To ask my manager to move me within the team

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I was so happy to get a fixed term contract as a social worker. It fixed term but there's the need for me in the team so if I'm good it is going to be made permanent.

I knew I needed to be good so made a huge effort as soon as I started and wanted to give a really good impression.

I've been in the job 6 weeks and I've held my own caseload for 4 weeks. I feel this was far too early as I came from a different team and didn't know how the processes worked.

I've had no training. I did shadow a few senior social workers but only did 5 visits before being given my caseload.

I have to ask other stafff members how to do EVERYTHING.

I don't know if I'm incompetent, nervous, lacking in confidence or something else but I feel I never know what to do with something and also have to ask. Because of this I'm slow and my work is behind. I work hard. I come in early each day and finish late and never seem to stop but my work is still behind.

I feel there's not enough hours in the day to work to the level required which in my previous job as a social worker I really excelled.

This team has a high turnover and I am looking for other jobs.

I think one of my major issues is our senior social worker. She's controlling and I would say bullying. She only ever tells me what's wrong. Doesn't give praise. Micro manages. Is cold and generally since starting my job I've felt she has affected my confidence massively. She doesn't allow you to be in control of your own work you feel she is controlling it all and you don't dare make mistakes. It creates a feeling of complete reliance on her. It's awful. I know three people who have told me they have left because of her so I'm not the only one.

There is one team but separated into two location. We have a manager who manages both locations. I was thinking of asking to go to the other location where this senior doesn't work.

At the moment I am so stressed at work I feel ill and I'm usually such a happy person. I genuinely think it's the senior and lack of support and training (very common in social work). I don't want to hand my notice in only to have no other option.

I can't stay in this job. This was my dream job but I'm miserable. Absolutely miserable. I really hope it's not my competence that's the problem but I feel I have to try a different team before moving.

I really like my actual manager (my senior has taken upon herself to act as my manager) and feel she would be supportive.

I'm so stressed about this it's affecting my home life. I think of nothing else and when I'm at work I don't stop. I don't even have lunch there's no time!

I work in Adults services.

How long have you been qualified?

What is it you feel you are struggling with? Is it unfamiliar computer systems and paperwork or the type of cases you have?,

I've been qualified a year but only been in a qualified position 6 weeks. I've held my caseload for 4 weeks.

I don't know the processes involved. I believe I've a good relationship with the people I'm working with and my assessments are good but I don't really know the processes and how could I I've never done it before.

But my senior is a bully and very controlling

Hey, fellow trained SW here! This organisation sounds toxic. You're now seeing why there's such a high turnover. They clearly don't have much of a good onboarding programme, for you to be so confused about what to do. I'm sure you're more than capable but all jobs are different and as well as having the knowledge you have from your profession you also need time and support to learn how this specific place works.

I can't see it getting any better, but can you get through another few weeks while you're getting another role? can you cope by reminding yourself that you won't be there long and brush off your manager, roll your eyes once she's walked away? I find it easier to cope with awful jobs knowing there's an end in sight.

Take care of your self. Lots of social work jobs chew you up and spit you out. Nobody else is gonna look after you but you.

I've worked for someone like that and it's awful in a way that people who haven't experienced it can't really understand.

Prioritise getting away from her. Do ask to be move (I did, was told 'no way', then when I eventually quit was asked why I hadn't explored options to report to someone else )

Then leave if you have to. Working under a boss like this basically saps your confidence and sets you back professionally. I'm now in a new job and have been there 4 months and only now am I getting my mojo back.

It's not good for you. Get out.

I think I could have written this post myself, down to my actual manager being in another location who is lovely and the woman who is trying to micro manage me is in my office.
The difference is I don't give a shit because I'm there for a 4 month contract and I've had lots of experience over the years of how to deal with people like that. A few years ago this would have given me so much anxiety, but now I stand up for myself.
The most important thing is to speak up and let your actual manager know how you're feeling. Things will only get worse otherwise. Goodluck OP.

