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Practical Skills 1: Forget the Manual, but not the Commandments

© Budge Burgess

Trying to put together a 'manual' of practical skills here is a pointless task: a manual has to be available, complete and immediately accessible - there's no point having to wait months hoping a relevant chapter will appear when you need help and advice NOW!

Social work in general, and residential work in particular, does not lend itself to the use of a manual. Social workers deal with unique individuals in unique situations - it's not a case of systematically checking the plugs or the fusebox or the oil.

There are very few occasions when you have the luxury of putting things on hold while you go find a suitable solution or get a second opinion. If things go wrong, they go wrong NOW! You have to deal with them as best you can and hope - afterwards - that you did the right thing.

There is, nevertheless, one core practical skill which should underpin all residential work. A reminder of its nature must be written on the front page of your own mental manual.

The First Commandment of Residential Work: "All work shall have a positive purpose!"

Your objective is to bring about positive change in the life or to the life of the person with whom you are working. You must constantly ask yourself if what you are doing - NOW - actually has that goal in mind. It's easy to drift, to fall into comfortable routines, so learn to question what you do. Ask yourself, "Can I justify my current actions? Do they have a positive objective?"

Which, of course, raises questions about the second and third essential laws of residential work.

The Second Commandment of Residential Work: "Thou shalt be creative!"

By its nature, the dynamic force in any form of residential work is creativity. Because you deal with unique individuals in unique situations, you can't refer to a manual for guidance. You may have experienced similar situations and problems before, and have the luxury of a repertoire of skills and ideas which have worked in the past, but that is no absolute guarantee they will work next time with this person or group.

Don't get sucked into the trap of doing things simply because they've worked in the past, or because that is how everybody else has always done things. Remember to think positive, to follow the First Commandment and pursue purposeful actions.

Be prepared to create, to take a different perspective, to find new responses and solutions. And there is one ready guide to help you in this.