2.1.

1 Identify as a professional social worker and conduct oneself

accordingly
Practice Behaviors:
Advocate for the client access to the services of social work; practice
Personal reflection and self-correction to assure continual professional
development; attend to professional roles and boundaries; demonstrate
professional demeanor in behavior, appearance and communication;
engage in Career long learning; use supervision and consultation
SW4443
Evaluation of Practice
While in my field experience at South Oakland Shelter, was had opportunities to learn
and grow through supervision and experience. As a Social work student as South Oakland
Shelter I learned directly under the supervisor of the Shelter. She provided me with learning
opportunities and knowledge each day that helped me to gain more experience as a practicing
social worker. My Field instructor assigned me to work with clients that would meet on a weekly
basis to discuss their progress and to help them find stable housing. While at S.O.S I conducted
myself as a professional social worker in each position that I held. When I would take crisis calls,
when I would process paperwork and write case notes, or when I was directly working with
clients to assist them in their needs.
Each week I was able to reflect on my interactions with clients and community members.
As a required part of my field placement I would complete process recording each week that
would reflect on a conversation or interaction that I had with a client, community member or
even co-workers. This allowed me to process these interactions and to reflect on what I had
learned. I enjoyed working through the process of retaining the knowledge and reflecting back to
how I could use it in my professional practice as a social worker.
My field placement at South Oakland Shelter helped me to grow in my experiences and
knowledge as a practicing social worker. My field instructor was always encouraging and
forthcoming of knowledge and intervention strategies. This allowed me to really understand the
professional side of social work and the importance of conducting oneself as such.

Evaluation of practice
Kayli Sheehan
EK7956
SW4997

Evaluation of practice
In a situation of Youth homelessness there are many interventions have their own sets of
goals. Techniques and methods used to evaluate the effectiveness of a practice share a similar
aspects. The techniques and methods to determine effectiveness are unique to the social worker
or the agency as well as to the intervention. The effectiveness of an intervention can only be
determined by specific outcomes, based on goals and intervention models and techniques. As a
social worker they can determine specific interventions for individuals. These interventions will
be unique the individual based on their situation, their past and the goal that they wish to obtain.
A Social worker working with a homeless youth they may have to determine they history of the
youth, before they became homeless, why they became homeless. A social worker will only

determine the youths current situation and they behaviors they are engaged in as well as their
plans for themselves. A social worker will need to build rapport with the child to help build that
trust. A social worker will have to take these as well as other aspects into consideration when
determining the best intervention that can be used for the youth. Then the effectiveness can be
determined based on the goals and their outcome.
As a goal based intervention is common for social work the main goal for many of these
clients will be to find them safe, affordable or stable housing. The steps to the goal however will
be individual to each clients needs and capabilities. As it relates to be previous field placement,
working with adults were homeless our number one goal as a housing first agency would be to
find our client affordable and safe housing. As each clients life experiences, situations and
barriers is different so should their individual service plan and their goals. It was the Social
Workers job to collaborate with the client to determine their goals and how they can work
together to achieve these. I would imagine in many agencies that this is similar to helping client
achieve their goals. Based on these plans is how the Social work and the client can determine the
effectiveness of this work.
When it comes to Agency effectiveness it can be more broad as the agency will have policies
to follow and will have interventions in place that appeal to a more general group of the
population. An agency has to apply intervention to individuals of a group that apply to more than
one person. The effectiveness of their interventions can be understood more clearly as they are
outlined in the intervention model. The only down side is that although the interventions appeal
to a larger demographic those who are being affected by this are still individuals with their own
historys and sets of individual needs.

South Oakland Shelter unfortunately they are just one of the many shelters that do not have
accommodations for unaccompanied youth. The clients must be at least eighteen or accompanied
by a legal guardian. As this agency is funded by the government through several programs they
have a set of regulations and rules that they much abide by. South Oakland Shelter is also a drug
and alcohol free facility. This requires that their clients do not use drugs or alcohol while they
stay at the shelter, they maintain this through random drug screens and daily breathalyzers. This
is just an example of the some of the rules they operate by, including not having
accommodations for unaccompanied youth. While at South Oakland Shelter it was my job as
well as others, to refer these children to other helping agencies. Some of these agencies included
Common Ground in Pontiac, and covenant house. Upon further research I have found many
more helping agencies in Michigan that can accommodate and help homeless youth.
According to the Family and youth services bureau, here is a few that I learned about
Ozone house in Ann Arbor, Genesee county youth cooperation, Catholic Family services in
Kalamazoo, and comprehensive youth services (Hhsgov, 2016). These are just a few of the basic
helping agencies, this we site also offers some options for more specified agencies such as
maternity helping agencies like alternatives for girls and Every Womans place (Hhsgov, 2016).
There are also some options for transitional housing like the Ruth Ellis house I learned about
earlier, there is also Gateway community services in Lansing, Comprehensive Youth Services
Inc. and Livingston Family Center in Pinkney (Hhsgov, 2016). There are also various street
outreach programs listed on this site such as, Ruth Ellis Center, Arbor Circle Cooperation, Child
and Family Charities in Lansing and Livingston Family Center (Hhsgov, 2016). Many of these
agencies having dual or multiple services provided.

