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?

Keep going one diet, I think we are about the same way through. I'm pretty overwhelmed this year to be honest. But I'm loving my placement so far only one week in and someone already told me to basically give better consideration to something .

What year are you in? I'm in my 3rd year and it's hard to believe that in less than a year, I'll be a qualified social worker - out on my own. I feel like I have so much more to learn and I'm quite apprehensive about my statutory placement (I start Tuesday week).

Goodness me this thread!

I am certain that lots of people are absolutely nothing like they are in real life on here.

You are all making yourselves look very silly trying to make massive assumptions about someone is like based on some internet posts. Especially as a lot of it seems to stem from the O.P disagreeing with a known Mumsnetter and people rushing to defend them.

I'm a nurse, lots of nurses post on here, I'd have no idea who would or wouldn't be a good nurse from their posts on here. I'm pretty sure it's the same with sw's unless they give you special powers during your training.

Not just a known poster. A well-respected and knowledgeable poster who works in a similar capacity and has had years of dealing with social workers due to having fostered and adopted.

can I just say after 16 pages - all I wish to add to this thread is that one takes UMBRAGE not UMBRIDGE.

Umbridge is Imelda Staunton in harry potter... keep having confusing thoughts of people popping her in their bike basket and cycling off, etc.

Some people seem to have felt the need to take OP down a peg or two.

I assume none of those people have ever been a bit annoyed when others are disruptive, and have the patience of saints in a non-professional capacity. I bet they go round handing out thank you cards to people with loud headphones on trains as well

I'm third year as well, I started placement last week. It's not statutory as such but is government body. I'm really going to enjoy it. It's in an area which is not covered enough in our education and is very very pertinent in many service users lives across all sectors, so I think it will really do me well when it comes to evidencing and developing my learning.

I'm not overly concerned about the prospect of qualifying. I'm more concerned about actually reaching what with placement, research project and running a family.

My posts have nothing to do with what has gone on between OP and other posters.

Neither have mine.

Well, until the last one.

So? You can still disagree with people. I can't be doing with the "How dare you talk to so and so like that! Don't you know who they are?"

Criticising someone for being rude - fine.

Criticising someone for who they've been rude to - rubbish. Particularly if you wouldn't have said anything otherwise.

So sorry to hear of your experiences.

Someone will no doubt be along to say that social workers don't remove children, only the courts have that power.

But the courts look at evidence compiled by SW and when it is given by people as monumentally stupid as this senior social worker for example you do wonder how much of it is accurate.

Im a third year. Im hoping the placement gives me some motivation and bring my passion back but if Im still feeling this way after 6 weeks in I will withdraw. I don't think its right to stay in such a difficult profession without having your heart 100% in it.

Hello Altinkum, hope DS2 is doing well now. I was on his FB / fundraising page for a while.

What is your question?

That is terrible Anais, yet another self fulling, self indulgent spew. How can someone brag about such power and plaster it on Facebook, it's very sickening. I bet all her friends indulged her self important view.

Your post meow is very thought provoking, I'm glad you shared it. Thanks

I didn't realise we were so hated.
I feel as if I really do my best for people and often really worry about them and go above and beyond.
I've bought shopping for clients on a Saturday with my own money and I've given my own stuff away so their kids can have Xmas presents (spare x box) I even baby sat a Saturday night so a young mum could have a much needed
night with friends.
All my colleagues are really professional and caring.

Terribly insensitive to the parents and more importantly awful for the children whose privacy she compromised by leaving her FB page wide open.

Really amazing! What a brave lad, and so lucky to have you

Ledkr I'm sure it can feel quite upsetting. I'm not sure what the solution is to that, but competent, skilled and kind social workers should be praised and get positive recognition.

Perhaps if it were clearer that good social workers were leading the profession, it might help. I get the impression (from my own experiences, so only one area of sw, and one council), that incompetence is accepted as the usual standard and abuses of power are not looked on as unacceptable. The immediate stance to any complaint is to defend by attacking, covering backs, mislead, discredit and accusing the person who dares hold them to their statutory duties and expect a professional job done.

As I said, I'm talking from my experience (which I wrote about earlier). In spite of everything that's happened to me I don't hate social workers as a whole, but I am very wary and basically, scared of any interaction as i am still deeply affected by what keeps happening.

If I met a social worker who was kind, professional and competent, I would make sure everyone heard about it as I'd be so grateful and relieved.

Bloody hell this thread is horrid. All i can see is that the op didn't know one thing but explained that she had only just started her course and would learn it soon and dozens of posters have jumped on the op and called her names. Nasty behaviour.

It is a weird thread. I'm not seeing the justification for the name calling here. Particularly as the op is only in the first week of her course .
Theres a lot of learning to be done, it never stops really. I found that it was only after finishing the course and actually started work as a social worker, that I actually began to truly understand what social work was all about. The course content and the actual job seemed worlds apart.
Good luck with the course op, its nice being a student as you have the time to stop and reflect on your practice. I have worked in teams where I had over 100 people on my case load. I felt like a hamster on a wheel, no time to stop and reflect in the way I would have liked to. Very exhausting, stressful and dangerous.

I think the suggestion to reflect is a really good one - reflective practice is a vital part of SW - it's good to start doing it now you have started training

think about the thread, the responses and what could have been done differently

and work on the chips x

Ledkr, all your colleagues have the same attitude as you? I suppose I'm a bit cynical as my job means I get exposed to many Social Workers in various statutory sectors. A fair percentage of them have not been very good, in my opinion of course.