I think you need to speak you your manager. As a sw manager myself i would want to know if someone was so unhappy in the team- dont assume your manager does know.
Whoever is allocating your work has a professional responsibility to ensuring it is in your skills and ability and that you have the right support to do it.
Can you identify exactly what it is that you are struggling with? Is it the processes? Can you ask for written process maps? Do you have unqualified 'community care workers'? Often i have them buddy new members of the team as they are a fountain of knowledge.
I dont think its unreasonable for you to have a caseload already if you are on a fixed term contract- thats different from you doing the ASYE programme where you are protected in your first year of practice. On a short term contract you would be expected to 'hit the ground running'.
Be really clear about what support you think you need and be proactive about how you think you can get it and make sure your manager knows how you feel.

Right so is this your first qualified role?

If that is the case are you being supported as an ASYE? (Assessed and Supported Year in Employment) because you should be.

Potentially ASYE would be the role of a senior social worker so it may be that she is actually being expected to formally supervise you in some way however it doesn't sound like this is a supervisory relationship that is actually going to be conducive to your learning and progression as a social worker.

I would request formal professional supervision with your manager ASAP.

I'm about the start the ASYE.

My ASYE is being assessed by a different senior social worker (who is lovely).

I can't see you've got anything to lose by asking to move. Give it a go - at least you'll have a bit more experience before moving on.
Workplace bullies are rarely stopped by those above them and so you must steel yourself as complaining will probably (sadly) reflect badly on you.

littleblackno I would expect an agency worker to hit the ground running which is why I always try and dissuade NQSWs from going down the agency route first.

However the local authority has given the OP a contract (even if it is short term) knowing that she is newly qualified and hasn't yet completed her ASYE. It would be good practice for them to allow her to start her ASYE during the contract she has with them. I would be getting extremely cross if I found out a team had taken on someone who was pre ASYE and were not offering some kind of ASYE support. It benefits the local authority as much as the social worker for them to be properly supported!

The asye programme is different hatgirl. Its not automatic in first qualified job, you have apply specifically for it.

Are you doing the asye within the same team? How soon is it until you start? It really sounds to me as though you are lackng in confidence because you havent had the support you need.

Being micromanaged in such a way would affect anyones confidence so i doubt very much you are incompetent in your practice.

Excellent, so you have a lovely manager and a lovely ASYE supervisor. That is two people in your corner.

As others have said (and please don't take this as a criticism) I suspect that this horrible SSW is getting to you because you are already feeling vulnerable due to only just starting in the role. In a few years time the same behaviour probably wouldn't bother you as much because you would be more confident in your abilities and would be able to shrug it off as annoying interference.

You need to get some stock phrases to deal with her for the time being 'thanks for your input meanie SSW but I've already agreed to discuss this area of my practice with lovely SSW in our next supervision' and so forth. Every time.

Also, why is she nosing about in your cases if she has no business being there? That is actually a fairly serious data protection issue potentially.

The asye programme is different hatgirl yes I am aware of that which is why I said it would be good practice for the local authority to offer it.

Sorry there is a lot of cross posting going on and I have a mild hangover which isn't helping

I agree hatgirl the support should be offered however theres alot of work involved in asye and if its not due to start yet they may not be able to offer the same level until it does.
I would also agree about not ecouraging nqsws going down that route.

Within my team we have several asyes who have all been employed in unqualified positions until thier hcpc registration comes through. This has worked really well and as a kind of extended induction.

Regardless of this the op is experiencing bullying irrespective of her qualification/ experience its unacceptable. You need to speak to your manager about it. I have been in that situation and it is really difficult to work when your confidence is knocked so much.
Who is doing your supervision? This needs to be brought up. When your asye starts make sure your learning agreement is clear who is allocating/ monitoring your work and who you will need to report to.

I'm a Community Mental Health Nurse so although a different job, I've been in community for years and mental health are multi disciplinary so I work alongside SWs all the time and often in mental health the roles are often blurred, the main difference being depot injections! Also my last job wasn't training nurses or OTs to be AMHPs so although in theory any profession can be trained, in practice it was only SWs so we didn't do MHA assessments. My new trust does train all professions but I'm too lazy.

Anyway I'm digressing. In my last job, I worked in the Duty team for about 10 years and loved it. No caseload as such, we took all the new referrals, did any screening and urgent referrals and did the MHA assessments, then passed the cases to the CMHTs for follow up.

