I am a social worker, ask me anything

[Socialmediajunkie]

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How many cases do you have vs how many are you meant to have?

Do you work with children/the elderly/vulnerable adults?

I work with children. The LA I work for is good. Ideally we should have no more than 18-20 children. I average at 20. I have had 29 in past.

I grew up in care went from home to home until I ended up in a children's home which I loved any idea to why the council's are closing them all down. Also my sister has problems involving social services however I wonder how they get my contact details ie no family has it, also due to the issues my sister has for some reason part or all of my care record was given to them without my knowledge any idea why they would need it sorry for all the questions. Oh and you are all doing a great job I would be dead without ppl like you so thank you

Hi Mrschainsawuk thank you fir taking time to share your story. . children's homes are closing as LA's want to replicate families for children and feel that children's homes are unable to do this. There are still a few around. I am unsure why your details were given out without consent. I would suggest you email the LA asking this question. They would have to reply. I am unsure why they would need this as it would not be relevant to your sister unless you were putting yourself forward to care for her children and even then you would need to consent

Thank you. It's good to hear positive stories as people only ever hear the negative. It can be a difficult job but positive feedback makes it worthwhile.

Do you know how long is the process to become a Foster parent from first appointment through to a child coming to live with you? Are we likely to be turned down if my husband is on anti anxiety medication?

I always wanted to go into social work, but dropped out of uni after my first year due to depression. I now have a DD, full time job, mortgage etc. My question is do people go into the job later in life, after they have finished having children etc? Are there any ways to ‘fast track’ getting qualified ie on the job training?

Hi thanks for getting back to me just some more info I never settled into foster care, i never liked that family element of it didn't feel safe and never fitted in to family life. I was moved from foster home to foster home on temp placements until I was 14 and moved into a children's home.I finally found a family with the staff in was the first kid to go and complete college at the home, i never would have managed without them I moved out 13 years ago and I still talk to them often I was married a few years ago and one of the staff gave me away and other staff attended the wedding they are my family all 12 of them and that won't change I helped save the home from closing with the council agreeing to fund for a few more years but it is the last remaining one with that council now I hate to think what happens when it's up for review again I love being able to ring them up and still have support even after leaving so many years ago. I know you all have a tough job but never give up follow you gut and heart always you know when something is wrong and I amight really happy ppl like yourself is around I know you all get negative press and it's not fair you all deserve a chance and less red tape to make your job easier so thank you again :-)

Is a 10 year old not getting up for school in the morning/his main carer not enforcing school or stretching the truth as to why he misses it, concerning for social services? They have been involved before and just wondering if this is something that would ring alarm bells for them.

(not me by the way, just one of a few things I can't believe SS aren't following up on).

In a situation where a child's dad keeps getting reported to SS as a concern (drugs, DV - first against mum, then other girls when she split up with him, other crimes, uncontrolled MH issues and delusions), but the mum has been assessed as fully competent to protect the child, why can SS not give a straight answer re contact?

Why can't they say that supervised contact must be put in place, instead of just 'advising' to? So then dad rings up SS and they say there's no open case, they're not stopping anything and he can have her 50/50 if he wants, leading to lots of upset and aggression

Even after a significant case of DV in front of the child, which ended the relationship, in the same call as SS recommending an urgent non mol - they told mum that SHE had to phone dad and tell him he couldn't see the child anymore. Mum completely agreed, but couldn't understand how they could recommend a non mol whilst also demanding inflammatory contact. Repeatedly insisting that mum puts herself and her child at danger by inflaming a very violent man the day after a DV incident, and telling her that was what was best for her child.

I don't get it. I guess the first bit - is it because direct orders can't be given without a court case or the child going on some kind of plan, which could be seen a waste of time/ money when the child is safe and well cared for? If so, I wish this policy could be changed.

But the last incident - I think about it all the time, and I can't understand the rationale behind it. It's the first and only time I've ever felt so forced to do something which was likely to harm me and DD by the authorities, and being terrified my child would get taken off me if I didn't comply. Can you explain the thought processes behind this, if this was in line with SS protocol?

Thanks

Is there any way to fast track become a social worker? Is it possible just to specialise in the elderly ?

Nogodsnomasters Its difficult to give an exact answer. It's no a process that can be rushed. You would complete the skills to foster course then have a Form F assessment. The timescale for assessment can vary deondeing on your commitments etc. Referees would need to be interviewed and they may not live locally. You then have to be approved by panel and the age range and number of children you are approved for will be specified.

