Reflective Practice, Risk and Mistakes in Social Work

Abstract

Reflection on mistakes is a powerful source for more effective decision-making and action. Mistakes are inevitable and security has also costs and not only benefits. So, in the frame of appropriate error prevention systems, social workers should pay special attention to latent errors and risks, find immediate measures to repair and limit harm and learn to prevent similar events in the future. Nonetheless, exploration and experimentation are needed when previous attempts made using ordinary strategies failed. In doing so, social workers can greatly benefit from their colleagues’ feedbacks. Blame culture is probably the main obstacle to expressing and listening to affirmative and useful feedback on mistakes. ‘Smart questions’, reflective frameworks, reflective friends, concise reflective writing are some of the easiest and more effective strategies aimed at improving the quality of decision-making on the basis of new learning developed by reflecting on mistakes.

Keywords:

• reflective practice
• mistake
• latent error
• error prevention system
• risk management
• blame culture

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Alessandro Sicora

Alessandro Sicora. Address: Dipartimento di Scienze Politiche e Sociali, Università della Calabria, Rende, Italy. [email: [email protected]]