Supported accommodation offers support for 16-17 year old looked after children and care leavers, to enable them to live semi-independently. At Meadows Psychology Service, we recognise the pivotal role that supported accommodation plays in the lives of these young individuals, which is why we work closely with supported accommodation providers to offer services that support the unique needs and challenges faced by the young people as they transition into adulthood.
Supported accommodation should provide a stable, nurturing living environment which fosters independence, resilience and personal growth. In order to support this, those working in these environments need to value and prioritise continuous personal and professional development. This is essential to ensure that the best care and support is provided to young people.
This emphasises the significance of reflective practice as a means of cultivating a culture of continuous learning and improvement, and ultimately creating a more nurturing and empowering environment for care leavers as they navigate the challenges of independent living.
In this guide, we will provide further information about reflective practice and its significance in supported accommodation.
What is Reflective Practice?
Reflective practice is the act of learning from experience and analysing one’s actions, thoughts, and feelings. It encourages staff to critically assess their experiences, interactions and decision-making processes; fostering a deeper understanding of their actions and the impact they have on those in their care.
Reflective practice helps staff to identify areas of personal and professional strength and areas of development. Ultimately, if we take time to reflect, we can go into similar situations in the future better equipped to deal with them.
Why is Reflective Practice Important?
This reflective process allows staff to step back and assess a situation, pinpointing what went well, what could have been done differently and what they can do to enhance future interactions.
Practicing reflection is particularly important in instances where you are supporting someone who may have experienced trauma. Taking time to examine our own emotional responses, triggers, and biases helps to increase our self-awareness, and ensures we can approach interactions with our young people with empathy, patience, and sensitivity, using trauma-informed language and ultimately responding in a way that fosters a safe space for young people to share their experiences.
Working in supported accommodation can at times be challenging. Reflective practice encourages continuous learning and adaptation of strategies based on individual needs; thus ensuring that we are being flexible and responsive.
It promotes a culture of collaboration and encourages open dialogue amongst staff; enabling them to share insights and strategies which enhance their collective ability to develop safe, trusting relationships with the young people and provide consistent, compassionate care.
Why Reflective Practice is Essential in Supported Accommodation
As we’ve observed, reflective practice is crucial to ensuring that you are providing compassionate care in supported accommodation. Other reasons why reflective practice is essential in supported accommodation include;
Enhancing Person-Centred Care
Engaging in reflective practice serves as an excellent method for grasping the individual needs of those you care for. It allows you to evaluate past interactions, helping you understand each individual’s unique experiences, needs, and triggers, which in turn enables you to tailor your support effectively.
Working in supported accommodation can sometimes come with challenges and it is understandable that staff can feel frustrated or hopeless to help at times. Engaging in reflective practice enables you to step back and connect with the emotions and perspectives of the young person which, over time, ultimately helps to foster a trusting relationship with them.
Managing Complex Emotions and Reducing Burnout
Working in supported accommodation can be emotionally demanding at times. Encountering challenging moments is not uncommon, so it is essential for staff to take a step back and carefully consider these situations, allowing time to assess their reactions and cultivate healthier coping strategies.
Those who care for children and young people who have experienced trauma and attachment disruptions are particularly at risk of experiencing compassion fatigue and it is important that we consider the signs of this developing. Reflective practice encourages staff to really think about their emotions and internal states, allowing them to identify and seek the necessary support should they start to experience compassion fatigue.
Promoting Teamwork and Communication
In supported accommodation, open communication is essential for the well-being of both staff and young adults. Honest conversations encourage staff members to share any struggles or problems they may encounter, minimising misunderstandings and strengthening relationships among colleagues and between staff and the young people.
Reflective practice does not have to be carried out alone; it can be a group effort. By reflecting as a group, you can promote collective learning and offer each other support when necessary, building skills and knowledge in the process.
Encouraging Accountability
We are only human, and we all make mistakes! Reflective practice encourages us to view every experience or interaction as a valuable learning opportunity and ultimately an opportunity to enhance the positive support provided to the young people.
In supported accommodation, regular reflection prompts staff to critically assess their actions, enabling them to align their practices to attain the highest standard of care.
