Features: The role of a social worker

Written by Luke Berté, Editor, Graduate Prospects, April 2013

To become a social worker you will need a degree, a registered membership and a wealth of life experience

Jobs in the health and social care sector are not for the faint hearted. Candidates should have impeccable people skills, be prepared to work hard and think fast in testing situations.

 

Coming into contact with people from a variety of backgrounds, you will have to build and maintain a blend of relationships with all of them. Social work is a graduates' profession and so studious individuals are required for an industry that is trying to deal with the recent government cuts to the public sector.

There are jobs available in pockets of this sector, but it is competitive. Graduates will have to persevere and so the more experience you can gain by volunteering the better.

Che McGarvey-Gill studied an MA Social Work at the University of York. She currently works for a local authority as a social worker.

Working with anyone over 18 in need of help due to physical or learning disabilities or difficulties associated with old age, Che is part of a generic adults team and she has been in the position for three months.

'The job is incredibly varied, so for people who enjoy working with others, this is a great part of the role. You need the right mix of personality, good work ethic and values to be able to succeed. There is a lot of responsibility and you have to work with an array of professionals, which is both enjoyable and challenging.

'One of the things I like best about the role is meeting so many people (both service users and professionals) who have an enormous range of experiences which I learn from every day. The other thing that is important to me and that I value in my job is the amount of professional autonomy I have.'

Experience matters

Che advises the importance of gaining a variety of experience before applying for roles. She suggests you should draw on all kinds of skills you may have.

'Anyone who wants to go into social work should gain as much work experience as they can. I have worked a huge range of jobs from a betting shop to a women's refuge. I have done both volunteer and paid work and I have travelled through several continents as well. I think that getting life experience, whether it is directly relevant or not, is hugely important.

'Get as much work as you can; try to volunteer or get paid work in charities. Some of the work experience that helped me to get into the profession included work with adults who have mental health problems, work in a contact centre for children, working with adults who were victims of hate crimes and working with homeless people.'

Che warns that, 'the hours are long, the pay is okay and you'll never be rich, however if you think that the job is for you, you will enjoy it immensely.'

Get qualified

To enter the profession you need to have completed either an undergraduate or postgraduate degree which takes 2 or 3 years respectively, and be registered through the Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC) in order to practice.

Registered Social Workers (RSWs) are then required to keep their training and education up to date and recorded so that they can re-register after an initial two-year period. The framework put in place by the HCPC allows social workers to continue their training in a flexible manner.

Che says, 'There is a lot of paper work to do, report writing, assessments and so on. This is probably the part of the job that takes the most time and which I enjoy least, however it is necessary. I meet with people who often have physical disabilities and dementia, and these are the most common referrals. My job is to talk to them, find out what their needs are and then look for support.

'The most important skills, I believe, are how you interact with other people. As a worker you have to constantly be prepared to concede that your way of thinking is not always right, and that there is a multitude of ways to achieve something. This takes an enormous amount of patience.'