Calling all social workers and those that work in the field - training/qualifications/study advice for someone that wants to get into this. Thanks

[SilveryMoon]

Hi. I am really interested in family support. Working with families, children and young people.
My long term goal is to one day become a qualified social worker when funds allow me to do so , but in the meantime, I'd like to get into the field as some kind of family support worker.
Any advice on steps to take? Training to complete?
I've found a course that results in an NCFE level 4 in Social Work with children and families. Would this help me? Is it relevant? Have you heard of the qualification? What's it equivalent to? Any advice would be greatly appreciated
TIA

There are lots of ways to get into it but a good starting point is volunteer work. Try visiting Homestart (Home-start.org.uk)who run support programmes for families. You do a bit of training with them and then you get attached to a family - doing as much or as little as you can. It is all regulated and you are supported.

It is a good way to test if you like the work and helpful when going on to further work.

Watch for vacancies on the local council website for family support workers too - they do employ them.

The course you've found - it might be helpful when applying for jobs to show you have studied it but it doesn't actually qualify you for much I don't think - but someone else may know better than me. Alot of these are self study and have a cost. Maybe there is a cheaper course that will run from Sept at local colleges that might be shorter and less costlier.

www.careers-guide.com/job-choices/family-support.htm

This gives some useful advice. Also if you are thinking about social work as a long term career some universities do access courses for their diploma in social work so worth looking at them.

Goodluck.

Thank you fifi

I've just registered my details with homestart for volunteering

That is a great start Silverymoon - I have great respect for Homestart volunteers

Do any of the colleges/unis offer an access course on distance learning - I used to know a site where you could check this but I'm not sure I remember it now (I'll think)

Thanks Katymac I found a good course with ics (distance learning) which is a BTEC in supporting families, young people and children. I was going to enrol a month ago, but then started thinking about becoming a teaching assistant as a way of gaining experience with children that might fit around my family, but I keep getting drawn back to this field - must mean something.

You have probably been on here haven't you?

hello silvery.
As far as I'm aware, nowadays you have to do the SW degree to qualify. I've never heard of the course you mention. Some posts eg care home managers accept NVQ4, but I'm not sure where your course would fit in.

You can get a bursary for the SW degree, and lots of students are mature applicants returning to study. Like fifi I would recommend combining some work experienced (paid care work or voluntary work) with an access course.

Katymac yes I have looked on there. I ccouldn't find anything relevant that wasn't an NVQ and I can't do an NVQ because I don't already work in the field.
Erm, I think I may be missing something.

IPAD Where/how can I find if I can get a bursary? Everywhere I've looked, says no.
What am I missing?

bursary for the SW degree.

Depending on where you live, some councils (particularly in london) offer a scheme where you get paid a salary to work as a family support worker and do the SW degree alongside.

It takes longer to complete than the standard 3 yr BA or 2 yr MA (I think around 5 yrs to be fully qualified) but you earn a salary all the way through which might make it a good option for you

OMG. I am so confused! There is so much out there!
Maybe as I'm already pulling this face I haven't got the brains to do this!

Laisee That sounds perfect as I also have the rug-rats to think of. 2 under 3. Got to find money to pay someone to look after them too

Seriously, you don't need brains to be a SW, just a good one!

Hehehe. I have a brain somewhere, but due to being at home with my ds's for 3 years, I think it's started to leak!
I'm just looking on my local councils website, see if there's anything there. Not really sure what else to do!
I wanted to do home learning to fit it around the children.
How am I supposed to do a course at college/uni with kids to pay for? How does everyone do it?

I'm a FSW I working in school & care before this and most jobs are v highly in demand so need some experience to get as far as an interview. As part of my job I have had to do nvq 4. There are about 4 opportunities to do a Sw degree whilst working & sponsored by the council a year. These are v highly contested so might take a while to get one.

Don't want to put you off but just highlighting it's not as easy as people make out.

Thanks nymph That's one of the reasons I started looking at other things, mainly teaching assistant, but alot of competition there too!
God, if I could turn back the clock to when I was at school, I'd do things so differently

Oh & the Sw course is a full time course on top of as many hours you can fit in as FSW so is hard work (2 colleagues on it atm) done in the usual 3 years though

homestart should be a good start too!

I thought there was a national shortage of FSW and that is why most of them don't have brains!

(sorry nymph, I know some do, friend-SW seem to but sadly not any of the ones involved with us from a professional point of view)

Silvery-care work? Can you do relief work or is that a problem cc/ money wise?

Thanks nymph
Also to add, I do live in a highly deprived area, according to my local children's centre, this area is number 2 on the list of deprived ones, so I'm thinking that would mean there would be work around..........like I said, not neccesarily as a QSW, but somewhere in the field

Shortage of fsw/sw but that's through lack of recruitment/ finances

star have you just name changed? Think I've 'met' you before on SW threads some are shit! I work with some v good ones and some I cantcope eith never mind clients

Yeah. Can't help myself . SW has made up an annonymous caller to put on our record the day they received a complaint letter from me. Will I ever get over the anger I feel towards this particular team?

can't really advise SM but just wanted to say well done for getting off your butt. We have been at home too long with our little darlings and are starting to vegetate x

Where I live you are expected to have 150 hours of volunteer work before applying for the course, I hope to do this as well but the uni I want to go to has around 300 applicants for 30 places!

I have DC's(3+6) and I am going to go along the route of training as a mental health nurse and then when I have the degree do the 18 month post-grad training as a SW a few years after. Nursing training here pays £800 a month bursary which you do not need to pay back and does not count as income for tax credit purposes (heard this from a friend who has done the course so not 100% fact!) You will also get a reduction of 25% in council tax.

I have just finished an HNC in Social Sciences (politics, psychology, criminology, sociology etc) and as a full time course I was only there 2 days a week (9-4). College paid childcare fees and I got a student loan. It is do-able but only if you have kids that will let you study and complete assignments! My two are great sleepers so I would put them to bed at 8 and then do a couple of hours, or get up a couple of hours earlier than them.

Homestart as someone else said is a great way of getting some volunteer work under your belt, I think you get 16 weeks of training before shadowing someone and then going out on your own.

What kind of qualifications do you have just now? It might be worthwhile applying for an ILA account and doing a couple of highers or access courses this year and applying next year?

star all I can say is not everyone is crap! It's not helped by the shortage either