To ask if you’ve re-trained / trained as a Social Worker?

[StopandStep]

Long story short I’d like to re-train as a social worker. I already have a Bachelor’s Degree.

I’ve been looking at various different university’s entry requirements for both undergrad and MA courses, all require me to have 6 months work experience in a social care / social work setting?

My local university say I need to apply by 15th of January for their undergrad or MA course but that I’d need some experience (I have some loosely relevant experience that I may be able to draw upon but it’s 4 years old so they’re saying if I could even get a month’s current experience somewhere that would probably be okay)

The trouble is I work full time and it’s lockdown until Dec!

Is this really what you have to do? Is there anyway around it? Has anyone been able to apply for the 3 years undergrad course without this work experience? I can understand for the MA, but I struggle to see why someone who’s just completed their a-levels say, can’t just apply for the undergrad course like the majority of other courses?!

If I do need to somehow try and find some work experience before the 15th Jan, I’m unclear what exactly constitutes? Working in a school? A care home? Trying to get non- vague answers is really hard.

Any help would be gratefully received, feeling a bit deflated

When I applied for social work I was accepted having just done some volunteering for a community garden project for adults with learning difficulties. I only did a couple of hours a week but that was enough. Obviously like you say, things are trickier in lockdown. Maybe working at a food bank would count? That’s working with people who are currently vulnerable, I guess?

Sorry should have said I did a couple of hours a week for a month. Also if you could volunteer in a food bank there’s lots of relevant social policy that you could relate that too in your personal statement.

Thank you @MayDayHelpMayday, that’s really helpful! I’ll look into local food banks. Are you a social worker now?

Have you considered this? www.gov.uk/guidance/step-up-to-social-work-information-for-applicants

Looks like they may run another course in 2021.

No, I did the first year of the undergrad degree but decided it wasn’t for me - partly because I had a lot of my own shit going on at the time (court case with abusive ex, school refusing dd who was going through an ASD diagnosis etc), and I didn’t feel I had the emotional resources for it at that time. The second year was a placement year and the uni were being spectacularly unhelpful re where my placement would be, so I could have ended up with a 2.5 hour commute each way, which just wouldn’t have been possible for me as a single parent with limited childcare options. And also the more shadowing days I did, and the more I learnt in lectures, the more I realised what an impossible task SWs face, with the statutory responsibilities they have (if they miss something and something bad happens as a result, they are PERSONALLY held responsible and could end up in prison as a worst case scenario - and with the government cuts/ever increasing workload, I can’t see how it would be possible NOT to miss things). So I transferred to social sciences in my second year.

Not to put you off, I am still friends on fb with a lot of my cohort and many of them seem to be loving SW, I think it very much depends on the kind of setting you end up working in.

Could you get experience on a telephone helpline like Samaritans or childline? Try super local ones they may be more flexible.
Yes to food banks. They’ve lost a lot of volunteers through people needing to shield etc. Does your town have a volunteers centre?

It’s vital you have some experience as you will draw on it in your course. Do you have life experience that is relevant ie in care as a child, or a caring role in your life?

I'm a sw in child protection.
You do need relevant experience because it honestly makes a big difference. You need to know what a sw does and the different challenges. The experience does not have to be directly related to sw but something at least along those lines, so you get a feel for how intense etc it actually is and to see if you can relate to vulnerable people confidently.

A few of the people I studied with came with little experience and it quickly showed. Most of the younger students dropped out quite quickly. I'm not being rude about them but it's not an easy thing to do.

I did my degree when I was a single parent and I still say it's the hardest thing I have ever done in my life. I'm not trying to put you off but this is a course and a job that is notoriously stressful.

Be prepared for it to literally change you as a person. You need extremely thick skin and iron strong resilience.
This is not a 9 to 5 job either and can take over your life if you let it.

I do think that this cannot be a rushed decision and you do need a lot of relevant experience before you make the decision.

Caring for people is not what sw do. It's knowing the law, theory, policy and practice inside out. It's being able to challenge and make big decisions independently that affect real lives. It's feeling scared often and sleepless nights. I could go on.

I'm not trying to put you off I'm so sorry but you need experience to make sure this is really for you. Don't jump in and wing it to try get on a course in January.

I did the MA a while back; there was a huge, huge range of experience on the course- from people with 20 years and more unqualified or differently work in a relevant setting to people who had just done their undergrad and shoehorned in a few months of volunteering. In any case, a lot of people were still working towards the required experience whilst they had their interview and got a place anyway.

Are the NHS still having their volunteer drive?

@Notsurewhatsgoingon well said! 👏

Long career as a children and families social worker/manager and have coached and mentored many social work students and newly qualified workers in that time. I would absolutely recommend gaining work experience before doing a SW course and really research the social work role to make sure that it is for you. Many/most are motivated by wanting to help people, but there is a lot more to it than that. See work experience as an investment in your career rather than something to get round, it really will help you make the most of your course and rsctice placements and can also help with job applications once qualified as shows a considered progression towards becoming a social worker. I think it also helps with resilience in what is an increasingly challenging role. If you already have a degree, then why not focus on getting some relevant work experience and go down the MA route. So experience with children/young people if this is the pathway you intend to follow, or with older people, learning/physical disabilities or in mental health. If the Step Up to Social Work programme is a possibility, then again recent work experience will be needed in addition to meeting the academic requirements. Could you consider seeking work in a related area and then applying for a course in a years time. Realistically, with the covid situation you may have a better training experience then too. There is always a need for good social workers so don't be put off, but dobbe as well prepared as you can.