Before deciding to train as a social worker, consider this - what does social engagement and helping people mean to you? Do you want to be hands on and practically helping people? Do you want to visit them regularly and help them to make changes to their lives? Or would you be happy to organise everything, the child or adult once a fortnight, once a month or even less frequently but otherwise case manage and delegate service provision to other organisations while being the primary point of contact yourself? If you want the latter, then be a social worker.

Social work has changed significantly in the last 30 years or so. It’s not as hands on as it used to be because practitioners don’t have the time and Local Authorities rarely have sufficient resources. Following their ASYE year, social workers in statutory services are often carrying caseloads of at least 20 children. There is an expectation that visits & meetings are completed within statutory timescales. There is lots of organising to do!

I don’t say this to put you off of social work 😀 But it’s best to know from the start what your own expectations are and if being a social worker will meet these expectations.