SCENARIOS
The following are scenarios for you to consider as a keyworker and analyse how you would respond in the situations. it is important to note that these are extreme case scenarios and not representative of standard expectations in the role.
SCENARIO 1
In a situation where there are 3 incidents occurring at the same time, what would take priority and why?
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A young person has locked themselves in the bathroom and are presumably self-harming, they can be heard screaming and crying.
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The office Phone is ringing nonstop
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A fight has broken out in the garden between 2 young people and other young people are gathering around them.
What order would you deal with these situations in and why?
Once you have thought about how you would respond, please click the button to see how we would address the matter
SCENARIO 4
You are working on a night shift with a colleague. A member of staff is struggling to manage a young person’s challenging behaviour. The situation is rapidly getting out of control and a second young person intervenes to escalate the matter further. Both young people force their way into the office and try to intimidate your colleague. Your colleague then pushes the young male who was not acting in a threatening manner.
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How do you see your role from the onset?
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Explain what you would do in respect of the challenging behaviour
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Describe what steps or actions you would take in relation to the worker pushing a young person (the push was not out of self-defence).
Once you have thought about how you would respond, please click the button to see how we would address the matter
SCENARIO 7
Part A) A young person is in the bathroom for over an hour and you hear no sound
Part B) After being able to get in you enter the bathroom and see them submerged under water appearing not to be breathing.
Once you have thought about how you would respond, please click the button to see how we would address the matter
SCENARIO 8
A young person has attempted to hang themselves by filling a bag with heavy objects climbing onto a stool and throwing the bag over a door. Do you
A) run in and grab the young persons legs pushing them up so you can take the pressure off their necks so they can breathe
B) Push the back of heavy objects backmover the door so they can stop hanging and come down.
C) grab the object they used to climb up on to get up there or something high or equivalent so they can stand on it and take the pressure off their necks
Once you have thought about how you would respond, please click the button to see how we would address the matter
Passive and Active Keyworking
As an organisation not all sessions that we have with young people will be considered active.
An “active” session, is a mentoring or key working session that is carried out with the young person present, where we support them directly or have active conversation and interaction with them.
“Passive” key working and mentoring is activities done on behalf of the young person or not formally structured.
Examples of Active Key working would be Discussing Job Prospects with the Young Person and supporting them to amend their CV and apply for Jobs. Active mentoring would be activities such as Taking the young person to the gym.
Passive Key working may include things done like signing the young person up to doctors or calling dentists to find available ones in the area. Researching things on behalf of the young person e.g. properties for them when they turn 18.
Forms for Passive sessions must be filled the same as you would for active sessions and the young person must also sign for these.
Key- working and how to ascertain information example
Lets say you are having a key working session with a young person and you are communicating with them and during the session they say to you that they are going to visit there father on the weekend, this can be seen as an opportunity to build a relationship with them alongside gaining key information that may help you in the long run with any potential issues and understanding the young person’s feelings and motives.
For example, the young person has said the above, from this point you can ask questions such as “are you looking forwards to seeing your dad this weekend” then invoking a conversation about their relationship with family and how they view them. From here you can lead the conversation on to a place where you are able to ask more questions such as “what activities do you looks forwards to the most with your dad” or “have you and your dad always been close and done things together”. From this level of conversation, you can ascertain key information that you can relay to management and social workers in an email later that day showing that you are capable of building a relationship with the young person and adequately do what’s required of you.
How to handle illegal substances
If a young person is found to have illegal substances in the house then please do not try to forcibly take it from them, firstly remind them of the house rules that were agreed and signed upon in the pre placement meeting and that they still stand and moving forwards if they are found during the weekly room checks then they will have to be removed and dispatched appropriately in accordance with the house rules.
Please make sure to note this and to update management and the social worker with the relative information in an email at the end of the day.
What to do if a young person is not engaging
Firstly, to make this easier it is important to establish boundaries and a relationship with the young person from the first day and this can be done simply by talking with them and getting to know them and helping them feel heard and understood.
If a young person is not engaging in a key working session or general activities firstly you can remind them of the key working schedule that was agreed upon with them and the social worker in order to help them ascertain skills and help their development as a person and that they are actually for the young person’s benefit, alongside this you can attempt to make them feel more comfortable with the setting of the session as it does not have to be just you and them sat in a room talking. For example, you can suggest going for a walk and just talking or even going for an activity of there choosing to achieve the desired effect and allow them to open to you.
Key Working Sessions
Key working sessions are typically about helping a young person to develop key life skills and encourage self-improvement to be able to navigate adult life.
Key working sessions do not need to be “formal” sit downs, a session can be something as simple as having a conversation with the young person when they return home about their day and how they are. As long as you are able to ascertain key information from this conversation and are able to put this information down in writing and evidence in the form of a key working session form.
With key working sessions they are to be done with every young person every single day and if they are shorter than one hour then you round the session up to one hour. If they last over an hour but not quite 2 hours then you round it up again to the next hour mark this is the point to follow.
