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Published: June 12th 2011
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Well I've come to the end of a very busy first week at work and one that I have enjoyed immensely despite the challenges that I have encountered. This is the first real chance I've had this week to add a blog entry so apologies for not writing sooner.
I started work on Monday and was asked to turn up at 9 AM - I thought that as it was my first day I'd have an easy time of it like most first day's in a new workplace... I couldn't have been more wrong. After meeting the work team and setting out my rota for the week I was given an induction reading policies and watching operational DVD's etc. From the induction it was obvious that the Child Protection Unit did exactly what it says on the tin. The work that they complete is only about child abuse in it's many forms (physical, sexual, psychological, exploitation and trafficking) with most of the work arising from sexual assaults. There is very little preventative work completed because that work is completed by another government agency (Department for Social Welfare and Development). The rest of my day comprised of observing intake interviews from a
special video room where another social worker was translating for me. My work hours were set as 8:30 - 5:30 but I didn't finish on Monday until 8 PM. This is because the team can only leave when all the patients/service users have been assessed and as the office is a walk-in centre there can be many people to interview and examine. For context I'll give you an idea of the work: I observed 3 interviews between 2PM and 8PM; the first was a 17 year-old girl who had been coerced into prostitution; the second was a 15 year-old girl who had been sold by her parents into slavery where she had been raped; and the third, another 17 year-old girl who had been raped by her boyfriend. As you can imagine, this is high end, skilled and complex work.
After another day of observations on Tuesday I was taken into the main hospital for orientation and to see some of our patients who needed medical care. As we went into the ER my first sight was of an infant being given CPR. There were no screens for privacy and relatives were understandably distraught at the bedside. We walked through
the ER and saw the patient and on the way back the doctors were still trying to save the baby. I'd never seen anyone die, until then.
On Tuesday night it started raining. Not showers like we get at home but heavy and constant rain. It didn't stop for two days and due to the poor drainage and infrastructure in Manila it wasn't long before there were floods in many of the roads and pavements. This though, was seen as an opportunity for bright sparks to make some money. They'd lay out some stepping stones or makeshift bridges so that the pedestrians could cross the floods without getting wet, then stand at the end with a pot collecting a toll. Clever. The heat and humidity is such that one can't wear a coat so umbrellas are the best way to stay dry and it's interesting to watch the sea of umbrellas bobbing their way down the busy streets.
I was teamed with a social worker for the rest of the week (My working hours have ended up being 8 - 7:30 and I worked on Sat) and we are jointly managing two cases. It has been really good for me
to be actively involved in the work completing risk assessments and home visits and it is certainly challenging my abilities, thoughts and stamina. My Tagalog is improving but I will require a translator for the remainder of my work which has been arranged within the rota.
Today (Sun) I got up early and headed to a market which was a short ride away on the train. The market was being held in many streets and was packed with people selling, buying, looking and praying. At times it was hard just to move through the crowd as there were so many people. I think you could literally buy anything in that market from fresh meat, fish, produce and dairy food to thousands of electrical goods, souvenirs and hardware. There was music blaring from many of the stalls giving you anything from one of the 3 stooges to sing along to or some psy-trance to nod your head to as you moved about. There were plenty of smells too, from cooking meat to sweet cakes (which was a pleasant change from the smell of diesel and smog). In the middle of it all was a large church with a massive TV screen
outside showing the service to about 100 people who couldn't fit in. The rest of the day has been relaxing as I went to the cinema to watch Pirates of the Caribbean (it costs less that £2) and spent some time by the pool reading. I needed it after a 65 hour week!
Tomorrow I leave early for Cavite south of Manila for a court hearing as one of the consultants has been called as an expert witness. I hope you're all well. If you want to Skype me I get home about 8ish which is 1PM in Britain and usually stay online for an hour or two.
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Gramp
non-member comment
Hi Tim Enjoying your blog very much!! Keep it up. All the best Gramp and Nan