AIBU to consider becoming a social worker ? Mum of 2!

[Shypinkpiggypants]

I trained as a teacher and worked in the profession for six years, but after having my child, I realised I didn’t want to return to teaching.

I then moved into an Early Help role working with adolescents and families, which I absolutely loved. It was fast-paced, involved a lot of report writing, and included one day a week on call. I enjoyed the variety, the level of responsibility, and the sense of purpose.

After three years, I left for a role in a private company, mainly for a better work-life balance and no on-call expectations. However, the role has turned out to be extremely quiet, and I’ve found myself really missing the pace and energy of my previous job, as well as the defined benefits pension. I also felt there was limited progression in my Early Help role beyond becoming a senior practitioner.

I’ve now been accepted onto a funded Social Work Master’s programme. While it’s a great opportunity, it would mean a drop in income for a period of time, which would be a stretch for my family.

Through my previous role, I worked closely with social workers and have a good understanding of the demands of the job. I’ve always been drawn to it and feel I would enjoy the work, particularly as it offers the pace, responsibility, and meaningful impact that I seem to thrive on. The LGPS pension is also a big draw.

That said, I’m very aware that social work is intense and can be highly stressful. With two young children (aged 4 and 5), I do question whether I’m being unrealistic or idealising the role.

I feel torn between taking a chance on something I’ve always wanted to do and worrying about the impact it could have on my family life. I’m not sure if I’m being brave or naive.

Do you have much family support? A supportive husband?

I have a supportive husband but I do not have a family network around me to help out. It’s just me and DH!

Do it! I've been in social work for a long time from before I had my teenager and after I became a lone parent. You'll need options for emergency arrangements to pick the kids up and look after them in the evening for the odd occasion you'll be working late but even in child protection you aren't working late every day, no matter what horror stories some people tell I'll want to tell you. It's a great career. I'm now on around £60k 11 years after qualifying (I did a lot of unqualified work before doing the training, similar to your early help role) so it's not badly paid once you're out of the ASYE year.

Are there any opportunities to talk to someone in role. At our council they are desperate to recruit sw and seem to put on roadshow type events. Ask realistic questions about caseload, supervision etc.
Obviously depending where you are in country Local Government Reorganisation is coming and having impact eg experienced staff retiring.

Many social workers are parents, and it sounds like you have an idea of the role from working alongside so I don't think you're being naive. That said, the main issue in children's social work for parents is unexpected late finishes, this isn't just when there's emergencies but because most jobs involve visiting children and that's generally done from 4pm onwards as they have to be seen at home, and depending on how long the visits take/where they are can impact you getting home on a day to day basis. And you will also have some days dealing with emergencies where you're out until late. I think you need to have solid after school care and a reliable partner if you have school age kids (there can usually be some flexibility if you're doing morning school run, but 3-5.30 is a particularly busy part of the day in children's SW)

I would also look at the Ofsted report for your nearest councils as how manageable the job is depends a lot on how the authority is doing, eg stable staff teams Vs shortages and lots of turnover

If your husband is happy to support the late finishes etc then go for it! Why not