Social Worker

Role:

Social workers assist people who are socially excluded to live more successfully within their local communities by helping them find solutions to their problems and providing support. They maintain professional relationships with service users offering help and guidance. Service users can be individuals, families or groups of people within the community, including young offenders, school non-attenders, drug and alcohol abusers, homeless people, disabled and the elderly.

The role includes a number of tasks: interviewing and assessing service user's situations, offering information, guidance and counselling, maintaining accurate records and participating in multidisciplinary teams.

Source Prospects

Skills Required:

Communication skills
Patience and ability to remain calm in a difficult situation
Observational, analytical and listening skills
Ability to liaise with other professionals such as medical staff
Ability to empathise with service user
Capacity to absorb and understand legal/procedural information

Young man sitting next to the wall — Social Work

Things to Consider:

The ability to to make a difference in the community can be extremely rewarding.

However, social work can often be emotionally upsetting, as a Social Worker can see and hear things that are distressing. Patience, understanding and the ability to remain calm in what can sometimes be dangerous situations are crucial. Furthermore, long hours are involved.

It would be useful when looking to start a career in social work to have some experience working with either young, old or disadvantaged people. The University of Southampton provides the opportunity to volunteer within the community through Career Destinations Community Volunteering Project.