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The 5 Competencies (Leadership (Thursday 30th November. …
The 5 Competencies
Leadership
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Monday 4th December Today for the first time I had the opportunity to ask a parent a question which I came up with through reading the case file prior to the home visit. Her son was assessed at the age of 6 for ADHD and I thought it would be valuable to find out if he was on any medication for this and if so if he was taking it regularly as this could have been a factor in the sons absenteeism.
Wednesday 6th December Reached out to a school principal about attending an attendance award ceremony.
Thursday 7th December Today I worked alone from my own desk in the Brunel administration offices and was given time to work alone on the helpline which involved directing calls to the appropriate EWO.
Friday 8th December Today I received a phone call from a father who had been refused a school place for his daughter who would be entering junior infants next September. The reason which the school gave for this was that they had changed their enrolment policy and thus the child must be 4 years old in May of the coming academic year. I took it upon myself to take the man’s details and get back to him. I then went onto the school in questions website and sourced their enrolment policy. I found that it had not been updated and still stated that students had to be 4 years old in August of the coming academic year. Because of this, the father had grounds for an appeal. I followed up with him by emailing him the appeals procedure and an application form.
Monday 11th December Today I began working on the prevention work in regards to attendance which my supervisor and I have aimed to complete over the next couple of weeks. This involved creating a TUSLA certificate which will be presented to each student. I used an online system called Canva to do this. I believe this allowed me to develop my leadership skills as well as my creativity skills.
Tuesday 12th December Today, I contacted another primary school in an attempt to engage with some preventative measures in relation to attendance. I also sorted out the attendance certificates so they are ready to be dropped off to each individual school in time for next week.
Wednesday 13th December . Today I followed up on a message which had been left for one of the EWO’s in the office regarding school attendance awards. I offered to provide the school with a certificate similar to the ones which I had developed for the prevention task.
Communication
Thursday 30th November Communicating with the team as well as callers. The importance of communication within the entire organisation.
Friday 1st December Spoke to a parent on the phone who was concerned about their child’s attendance.
Monday 4th December I contacted an education welfare service in Bristol in relation to a case of a child to has recently moved to Dublin and informed her that we had visited the address she provided us with.
Wednesday 6th December Kept in contact with SWO about attending a court case in the afternoon and met with him, the EWO and the solicitor beforehand.
Thursday 7th December Today I was set up with my own TUSLA email address which will make communicating with colleagues and clients a lot easier throughout my time on placement.
Friday 8th December Today I communicated with parents and teachers through the telephone as well as email. I was able to answer their queries and those which I couldn’t answer, I forwarded on to the appropriate person. I think this is important as it is better to put them in touch with the right person rather than give them false information.
Monday 11th December This morning I met with my work placement mentor and had the opportunity to reflect upon my experience so far and try to communicate this to him. The meeting took place in the board room which was booked beforehand. I also had a meeting with my supervisor to reflect on how last week went and to discuss what I will be doing in the next couple of weeks.
Tuesday 12th December I communicated over the phone with the deputy principal of a school in relation to school attendance and the preventative piece. I arranged to call her again on Friday to confirm the amount of certificates which are needed for her school.
Teamwork
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Monday 4th December I worked closely with an EWO for the entire day and we discussed cases throughout.
Thursday 7th December This morning I had a number of meetings with different departments in TUSLA. I spoke to them about their individual departments which included the Domestic Violence unit and the Early Years Inspectorate. Not only did this display my own ability to learn as part of a team, but it also highlighted the team work ethic within the organisation itself. For example, the education welfare department might get a referral in where they are worried for the child’s safety and thus, they will link in with the child protection department.
Friday 8th December Today I helped the staff officer with a task. It involved uploading data onto the computer. I think this shows teamwork because it involved taking some pressure off another staff member.
Monday 11th December Together myself and the EWO attempt to review how the internship is going and decide what I may need to be engaging with in the coming weeks to ensure the best outcome for myself as well as the internship provider.
