Level 3 Certificate in Youth Work Practice: Reflective Practice

This assignment, part of the Level 3 Certificate in Youth Work Practice, focuses on reflective practice. It defines reflective practice within a youth work setting, exploring its principles and benefits. The assignment evaluates various approaches to reflective practice, including their strengths and weaknesses, and requires the creation of a personal development plan with SMART objectives, evaluated with a line manager. It also addresses monitoring outcomes, reviewing practice based on feedback, and supporting others in reflective practice to improve individual and collective performance. Furthermore, the assignment emphasizes the importance of staying updated with relevant policies and developments in the field, including online sources and other media, and how this continuous professional development impacts practice. The student reflects on their experiences, skills, and behaviors, identifying strengths and areas for improvement, and creating a plan to address their learning and support needs, highlighting the significance of communication and emotional intelligence in youth work.

Level 3 Certificate in Youth Work Practice
Unit 8
A/505/9238 – 2 Credits
Reflective Practice
Assessment Tasks
Learning Outcome 1 Understand the principles of reflective practice in youth work.
.
“22” L3 Unit 8 O16 Page ……

1.1 Define reflective practice within a youth work setting.
Reflective practice within a youth work setting is the practice where an individual youth
in a workshop is given a conducive environment by workshop supervisors to explore personal
issues, identify judgment and work towards developing self-awareness (Johnston 2017).
Therefore it’s the process by which an individual learns from personal experience which occurs
in three stages, that is personal experience review, analysis and formation of a new experience.
According to Kolb reflective practice model, reflective practice goers in a cycle which begins
with concrete experiences, reflective observation, abstract conceptualization and finally active
experimentation. Reflective practice is therefore crucial for youth workers as it presents them
with the opportunity to learn from their own experience, which in turn help void reoccurrence of
mistakes.
Assessed by Signature Date
1.2 Explain the benefits of reflection in developing youth work practice.
As already mentioned above, reflection at youth work practice enables individual learners
to identify various issues that are most likely to affect their career development. Reflection also
helps the youths to become self-aware of their competencies and areas which need improvement.
Reflection is also critical as it allows youths to identify as well as respond to the emotional
impact of various traumatic events at work (Fook 2015).
“22” L3 Unit 8 O16 Page ……

Assessed by Signature Date
1.3 Evaluate approaches to reflective practice and their potential strengths and
weaknesses.
4 lenses of critical reflection: this model was founded by D. Brookfield which stated that
reflection has four key perspectives which allow one to see a concept from various points of
view. These four perspectives include self-perspective, peers perspective, academic perspective,
and learner perspective (Knott and Scragg 2016).
Strengths: the key strength of this approach is that it can enable and individual to access
deep and inner thoughts.
Weaknesses: the weakness of this approach is that it focused on learners but not provide
room for adults such as teachers.
The approach of Max Van Manen: this type of reflection or approach provides for three
levels of reflection, which is an anticipatory reflection which talks of predetermined action,
interactive reflection which involves degree of removing oneself from the experience and finally
the third type three is recollected reflection which involves giving new insight on the past
experience.
Strengths: provides and individual with the opportunity to learn from past experience.
Weakness: this approach does not create room for adults’ involvement in the process.
Donald Alan Schön & Martin Rein's reflective approach: this framework focuses on
various problems that enable individuals to uncover and reframing their thoughts in an attempt to
develop a more significant rationale (Zwozdiak-Myers 2018).
“22” L3 Unit 8 O16 Page ……

