Case studies: Senior practitioner: Dominic Tierney

Dominic is a senior practitioner with Coventry Social Services. He gained a degree in social work from the University of Leeds and completed an MSc Advanced Social Work Practice at the University of Birmingham.

After graduation I worked as part of a duty and assessment child protection safeguarding team. It was a daily duty to investigate, assess and consult with other colleagues regarding suspected child abuse cases, taking appropriate follow up action and undertaking specific and specialist assessments. My work was varied: preparing care orders; court reports; attending courts; attending/supervising community paediatric medical examinations on children; and liaising with medical professionals and police. I also gained experience of fostering and adoption social work processes. I helped clients deal with debts and offered support with housing, homelessness and drug matters. The main aim of my work was preventative measures, providing guidance and support. It was vital to maintain clear case records.
 
I then worked in a specialist child and adolescent mental health service as a senior social worker. I was part of a multi-disciplinary team working alongside other social and healthcare professionals including community nurses, clinical psychologists, psychiatrists, family therapists and psychotherapists. We delivered a needs-led mental health social work service to children with severe and profound learning disabilities and their families. I had to comply with legislative requirements, national guidance and policies.

I then took on my current role of a senior practitioner, providing expert specialist services to children and families, and providing professional supervision to other members of the children's social care staff. I have supervisory and casework responsibilities and carry out specialist court-related assessments and court reporting. This can involve attending court on a regular basis, offering support to solicitors and legal officers of the local authority on the provision of child and family law proceedings, including specialist assessments, care plans and contact orders.
 
Both my initial degree and MSc were vital for my career. Initially my social work degree provided registration with the General Social Care Council as a qualified social worker. Regulation of the social work profession has since transferred to the Health and Care Professions Council, which legally protects the title of social worker. To progress in my career I took a Post Qualifying MSc programme in Advanced Social Work Practice. This helped me move into social work service management.

The most rewarding aspect of my job is working with the most vulnerable and emotionally damaged children (and their families) to get them a better quality of life. I get great satisfaction from helping to keep families together and working with like-minded colleagues who are equally committed to addressing often distressing issues. I get great levels of support as well. What can be challenging are the long and unsocial hours. It is also difficult when you are in the family proceedings court looking to remove children from the homes/families on a permanent basis. Also the amount of time spent doing paperwork can put pressure on time spent with families.

My advice would be to get as much work experience as possible especially in frontline roles. Research the industry - there are many areas of practice, know about current trends, government policies and practices. If you are committed to helping vulnerable individuals change their life circumstances, go for it. It's a very rewarding career.