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Mar 11, 2004
HIV Basic Awareness Course
WEDNESDAY 10TH MARCH
I have once again been on a really interesting course of basic awareness of HIV. I want to share some of the points that was brought up on the course, some facts I wasn't aware of:
National Perspectives:
There are over 20,000 people known to be living with HIV in the UK.
50 people test HIV positive every week in this country.
Over 43,000 people have tested HIV positive since records began in the early 80's
Two thirds of these are gay men.
Discrimination on the grounds of HIV is still legal.
HIV stands for: HUMAN IMMUNODEFICIENCY VIRUS
AIDS stands for: ACQUIRED IMMUNE DEFICIENCY SYNDROME
TRANSMISSION OF HIV
HIV FOUND IN HOW
BLOOD TRANSFUSIONS,SHARING NEEDLES
MOTHER TO UNBORNCHILD,
VAGINAL FLUID UNPROTECTED INTERCOURSE
SEMEN UNPROTECTED INTERCOURSE
BREAST MILK DURING BREAST FEEDING
SALIVA NO
SKIN NO
TEARS NO
URINE NO
FAECES NO
PUS, SNOT NO
WEBSITES
HEALTH DEVELOPMENT AGENCY INCLUDES NATIONAL HIV PREVENTION INFORMATION SERVICE
www.hda-online.org.uk
NATIONAL AIDS MANUAL
www.aidsmap.com
AEGIS- WORLDS LARGEST AND MOST COMPREHENSIVE SITE
www.aegis.com
NATIONAL AIDS TRUST
http://www.nat.org.uk
TERRENCE HIGGINS TRUST
http://www.tht.org.uk
AIDS CARE AND TRAINING
http://www.acetuk.org
HIV IS A VIRUS THAT CAUSES THE INCURABLE AND LIFE THREATENING MEDICAL CONDITION CALLED AIDS.
HIV CANNOT BE TRANSMITTED BY:
KISSING
TOUCHING
HOLDING HANDS
SHARING EATING UTENSILS
TOILET SEATS
SWIMMING POOLS
INSECT OR ANIMAL BITES
THE WORLD PICTURE:
THERE ARE 40 MILLION PEOPLE LIVING WITH HIV/AIDS WORLDWIDE
12 MILLION ORPHANS AS A DIRECT RESULT OF HIV/AIDS
A THIRD OF TODAY'S 15YR OLDS WILL DIE IN THOSE COUNTRIES HARDEST HIT BY AIDS
IN 2001, THE UK SAW THE LARGEST NUMBER OF PEOPLE DIAGNOSED WITH HIV EVER RECORDED
Posted at 03:11 pm by joannestubbs
Feb 28, 2004
A week in the thick of it!
Came back after having half term off with the children which was nice. All in all it has been quite a hard going week:
Monday:
Had a home visit to a family really struggling in every area. They are going to be evicted in 2 weeks and we have tried to get Shelter involved as they know exactly mum's rights etc. They have to be contacted by mum (their policy) so had given mum all the details of that to ring the week before I was off- she hadn't done it. Stressed the importance of doing this she also hadn't put herself down on the housing list (again something she has to do) as she said there is no point. I told her that it is essential that she does this as it looks like she is trying to solve difficulties. Mum said she had had problems with S over the holidays- she was going to swap her car for a playstation for him. When she realised was she had agreed to and changed her mind S kicked off big time. I talked to her about that being an outrageous demand for him to make. (already got into debt over christmas to buy them presents) Mum feels guilty on her children about the time she spent away from them in prison. Agreed on what E needed for the trip next week and said I would go and get these items for her. Mum agreed to call me when she had made contact with Shelter.
Got back to the office to see N there. She had been taken into care the previous week. Unfortunately both myself and her social worker were off so there didn't seem to be any effort made to keep her at home. She had a big argument with mum over her staying out. N didn't want to talk about it so agreed to see her on Wednesday at the after school club.
Took W to Sports activity- she was really enjoying the activity today. On the way back we talked about her changing placement on Wednesday. W wants to stay where she is. She has got on better with this foster family than the previous one (where she has to go back to) I told her that was something that she must discuss with her social worker. This caused more difficulties as she has just had a new social worker and she doesn't like her. Talked to W about giving her a chance listen to her and don't make any rash judgements. W agreed to do this. I said I would talk to her SW about moving to her other foster placement.
Tuesday:
Picked J up to take him into school for his 2 hr session. I know myself and his other keyworker are feeling uneasy at this set up. He is sat in a corridor not allowed any contact with other children, if he has a break it can't be when the school children have theirs. The work is delivered by myself and he has no imput from anyone in education whatsoever. He needs alot of support as he has been out of school for 2 years. His other keyworker who takes him on a Wednesday is struggling as he has never worked in a school environment before let alone delivered Numeracy and Literacy. After 20mins J said he had had enough and was off I managed to keep him for just over another hour and then we finished. We might aswell sit this child in the bus station and do his work with him as at the moment he's not being integrated back into school at all! Dropped J off at the YOT (youth offending team ) for his meeting with his YOT worker.
