Service User Perspectives: How well do you think social workers listen?
Learning Objectives
After considering this resource, you should be more aware of what makes a good listener and how you might achieve this in practice.
As Lishman (2009, p.90) notes: ' In order to understand users of services and their needs, requirements and problems, we must be able to...listen to them.'
In the following video, service users share their own views and experiences of how well social workers listen in practice, and offer their thoughts on how you might achieve effective listening.
Reflective Questions
- What makes a good listener?
- How might your assumptions prevent you listening effectively? How might you manage these assumptions so they do not hinder your listening?
- What different communication skills can you use to ensure you have understood what the service user has been talking to you about?
- How does effective listening encapsulate the professional value base?
Reference:
J Lishman (2009) Communication in Social Work, 2nd edition. Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan.