1 Explain the role of reflection in health and social care practice

Unit 2: Demonstrating Professional Principles and Values in Health and Social Care Practice

Reflecting on our daily activities is an automatic process: it is part of human nature, and something conducted often unconsciously. Reflective practice involves selfobservation and evaluation with the goal of refining practice on an ongoing basis. Reflecting on what we do is a fundamental skill that helps us to develop, improve personally and professionally. It is an active, dynamic process that also helps develop confidence in our ability to perform our daily working practice and to become proactive, professional leaders. The art of reflection is a tool that students will carry with them through and beyond their educational journeys and is a requisite for many roles in the sector. Developing the necessary skills early helps students to be prepared for their career progression pathways. This unit is intended to run alongside other units in this qualification in order that students may gather evidence to compile a Professional Learning and Development Portfolio (PLAD) which captures evidence of learning and development against a framework of Practice Themes which forms the essential core running through the unit. The unit aims to develop the skills and knowledge necessary for students to reflect on their own and others’ daily practice and improve students’ own practice and professional development. Students will firstly develop an understanding of the purpose and importance of continually reviewing their own practice and professional development through an exploration of the benefits and issues associated with reviewing practice. They will then develop their knowledge and skills of theoretical models and other techniques needed to support them in carrying out active, dynamic, action-based, real-time reflection. Students will record their evidence in the PLAD which will comprise learning from this and other units on an ongoing basis. Finally, students will evaluate their reflective journeys and the effectiveness of the PLAD in supporting their ongoing personal and professional development.

Learning Outcomes

By the end of this unit students will be able to:

1 Explain the role of reflection in health and social care practice

2 Use the Practice Themes as a framework for reflection

3 Demonstrate active, ongoing, critical reflection of learning experiences

4 Assess the overall success of own reflective journey and consider future career pathway