Feedback
You can tell us about feedback you’ve received to evidence that you have met standard 4.1
Feedback
4.1: Incorporate feedback from a range of sources, including from people with lived experience of my social work practice.
Feedback could:
- be a formal or informal discussion with colleagues and/or people you support.
- be a letter, a review, a meeting with your supervisor, or any other way someone can express their experiences of your practice.
- also include negative feedback or complaints about your work.
Why feedback is important
Feedback is crucial to social work practice. It’s important to be open to receiving feedback, whether positive or critical.
It’s also important for improving self-awareness. Feedback will help you to grow and improve in a way that informs your practice and helps you identify areas for future learning.
Though you may not agree with the feedback you get, it’s important to listen to the views of others and understand their experiences of your practice.
Finding out what works and what’s beneficial to those people and then acting on the feedback to make positive changes to your practice, will help you improve the support you provide.
How to ask for feedback
Feedback does not necessarily have to be formal or requested, it can be spontaneous. For example, it could be a judge commenting on the quality of a report or statement, a comment from a colleague, another professional or someone you have supported.
Alternatively, if your organisation actively requests formal feedback, this can be included in your CPD record.
Sources of feedback
The best constructive comments can be provided by those who have the most interaction with you on a daily basis.
Feedback from a variety of people, for example managers, colleagues, and people you support, will provide a holistic and insightful perspective. Talking to a variety of people allows you to identify common themes in the feedback you receive.
Using questions to receive more detailed feedback
Asking specific questions can inform what you’re doing well and what could be improved. Open ended questions encourage more detailed feedback and help you better understand the context of the person’s feedback.
Make sure you’re not asking leading questions that might pressure people into giving a positive response; for example, instead of asking “did you feel happy when I took over your case?” you could ask “how did you feel when I took over your case?”
What you could do
Reflect on the feedback you’ve received and how you have, or will, change your practice as a result. You should regularly review your progress and how the feedback continues to shape your approach.
You must anonymise your CPD, removing any details that could identify people. This includes names, addresses or contact details.