and understanding directions from pharmacies. Although free language courses were offered (likewise in the Gateshead area solutions and viable services such as translating and learning English for beginners courses are available at no cost) waiting lists were long and the classes were therefore effectively inaccessible, hence language barriers remain.
The cabinet office (2001) offer explanations for the causes of social problems/exclusion such as poverty, exclusions from school, homelessness and crime. However Morrice whom carried out geographical and psychological analysis founded that language was the overriding barrier to wellbeing and inclusion. As cited in the guardian (2016) Morrice claims that social problems arose because the government tends to use a one size fits all model and this is really not suitable for many people.
Consequent to my learning, I now understand that the ethical implications relating to the effects of language barriers upon refugee families must be considered in a wider context in order to promote the best interests of refugees and the avoidance of harm. BASW code of ethics( 2016) maintain that “Promoting the right to participation Social workers should promote the full involvement and participation of people using their services in ways that enable them to be empowered in all aspects of decisions and actions affecting their lives.” As a trainee social worker my learning of social exclusion and this specific scenario have been significant in adding to my pedagogy and will be useful in future practice when dealing with clients who face similar social difficulties.
The presentation process
your reasons for choosing this scenario;
• how you prepared to engage in working as a member of your group;
• how the group worked to plan the research;
• how the group worked to plan and deliver the presentation;
• what you perceived to be the strengths of the group and what challenges you faced;
• how you overcame any challenges you faced;
• how you experienced the presentation itself;
• what you have learned about your own strengths and areas for development.
My decision to choose this particular scenario was based on my desire to acquire more knowledge about the surrounding area in which I live and may even have the opportunity to one day work as a social worker. The department of health and social care (2015) fully support that knowledge is the power to do good. By taking on this scenario I can now understand what is expected as a social worker when working with refugee families. The process placed a strong emphasis on my personal role in society and the support that is required to deliver quality social work. My vision links with the department of health and social care (2015) ambition to contribute to improved outcomes with people in all settings and of all backgrounds.
To prepare in engaging as a member of my group I referred to feedback that involved the academic achievements and collaborative abilities of my previous presentation group. The feedback was useful in identifying factors that actually influenced mine and my groups ability to learn that I could carry with me to this nest learning process. According to gillies and Boyle (2011) as cited in Hammar Chiriac (2014) the benefits of collaborative work promotes students to learn to inquire, share ideas, clarify differences, problem-solve and construct new understandings. Gillies also stresses that students working together are more motivated to achieve than they would be when working individually. Thus, my earlier group work provided reason to improve on my current assignment as a member of the social exclusion presentation group. Group feedback was not something I originally thought would be so conducive to my future learning, As Moon (2004) describes: In reflective writing you will find out things that you had not considered.
My group and I worked to plan the research for the presentation by each taking on points we found interest in. However, in order to avoid over individualising contributions we shared each and every point via our group chat so that we were all understanding and agreeing of each piece of research as well as providing each member with the equal opportunity to add or take away from information. Peterson and Miller (2004) as cited in journal of social work values and ethics (2017) back the idea of even group work when stating that “benefits continue to emerge from equal participation from group members for assignment completion”.
Incorporating a web-based application that allowed for our PowerPoint slides to be accessed by all group members including live updates was crucial in planning to deliver our presentation. With this application, members were made aware of all points to be included in the final presentation and so were able to prepare for their readiness to present well in advance. Despite our readiness to present, we were posed with the challenge of condensing our research and information as we had connected with so many local authorities and acquired a breadth of valuable information. In order to meet the assessment criteria we were each limited to 3 minutes of presenting time. To overcome this challenge we communicated effectively with one another to select the most appropriate and effective contributions. A real strength of our group was overcoming this challenge and in turn being able to identify with Hamer’s (2008) effective and active learning pointers as this challenge gave us the potential to develop teamwork, contribute to the learning of others and value the contributions of others.
Similar to my last experience of group presentations, I was still unable to present due to unavoidable absence. With the support of my group and module leader we decided that embedding visual recordings would be the best option. Although audio recordings worked well as embedded sections in my previous presentation, I wanted to ensure that my personal presentation was credible and that I was contributing to the teamwork fairly. I was lucky enough to have yet another group that were so supportive and encouraging despite the strain that my circumstances may have added to the process. With mine and my groups efforts we managed to receive great feedback about this section affirming that this was an excellent example of overcoming the challenges of unavoidable circumstances in delivering our presentation.
I continue to learn more…