Social worker
Social workers form relationships with people and assist them to
live more successfully within their local communities by helping
them find solutions to their problems.
Social work involves engaging not only with clients themselves but
their families and friends as well as working closely with other
organisations including the police, local authority departments,
schools and the probation service.
Who do they work with?
Social workers tend to specialise in either adult or children's
services.
Adult services: roles include working with people
with mental health problems or learning difficulties in residential
care, working with offenders (supervising them in the community and
supporting them to find work), assisting people with HIV/AIDS and
working with older people at home helping to sort out problems with
their health, housing or benefits.
Children/young people services: roles include
providing assistance and advice to keep families together, working
in children's homes, managing adoption and foster care processes,
providing support to younger people leaving care or who are at risk
or in trouble with the law and helping children who have
problems at school or are facing difficulties brought on by illness
in the family.
Social workers may undertake further training to work as a high intensity therapist, as part of
the Improving Access to Psychological Therapies (IAPT) service
Who employs social workers?
Social workers work for a range of organisations, but primarily in local authorities, independent organisations and charities. Some also work for the NHS in hospitals, mental health trusts and other community-based settings.
Skills/qualities
Social workers need a breadth of skills, as they will act as an adviser, advocate, counsellor and listener.
Education and training
There are various routes to becoming a social worker, but you
will need to gain a professional qualification in social work
(usually at degree level) either on a full-time or part-time basis.
This is offered at undergraduate and postgraduate masters
level.
It is also possible to take a degree course combining social work
with mental health or learning disability nursing.
Eligible students will receive a bursary from the Department of Health. For more information about this financial support, please visit the Social Work Bursaries website.
Registration
Social workers must be registered with the Health and Care Professions Council in order to practise in the UK.
Pay for social workers
Social workers in the NHS would typically start on Band 6 of the Agenda for Change pay system. There are opportunities for progression to more senior posts. For the latest rates of pay, please click here
Further information
For more information about social work as a career, please visit the Health and Care Professionals Council website or contact the Council at:
Health and Care Professions Council
Park House
184 Kennington
Park Road
London
SE11 4BU
Tel: 0845 300 6184