Tuesday 12th December, The office is taking part in a Christmas door competition. This involves decorating the office door for Christmas and the money goes to charity. I helped the Tallaght team to brainstorm ideas for this as well as helping to make the decorations. Although this wasn’t a very formal task, it displayed my ability to work as a team.
Wednesday 13th December Today during the meeting with the HSC officer, I gained insight on how strong the teamwork ethic is amongst the education community in Tallaght. The EW team were offering as much support to the HSC officer as she is new to the post and trying to put her in contact with other HSC’s in the area. Amanda, another EWO in the office, also went through 2 of her cases with me which are expulsion cases. This was my first encounter of an expulsion case and the role which the EWO plays in such cases.
Applied Knowledge
Thursday 30th November Special educational needs case and their right to equal education EPSEN 2004.
Friday 1st December Beginning to apply knowledge which I have gained since starting internship to the new cases which I encounter daily. Eg. Knowledge of suspension procedure and appeals.
Monday 4th December By addressing the fact that the child mentioned previously was assessed for ADHD and applying the knowledge which I gained during the Education Studies course that often children with ADHD can be prescribed Ritalin, I was using applied knowledge as a competency.
Wednesday 6th December Whilst listening to the court hearing, I was able to apply the knowledge which I have gained so far in placement to shape my opinion on whether the defendant should be found guilty or not guilty. For example, my new found knowledge of the Education (Welfare) Act 2000 contributed to my opinion that the mother did not carry out her statutory responsibility in ensuring her son attended a recognised school on a regular basis.
Thursday 7th December In discussion with the Early Years inspectorate, I was able to apply some knowledge which I gained on placement last year, when I worked in a day nursery for two weeks. I had knowledge of the staff’s responsibility to log certain incidents which occur and their obligation to provide a safe environment for the children.
Friday 8th December. When dealing with queries on the phone, I was able to apply the knowledge that I have learned so far on placement to help provide a solution. For example, my knowledge of section 29 appeals was applied to the case mentioned above and thus I was able to recognise that the father was entitled to appeal the school’s decision
Tuesday 12th December In preparing for the preventative task, I was able to apply knowledge which I previously gained throughout the education studies course. I understand that by presenting a child with a certificate for his/her good attendance, it can be considered an incentive for future attendance. It will also encourage those children who did not have good attendance to be intrinsically motivated for next term.
Wednesday 13th December I was able to apply my knowledge which I have gained so far to understand the purpose of the meeting with the HSC and the importance of the EWO’s building a relationship with her. Through the cases which I have encountered so far, I understand that in DEIS schools, the home school community liaison usually plays a big part in particular children’s attendance prior, during and after the referral process.
Problem Solving
Thursday 30th November - Dealing with queries over the phone. Working out what to use my time for in-between phone calls.
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Monday 4th December Through our conversations, myself and the EWO were working together to help solve problems. For example, the child who was referred to us from Bristol, we were trying to understand the family dynamics having called to the house and to work out if we had the correct address.
Wednesday 6th December My problem solving skills were thoroughly tested throughout the court hearing to try and consider all information and evidence and consider what may be the best conclusion for the child.
Thursday 7th December Today I received an email from a school completion officer who I was in touch with on Tuesday. I gave her a quick phone call on Tuesday to ask if there are any upcoming attendance award ceremonies in the schools which she is associated with and if so, could I attend and present some TUSLA attendance certificates. She got back to me today to let me know that she would need a large number of certificates and it was up to me to source these within the corporate offices.
Friday 8th December Whilst working on the helpline, it is necessary to use problem solving skills quickly and precisely. Sometimes this means taking the callers contact information to examine the problem more closely before providing a solution.
Tuesday 12th December I was faced with a problem in relation to the high numbers of perfect attenders versus the amount of certificates that we have. Therefore I had to create my own generic certificate.