When I search for a placement we have to complete paperwork to find a match. We may have several people come forward to foster a child but we will have to assess which family the right family

Anti anxiety medication is not a reason to turn down someone. It's positive that someone has recognised that they need additional support. However fostering can be challenging so the assesssing social worker would need to know that your husband had coping strategies and support in place.

Good luck

Hayls17 Yes people do go into role after children etc. In fact, I did. When I was at uni the course was heavily weighted to more mature students. I did traditional Masters degree but I know there are programmes such as Frontline and step up to social work which are more fast track programmes. However, I do not know anyone who has completed these programmes to give any feed back

Good luck

BarbraDear Its hard to answer questions like this as I do not have the full case history. From what you are saying, I would say this was more a case for Troubled Familes/Early Help or education welfare. The threshold for statutory involvement is high. Social workers complete assessments and have three options. Close, stay involved or refer to other services such as Troubled families/Early Help. These services then try to work with families. If they see no change then they have the option to refer back to Social services

I often find that people only give sketchy details of their involvement with social services and I understand why, however, that gives people a skewed view on what we do.

Hope this has helped

dkfkfmf contact issues can be difficult as they are usually covered by private law. Social services can make recommendations but if someone wants contact supervised then they have two options, pay for this themselves at a contact centre or go to court for a court order.

It's hard to answer without all the full details but If a parent involved in a DV relationship has ended that relationship and taken al, the necessary steps to safeguard the children then there is no reason to keep the case open. The parents who has experienced DV maybe linked to services such as IDVA or freedom programme but we cannot keep children open to services without reason

I am unsure why the parent was asked to contact father herself but if social services have ceased involvement then they would have no role.

If it has been assessed that contact can go ahead as there is no risk to the children seeing dad alone then that can happen. However, if there is any risk then either parent can stop contact and the parent wanting contact will need to apply to the court for contact and a report will be written with recommendations around contact. Even if the report suggests supervised contact then this does not mean a social worker/ assistant would cover this. This could be a family member or the court may order that both parents share the cost of a contact centre.

We have so many children in care who need supervised contact and this is the responsibility of the Local Authority as we are the corparate parent for looked after children

Hope this helped.

Babyroobs Step up to social work and frontline are fast track programmes but I am unsure if they are just for children's social work. There was a huge shortage in frontline children's social work which is why these programmes were developed. It maybe worth researching if there is a smiliar programme re adults. Good luck.

Think Ahead is a similar fast track programme for people who want to work with adults with mental health issues.
Step Up also has an adult placement as far as I'm aware.

The fast track programmes I'm aware of do all need you to have a bachelors degree as an entry requirement, although it can be in any subject it doesn't have to be social care related.

How much do you earn? Is it generally a well paid industry?

I can't let go of the idea of being a social worker. But I'm a single mum with two young (2 and 4) children. Would it be madness to consider training now? I have visions of being called out to something in the evening and not being able to leave my children-is there usually a rota for after hours emergencies or something?

I used to be a teacher. One reason I had to leave was the reflection and justification of my actions (reviewing every lesson plan formally etc) rather than being able to plan and teach for the kids in my class. How much formal reflection do you have to do in your paperwork? Or is it not a case of self reflection and more like outcomes for the child? I'm expressing this terribly so hope you understand what I mean!

Socialmediajunkie - thank you for your reply.

VladmirsPoutine Wages are ok but when you divide the amount of money to the actual hours you do, it's not good.

For my role and in my area you can get between £38,000 and £44,000

MollyBloomYes if it's something you want to do then go for it. There are so many areas of social work. With frontline it can be very unpredictable and if something happens on your caseload at 4:30pm you will have to deal with it but this is not all the time.

If you are used to reflection then this will help. There is lots of reflection in social work but this is in case discussions with peers and managers. The way assessments are written has shifted as there was a previous focus to write too accademically. I don't mean that disrespectfully but research would be added to assessments and they would lose their meaning to parents. Parents need to know what we are worried about and what changes need to be made.

Am happy for you to PM me.

6DinnerSid Thank you. That's helpful to know.

Do you have DC yourself and if so do your 'mum friends' ever get a bit awkward around you like they can't complain about when their DC are being naughty/they are having a difficult stage etc?

Camomila I have three children but they are over 18 now, initially my friends would joke about not being able to discipline their children in front of me! I am a mum first and social worker second so do understand the childhood experiences

I have 20 years of experience in working with children and families and am often asked for advice and practical support from friends. I have had a friend ask me to provide one to one support for her child and I refused.

I have thought about becoming a social worker but as in working on a cancer ward / hospice. Do you just complete a general social work degree then choose an area to specialise in?

Do you learn a lot about human behaviour in your social work degree? Or is it more when out in the field?