Case studies: Family support worker: Sue Wallace

Sue recommends a childhood studies degree for anyone interested in working with families and young people...

I managed to get my current role because of the experience I had gained in my previous post, as I was already working as an assistant family support worker at the time of graduation.

The family support worker post requires a degree-level qualification so when a position became available after I had completed my degree, I was able to apply and was successfully appointed.

My degree was extremely relevant as I needed a related degree. Other options could have included social work or teaching degrees. The BA Childhood Practice degree at The University of Edinburgh specifically includes family work/multi-agency working/therapeutic approaches, etc, which is the very thrust of the remit of the family support worker’s job.

A typical day might include: carrying out assessment work with families/young people; attending/chairing multi-agency meetings; designing, planning and delivering tailored interventions with families/young people and other professionals; and facilitating group work.

My degree has provided me with a deeper knowledge of child development, family dynamics, children’s rights, etc. I believe this knowledge leads to better and more informed planning of interventions with families. The reflective practice aspect to the degree is something I have actively sought to build into my work. 

An additional positive factor for me has been the increased level of confidence I have gained since achieving the degree.

I particularly enjoy working with children and young people. Using different methods to listen properly to children’s perspectives on a situation to ensure they really are heard. Working on the premise that a child’s perspective is often different to that of a parent or school, the challenge is then working towards an improved situation with a young person.

By bringing all the different perspectives together, each of which may not be ‘wrong’, just ‘different’, but perhaps have not been brought together previously, it is possible to produce a plan. A vitally important, and particularly rewarding aspect of this plan, is that it is conceived with young people, meaning that they have some ownership of it and are therefore more likely to succeed. 

The issue of child protection is always difficult and poses the greatest challenge in the role. Certain cultural barriers existing in schools can also be problematic, although I believe this is an area in which we are beginning to see positive changes. Schools are now more likely to welcome other professionals’ views and work. 

I feel that the BA Childhood Practice is probably the most relevant qualification to prepare you for this kind of work. The degree looks set to become increasingly more high profile than it is currently, due to growth in this employment area.

AGCAS

Sourced by AGCAS editors

Date: 

May 2010

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