My introduction to blogging

As a social work practitioner in a local authority working with children and families,  now on a half time secondment with IRISS as practitioner in residence,  I feel like I have one foot on two very different planets.  Alison Petch, Director of IRISS and my very patient, tolerant ‘mentor’ here has said since I started that it would be a good idea for me to do a blog.  Well, it has only taken me seven months but here is my first attempt – ever!

When preparing to do this, I have looked at lots of people’s blogs to see if I could get some tips.  I think social workers like templates, previous examples of things. We are not used to freestyle.  It did not help much really as everyone seems to do their own thing, and even then, how they write seems to depend on some random factor, ie what side of the bed they got out of?

Alison, in one of her early IRISS blogs, ‘The art of the blog’ suggested that there are three categories of blogger:

1. Those that ‘desire to create a strong web-based persona’ – no, don’t see myself in that one.

2. Those that blog as a  ‘mechanism for communication and reflection on the core business of the organisation they represent’ – the first bit of this – maybe? I don’t think I can really talk about the core business of either IRISS or East Lothian, but I can talk about my part in both, and about the Planning in Child Protection research project.

3. Those that blog as a ‘mechanism for letting off steam’ – definitely.  It is not often a local authority worker can let off steam publicly – what an opportunity!

Well, that is my first blog.  Will there be another? Watch this space….