Wednesday:
Picked L up at home to do another life skill with him. He has now been given a leaving care worker which is good so we can introduce him into the equation. L was fine we walked down to the railway station and he was able to read the timetable and ask for the tickets. We caught the train and L agreed to read a newspaper on the way (still won't agree to reading a book from the library!) It was a really nice morning- I felt the activity went well.
In the afternoon I went to see N about what had happened the previous week. N said that she was never going home and filled me in on the details of what had gone on the previous week. She had had a really good weekend at the foster placement and felt settled. We talked a bit about the meeting tomorrow to determine if she was to go home. N said she wasn't and I talked to her that she might not get the final say, all at the meeting will spek and in the end the person chairing the meeting will decide with permission of the parents what is best for N. I said N would be able to speak her feelings and wishes aswell which she needed to do in a calm manner if possible. N agreed she would try.
Thursday:
Family meeting for N. Went and picked mum up to get to the meeting. She told me that dad had left again and didn't want anything to do with N- this was causing problems between N and mum.
When we got there N and mum didn't speak or make eye contact with each other. The meeting was very tense and both mum and N left the room several times due to being upset and angry. N choice of words to mum weren't always a good choice, but she did put her feelings across. mum stayed calm and listened too. N made some allegations that needed to be looked into and this meant that at this time she wouldn't be going home. Mum agreed that at this time N should stay in foster care. After the meeting N asked if I would give her a ring at school on Monday as I won't be seeing her until Wednesday. I said that was fine and said how well she had done in the meeting putting her point across.
Friday:
First thing in the office there was a phone call to say that one of our care leavers (16 and 35wks pregnant) had gone into labour last night and had a still birth. She had then discharged herself and gone back to her flat and wouldn't see any family members. Talked to some family who were obviously upset and had concerns that she would harm herself as this had been an issue before. J eventually agreed to see her keyworker and was ok. She agreed to go and stay at a family member while arrangements were made with the baby etc.
We also received a letter from W school to say that she had been excluded for a week. School were very cagey as to the details of the exclusion. Went out to see W. She alleged that a teacher had assaulted her on Thursday to which there were witnesses. W then today while walking past him gave a barrage of verbal abuse (something she agreed she shouldn't of done) which lead to her exclusion. I said I would have to pass on the details of the assault onto the team manager to be investigated further. We have a review meeting for W on Monday and I talked to her about staying calm and having her say in it. If she needs time out that's fine aswell. W seemed ok when I dropped her off at her mates house.
Conclusion:
I have found this week really interesting. It has meant dealing with difficult sensitive issues at time but every day is so different from the last and throughout the day it can change with emergencies that happen.
Posted at 02:27 am by joannestubbs
Feb 23, 2004
Monday 23rd February
Back at work after having last week off with it being half term. Had a home visit first of all which went ok. Mum's partner wasn't there so the whole atmosphere was different. We discussed the child's school visit next week and what items off the list she didn't have. I will go and get them tomorrow. Problems with the electric still~ will call out an engineer to see it and she has still not got any reply from shelter and she is due to be evicted in 2 weeks~ will chase that up aswell.
Felt a bit deflated when I heard that one of my young people was taken into care and excluded from school last week. We had worked hard over the last 6 weeks or so to keep her at home. He brother put himself into care before christmas and we didn't want her doing the same thing. Had a chat with her but she wasn't in the mood to give me all the details of what went on so I didn't push it for now. I will have a chat with her social worker tomorrow to see where we take it from here.
A good session with W today she is really settled in her current placement and keeping out of trouble at school which is good. We are going to start looking at a part time job for her to build up her self esteem again. Posted at 12:18 pm by joannestubbs
Feb 8, 2004
In my role I am due to attend a family group meeting for a case I have I have put some pointers down as to what this meeting actually is as it's new to me aswell.
Family Group Meetings are very effective in helping families to solve their own problems.
What is a family group meeting?
It can be called when there are difficulties or concerns about a child. They can be used in all areas of welfare:
- Looked after children
- Child protection
- Children with disabilites
- Domestic violence
- Family breakdown
- Contact
- Parental difficulties such as mental healthproblems, alcohol or drug misuse.
The aim is to help the family come up with their own solutions to a problem. It is a decision making meeting to help families discuss concerns and look for solutions. A meeting cannot take place if the child and parent don not agree to it.
What happens if a family group meeting is requested.
A refferal has to be made for a child living in this area. Once accepted a co-ordinator is appointed. This person works for an independant voluntary organisation and will meet with the child and their parents to decide who should attend the meeting. Anyone significant to the child can attend not just family members.
