To ask what people think a social worker's job role is?

[filee777]

I am intrigued. I know this is in AIBU and its not really that sort of question but I want diverse and interesting opinions.

So what do you think a social worker does? What do you think a social work should do?

Mrs Devere has been lovely.

little did you do any child placements?

I am hoping we get an idea with placements in various aspects of social work.

Wow I missed calling mrs DV snippy. I don't think you see things like I do OP. I certainly never saw that.

I think your education is important, if you are going to start a thread asking what social workers do then the education do social workers is probably the most important thing to consider, especially as many people are expressing their experiences are negative.

Anyway I just types a massive post considering what doublelife posted and I wanted to say OP it is important to be critical of everything you say and do. Read as many serious case reviews as you can manage. Look at what lessons need to be learned. And recognise they are pretty much the same themes over and over again, why aren't we learning. Read up as much of Eileen Munro as you can. Look at not only serious case reviews about children. Look at reports like the Cornwall report the case of David Askew.

My advice earlier still stands it wasn't meant to be spiky but you do need to learn to take critics on the nose and consider what they are telling you.

I'd really rather not go back into the nonsense.

MrsD I have no strong feelings about you one way or the other. I thought telling me to 'chuck books out' was a bit snippy and odd.

Issues you have with me on other parts of the forum really shouldn't be valid, if you find it difficult to put them to one side you can always just skim past my threads?

Anyway. I wanted people's opinions on social work, not people's opinions on my course, again, sorry if that was not clear enough by the OP.

filee I did my second placement in a LA in a family placement team (fostering and adoption). While there i did some assessments for a C&F team. I really loved it. When i left i was handed an application form and told to hand it in when i had qualified, which i did. I got a job there very quickly and have remained working for Children's services since. I now work for a different LA in a specialist child protection team.

My first placement was with a voluntary agency with people with mental health issues. I found it quite difficult to work out exactly what my role was in that setting. In a LA you have the statutory guidance and the legal framework to work within.

I think it's quite clear from MrsD's last post that she has some preconception about me which has likely affected her response to me on this and other threads.

Unfortunately amongst the other stuff I have to do, I have no time for 'Internet grudges' I found the response on this thread snippy and odd, expecting me to know things I didn't know and then chastising me for it etc.

Now I know why, at least.

little that's great to hear, how long have you done the job?

We do voluntary placements in the second year, with statutory placements in the third year.

MrsD that is a ridiculous post!

You call me passive aggressive and then suggest, passive aggressively, that I am 'one of the bad ones'

Bless ya, have a good day x

I think opinions about your course are very valid inorder to form an opinion of what social workers do its quite pertinent to look at the education and knowledge of social workers.

Filee I've never noticed you on other threads before. But on this one I happen to agree with mrs DV (about being passive aggressive, not necessarily one of the bad ones)

I don't see how there can be valid opinions of a course that started 1 week ago and so far has covered where the toilets are and what our library log-ins are.

I would say, give it some time.

I have definitely got a lot of good information here on from people who have used and worked with social workers.

filee I have been a SW for around 9 years.

I also think Mrs DV has a point tbh. Things shift and change rapidly in SW. Laws, guidance, statutes, policies etc all change quickly and any reading material referring to this needs to be checked carefully.

In general however many theories still stand even though they are continually developing. It is okay to refer to older texts to get the context for a particular approach but then back it up with current thinking and models.

I would also say that you need to consider how you are going to react when challenged on things as this is a major part of the job.

I wish you well with your studies.

MrsD the 'good luck with your course' doesn't stop your response from being passive aggressive!

Anyway, it's irrelevant, I don't even post a great deal on this forum, where are these threads I 'regularly frequent' do you mean the perhaps 2 threads in the past six months where I have DARED to have a different opinion to you?

Again, I have no time for Internet grudges, I am doing a degree, working and I have two young children.

Have a good day.

It's valid because they have so far not appeared to prep their new students with up to date information or ensured they have done this themselves prior to interview, they have so far provided out of date text.

That's a good start in generating a critique and an opinion. The education of social workers is one of the biggest critiques of the profession in pretty much everything you will read and study during your course and through out your career. It's a good basis to start now with the course you are attending.

I agree littlemiss and I am sure this is something we will go through in class, I was asked to do an assignment based on the little information that we already had, in order to establish where we needed to develop etc, it's not being marked it's a test essay.

I agree and have always agreed that I have a lot of learning to do.

I'll take your advice on board, thank you

Oh dear filee777. You took exception to "I would chuck that book out". Oh dear.

Yes I did favourites it seemed really over the top! As was the subsequent attack on me for not knowing the correct name!

It's worth remembering that those students who seem to you to be bolshy may be those who, in the long run, have enough resilience to survive and do a good job in an underfunded profession. Just as you say your uni felt you were right for the course, they also thought the same of your fellow students. If 1 week of the course is not long enough for you to have been given the basic background to your course, then it is also not long enough for you to write off your fellow students.

filee. Can I say something.[ I dont think we have met on a thread before so I have no idea of any back history. Also, I have seen Mrs Devere around, but that is about it].
From a casual observer Mrs Devere was being very helpful. That is it. And since you two seem to have some sort of internet history, however brief, she has been generous with her time in trying to help you. That is what it looks like to me, just observing.

The other point I would like to make. You come back with your posts remarkably quickly. In life, sometimes, it is best to sit back and think. Amd sometimes take a few extra moments to think, before pressing the Post Message button. Some times, our first thoughts are not always the right thoughts. Some times they are.
Best of luck in your studies.

I haven't 'written them off' I just find them annoying.

It's not up to me if they pass or fail, they just seem a bit lacking in certain things.

I would also take exception to someone telling me to chuck out a text book. Ideas may be outdated and no longer in use or even valid but they can be used to show what was once thought compared with current thinking. I would never chuck out a text book and I go to library to seek out the crumbly old books so I can cite from the original text.