Tell me how!? Social work?

[rabbitheadlights]

Can anyone tell me how to become a social worker? The kind who advocates for children after trying to understand their individual family dynamic. I've held quite senior positions in the past in (hse) but I don't think this would have any bearing. Can anyone advise in terms of where to start re courses etc

You can do an undergraduate or postgraduate degree course at university; or the 2 year Frontline leadership development programme could be an option if you're mobile. A wee bit like Teach First, but for social work.

@pancakepatter that sounds like a foreign language haha but I will break it down and look into it .... Thankyou for taking the time

If being given the names of the courses sounds like a foreign language, then social work isn’t for you

Oh sorry!

Do you have a degree already? An undergraduate degree is just a degree for somebody who hasn't got one yet. A postgraduate degree is a second (or third, it fourth....) degree that builds on a first one and is at a higher academic level. If you do Social Work as an Undergraduate degree, it will be 3 years in England; as a Postgraduate it could be shorter.

If you google the 'Frontline' training programme, it will explain it! It's an on the job training programme for 'outstanding' graduates or career changers.

nationalcareers.service.gov.uk/job-profiles/social-worker#HowToBecome

@pancakepatter I gained my current position by starting in admin ... I've done courses along the way as advised by my immediate superiors

@Thepigeonsarecoming thanks for that insight and understanding. Spectacularly decent of you.

Your on the job courses wouldn’t be relevant, you would need to apply for a formal social work course at your local college/uni. Most would be 3 years, although you’d also need A Level or equivalent qualifications to be eligible

Thankyou for that @thepigeonsarecoming that's exactly the kind of info I was looking for

If you are interested in helping children in need there are other routes though other than social work. You could look at children’s homes and becoming a care worker, actively working with young people daily. Or at fostering agencies, to become a foster carer. All depends on your individual circumstances

You could either follow typical social Work route, or you could follow the the family law route eg activism and help support those families in court.

You could also look at becoming a mentor to a young person, via a charity for young people leaving care

I've just googled social work degrees so have a look at this one to give you an idea of what what's involved:

www.mdx.ac.uk/courses/undergraduate/social-work