Listen to thisThe word (or expression) ‘noticing’ is fairly common in our field. We often mention that it is important that we notice things and even, at times, that we notice what we do not notice. In an article written in 2003, I made the following statement:
'Noticing' occurs both when the immediate stream of things is disrupted (Eisikovits, Beker & Guttman, 1991), and at moments when a particular event in the stream of events, comes to the Child and Youth Care worker's awareness for other reasons. (Garfat, 2003, np)
Noticing is the activity which occurs when the worker's attention and awareness are focused on a particular, specific event. It may result from either conscious or unconscious activity. Noticing, then, is the directing of one’s total attention to a particular event or instance and any connections to that event or instance. In this, it is a part of the contextual awareness of the Child and Youth Care Worker. It involves, as discussed in The Purposeful Use of Daily Life Events (Transformaction, 2019) both external and internal focus – a focus on the ‘out there’ and a focus on the ‘in-here’.
A focus on the ‘out there’ many involve connections, systems, the physical environment, other people, events leading up to the particular instance or any element of external context which is of importance to the individual Child and Youth Care Worker, as it may be impacting on the moment. This includes an awareness of how this moment is connected to the overall goals towards which we are working and how this moment is situated in the time and space of this young person’s life.
A focus on the ‘in-here’ involves attending to one’s experience of
the moment. While awareness is an on-going process within Child and Youth Care practice, noticing ‘in-here’ involves what Ricks (1989) has
called ‘active self awareness’, attending to self while simultaneously
attending to other and context. Noticing ‘in-here’ is challenging and
often, especially for the newer worker, occurs only after an event. The
goal is to be able to notice ‘in-here’ while connected in the moment of
interaction. “When one is “being” aware there is a multi-level knowing
that captures one’s perception of the reality underlying the phenomena
and conditions of the time” (Ricks, 1989, p 36).
Noticing is, in
essence, a way of ‘being in the moment’. The challenge for the worker
lies in the ability to effectively notice all that is happening
concurrently, both ‘out there’ and ‘in-here’ while, as Eisikovits, Beker
& Guttman (1991) noted, filtering out some aspects of the environment
from our noticing, lest we become overwhelmed with information. Deciding
what to filter out or ‘not notice’ is also an higher level skill and is
based on the intervenor’s values, beliefs and previous experiences.
Noticing, then, is more than a skill set, although it does require well developed skills. It is, rather, a state of being, a way of being in the moment, especially when interacting with other in intervention. It is foundational to all the Characteristics of a Child and Youth Care Approach. Without full noticing, for example, our ability to make meaning is restricted, we are limited in our ability to determine needs and the gateway to the in-between is not fully open. When we are in the state of noticing, we are truly connected with the flow of immediacies. And that is just where we want to be.
References
Eisikovits, Z., Beker, J. & Guttman, E. (1991). The known and the used in residential Child and Youth Care work. In J. Beker & Z. Eisikovits, (Eds.), Knowledge utilization in residential Child and Youth Care practice, (pp. 3-23). Washington, D.C.: Child Welfare League of America.
Garfat, T. (2003). Four parts magic: The anatomy of a Child and Youth Care intervention. CYC-Online , 50, March 2003. Retrieved, July 28, 2023 from https://cyc-net.org/CYC-Online /cycol-0303-thom.html
Ricks, F. (1989). Self-awareness model for training and application in Child and Youth Care. Journal of Child and Youth Care, 4(1), 33-42.
Nadesan, V. (2005) Daily events as a focus of intervention with children and youth, in Garfat, T. and Gannon, B. (Eds.) Aspects of Child and Youth Care Practice in the South African Context. Cape Town. Pretext.
Transformaction (2019). The purposeful use of daily life events: Participants guide. Cape Town: Pretext Publishing.