Strengths: This model is one of the most abstract methods among other approaches.
Weakness; this approach is constructive and only focuses on weaknesses giving little
chances to reflect on a positive experience.
Kenneth M. Zeichner & Daniel Patrick Liston approach:
This approach is composed of dimensions and describes five dimensions which include;
rapid reflection, repair, review, research together with Retheorise and Research.
Strength: this approach offers a great depth of reflections as well as immediate instinctive
responses.
Weakness; the weakness of this approach is that it has several dimensions that only focus
only on the adults (Knott and Scragg 2016).
Work debriefs: these are meetings help by team members to reflect upon what they have
not done well and to come up with a course of action.
Strength: the key strength of debrief is that it is the most simple way in which team
members identify their own weakness correct them and identify opportunities
Weakness; debriefs are time consuming and in some occasions may lead to blames and
deteriorating morale within the team.
Meetings: meetings is another means use by youths in a youth work environment to
reflect on what the team has done in the past and what current as well as deduce a way forward.
Strength: work meetings present a team with the ability to focus on the future while
learning from the past as well as the current moments.
Weakness: work meetings eat up a lot of time which otherwise could have been invested
in production.
“22” L3 Unit 8 O16 Page ……

Assessed by Signature Date
Learning Outcome 2. Be able to undertake self-directed reflection on your own practice and
continuing professional development.
For criteria 2.3 and 2.4 refer to work experiences and could link to appraisals, supervisor/manager feedback
and CPD requirements. Produce a detailed and honest personal development plan.
2.1 Use regular reflection on your own experience, skills, and behavior.
One week reflection:
My experience at youth work:
This reflection is based on my experience at work during the workshop, I have realized
that I have moved several steps ahead with my career practices. I received a good comment from
my line manager and the headteacher at Swan who was too strict on behaviour and human right.
On third day of the week I was invited by the line manager who showed me my areas of
weakness and this changed my work life, I took this positively and I believe I improved a lot in
relation to my career. On the fourth day of the week I remember being invited by my boss at
Swan who provided me with positive feedback from boss. I can claim that based on what she
said, I have skills in handling children, identify their needs as well as comply with strict
organizational rules and codes of conduct.
Assessed by Signature Date
2.2 Evaluate own areas of strength and potential areas for development.
Based on personal evaluation, my areas of strengths leadership skill, ability to stand
according to what is right, I have clear understanding of my responsibilities as social worker,
“22” L3 Unit 8 O16 Page ……

vivid knowledge and understanding of my roles within the team, I am a team leaders and act
according to the guidelines as revealed by the management at Swan housing.
My areas of weaknesses include;
Communication and making of unjust decisions without considering the other party
perceived to have violated set policies and guidelines.
Assessed by Signature Date
2.3 Create a development plan with SMART objectives to address personal learning and
support needs.
1. Complete leadership training before the end of the workshop
2. Learn more about neutralism and openness at the workplace
3. Gain upward feedback before the end of the workshop in order to identify my
weak areas,
4. Improve my communication skills in order to be able to deliver effective care to
the community
5. Gain more information on how to become a more effective social worker meeting
the needs of the community and those who need help.
6. Improve on my emotions and try to become neutral and understand things from
bothering side of wrong and right
Assessed by Signature Date
“22” L3 Unit 8 O16 Page ……

2.4 Evaluate the development plan with the line manager.
A suitable development plan should be able to conform to five key factors or aspects such
as openness, neutralism, extraversion, agreeableness, conscientiousness, and other aspects. Based
on the evaluation of my personal development plan, it is notable that I have developed in four
key areas except neutralism. I therefore focus and try to become more neutral while handling
different situations.
Assessed by Signature Date
“22” L3 Unit 8 O16 Page ……

Learning Outcome 3. Be able to use reflection to develop own and others practice
3.1 Monitor outcomes of own work and others.
There is a need for each and every member to work on their communication needs, assess
their care provision abilities and ensure that they have clear and well-founded knowledge on
safeguarding measures.
Assessed by Signature Date
3.2 Review and revise practice based on feedback from others
Based on the reflective feedback of other students, I have realized that a social worker,
there is a need for me to improve on my communication skills. A social worker must be able to
act based on policies and well-set safeguarding measures in order to ensure care provision. Since
this one concern which every individual has found to be the key reason for them not achieving
their goals. I believe that will try and work more towards effective care provision needs.
Assessed by Signature Date
3.3 Apply the result of own reflection and development to own practice
“22” L3 Unit 8 O16 Page ……