What happens in the meeting?
It takes place in three parts:
- Information giving~ family and professionals meet and share responsibilites and roles related to the child. Professionals need to explain what will happen if the family do not come up with a plan.
- Private family time~ co-ordinator and professionals leave the family to discuss problems and to come up with a plan. This time is confidential for the family.
- Agreeing the plan~the family present the plan and say what support they need from the professionals. they agree resources and agree the plan unless it puts the child at significant risk or it's against the law. The co-ordinator then agrees a time of review for all involved.
Posted at 10:17 am by joannestubbs
Feb 5, 2004
05/02/04
My thoughts on two visits to children I have made today:
Child R~ long history of abuse from father, step father and brother. Always having to protect mum from abuse. Raped last year ~ he is now serving 7 years. She is 15yrs old.
Not in school. Can be verbally and physically abusive herself. Does lash out at mum. Wants to get an education~ possiblities of doing GCSE's at college.
My feelings~ She has such a determination to succeed in life. Comes across as a confident person but constantly seeks reassurance and praise that she is doing the right thing. She hasn't verbally or physically attacked her mum since I saw her last week. Gave her plenty of positive praise~ looked at straegies for her to use to deal with her anger. I'm surprised that she doesn't lash out even more than she does.
Child E~ 13yrs old sexually abused by step father, told a teacher at school and she was put into emergency care straight away. Mum has sided with step father who denies the allegation. E isn't allowed any contact with her other siblings and only has supervised contact with mum once a week. She is also not allowed in her own town as her family said it is too stressful for them if they have to see her.
My feelings~ She is so confused over what she wants to happen. Misses her sisters so much that she wants to go home. No charges are being brought against step father. I think she is so desperate to have contact with sisters that she is willing to risk going home and it happening again to see them.
Even though she has said she wants to go home she is still saying she won't retract the allegations because it's the truth.
She is a very quiet person scared to make descions but I think inside she is so strong. I made it very clear to her today that she isn't to blame for any of this she's not at fault.
Although these are challenging cases I am really enjoying working with these remarkable young people.
Posted at 02:23 pm by joannestubbs
Jan 24, 2004
My thoughts on learning journals
I have to say I do have mixed opinions on learning journals...
A Learning Journal is a vehicle for reflection … an accumulation of material that is mainly based on the writer’s reflection. It is written over time, not ‘in one go’” (Moon, 1999, p. 4).
Share a contribution with your group on the value/usage of your own journal so far.
Last term I really didn't use a learning journal that much. I can honestly say it wasn't that useful to my work. I'm not sure if that's a good or a bad thing. I did a basic diary style journal and didn't record information daily. This term I am going to try and have two journals. The first one is a still a basic diary style format as before where I plan to record information that cannot be looked at other than facilitators ( that sounds very cloak and dagger doesn't it) and the other form is this blog where i'm going to record more general information that doesn't have to be covered by confidentiality and data protection. I do hope to be more successful with the journal this time.
Can you think of any other benefits of reflecting in a learning journal?
AND/OR
If you have or have not gained these benefits from your own learning journal consider why that is the case.
Share your thoughts with your learning group.
I think as I look more in depth at reflecting events it will be a good point of reference to look back over. I don't think I did any reflection in my journal last term and I possibly think that's why it wasn't a benefit to me.
Think about your own learning journal. How do these ideas about learning journals fit what you have been recording or what you intend to record? Maybe make a note in your journal.
Last term I didn't really know what to record! I feel now I have a better understanding of what's important information that might be needed. I want a more active journal this time not something that I feel has to be done because we've been told to keep one. A learning journal that works alongside the activites backing up evidence!
Lets see how this one goes....
Posted at 09:47 am by joannestubbs
Jan 21, 2004
Domestic Violence workshop
Definition of domestic abuse
Domestic: refers to violence occuring within the context of marraige or cohabitation between hetrosexual partners,between siblings,between parent and child and in gay and lesbian relationships. It can also be used to cover pre-domestic relationships-where couples are dating for example and post domestic relationships where ex partners are no longer living together
Violence: includes physical,mental and sexual abuse or assault.This may range from physical and sexual violence and a range of abusive behaviour including social isolation, imprisonment in the home, deprivation of money or food and abusing or threatening to abuse children. In some cases domestic violence intensifies during pregnancy and is directed at the foetus as well as the mother. There is no significant difference between social classes in experience of violence.
EVERY MINUTE IN THE UK POLICE RECIEVE A CALL TO A VICTIM OF DOMESTIC VIOLENCE
DOMESTIC VIOLENCE IS 23% OF ALL VIOLENT CRIME
1 IN 4 WOMEN EXPERIENCE DOMESTIC VIOLENCE OR ABUSE
1 WOMAN IS KILLED EVERY 3 DAYS BY HER PARTNER OR EX PARTNER
IN 3 OF 5 CASES OF CHILD ABUSE THE MOTHER WAS ALREADY BEING ABUSED
These are all facts I have been given today on a domestic voilence awareness course. It was a scary realityof what happens behind closed doors.