These are some of the agencies that have services provided for youth and children who are at
homeless or at risk of becoming homeless for any reason. There are also agencies and coalitions
nationwide to provide services and awareness for these issues. I was also able to research about
these and here are a few that I found. The national center for homeless education (NCHE) which
is geared toward helping homeless children and their families with educational needs and
research opportunities that are funded by the U.S department of education (Michigangov, 2016).
National Center on Family Homelessness this is a non-profit agency that aims to help find
families long-term solutions for ending their homelessness (Michigangov, 2016). The National
Network for Youth (NN4Y) is generated to help provide services for youth who have become
homeless for any reason, and have special services for those who have been affected by abuse,
neglect and other barriers (Michigangov, 2016). Another national resource is the National
Runaway Safeline provides confidential and non-judgmental services and support for runaway
youth (Michigangov, 2016). These are just to name a few of the organizations and agencies that
exist nationally to aid and advocate for the homeless youth.
Regarding the evaluation of this population it is extremely important to reflect the
National Social Work Association Code of ethics. In the Social work profession this is always
important and for evaluating the practice and effectiveness of the practice the code of ethics can
play a key role in the values and ethics one places on this practice. I can discus some of the
values and ethical principles that relates closely to this population and its evaluations. First is
service the ethical principal of services Social workers primary goal is to help people in need
and to address social problems. Social workers elevate service to others above self-interest.
Social workers draw on their knowledge, values, and skills to help people in need and to address
social problems. Social workers are encouraged to volunteer some portion of their professional

skills with no expectation of significant financial return (pro bono service) (Socialworkersorg,
2016). As many agencies and advocates of Homelessness and especially homeless youth are nonprofit, service is huge key to evaluation and practice. There is also dignity and worth of a person
Ethical Principle: Social workers respect the inherent dignity and worth of the person.
Social workers treat each person in a caring and respectful fashion, mindful of individual
differences and cultural and ethnic diversity. Social workers promote clients socially responsible
self-determination. Social workers seek to enhance clients capacity and opportunity to change
and to address their own needs. Social workers are cognizant of their dual responsibility to
clients and to the broader society. They seek to resolve conflicts between clients interests and the
broader societys interests in a socially responsible manner consistent with the values, ethical
principles, and ethical standards of the profession (Socialworkersorg, 2016). Many of those
facing homelessness experience discrimination, judgment and misunderstanding due to their
situation. As social workers it our obligation to treat each client, and person with dignity and
respect regardless of their economic, personal or physical barriers. As advocates and those in the
midst of helping homeless youth this value is essential.
As for ethical codes for practice and evaluation in section one social workers ethical
responsibilities to clients 1.05 Cultural Competence and Social Diversity (a) Social workers
should understand culture and its function in human behavior and society, recognizing the
strengths that exist in all cultures. (b) Social workers should have a knowledge base of their
clients cultures and be able to demonstrate competence in the provision of services that are
sensitive to clients cultures and to differences among people and cultural groups. (c) Social
workers should obtain education about and seek to understand the nature of social diversity and
oppression with respect to race, ethnicity, national origin, color, sex, sexual orientation, gender

identity or expression, age, marital status, political belief, religion, immigration status, and
mental or physical disability (Socialworkersorg, 2016). Having and understand of clients
cultures, historys, and barriers is important for the social worker to competently understand
where and how they can help the client. In a situation of a homeless youth a social worker will
need understand these and value them as they will be crucial to helping the client and achieving
their goals. This is also effective in gaining client trust. For the social worker to have be this
understand and treat the client respectfully while embracing their difference the client can feel
more comfortable and trusting of the social worker.
Another crucial ethical standard for helping homeless youth is 1.07 Privacy and
Confidentiality (a) Social workers should respect clients right to privacy. Social workers should
not solicit private information from clients unless it is essential to providing services or
conducting social work evaluation or research. Once private information is shared, standards of
confidentiality apply.(b) Social workers may disclose confidential information when appropriate
with valid consent from a client or a person legally authorized to consent on behalf of a client.
(c) Social workers should protect the confidentiality of all information obtained in the course of
professional service, except for compelling professional reasons. The general expectation that
social workers will keep information confidential does not apply when disclosure is necessary to
prevent serious, foreseeable, and imminent harm to a client or other identifiable person. In all
instances, social workers should disclose the least amount of confidential information necessary
to achieve the desired purpose; only information that is directly relevant to the purpose for which
the disclosure is made should be revealed. (d) Social workers should inform clients, to the extent
possible, about the disclosure of confidential information and the potential consequences, when
feasible before the disclosure is made. This applies whether social workers disclose confidential