Based on personal reflection regarding youth work development, I have come to a
realization that there is a need for me to work on my emotions and communication skills so that I
become more confident while interacting with clients.
Assessed by Signature Date
3.4 Support others in reflective practice and provide constructive feedback to them around
the delivery
By supporting others in refection practice, I asked them to reflect on various occasions
when they did not perform effectively in practices. As they reflected on their past experience
they were able to identify what actions they took that enable them to succeed as well as various
actions they took or they failed to undertake which made them not attain their set goals. The
majority of those involved were able to identify specific reasons which resulted in them not
attaining their desired outcome and thus decided to act on the identified areas.
Assessed by Signature Date
3.5 Demonstrate how reflection can improve own and others' practice.
A reflection is a unique form of the learning process which provides the possibility of
learning from experience. Reflection as a learning tool enables me to think about what I have
done right and wrong in my career practice and gives me a clear picture of how I could do things
differently. Similarly, believe that other people in the same practice as well as in other
“22” L3 Unit 8 O16 Page ……

professions. This is because reflection, as an academic practice, enables and individual to come
out of the normal loop and step into another loop which enables one to rethink and do things
differently in a new paradigm thus change in practice (Johnston 2017).
Assessed by Signature Date
“22” L3 Unit 8 O16 Page ……

Learning Outcome 4. Be able to keep up to date with policies and developments relevant to
working with young people
4.1 Evaluate relevant sources of information that can provide updates on an ongoing basis.
An online source has become the number one source of information in the world that
provides information that is up to date and on an ongoing basis (Horton-Deutsch & Sherwood,
2017). Various authors writing on various concepts and ideas online always try to keep their ideas
updated. For this reason, I believe that an online source is one source of information that provides
up to date information. Online source is in various types such as online newspapers, online books,
online memos among other sources. Therefore, with internet accessibility, an individual person is
able to get updated information regarding policy development relevant to working with young
people.
Apart from online sources, there are other sources such as:
Leaflets: these are print media which are used in organization on pass information:
Pros: leaflets captures a lot of information and are visually pleasing
They are easy to read and attract many readers more at work place.
Cons: they do not have long term impact and also in many cases may be considered as
important by people even at work place.
Paper books: contains more information on variety of information in various fields, paper
books are easier on the eyes and are also appealing to the youths.
Cons: is as much as paper books contain updated information, they contain lots of
information which require a lot of time.
“22” L3 Unit 8 O16 Page ……

Assessed by Signature Date
4.2 Explain the importance of keeping up to date with your own practice and how this
impacts on own practice.
Keeping up to date with a career can also be seen as continuing professional development.
The key importance of keeping up to date with own practices enables an individual to have
confidence in his or her or her career in the public. Keeping updated with own practices also
enable an individual to have advanced knowledge of the current technology. As an individual,
keeping updates in my career helps to develop confidence in my career and also I believe that I
equip me with the most current in my field thus am able to apply for job openings confidently.
Moreover, keeping update help youths gain the most current information which are
relevant to their career development. Is also necessary for the youths as it provides them with
intellectual growth, build their behaviours as well as get proper knowledge on issues affecting
them as youths. It also give youths a chance to learn new information regarding their future
careers, as well as help them make career choices based on the markets demands.
Assessed by Signature Date
Learning Outcomes have been signed off.
All additional evidence is seen and/ or
discussed.
Unit complete and Signed off …..
Assessed
by
Signature Date
“22” L3 Unit 8 O16 Page ……

References
Fook, J. 2015. Reflective practice and critical reflection. Handbook for practice learning in social
work and social care: Knowledge and theory, 3.
Horton-Deutsch, S., and Sherwood, G. D. 2017. Reflective practice: Transforming education and
improving outcomes (Vol. 2). Sigma Theta Tau.
Johnston, C., 2017. Reflective practice. Teaching Business & Economics, 21(1), 19-21.
Knott, C., and Scragg, T. (Eds.). 2016. Reflective practice in social work. Learning Matters.
“22” L3 Unit 8 O16 Page ……

Zwozdiak-Myers, P. 2018. The teacher's reflective practice handbook: Becoming an extended
professional through capturing evidence-informed practice. Routledge.
“22” L3 Unit 8 O16 Page ……