‘The learning never stops’
My first job after qualifying in 2013 was as a social worker in a frontline child and family team. It sounds cliche but I wanted to make a difference to people’s lives, to engage in meaningful work that would make a difference whether big or small. I wish I had known just how quickly time goes when you are so busy all the time and just how emotionally affected I would so often be by some of the people and the situations. Emotional support to manage this is vital if you are to stay healthy and well. On a more professional level, I wish I had known just how much more there was to learn beyond the social work degree and my previous experience – that I would continue to learn something new every day, about myself, about practice, theory, policy, people in general. The learning really never stops.
Marie Addy, senior social worker and acting assistant team manager, Norfolk
‘Stay calm and keep being kind’
I didn’t quite realise before I started just how profoundly important the work we do is. Things we do that we think are small can have such a big impact on people’s lives. We obviously have to do lots of recording and I’d wish I’d known sooner how important it is that you think about what you write and how you write it, and the impact it can have. Not just because children and families will read it but also that you don’t leave room for misinterpretation. You become part of the story of people’s lives and the narrative you create about families is extremely powerful, so you don’t want it to be misinterpreted or misused later on. You have to own your responsibility as a social worker. It feels frightening to take responsibility for what you do, but it’s also empowering because it makes you accept who you are and the impact and power you have. It’s also important to remain calm and keep being kind and warm, even when things are really difficult in a family’s life.
Isabelle Trowler, chief social worker for children and families
‘Learn how to cope with corporate change’
I started working for a local authority as an unqualified social worker in 1996 and have been qualified since 2008. If I could go back and give myself advice it would be to always work for the people in the community and keep them at the heart of your practice, in spite of all the politics and office or managerial changes. I would also say (which I do say now to students) that social workers need to be able to cope with corporate change and not be put off by the constant changes to team structure and higher management. I had been naive about how much these changes would impact my work, but if you always stay faithful to your social work ethics and strive for the best for the people you serve, then you will ride the changes much easier than rejecting them and fighting to remain the same. The experiences in my early career are the ones that helped to ground me and have the confidence to cope with the ever-changing world of social care.
Amanda Moore*, adult social worker and team manager, West Midlands
‘I wish I had known the importance of getting constant feedback’
My first role as a qualified practitioner was as a hospital social worker in a large inner-city teaching hospital when I was 22. Much of it involved palliative and end-of-life care. I still remember many of the people I worked with and what I learned in practice about human nature, development and the strengths and resilience of people in managing the challenging circumstances in which they found themselves. I wish I had known the importance of getting constant feedback on my practice and skills from people with whom I worked, both service users and carers as well as other professionals, to improve the effectiveness of my social work practice. My best learning was from co-working with other colleagues and the reflective time we spent with people talking about what was helpful and made a difference. My advice to any new social workers is to hang out with good, inspiring practitioners and take every opportunity to develop and deepen skills and practice knowledge across a range of areas. This benefits your work with service users and, as you progress, as a supervisor supporting the work of other social workers and related professional colleagues.
Lyn Romeo, chief social worker for adults
‘The person you are working with is the expert of their life’
My first job in social care was in a nursing home for older people. I was out of work and called up asking about jobs in the kitchens. I knew within the first morning of the first day that I would work in social care for the rest of my career. Having qualified as a social worker, my first role was in a very busy hospital and it felt like a crash course in social work. The rapidity necessary to ensure discharge, while upholding rights and ensuring people were listened to and were able to make choices, was intense. I wish I had known when I started that in adult social work the person that you are working with is the expert of their life, their condition, their situation. As such they are the decision-maker and if they are unable to make decisions, there is legislation to adhere to. Find allies, other social workers who share your values – and don’t expect that just because your colleagues are social workers that they necessarily think the same as you. And enable risk where you can. As a judge once said: “What’s the point of making someone safe if it merely makes them miserable?”
Rob Mitchell, principal social worker, West Yorkshire
‘Asking for help is not a sign of weakness’
My first job after graduating in 1987 was with Somerset county council as a social worker in a generic team, although mainly I worked with adults and children with learning disabilities and their families. I wish I had known that I should be patient with myself and that asking for help is not a sign of weakness. And the importance of taking time to reflect. Reflection is an essential skill in social work, vital in processing what you are seeing and hearing and also in how you are feeling. It enables you to do and notice what you are doing simultaneously.
Kim Holmes, principal social worker, Wiltshire
* Some names have been changed
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