Journal Entries on Employment and Volunteering Experiences

Theoretical discussion of work and/or volunteering

You are required to write and upload a minimum of four journal entries which discuss different aspects of your employment and volunteering experiences to date.  Your journal entries must be written in an academic style, with in-text references and a reference list at the end.  You are expected to draw on academic theory, research and policy issues in relation to the sociology of organisations, sociology of volunteering, ethical issues and the demonstration of reflection in your journal entries.

Your journal entries should be written and uploaded at regular intervals during the assessment period.  It is acceptable to write in the first person for this assignment. You are also required to review your CV, and upload an improved version as an attachment to fourth journal entry.

The total word count for this assignment is 2500 words +/- 10%. Reference list and word count must be given at the end of each journal entry.

Your journal entries should cover the following areas (though this will, to some extent, depend on your individual employment and volunteering experiences and career goals). You are advised to discuss your ideas with your lecturer:

·Theoretical discussion of an organisation where you have worked or volunteered, or an organisation where you would like to work  – e.g. its history, aims and objectives, relationship to other organisations in the health and social care sectors

·Think about a particular place where you have worked or volunteered, reflect on the selection process you went through, the induction process, what support you had when you began your employment/volunteering with this organisation, how you familiarised yourself with the organisational systems and processes

·Discuss legal and policy frameworks that impact on the organisation where you have worked/volunteered or where you would like to work – e.g. health and safety, equal opportunities, safeguarding, are legislation, capacity issues, quality assurance strategies, specific policy areas relating to the client group where you work/volunteer (for example, end of life care, positive mental health for young people)

·Career progression and training opportunities within the organisation - what training (if any) have you had, what training do you think would be beneficial, appraisals of or feedback on your performance

·Your roles and duties within the organisation – as an employee or volunteer.  What do you do in your role, a “typical” shift or session, how many hours you work/volunteer each week with this organisation?

·Your relationships with managers, colleagues and service users as part of your volunteering/employment role

·The gender and ethnic composition of your colleagues, other volunteers and service users.  Consider, for example, if there are differences between the gender and ethnicity  of senior as opposed to more junior staff

·Ethical issues relating to your volunteering/employment role – e.g. tensions between capacity and safeguarding issues, whistleblowing/evidence of poor practice

·Reflection on your practice within the organisation - your experiences as a volunteer/employee in the organisation.  What skills have you acquired, what skills would you like to learn, has there been an experience that you would handle differently next time, what did you do/what would you do now, what have you learned?

·Your final journal entry should attach an updated version of your CV which demonstrates how your skills have been enhanced by your experiences of employment/volunteering, taking care to sequence the information correctly, lay it out clearly, include relevant information and highlight transferable skills.

You should look at LSST guidance on CV’s to help with this aspect of the assessment.

*You should not name your managers, colleagues and service users but refer to them by pseudonyms to maintain their anonymity.  Your writing must be respectful and professional at all times.

*If your manager/colleagues are agreeable, you can upload photos of the setting where you are employed/volunteer – e.g. the building, reception/foyer, your work station, relevant signage, displays, kitchen area (N.B. you must not include in your photos anyone under the age of 18 or anyone who lacks capacity/cannot give consent.)*

*Your journal entries will only be visible to the lecturer, moderator and external examiner.  Other students will not be able to see your journal entries.*

This assignment has been designed to provide you with an opportunity to demonstrate your achievement of the following module learning outcomes:

1.Demonstrate a critical understanding of ethics and values relating to organisations

2.Demonstrate a critical awareness of sociological and policy frameworks relevant to organisations

How your work will be assessed

Your work will be assessed on the extent to which it demonstrates your achievement of the stated learning outcomes for this assignment (see above). This assignment will be marked according to the following criteria:

·Breadth and quality of gathered evidence and research

·Knowledge and understanding of key concepts and theoretical debates relating to all aspects of the assignment task

·Quality of evaluation and reflection

·Quality of written expression

·In-text referencing and reference list