Social worker or Care management?

[AreYouSiriusLupin]

Interested to hear any opinions or experience!
Currently working within residential care (children and young people). I was planning on applying to a graduate social work scheme but I'm now wondering whether to work my way up within residential care instead. I have a degree in a relevant area to both social work and the area I am working in now.

I just can't decide to do, and I am worried about making the wrong choice as I am not getting any younger! I have my level 3 within residential care so would need to complete a level 4 or 5 to progress to a higher level ideally. The company I currently work is in small so I would need to do this elsewhere. I want a career I enjoy in but that is also at least a little family friendly in that I would get most weekends off and hopefully be at home for christmas.

Does anyone have experience of either of these? Pros and cons? If I went down the social work route I would want to specialise within the disability team.

I would do the social work degree as you then have both options.

Trust me, if you want weekends off and Christmas at home, Care Management is not the way to go.

Thanks, I think I am basing my experience of managers having most weekends off and christmas on my previous manager 🤣

Also, the schemes I am looking at applying to (frontline and think ahead) have a 6 week residential which I was worried about as I have kids. I know I could make it work and come back at weekends, but just feel guilty about them missing me I guess

Done both, have a SW degree and Level 5.

If you do the SW qual you can always stay in residential or go back to it at some point. You limit your choices if you just stick with level 4 or 5.

Children’s residential require the Level 5 - but to register to manage you also need the management experience so will need to look how you gain that experience.

I meet lots of care managers who regret not taking earlier opportunities for qualifying in social work and find once they are established as managers they have no scope to go back and qualify (no time, no flexibility, reliant on salary).

Thanks, that makes sense. It seems that doing the social work scheme is the way to go! Would give me more options.