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Social Worker

Social Workers support individuals and their families and play a critical role in improving wellbeing and mental health for service users in the NHS and in Social Care.

Social workers work across local authorities, the independent sector and voluntary sector and there are also Social Workers within the NHS in mental health settings.

Working life

As a social worker, you’ll work with patients, service users and their families to find solutions to barriers they are experiencing. You may be protecting vulnerable people from harm or abuse or helping someone retain their independence.

As a social worker, you will work with a wide range of client groups including:

  • Elderly people
  • Children with disabilities
  • Teenagers with mental health problems
  • Young offenders
  • Adults with learning disabilities, mental health problems or physical disabilities
  • People with alcohol, drug or other substance misuse problems
  • Refugees and asylum seekers
  • Families at risk of breaking down
  • Children who need to live apart from their families
  • Foster carers and adopters
  • Children who are at risk of abuse or neglect
  • Carers

You may prefer to specialise in a particular area or have a particular interest in working with a certain group of clients.

Social workers have a varied role and participate in many aspects of care. You could be involved in:

  • Assessing needs and developing support plans – Social workers assess individuals’ needs, strengths, and wishes to develop tailored support plans. 
  • Providing emotional and practical support – Social workers offer emotional and practical support to clients and their families, helping them cope with challenges and build their capacity. 
  • Connecting clients with resources – Social workers connect individuals with necessary resources, such as housing, financial assistance, and community services. 
  • Advocating for clients’ rights – Social workers advocate for clients’ rights and ensure they are not discriminated against. 
  • Protecting vulnerable individuals – Social workers play a role in protecting children and adults from abuse and neglect. 
  • Working with families and communities – Social workers often work with families and communities to address broader issues and improve overall well-being. 
  • Liaising with other professionals – Social workers collaborate with other professionals, such as healthcare workers, educators, and law enforcement, to provide holistic support. 
  • Providing counselling and therapy – Social workers may offer counselling and therapy services to address mental health concerns. 
  • Conducting research and evaluation – Some social workers engage in research and evaluation to inform best practices and improve services. 

An important part of the social workers role is to build a relationship with clients and families and to ensure that everyone is working together towards the changes required.

Requirements

You must be registered with Social Work England to practice as a social worker and you’ll need to successfully complete an approved degree or postgraduate programme in social work. Courses take three or four years full time.  Some degrees combine social work with mental health or learning disability nursing.

Some employers may offer a degree apprenticeship route to social work. To get onto a degree apprenticeship, you will need to apply for an apprentice position with a health care provider first. You will usually need a qualification at level 3 to get onto a degree apprenticeship.

NHS and Social Care employers will expect good literacy and numeracy as these are an important part of the role.  Depending on the role, some employers may ask for evidence of GCSEs or equivalent qualifications. When applying for a role as social worker, there will be other skills or qualifications required but this will depend on the role and the team in which the role sits.

You’ll usually need two or three A levels, along with five GCSEs (grades 4-9/A-C), including English and maths.

Or you could have alternative qualifications, including:

  • BTEC, HND or HNC
  • relevant NVQ
  • health- or social care-based access course
  • equivalent Scottish or Irish qualifications

To get onto a Masters programme you normally need an undergraduate degree. However, each institution sets its own entry requirements, so it’s important to check carefully.

If you already have a degree in another subject, there are several routes for you to become a social worker:

  • take a postgraduate qualification (Diploma or Masters) in social work. Courses take two years full time or up to six years part time.
  • train through Step up to Social Work which takes 14 months and combines work and study
  • apply for the Frontline 2-year programme combining study with supervised practical work in child protection
  • apply for the 2-year Think Ahead fast-track scheme to become a mental health social worker. The scheme blends academic learning with extensive on-the-job experience.

You will need to show that you have an understanding of social work and experience of working with clients. This can be from paid or voluntary work. Or it could be from your own life experience, for example, as a carer for a friend or relative.

Personal characteristics

To work successfully as a social worker, you need to consider your own personal characteristics. You would need to have the following attributes or similar:

  • Be accurate and methodical and have good attention to detail
  • Be able to assess a situation quickly
  • Be resilient and prepared to go into unknown or unpredictable situations
  • Be able to work as part of a team but also able to use your own initiative
  • Be willing to follow procedures and take instruction from senior team members
  • Be able to work with all people from various backgrounds with different experiences
  • Be able to stay calm under pressure
  • Be understanding of other peoples lives and respect their choices
  • Be willing to work with clients in environments they live in

Skills required

To work successfully as a social worker, you need to consider the skills that you have. You would need to demonstrate the following:

  • Be well organised and able to plan your time
  • Be able to manage a caseload of clients
  • Be able to communicate with a variety of people using different methods.
  • Have positive customer service skills
  • Be patient, caring and kind
  • Be able to reassure those who may be anxious, scared, angry or distressed.
  • Be able to make decisions
  • Be able to verbalise complicated information and ensure this is understood
  • Be able to build relationships with clients

Training and development opportunities

When you begin to work as a social worker, you will receive the training you require to be able to undertake the role successfully. You will receive an induction which will introduce you to the department you will be working in, will support you in accessing the IT systems and will ensure you are aware of the policies and procedures you will be required to follow in the undertaking of your role. You will also have to complete any statutory and mandatory training that your employer requires such as fire training, data security training and customer service.

As part of your training, you will be required to take part in sessions that cover the following topics:

  • law as it applies to social work
  • ethics and values
  • assessments and interventions
  • mental health, disability and other issues
  • practical work with clients and placements in social work settings

Before you can work unsupervised, you will be required to work under the guidance of a trained supervisor.

Career development opportunities

You could take further qualifications related to social work such as counselling or mediation. Once qualified, many social workers join the British Association of Social Workers (BASW).

Social workers must keep their skills and knowledge up to date with annual Continuing Professional Development (CPD). BASW runs courses, conferences and seminars where social workers can exchange ideas and update their skills as part of registration.

Other career development opportunities include: specialising in a particular client group or issue such as the elderly, young people, substance misuse, mental health or domestic violence. You could also train as a high intensity therapist, as part of the NHS Talking Therapies service.

With experience, you could also progress your career to become a senior social worker and supervise the work of other social workers, or become a primary mental health social worker working in child and adolescent mental health services.

You may also be able to progress into a management position or become responsible for a department or an area.

Pay and benefits

Social workers who work for NHS providers usually work 37.5 hours per week and you may be required to work evenings, weekends and bank holidays to meet the needs of the service you work within.

Social workers in the NHS are paid using the Agenda for Change (AfC) system and usually start their career on AfC band 6 but with experience, further training and additional qualifications, can progress further up the pay scale.

Other benefits of working as a social worker include access to a pension scheme, health service discounts such as a Blue Light Card and 27 days of annual leave in addition to bank holidays.

If you practice as a social worker in a setting outside of the NHS, terms and conditions for this role will vary depending on the employer you work for.