“This is the case study of Lizzie Berry, student on the BA (Hons) Social Work course.


Where was your placement (including specific department)?

Writtlewick Family Centre, Chelmsford

What did you like?

I really liked that the team was made up of different professionals, not just social workers and that they each had different specialist areas. For example, one had a lot of experience of working with victims of domestic violence, another with sexual abuse. Everyone was very willing to talk to me about the work that they did and about applying theory to practice with regards to specific cases.

I also enjoyed being able to go out on visits. This meant that I was able to observe the relationship between the social worker and the service users and to better understand that there can be difficulties with the power in balance. It was very interesting to see how the social worker changed her style of working depending on the service user and situation. This is something that I don't feel I could have learnt as well in the classroom.

Relationship with mentor?

My mentor was incredibly supportive and made sure that she was always available. She made me feel very welcome at the agency and tried to include me in every activity so that I wasn't just observing but was participating as much as possible. She provided me with a debrief after each visit so that we could discuss the theories she had applied and also any questions that I had. I found that this support meant that some of the more challenging cases did not upset me as I was able to discuss my feelings about them openly.

My mentor runs a Women's Group at the centre lasting six weeks at a time and was happy for me to return to the centre after my placement had ended so that I could observe the group. This gave me a better understanding of group dynamics related to the group work theories I had studied the previous semester. The group was a lot of fun, and although there was the underlying message of child protection it was also general supportive discussions for the women attending. This meant that we did have quite a giggle at time, especially during the final session which was about pampering and taking time out for themselves. I was able to run an activity in this last session which I really enjoyed.

Relationship(s) with patients/clients?

I came into contact with a lot of different service users; the children attending the centre for one to one support work, parents attending for assessments under court order, parents receiving support to enable them to help their children, teenagers who attend the Teenage Group and mothers at the Women's Group who had all been victims of domestic and/or sexual abuse. I found that with the support of staff I was able to build relationships with the service users, although my contact was limited as this was an observational placement.

I had the chance to build relationships with the women attending the Women's Group and I found it very rewarding when they were able to open up and speak to me about any difficulties they were having or when they asked for my help with activities during the sessions.

Did it change you ideas of what you'd like to specialise in in the future?

I had always thought that I wanted to work within the area of mental health and that I would not want to work with children at all. I have now changed my mind! I loved my placement and working with the children. At times it was challenging as I have not had direct contact with children in those situations before but with the support from the staff I was able to build relationships with them. It was also a lot of fun to play games and colour in with them!

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