Effective Communication – Level 7
Developing basic communication skills and awareness of particular aspects of communication with children.
Skills at this level may well be taught within a generic context. However there should be some exploration of age groups and acknowledgement that different skills are required to communicate with children. As Anne Graffam Walker notes "The bottom line in communicating accurately with children is that adults must realise that they and children do not speak the same language" (Forensic Linguist, taken from conference material, Dundee University, 2005).
At this stage students need to receive input and demonstrate some skills in:
- Active Listening
- The ability to record and summarise information clearly.
- The importance of different forms of communication (verbal/non verbal) to their practice.
Students need to understand the importance of engaging with people, and forming and maintaining working relationships based on honesty and partnership. The ability to convey information effectively is noted in the SSSC Codes of Practice (2003, 2.2) which states that social workers should communicate in an "appropriate, open, accurate and straightforward way".