Reflect on own contribution to supporting an individual to participate in an activity

Reflective practice is an important aspect of being a good care worker and your own Continuing Professional Development (CPD).

It involves thinking back on situations you have experienced in the workplace, looking at what you did in that situation and assessing if there was anything you could have done better. This can help you to be better prepared if a similar situation should arise in the future.

To reflect on your own contribution to supporting an individual to participate in an activity, set aside five or ten minutes and think about a recent activity that you have supported an individual to attend. Think about the things you did or how you handled unexpected situations and assess what you did well and what you could have done better.

For example, maybe you took an individual to the local swimming baths and as you were getting dry, you turned your back to get something out your bag and the individual wandered out of the changing rooms. You feel that you handled the situation well because you quickly located them and directed them back to the changing rooms in a caring and composed manner but you also feel that if you had used a cubicle instead of the general changing area, this wouldn’t have happened as it would have been more difficult for the individual to leave. By reflecting on the situation, you have identified an improvement to your practice by ensuring all carers use a cubicle when getting changed going forward.

Or maybe you helped an individual get ready for their dance class and took them to the venue only to find out that the class wasn’t on because it was a bank holiday. This caused disappointment and upset to the individual but you avoided an adverse behaviour by suggesting that you go to their favourite restaurant instead. Your reflection on this situation reveals that you managed the individual’s disappointment really well but it could have been avoided if you hadn’t have gone to the activity at all. You make a mental note to ensure all bank holidays are written down in future to avoid the same thing happening again.