There were many agencies represented today discussing what their involvement with domestic violence was.
The police, social services, woman's aid, woman's refuge, education, probation, health and outreach workers all spoke about their own involvement with this.
We looked at the myths that surrounded reasons for abuse:
Myth: It's only drunks who beat their wives
Fact: Domestic abuse cannot be blamed on alcohol
Myth:It can't be that bad or she'll leave
Fact: Women stay in violent homes for reasons ranging from love to terror
Myth: Violent men just can't control themselves
Fact: Most violent men are able to control themselves not to abuse in public
We also looked at the effect and impact of domestic violence on children
children living with domestic violence grow up with fear, tension,intimidation and confusion. Low self esteem, lack of security, and a sense of responsibility for their parents suffering
children may also be abused
children may become agressive or disruptive, passive withdrawn and depressed.
Useful websites:
http://www.domesticviolence.org.uk
http://www.womansaid.org.uk
http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/violenceagainstwomen/
http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/domesticviolence/brief.htm/
http://www.cabinet-office.gov.uk/womens-unit/1999/
http://www.doh.gov.uk/
http://www.survivorsuk.org.uk
http://legaladviceservices.gov.uk
Posted at 01:09 pm by joannestubbs
Jan 18, 2004
Websites I found useful re reflective learning
Posted at 08:32 am by joannestubbs
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Learning styles has its roots in the field of education. However, how you learn new things is the same whether you're in the classroom, workroom, or boardroom. Understanding how people naturally learn, provides you with an opportunity to nurture their growth and help them create a solid foundation for the future.
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Dr. David Kolb, in his book Experiential Learning . . . Experience as the Source of Learning and Development, states that there are two factors that make up our learning experience. One is identified as perceiving and the other is processing. These are two continuums that have distinct attributes at each of the poles.
The perceiving (vertical) continuum relates to how one takes in or absorbs the information in the world around us. It ranges from Concrete Experience at the top to Abstract Conceptualization at the bottom. The processing (horizontal) continuum relates to how we attempt to understand the information we have taken in or absorbed from our world. It ranges from Reflective Observation on the right side to Active Experimentation on the left side.
When you complete the Learning Styles Inventory® that David Kolb created, you receive four scores. One for CE, RO, AC, and AE. The combinations of these four scores reflects your personal learning profile. Following is a short description of how I've interpreted the model.
Concrete Experience or CE relates to your strength of preference for learning things that have personal meaning in your life today. That is, you like to learn things that are useable in your current situation. If you have a high number for CE, it is really important that the teacher helps you answer the question, "Why do I need to know this?" We all use Concrete Experience.
Reflective Observation or RO relates to your strength of preference for wanting some time to reflect and think about the things you are learning. It may be important to watch others learn while you are learning. If you have a high number for RO, you may want plenty of time to plan things out and to make sure that you have it correct. We all use Reflective Observation.
Abstract Conceptualization or AC relates to your strength of preference for learning lots of facts and figures. You like to learn lots of new concepts and information on any topic. If you have a high number for AC, you probably enjoy the traditional classroom environment where the teacher delivers the information and you complete the homework. We all use AC.
Active Experimentation or AE relates to your strength of preference for applying and practicing with what you have learned. You enjoy hands-on activities and field trips. If you have a high number for AE, you probably really enjoy conducting experiments to see what will happen and know that trial and error is part of the learning process. We all use AE.
Your profile on the Learning Style Inventory® will give you an indication as to your best part in the learning cycle. A discussion of some of the common profiles follows. Remember, you are all four styles and you operate in all four stages. However, you probably have a stage that you do very well while learning and a stage that you struggle more in. We need to learn to take advantage of the things we do well in and increase our abilities in the areas of concern.
"Read On" |
Ilooked through this page and made some initial notes on my first thoughts of these concepts.
Concrete experience: an everyday occureness many time done without thinking-looking at background information to help understand the need.
Reflective observation: Not always able to reflect back whilst the learning is taking place- but do reflect over direct work afterwards.
Abstract conceptualization: unsure about this- sure it's done certainly have to learn new concepts but not sure if it's understandable.
Active experimentation:my role really relates to this it's direct work in the community un-predictable sometimes without boundaries would like to develop it further.
I want to look further into these points and compare with others as to how it relates to direct work. Posted at 04:23 am by joannestubbs
15/01/04
Have been looking differently during the course of the day today what might be useful as a critical event to reflect on. Good issue with child E develop their awarness of the situation in detail (re- fantasy holiday) will go into more detail in my learning journal
Posted at 04:22 am by joannestubbs
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