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About social worker jobs

A social worker helps people who are going through some kind of crises, evaluating those who may require services in the community. The social worker assesses the care needs of a client, offers support and advice, advocates a support programme, organises a package of care. Social worker jobs enable the service user (the end client) to help themselves and win back control of their lives. Social workers jobs are about promoting independence but in a safe environment.

Social workers provide expertise, counselling, guidance and advice, and are the link between the client and the range of social care services available. You are, therefore, the person who is able to take command and intervene, able to establish a package of care. As such, you will often coordinate other support services such as nurses, support workers, psychiatrists, or the police (for instance, but not exclusively). You will take on a good deal of responsibility, but you are also part of a network of care and supported by a team of skilled professionals who are working with you.

Through rigorous training, qualifications, and using your considerable experience, you will be able to assess the care a client needs to help themselves, or protect them from others or even from dangers that they pose to themselves. You’ll need to be able to make decisions, and follow plans through. You’ll understand the legal issues within your field, as well as the key social welfare requirements and take responsibility to work within these regulations.

Social workers often work with families, children and young people - children in foster care, children’s homes, children in care, children with issues within the education system. You may work for the local council, a private or voluntary organisation or an NHS Trust.

Social workers that follow a career working within adult social care may help clients with mental health problems, drug and alcohol misuse, people with physical disabilities, the homeless, offenders, elderly care - anyone who needs help to improve and take control of their lives. For instance, after surgery, a service user may not be able to independently care for themselves either physically or socially. They might need temporary residential care or home care or nursing care. Evaluating what they can do for themselves and balancing that with the risks that this may present will be your responsibility, basing your decisions on your experience, training and qualifications.

Many social workers start their career as a volunteer social care worker. There, they’ll learn whether this is a career for them, as well as some of the key elements of the job: assessing, mediation, intervention, decision-making, identifying a plan of support or care.

Following qualification and registration your social worker career will tend to specialise (within one of the areas of child care or adult care outlined above, for instance). Only following qualifications and registration can you apply for social worker vacancies. As your career develops you’ll become less hands-on. This is a job that requires a good deal of administration: assessing, reviewing and recording cases. Your caseload will need to be carefully administered so that it conforms to the necessary legal, procedural and care standards.

Social Worker Jobs - skills and rewards
Communication is vital, as is listening and empathy
A clear ability to make decisions and having good judgement
Analytical
Understand people, empathy
Achievement
Fulfillment

What are Approved Social Workers (ASWs) jobs?
Approved social workers are qualified, registered social workers, with good experience, where they have been given additional approval by a local authority. ASWs must also have taken post-qualification training prior to becoming an ASW. Approved Social Workers jobs (ASW jobs) take on specific jobs, duties and responsibilities within mental health.

Social Worker degree courses
Those wishing to apply for social worker jobs as a social worker will need to be qualified, having undertaken a degree course, in order to practice. Previous qualifications were Certificate in Social Service (CSS), CQSW (Certificate of Qualification in Social Work (CQSW), Diploma in Social Work (DipSW). These qualifications are still recognised by those returning to Social Work and applying for social worker vacancies.

However, the social work degree is the degree course now taken by new students, and is approved by the General Social Care Council (GSCC, see below). It “combines theoretical learning with 200 days of assessed practice in a range of settings” (taken from the GSCC web site). All students of the social worker degree must complete this work experience placement programme successfully in order to pass the degree course.

The Social Care Register and the GSCC
If you want to call yourself a social worker, apply for social worker vacancies or undertake the duties a qualified social worker would do (the statutory elements) then you have to be registered with the GSCC (if in England), it’s compulsory. (It’s worth pointing out that it’s also good practice for other social care workers to be registered too - but it’s only compulsory for social workers.)

In Wales it’s the Care Council for Wales. In Northern Ireland, it’s the Northern Ireland Social Care Council and in Scotland it’s the Scottish Social Services Council.

The GSCC (The General Social Care Council) is the regulating body in England and holds the Social Care Register which is only for Social Workers (once qualified and registered you’ll become a Registered Social Worker). In order to be registered an applicant will need to be assessed as trained and fit to practice.

The GSCC also maintain the codes of practice for social care workers. If a registered social worker is found breaching these codes they can be removed from the register. Adherence to the codes is assumed as a given when an applicant is applying for any social worker vacancies on SocialCare.co.uk or anywhere else.

Every three years social workers are required to renew their registration, and must complete post-registration training and learning activities before renewal. Qualifications, health and good character are assessed during registration. Registration ensures codes of practice are maintained and that social workers are accountable to the GSCC - service users are able to ask the GSCC to investigate any concerns they have of its registered social workers.

If you’re interested in social worker jobs in Ireland then you should visit our sister site, Healthcarejobs.ie after fully browsing these pages.

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