To ask should I retrain as a social worker?

[DoctorOrSocialWorker]

Are there any social workers or people who know enough about the profession to advise on this? AIBU to think I could do social work?

I'm currently going back to work after 3 years of maternity (2 babies, 2 HG pregnancies).

I'm going back into teaching science to get money flowing a bit again; I aced an interview and have a job starting September, but it really got me thinking, I want to be doing the aspect of the job that I love most, and that's not the teaching part. It's the helping people thrive part. I find the teaching part quite frustrating because I'd rather spend that hour of lesson time talking to the children individually and figuring out how we could overcome their barriers to learning and thriving and actually making that happen. Whenever I have a pastoral role, I tend to prioritise that over my planning/marking because it seems more important to me to make sure the children are ok.

It's become a running joke that social work or doctor would be my best job where I could make a huge difference and social worker is the only one I wouldn't consider (until now) due to their botched involvement when I was a child, whereas doctor is the one I keep telling myself I couldn't do due to the length and cost of training/my age (35) and the fact I have kids. I think if I'd gone into medicine out of school, and if I hadn't had undiagnosed ADHD until 2 years ago, it would have been different.

I started looking at Frontline a couple of days ago (moving to England soon) and I'm wondering if it's a crazy idea to apply to retrain as a social worker next year? I don't think I'd want to work long-term in child protection as it would break my heart, but working in mental health, SEN, or with other vulnerable people would be right up my street. I think my mix of skills would bring a lot to the table in this profession and maybe I could really help support people.

But there's this other part of me that says the system is not designed in a way that enables social workers to give people what they need, necessarily. Am I just setting myself up for burnout later down the line?

I'm also wondering whether GP would suit me instead, but I don't know if I can afford to do it or if I'd feel like all the medical stuff would get in the way of helping people more pastorally. I think I'm answering my own question on that one.

I want a job where I really feel like I'm giving my best work as I feel like teaching isn't quite right for me which is why I wanted to leave several years ago.

AIBU to consider social work? Is it just going to break me or can you actually make a big difference in people's lives doing this job?

Didn't mean to enable voting but I guess it'll add to the responses lol.

Sounds like you'd make a wonderful social worker and that's where your heart is really in vs medicine. I caveat that I don't know anything about the training involved.

What about becoming SENCO ? Or educational psychologist given your teaching

I left social services. I started out with exactly the same aims and ideals as you, but the reality is vastly different.

There are different branches, and I was mainly working with vulnerable adults - I left because: caseloads ridiculously high, and opportunities to actually help people were unimportant to the hierarchy and I had effectively become a financial gatekeeper for the LA and my role was to save the LA from having to pay for any services - as hey did not have enough money. My integrity could not survive this, so I left and pursued another career.

As I understand it, things are no better, and probably worse, in children's services - huge caseloads, insufficient supervision, poor resources, and no job satisfaction, as you are unable to do your job properly. It is massively stressful.

Sorry to be a wet blanket, but you would need to do this with your eyes open.

I hope that someone will come along in a minute with a positive view.

AIBU to consider social work? Is it just going to break me or can you actually make a big difference in people's lives doing this job?

YANBU, it's a great job. It's very very hard at times and it's really important to research the authority you'd be working for as some function fairly well and others are a shit show.

As I understand it, things are no better, and probably worse, in children's services - huge caseloads, insufficient supervision, poor resources, and no job satisfaction, as you are unable to do your job properly. It is massively stressful.

in some areas but not all.

Apologies for the brutal honesty but, yes, it would be mad to become a social worker right now. I work in a team with social workers and they are all so, so exhausted and demoralised by being unable to do the job they trained for due to unbelievably massive caseloads with very minimal support. Burn out is common, meaning the chance of working with colleagues who are burned out is high, making it even more challenging for those trying to do their best.

Don’t do it with such young children. My friend is retaining in SW just now, and had waited till her children were older (youngest is 12) She quite rightly assumed that it’s never a 9-5 job and she didn’t want to panic about childcare when she invariably has to work late.
She does absolutely love it though

This ^
I left social work after 30 years for exactly the same reasons. There's no time or money to help people as you describe. It's just financial management, form filling and covering one's back.

While doctors and social workers can really impact lives positively, I don't think there are many roles where you would get the in-depth long term work with individuals/communities that you seem to be looking for.

How about youth worker? Or resident engagement for a housing association? Career advisor?

I have literally just finished the social work BA and am now working in adult services.

The training is bloody hard work, you will assignments as well as placements. But if you are organised then it's definitely doable.

As others have mentioned the caseloads are high and retention is extremely low. In my LA they have a real problem with recruitment, in my department there is a 60%vacancy rate.

