Reflection On Intensive Foster Care

Description of Supervision During the spring 2017 academic semester, I was given the opportunity to intern at the Department of Social Services (DSS) in the Intensive Foster Care Child Services (IFCCS) department. This department is responsible for assisting youth, ages 13 to 21, with preparing for the transitions out of foster care by providing them with independent living resources. These resources are aimed to help the youths mature into young adulthood, so they will be successful in managing the responsibilities that associate with school, work, and bills. In other words, the goal of this department is to help their youth clients develop independent living skills so they are prepared to achieve their goals in areas of education, jobs,

First, I recognized that I am a visual learner. This is that many times I would observe the actions and behaviors Vanessa would illustrate during home visits and would attempt to conduct my interactions with the clients and their foster families in the same manner. As a visual learner, I often found myself visualizing things that I either read or was told during my times working in the office. This was so I could see myself in different situations and form a visual idea of how I would need to react in different situations so that I remain professional and conduct myself accordingly. I also learned that visual learning helped me to stay organized with office tasks. This was important when creating and filing client information because it was important for the department to have this information ready to upon request when workers are to report to court hearing and Foster Care Review Board meetings etc. Lastly, because I recognized I am a visual learner, I was able to strengthen my rapport building skills with clients. Observing the behaviors of clients in their foster home environments helped me understand the relationships between the clients and their foster parents. I could develop many assumptions as to why client either enjoyed or did not enjoy their living environments based upon how they would present themselves when around their foster families. After developing these assumptions, I discussed them with my supervisor so that we could make wise decisions when developing the next stage in intervention for the clients. As a visual learner, I learned that being observations play a key role in delivering professional quality social work