Developing Your Professional Identity

A guide for working with children and families

Edited by Hazel Richards, Michelle Malomo

Publication date:

15 April 2022

Publisher

Critical Publishing

Dimensions:

246x174mm
7x10"

ISBN-13: 9781914171536

A reflective guide for all those studying for the range of professional disciplines within the area of children and families.

Written by a multi-disciplinary team, this book provides students and practitioners with opportunities to reflect upon work-based placement challenges and solutions within a variety of settings, supporting employability and the development of a professional identity. Practical and practice-based, it addresses issues of self-confidence, voice and agency, resilience and self-care, relationships and partnerships, risk assessments and reflective practice, all within the context of children and families. Chapters take a supportive and reflective approach, including clear objectives, case studies, critical questions and spotlights on new debates, helping to build essential skills and promoting a clear sense of self as individuals transition from student to professional.

Section 1 Recognising the power of work-based learning

1 Developing your agency, voice and identity

2 Empowering reflective practice

Section 2 - Caring for yourself as a work-based learner

3 Resilience

4 Self-care

5 Burnout and compassion fatigue

Section 3 - Succeeding amid work-based learning issues

6 Practice-based risk assessment (steering group collaboration)

7 Adversity

8 Workplace relationships and power struggles

9 Who are coaches and mentors?

Section 4 - Moving forward

10 Transition from placement to first role

It is always heartening to see how something positive can come out of a negative situation. Malaguzzi’s motivation to develop the Reggio Emilia approach to early childhood education and care was in response to the devastation of the Second World War and the impact adults’ actions had on children. Therefore, Malaguzzi’s philosophy emerged from a time of adversity. So what has this got to do with the newly published book: Developing your professional identity? The connection here is that the authors have written a book that acknowledges the disproportionate impact that the restrictions put in place to limit the spread of coronavirus have had on practitioners who work with children and their families. And they have seized the opportunity that has come out of adversity to produce an exceptionally useful book....