The aim for me as instructed by my managers is to refer to as many outside agencies as possible, and close the cases to save time and money. The majority of my time is taken up by paperwork.

The best part of the job is visit those people who use the service and building up a relationship with them. I wish I had more time to do this.

I'm a SW. It's a great job but like teaching desperately resource poor and never 9-5. It's also strangely competitive because despite there being few SWs, the LAs don't have the money to employ them so there are few actual vacancies. If you're thinking about retraining in either medical or social, Educational Psychology might give you the best of both worlds whilst incorporating your own personal experience with neurodiversity and professional qualifications.

I think you would struggle with young children tbh. However while the job is tough you absolutely can make a difference talking to children - not on every case or every time, but it is a good and worthwhile part of the job.

Another route you could look at would be CAMHS - a friend of mine went into this route as a social worker and the hours are more predictable, I think it depends on the area as to whether they have social work qualified staff though.

What about becoming an Occupational Therapist? You would be an AHP but could also work closely with social workers? OTs can make a huge difference in people’e lives and you would have a lot more scope with your practice.

This is not true

It’s exhausting. From a CP and a children in care perspective, don’t do it. Can’t talk for adult social care though.

I think if your priority is to have time working directly with children then SW may not be for you. That is just a small ( but v important) part and mostly it is admin and data input. I imagine just like teaching what you want to do/should do is hampered by the processes and procedures. Not saying don't do it as you might enjoy the role and may find a way into a niche area of SW but don't go for it based on wanting to spend lots of time with children.

Yes! Social work needs people like you.

My best friend is a social worker. She works for the charity Barnardos within schools doing basically what you describe.

I work for a local authority as a SW and I absolutely love it. I have done child protection and court and I'm now on a duty and child in need team. Yes it's busy and hard work but I am very happy in my job and certainly have no plans to leave. I don't think I could work in adults because, as somebody else said, it's very much to do with packages of care and financially gate keeping for the LA. After my experience of adults social care when my gran was unwell, I think it would be a very demoralising role! But not all adults roles would be about care packages, there are other roles too.

If you wanted to work in a statutory role, you have to consider the local authorities around you where you'd be looking to work and what their ofsted reports are like, and what is retention like there. Obviously that doesn't give you a full picture of what it's like to work there but would certainly indicate if there are likely to be big issues. I work in a pretty good LA and know which ones I would avoid working in around my area. I have heard some horror stories from colleagues who have worked in certain other LAs, many of them with no plans to leave the LA we work at now because it's much better.

The bottom of the pay scale is not great, but if you work somewhere with good progression routes you can move up the grades fairly quickly. Mileage is crap but that is set by the HMRC at 45p a mile (which may have been fair 10 years ago but not now!). Some LAs pay an essential car user payment each month instead.

Could you maybe volunteer with your local sure start centre . I was going ping to volunteer but they basically wanted weeks of ridiculous training as if nobody had any other commitments. So I couldn't do it. But you would get assigned local families that you would support on a Regular basis. At least it would give you some insight about what to expect .

@mimosa1 and @bookwormish Ooh, I'd be quite interested in retraining in Educational Psychology, but I don't have a psychology degree, which I thought you needed? I also was wondering about SENCO. I guess my uncertainty with becoming a SENCO is how to actually get into it from where I am now, and that I'd still only be working to help one sphere of a child's life.

CP senior social worker here. I rarely work late and have a manageable caseload! I'm clearly in the minority.. I would say that working conditions will vary hugely between Local Authorities so do your research. I have a happy, supportive team who really do keep the child as the focus of their work.

I’m a social worker - 8 years qualified so past the life expectancy of a NQSW when I qualified (which was 5 years I think 😬) but also new enough to the job to still see the passion, but I wouldn’t want to be qualifying now, in 8 years lots has changed and not much (if anything) for the better.

I am an Approved Mental Health Professional now and that’s all I do, I think the key to longevity in SW is find a niche or specialist team as they seem to be better funded and supported. Saying that, my job is hard and not without its struggles emotionally and with resources.

If you do consider SW, please pick a decent uni that has good social worker training, i train social workers now in the field and you can spot the decent uni teaching a mile off!!!

Good luck - happy to answer any of your questions!! Xx

What an excellent thread for the Mature Study and Retraining board!

www.mumsnet.com/talk/mature_students

Thanks everyone for all the really insightful advice and perspectives on all the potential issues. It's giving me tons to think about.
For those who mentioned it, I am worried about the childcare aspect. DH is a teacher so I'm already a bit worried about trying to return to work. DS is 2 and will be 4 next summer so he can at least start school then, but DD is only 6mo so will need childcare for a few years yet.
@Philisophigal do you not think referrals and signposting are really helpful and necessary things? That sounds like management of a problem using available resources?