
Critical reflection and Analysis
Apply critical reflection and analysis to inform and provide a rationale for professional decision-making.
Social workers are knowledgeable about and apply the principles of critical thinking and reasoned discernment. They identify, distinguish, evaluate and integrate multiple sources of knowledge and evidence. These include practice evidence, their own practice experience, service user and carer experience, together with research-based, organisational, policy and legal knowledge. They use critical thinking augmented by creativity and curiosity.
Practitioners at this level should:
- Model critical reflection and evidence-based decision-making, and support others in developing these.
- Provide professional opinion, giving the rationale and knowledge-base.
Evidencing your capabilities:
At the Experienced Social Worker level, you need to show that you can model good critically reflective practice and justify your decision-making by referencing all of the evidence in a case. Remember, it is easy to refer to evidence in cases, but it is more difficult to account for all of the evidence when coming to a conclusion.
Your case notes, assessments, supervision records, analysis of complaints or investigations may well contain evidence of your critical reflection and analysis. Records which include evidence of how you have come to a professional decision are likely to provide a rich source. You can also provide examples of how you have supported others in reflecting and learning.