Please tell me about being a social worker

[Coeliac1]

Hello

I'm currently an accountant, and I hate it. I work for a charity, and I'd love to retrain for a role that is actively helping people, like many of my colleagues. I had a horrible upbringing, and I want to be involved in trying to prevent that for other people.

I've been looking into social work, and the work sounds to be exactly what I'm looking for- but I'm also not wanting to be naive. I have volunteer experience with children, and with elderly people, but no formal work experience.

Please could someone give me a realistic 'day in the life' if they are a social worker? Obviously with no identifying details! I currently work hybrid, and my local councils website says their social workers are hybrid - I assume they do their paperwork from home?
What is the best route? I can see the open University do a distance learning degree, but you have to be sponsored by an employer- is this very difficult to find?

Thank you

Hi I've been a social worker for almost 20 years. Which area do you want to go into?
It's very busy, understaffed and crap IT systems. The amount of admin is ridiculous. I work mainly from home but do visit families. I do mostly like it partly because I have a very supportive and experienced manager which is unusual in my experience.

Thank you for responding. I'd like to look into child and family support.

Do you have job satisfaction? Working for a large charity I'm used to admin and bad IT systems!
How did you get into social work? I suppose you can't really do 'work experience' due to confidentiality etc- is there any particular volunteering you could recommend?

Thank you!

I did my qualification in my very early 20s and wasn't a degree then so only took 2 years, I worked in children's homes at the same time. I do know people who've done it via the OU. volunteering with families would definitely help, there's also always vacancies for social work support staff.

Yes over the years I've definitely had job satisfaction but I've also had some horrible managers and some very upsetting cases that stay with you.

What about mental health nursing

I’m a sw, did a degree route over 17 yrs ago. Funnily enough I came on here today for ideas for a new career! Feeling exhausted and demoralised, been in children’s services my whole career. In my local authority there are apprenticeship routes into SW, so you learn while on the ‘job’ (I imagine you’d be a ‘family support worker’ or something whilst training). Google Frontline social work training for the graduate and fast track programmes too. I don’t regret being a sw, but can’t say I recommend it, but then I’m 17 yrs down the line and tired! Have a look for jobs in Early Help or as a pp has mentioned a children’s home. Could also be very rewarding but with less stress possibly …

I left social work because I felt that my role had gone from being a respected professional who was able to help those in difficulty to a financial gatekeeper for the local authority. I had reams of assessments and forms to complete with people, which they might reasonably have felt had some purpose in moving them towards receiving services, when in fact I was fully aware that the LA would provide zilch - so where then is my integrity?

The service is underfunded, many SWs feel unsupported in the difficult decisions they have to make - they assess need, but know the resources are not there to meet these.

Caseloads are unreasonably high and overtime is constant. The stress is enormous.

Jobs in the charity sector tend to be more productive.

Proceed with caution!