8 Key Skills for a Career in Social Work

 

 

 

 

 

 

At least half a million children in England don’t have a safe or stable home. These children and their families face some of the worst life chances, but social work, as one of Britain’s most challenging and rewarding sectors, has the power to change this.

Social workers are highly trained professionals. Their wide skillset reflects the variety and diversity of their work:

Communication

Few careers will bring you into contact with such a varied range of people as social work. The families supported by social workers come from every kind of background and community. Good communication skills are essential to even consider a career in social work, but these will also improve as you become accustomed to engaging others in a wide variety of settings.

Curiosity

Social workers support families in complex and difficult circumstances. Professional curiosity refers both to the ability and will to explore what is happening within a family, without making assumptions or taking things at face value. It’s crucial to learn how to engage with families, to listen in a compassionate and empathetic way and to ask questions that will generate useful answers.

Collaboration

Social workers work alongside diverse professionals, including teachers, doctors and the police. The ability to collaborate effectively across professions and teams is vital to ensuring that children and their families get the best support possible. A career in social work will develop your ability to work in a team and you will learn how to collaborate with a wide variety of people.

Leadership

Social work is a collaborative effort. A key role of social workers is to help families recognise the need for change and work with them to create a plan for change. Social workers are also advocates for the children and families they work with. From direct work with families to providing your professional opinion in safeguarding reviews or at court, you will need to be able to construct a persuasive argument and influence the decisions of others.

Reflexivity and self-reflexivity

Helping families find creative solutions to their problems requires an open mind and an awareness of different ways of thinking and behaving. These skills will enable you to recognise your own biases and identify holistic solutions to problems. You will also have to get and give honest, critical feedback and respond to it constructively.

Wellbeing and self-care

In order to provide support and care for others, you must first take care of yourself. You will have to develop your resilience by putting coping mechanisms and self-care strategies in place to better manage emotional challenges.

Professional boundaries

Social work is a challenging profession and sometimes social workers can feel that their work is never complete. What’s more, the deeply personal nature of working with vulnerable families can lead to strong emotional investment. Setting boundaries is critically important – with families, colleagues and fellow professionals – so that you can carve out important time for self-care to ensure your own wellbeing as well as that of those that you support.

Analysis of risk and uncertainty

Safety of the child is paramount in social work, but risk is rarely straightforward or predictable. An incorrect assessment could endanger a child’s life, or it could separate a child from their family unnecessarily. Learning to analyse the facts and make confident professional judgements in complex, uncertain situations is crucial in this role. You will become accustomed to factoring risk assessments into your everyday decisions and develop professional behaviours that minimise risk for families and yourself.

Frontline’s Leadership Development Programme is a new path into social work, taking outstanding graduates and developing the skills outlined in this article, to turn them into great social workers. Frontline offers hands-on experience through practice-based learning, in addition to practical and academic training, tailored to your needs.

Social work isn’t easy but if you think you’re up to the challenge, Frontline could be for you.

You can register your interest on: www.tfaforms.com/392296

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Want to discuss your options with a careers professional? Book a guidance appointment with one of our staff: ucl.ac.uk/careers/about/advice