information on the basis of a legal requirement or client consent. (e) Social workers should
discuss with clients and other interested parties the nature of confidentiality and limitations of
clients right to confidentiality. Social workers should review with clients circumstances where
confidential information may be requested and where disclosure of confidential information may
be legally required. This discussion should occur as soon as possible in the social worker-client
relationship and as needed throughout the course of the relationship. (f) When social workers
provide counseling services to families, couples, or groups, social workers should seek
agreement among the parties involved concerning each individuals right to confidentiality and
obligation to preserve the confidentiality of information shared by others. Social workers should
inform participants in family, couples, or group counseling that social workers cannot guarantee
that all participants will honor such agreements. (g) Social workers should inform clients
involved in family, couples, marital, or group counseling of the social workers, employers, and
agencys policy concerning the social workers disclosure of confidential information among the
parties involved in the counseling. (i) Social workers should not discuss confidential information
in any setting unless privacy can be ensured. Social workers should not discuss confidential
information in public or semipublic areas such as hallways, waiting rooms, elevators, and
restaurants. (j) Social workers should protect the confidentiality of clients during legal
proceedings to the extent permitted by law. When a court of law or other legally authorized body
orders social workers to disclose confidential or privileged information without a clients consent
and such disclosure could cause harm to the client, social workers should request that the court
withdraw the order or limit the order as narrowly as possible or maintain the records under seal,
unavailable for public inspection. (k) Social workers should protect the confidentiality of clients
when responding to requests from members of the media. (l) Social workers should protect the

confidentiality of clients written and electronic records and other sensitive information. Social
workers should take reasonable steps to ensure that clients records are stored in a secure location
and that clients records are not available to others who are not authorized to have access. (m)
Social workers should take precautions to ensure and maintain the confidentiality of information
transmitted to other parties through the use of computers, electronic mail, facsimile machines,
telephones and telephone answering machines, and other electronic or computer technology.
Disclosure of identifying information should be avoided whenever possible. (n) Social workers
should transfer or dispose of clients records in a manner that protects clients confidentiality and
is consistent with state statutes governing records and social work licensure. (o) Social workers
should take reasonable precautions to protect client confidentiality in the event of the social
workers termination of practice, incapacitation, or death. (q) Social workers should not disclose
identifying information when discussing clients with consultants unless the client has consented
to disclosure of confidential information or there is a compelling need for such disclosure
(Socialworkersorg, 2016). Confidentiality is an important component as many of those
experiencing youth homelessness have also experienced a significant issue such as abuse, neglect
or juvenile litigation. Many homeless youth will avoid seeking help due to risk of a break in
confidentiality, it is important for agencies as well as social workers to always remember the
importance of this code.
While working with the homeless population I was able to help many of those and always
watch as others in the agency were able to maintain housing, assist it finance needs as well as
other needs and also to provide shelter for those seeking it. I was also able to see the constant
need for more shelter and housing solutions. This was evident with the homeless youth and
South Oakland Shelter is not this solution for them they are constantly having to refer these

youth elsewhere. Noticing the need and determining the services available, as well as using
research to understand the need and services needed as well. With the exceeding amount of the
homeless youth in need and the amount of help that is provided the risk is still imminent. The
effectiveness of the interventions is based on the ability that an agency has to help. It is based on
the interventions of the social worker and the motivation of the client to achieve their goals.
Interventions are unique to an individual and the social workers service plan for their client as
well as their capabilitys to help. The effectiveness to this is related in the same sense that the
outcome is unique to each person and effectiveness can be determined on achieving goals of an
individual.

References
Hhsgov. (2016). Hhsgov. Retrieved 14 June, 2016, from
http://www.acf.hhs.gov/programs/fysb/grants/michigan-rhy
Michigangov. (2016). Michigangov. Retrieved 14 June, 2016, from
https://www.michigan.gov/documents/mde/NAEHCY_-_HOMELESS_ED_101_426770_7.doc
Socialworkersorg. (2016). Socialworkersorg. Retrieved 14 June, 2016, from
http://www.socialworkers.org/pubs/code/code.asp