Professional and Service-User Group Relations

Part 1: Individual Film Presentation

1) Demonstrate an understanding of the emergence and development of a professional/occupational group and its main changes and achievements in terms of policy, professional status, power, education and influence.

2) Analyse the relationship between a professional/occupational group and a service-user group with a protected characteristic (age, sex, sexual orientation, religion and belief, race and ethnicity, gender reassignment, marriage and partnership, disability, pregnancy and maternity).

Assignment 2 is divided into 2 parts:

Part 1) Groups up to 5 students will show how a service-user group with a protected characteristic has its needs responded to by different human-service professions/occupations (1 service-user group per group and 1 different human-service profession per student). Each student will choose a different human-service profession and will produce an individual film presentation.

In planning and organising your individual film presentation, each of you is required to do the following:

(a)outline the needs of a service-user group with a protected characteristic; According to the Equality Act 2010, there are 9 protected characteristics: age, sex, disability, religion or belief, gender reassignment, sexual orientation, race (colour, nationality, ethnic origin), pregnancy and maternity, marriage and civil partnership.

(b)analyse the relationship between a professional/occupational group and a service-user group with a protected characteristic;

(c)account for the role and main duties, responsibilities and tasks of the profession/occupation you have chosen, and the difficulties/frustrations and the eases/joys it has encountered, in developing a response to those needs - answer the following questions:

Has the service-user group selected increased over time? If yes, why?

How do the needs of a service-user group with a protected characteristic are met by a team of different professionals?

What are the main duties/responsibilities of the professionals involved?

What have the main challenges in dealing with this service-user group been?

To what extent has the service-user group selected been discriminated?

What arrangements would you have for improving equality and diversity?

(d)An analysis of relevant policy and legislation of your service-user group with a protected characteristic, assessing whether they are meeting the needs of your chosen service-user group. A place to start your search would be the Department of Health (https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/department-of-health) and for policies prior to 2014

(e)finally, you also need to provide at least one recommendation as to how the professional role performed by each of you could further be developed in relation to your service-user group.

Part 2) Students will write a 500-word Individual Reflective Commentary providing an analysis of the strengths and limitations of their performance in the individual film presentation. You should reflect on:

Part 2: Individual Reflective Commentary

(a)What did I do well in my presentation?

(b)What could have I done better in my presentation?

(c)Did I speak clear and loud enough?

(d)Was my body language appropriate?

(e)Given the short allocation of time I had to talk, did I organise my script in a consistent and straightforward way?

(f)If I had to do the same task again, which aspects of my performance would I be trying to improve?

You are expected to draw on both academic texts and academic journals to support your Presentation and your Individual Reflective Commentary. Please insert a minimum of 5 references (3 must be academic sources) at the end of your Individual Reflective Commentary (which is not included in your word count).

You are expected to present your Individual Reflective Commentary in the correct format (double-space, font size 12, with page numbers and the assignment title). Use the template provided on BREO by the lecturer.

(a)As with ALL your written assignments, you must use the Harvard system of referencing to cite your sources in the body of your paper. Please pay particular attention to the referencing guidelines on secondary referencing.

(b)Remember good written communication is about structuring your work so that your writing is clearly signposted and developed and you guide the reader logically from one section/subsection to the next.

(c)Proofread and edit your reflective commentary before handing it in and/or ask a trusted person to read it through for you.                         

(d)Your Reflective Commentary must be word processed, double spaced and page numbered. You must also include a word count. This is part of the assignment guidelines/task so you are expected to follow these instructions. (Please use the Template available on BREO provided by the lecturer)

(e)Please enter your student ID number as part of your title when uploading and submitting to BREO and put your student number (not name) on your work. For example, name you upload something like 10902888_Understanding_Human_Services_assignment_2 where 10902888 is your student number.

(f)Ensure you put your student number on your work but DO NOT put your name on your work.

You are reminded that plagiarism of any type will be penalised and result in a fail.

What do I need to do to pass? (Threshold Expectations from UIF)

·Work as a member of a group and create an individual film presentation, contributing appropriately and to deadline.

·Outline a service-user group needs and account for the role and responsibilities of the professionals involved in developing a response to those needs.

·Provide recommendations as to how the relationship between professionals, service-users and carers could be further developed demonstrating a critical understanding of diversity.

How do I produce high quality work that merits a good grade?

How does this assignment relate to what we are doing in scheduled sessions?

Your lectures and seminars will focus on the needs of different service-user groups and on past, present and future development of policy, legislation and professional knowledge to assess whether they have met the needs of these different groups.

How will my assignment be marked?

Your assignment will be marked according to the threshold expectations and the criteria on the following page.

You can use them to evaluate your own work and consider your grade before you submit.