How to Become a Social Worker

Social workers dedicate their time to working with people who might be in abusive situations, unable to live independently, or struggling with specific issues. As a social worker, you might specialise in working with a particular group of people. However, you will likely gain experience working with a range of people, including the elderly, children, young people, people with learning disabilities, vulnerable families, people with mental health problems, and young offenders. 

Your daily responsibilities may include:

Social workers need to have a bachelor’s or master’s in social work. This social work degree will also need to be certified by one of the four regulators covering England, Ireland, Scotland, and Wales. These include Social Work England, Social Care Wales, Northern Ireland Social Care Council (NISCC), and Scottish Social Services Council (SSSC). 

To study social work at university, you are also likely to need five GCSEs, grade A-C, and three A Levels. However, entry requirements can vary depending on where you study as well as if you have previous work experience or alternative qualifications such as the NCFE CACHE Level 3 Award in Health and Social Care.

If you wish to take a more practical route, you can also complete a social worker degree apprenticeship. Undergraduate degrees and apprenticeships take three years to complete full time, whilst master’s degrees take 1 year full time. If you want to take the part-time route, then the time to complete your degree (postgraduate or undergraduate) will double. Following your degree or apprenticeship, you can join the British Association of Social Workers (BASW). 

There are also work-based social work programmes which you can undertake if you have an unrelated degree. These professional development training programmes include Frontline and Step Up to Social Work for children’s social work and Think Ahead for mental health social work.

Social workers earn around £24,000 per year when starting out. This rises to £40,000 for more experienced social workers.

Qualified social workers work hard to help those in need, and as such, need to have specific skills. Some of these soft and hard skills are outlined below. 

As a social worker, you might choose to specialise in a particular area of social work to provide support primarily to one category of vulnerable people. For example, many people who want to work with children choose child protection social work. Others choose to work with those with mental health issues or people with disabilities. 

Employers are often looking for social workers, and they are always in high demand, so you are sure to come across plenty of vacancies for social work jobs. You could find yourself working for private healthcare providers, care homes, charities, GP practices, social services, or working for the NHS. If you are unsure about which area to specialise in, don’t worry, the best way to decide which area of social work suits you best is by gaining work experience. 

Yes, experience is vital before you begin studying at postgraduate level or working as a qualified social worker. Undergraduate degrees will usually include a compulsory or optional placement module to experience life in social work practice. You might work as a social work assistant during this time or alongside support workers to gain insight into the industry and valuable experience working with vulnerable people. 

Suppose you are currently exploring postgraduate social work courses or want to apply for an apprenticeship. In that case, you can also seek work experience to add to your application and increase your opportunities. You can contact your local social services department or any other local providers who offer support for vulnerable people and gain experience either directly in social work or an area similar or example as a support worker. There are people in need of help all over the UK, and working to help these people will demonstrate a desire to learn about social work as an industry and a desire to help others, which is at the heart of the social work profession.