A career in social work

If you have a social conscience and enjoy helping people, then a career as a social worker could well be the one for you. A social worker is a qualified professional, who is paid to listen to, advise, and help those that are in their care.

To be able to help the people that they care for, a social worker has to form relationships with the family and friends of the person that they are dealing with. They also need to work closely with the health service, the police, the probation service, and the schools.

To qualify as a social worker, you will need to be registered with the General Social Care Council, and have a university degree in social work. There are two main types of social work: childrens services and adult services.

Typical adult services roles include helping old people with their housing and benefits, lending support to those with learning disabilities or mental health problems, and helping offenders to rehabilitate themselves back into society.

If you choose to work in childrens services, you may find yourself trying to keep families together, working in childrens homes, supporting young people who are leaving care homes or who are in trouble with the law, managing foster care and adoption processes, or helping children who are having a hard time at school.

A degree in social work typically takes around three years to achieve as part of a full time course, or longer if you opt for a part time course. If you already have a related degree, such as a bachelors in sociology, you may be able to gain a postgraduate qualification in social work which will be a much quicker route into the profession.

Social work degrees are available to applicants of all ages, although most demand that you have some prior social care experience. Social care jobs are advertised on websites such as Guardian Jobs as well as in newspapers and job centres.

The social work degree has a strong practical element, and you can expect to spend at least 200 days in practice placements with social work organisations. This will give you valuable experience, as well as helping you to decide what type of work you would be best suited to.

Article Source: http://www.casinoarticlessite.com

Audry Jolie is a keen writer about secretarial jobs and he is specialised in public sector jobs. This article was inspired by the Guardian Jobs website.

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