Models of Reflective Practice
Employing a structured framework or model enables you to utilise reflective practice more effectively. Some of the most widely recognised and used frameworks include:
Gibbs’ Reflective Cycle
The Gibbs’ Cycle is one of the most commonly used reflective approaches and is a fantastic guide, covering the six stages of reflection consisting of:
- Description: What happened? What did you do? Who was involved?
- Feelings: How did you feel? What were your thoughts?
- Evaluation: What was good and bad about the experience?
- Analysis: What do you understand about the situation?
- Conclusion: What did you learn? What could you have done differently?
- Action Plan: What will you do next?
This model offers a distinct framework for analysing your experiences and extracting valuable lessons. Engaging with Gibbs’ Reflective Cycle can enhance your understanding of your work and allow you to learn from both positive and negative situations.
Kolb’s Experiential Learning Cycle
Kolb’s model focuses on learning through experiences and follows four stages:
- Concrete Experience: The event or situation that occurred.
- Reflective Observation: Taking time to observe and think about what happened.
- Abstract Conceptualisation: Drawing conclusions and forming new ideas.
- Active Experimentation: Applying what you’ve learned in professional practice.
Considering the stages alone, this model might appear somewhat vague, so here is an example that could be applied to a real-life situation:
A staff member who has difficulty building rapport with a young person might evaluate past interactions and devise new communication methods, then actively test those approaches in future conversations, preparing them for continued learning and improvement.
Driscoll’s ‘What’ Model
This model is arguably the simplest we will cover in this guide, but it is incredibly effective. It is based on a very simple yet impactful word: what.
This model encourages reflection through three questions:
- What? : What happened, and what did you observe?
- So what? : Why does it matter? What impact did it have on you and others?
- Now what? : What will you do next? What changes can you make in the future?
An example of this model in practice may be:
Following a challenging encounter with a young person’s family member, a staff member can utilise Driscoll’s model to reflect on the conversation, grasp its emotional impact, and determine how to engage in future discussions with increased empathy and patience.
Schön’s Reflective Practice Model
Schön’s model creates a framework for improving performance by using reflection to learn from experience. Schön introduced two types of reflection:
- Reflection-in-action: Reflecting in the moment during an event to adjust and improve responses in real time.
- Reflection-on-action: Thinking back on an event to analyse and learn from the experience.
An example of this model in practice:
When a young person becomes agitated, a staff member or carer may utilise reflection-in-action to adapt their approach immediately, while later engaging in reflection-on-action to evaluate what triggered the agitation and how to prevent it in the future.
Implementing Reflective Practice
If you are a staff member in supported accommodation, you may be considering ways to implement reflective practice into your accommodation.
Create a safe space for reflection
People will feel more encouraged to carry out reflective practice if they feel as though they have a space to do so. If you are in a managerial role, you should encourage regular team meetings and supervision to ensure that all staff members have the necessary time and support to reflect on their day.
Encourage the use of reflective diaries and prompts
Not everyone is comfortable with openly discussing their feelings, but that does not exclude them from reflective practice. Encourage staff members to keep diaries where they can reflect on their day, and they may feel comfortable discussing their findings with you.
Carry out peer and group reflections: the power of shared learning
Shared learning holds significant potential, so it’s essential to motivate all staff to engage in peer and group reflections. This facilitates open discussions about their worries and concerns, allowing everyone to express any issues they face.
Scheduling regular reflection sessions without disrupting care routines
Some staff may be reluctant to engage in reflective learning without encouragement, as they may be worried that it is taking time away from their work. Reflection should be prioritised, so scheduling reflective sessions around care routines can be a helpful way of encouraging staff to engage.
Overcoming Barriers to Reflective Practice
Some barriers to reflective practice that you may encounter include:
- Time constraints – staff may feel they have little time for reflection
- Fear of criticism and judgement
- Lack of training or understanding of what reflection is and the different reflective models than can be used
Though these are barriers, they are easy to overcome. Through open communication, team collaboration, and by making reflection a priority, staff may feel more inclined to engage in reflective practice and see it as part of their day-to-day responsibilities.
How Meadows Psychology Service Can Support You
Through this blog, we hope to have emphasised the importance of reflective practice in supported accommodation. At Meadows Psychology Services, we work closely with supported accommodation to provide a range of therapeutic support, so we are able to recognise the impact of engaging in reflective practice.
If you want to learn more about reflective practice, or if you are a supported accommodation provider requiring support, please get in touch with our team today.