Then our trust changed and it went to Assessment and Brief Treatment and Recovery, so short term work (eg people with depression, where we might start new meds, refer for CBT and see them a few times to follow up) vs more longer term work (eg people with long term conditions like bipolar or schizophrenia, who often needed CPA and quite complex care packages. I was in ABT and still loved it.

Three years later, they changed it back, but duty was in a different building, was covering the whole trust so 5 London boroughs instead of one and was shift work. This would involve just telephone triaging so no face to face assessments. There were then two CMHTs in my building, covering all caseloads.

Before all the changes were ''going live'' I was waiting to go into hospital for a hysterectomy so decided not to worry about the changes until after my return.

I was off sick for 3 months and returned to work about a week before all the changes and was allocated to a CMHT (I knew this before my sick leave). So I was thrown in the deep end, given a list of clients and told get on with it.

I adored my patients, and got very fond of them, and did really, really try my hardest for them. But I wasn't given the training to do long term work. I really struggled with things like personal budgets, housing panels etc. I had one patient on an acute ward and he moved to a long stay ward while they found sheltered housing, and I got told off for not doing a form for the CCG (cos I wasn't aware a move from one ward to another needed agreement from the CCG!) My manager was spineless and because I'm experienced just expected me to do it with no training. My supervision was non existent. If it wasn't for two very, very good colleagues who really tried to help me....I think I'd be under a mental health team myself, but I was aware they had their own caseloads to deal with.

I spent my evenings and weekends crying, not wanting to go into work, and believing my patients deserved someone who knew what they were doing. I stopped smoking on medical advice before my operation, but this went up the swanee. I wasn't sleeping. I've suffered depression for years and was on meds which needed to be increased. The only reason I didn't go off sick was because I'd just come back from sick leave, and knew I was going looking for another job so while the hysterectomy was easily explained to future employers, I didn't want further sick leave on top.

I spent the whole time looking for a get out clause and after 4 months on the new team was offered a new job similar to the first role I had but in a different trust, and I've been there a year now and love it. I've got my work mojo back and am happy again.

TLDR.....understand completely and sometimes the only way out is a new job.

Thanks everyone.

I don't know how to ask really. I'm worried the manager will repeat what I've said and not move me.

I'm sure it's bullying what I'm experiencing rather than a personality clash.

Thanks everyone.

I don't know how to ask really. I'm worried the manager will repeat what I've said and not move me.

I'm sure it's bullying what I'm experiencing rather than a personality clash.

I'm not sure how you can complain about micro managing and not being allowed to be in charge of your own cases, while at the same time complaining that you are not capable of being in charge of your own cases and not knowing what to do?

Well I need support with my cases but some freedom is necessary.

Shouting borders, criticising and belittling is different to supporting.

Ignore (insufferably contrary) Hairy, who has clearly never been in a job where she hasn't started knowing everything perfectly on day one, lucky her!

We all know the difference between being micromanaged and properly supported. Micromanaging is actually detrimental to the team's work quality and morale and often bloats the time it takes to do work due to having someone else's beak in there all the time. I've been micromanaged in jobs where I've been very capable and it's a nightmare. The micro manager obviously isn't doing an effective job or you'd be learning how to do your role better as time went on and increasing in confidence.

I'm guessing micro manager does this to everyone including more experience staff, yes?

Are you having regular supervision, and is it with the problematic senior practice or your AYSE supervisor? Can you request supervision with the lovely manager and discuss your concerns?

And yes, there's a distinct difference between being supported and micromanaged. My final year placement was in Adults and it was unfamiliar territory. Difference was I had a good quality induction, was taught the processes correctly, had whole-team support as well as focused support from my senior prac and weekly supervision with my manager where cases were analysed, but I was also given a reasonable amount of autonomy and that actually contributed to better performance because they were demonstrating trust and confidence in my abilities. Being micro managed can feel belittling and damaging. No wonder you're feeling unsure of yourself.

The bullying senior is the one doing my supervision. She told me off for speaking to my manager once about something, saying there's an order I need to adhere to and I need to come to her first.

That's rubbish of course.

She referred to herself as my line manager when she's no such thing.