Social Worker Jobs
Frequently asked questions
Social Worker Jobs
Discover Social Worker roles nationwide with staffing agencies, private care providers, and local authorities. Scroll down for insights into what social workers do, how to become one, typical employers, pay bands, and FAQs.
What Does a Social Worker Do?
A Social Worker supports individuals, families and communities to manage complex social, emotional and safeguarding needs. They work across varied environments including hospital wards, outpatient clinics, community settings, residential facilities and secure units, often embedded within multi-disciplinary teams alongside doctors, nurses, therapists, housing officers and education professionals.
Social Workers support people experiencing mental health conditions, learning disabilities, substance misuse, safeguarding concerns, chronic illness, or social vulnerability.
Key duties typically include:
- Assessing individual and family needs
- Safeguarding children and vulnerable adults
- Developing care, discharge and support plans
- Coordinating services across agencies
- Advocating for patient and service-user rights
- Maintaining legal and case documentation
How to Become a Social Worker
To become a registered Social Worker in the UK or Ireland, you must complete an approved degree in Social Work (BA or MSc). Graduates must then register with the relevant regulatory body - Social Work England, Scottish Social Services Council (SSSC), Social Care Wales, or CORU in Ireland. Unlike nursing roles, NMC registration does not apply to Social Workers.
Entry requirements typically include A-levels or equivalent qualifications, strong literacy skills, and relevant experience in care, education, mental health or community services. For career changers, conversion routes such as postgraduate Social Work degrees are available for those with a prior degree in a related discipline.
Students undertake extensive supervised placements in statutory and community settings, gaining hands-on experience in assessment, safeguarding and case management. After qualification, newly qualified Social Workers often complete an assessed and supported year in employment (ASYE) or equivalent structured induction, with ongoing professional development required to maintain registration.
Before I started the Social Work Degree, I already had some experience working with the most vulnerable clients in our society.
I used those skills I had gained in order to support me during placements as part of the Social Work degree.
Eduardo Dias, Social Worker
Read Eduardo’s full blog about how to change your career and become a Social Worker here.
Our Social Worker Career Guide
This information comes from our own Social Worker Career Guide which you can jump into for a full, deep dive into everything you need to know about becoming a Social Worker - career pathways, education, qualifications and registration details. It also includes insights from people who do this job so you can hear directly from those who have gone before you.
Typical Employers of Social Workers
Social Worker roles span both statutory and non-statutory services, with employment available through NHS organisations, local authorities, private providers and voluntary sector organisations.
Typical employers include:
- NHS Trusts and integrated care systems
- Local authorities and government services
- Private hospitals and mental health providers
- Recruitment and specialist social work agencies
- Community care providers and clinics
- Charities, NGOs and voluntary sector organisations
Some of our current employers hiring for Social Workers include:
Pay and Benefits for Social Worker Jobs
The average annual salary for a Social Worker in the UK or Ireland is approximately £38,000, depending on experience, sector and location.
Example salary ranges include:
- Location-based variations apply: London salaries may reach £40,000 to £45,000, while provincial regions typically range from £32,000 to £37,000
- Private sector and agency Social Worker roles based on our jobs data range from £36,000 to £50,000+
Benefits often include pension schemes, paid annual leave, flexible working, funded training, supervision support and wellbeing programmes.
Our Social Worker Pay Guide
This information comes from our own Social Worker Pay Guide which you can jump into for a full, deep dive into salary and pay rates for this job role. We keep all of our pages up to date, using trusted sources and humans, so this is accurate information.
Career Progression for Social Workers
Social Workers can progress from newly qualified roles into senior practitioner, specialist or advanced practitioner positions. Career pathways include leadership roles such as team manager or service manager, as well as specialist routes in mental health, safeguarding, child protection, forensic social work or approved mental health professional (AMHP) status. Continuous professional development supports long-term advancement and expertise.
You can read more about how to progress in your career as a qualified Social Worker here.