I am a social worker in a fostering team in a small local authority in the north of England, although when I initially began this blog I was just about to begin my training. I qualified as a social worker in October 2010, and came to the profession after meandering my way through a variety of other jobs and spending a few years trapped within the disability benefits trap. I’m almost 40 now and feel I have found my place in life.
Social work involves working with those members of society who are in difficult situations, who are struggling to cope, who are vulnerable, oppressed and often considered undeserving and the dregs of society. Sometimes they may have contributed to their situations; sometimes they may not have. Sometimes social work involves caring for people, arranging support packages, working with them to improve their situations. At others, it involves control- using powers given to us by the state to take actions which may be unpopular, to remove children to protect them from harm or to deprive people of their freedom when they are unable to care for themselves safely.
I work within the first of these examples- assessing, training and supporting foster carers to look after children who for a variety of reasons are unable to remain with their parents. I also work with extended families, in the same way, with the aim of finding an alternative family member who can care for children safely when they cannot stay with their parents. My job involves aspects of both care and control- I work to ensure that children are cared for well by substitute carers, but I also sometimes make decisions that contribute to controlling whether a child remains within their birth family or may be adopted or fostered elsewhere.
I love my job- usually- and am passionate about social work. That’s one of the reasons I get so frustrated with government policy and the press who frequently make it so much harder to do the job effectively and prefer to concentrate on the profession’s failures rather than celebrate the far larger number of successes.
I began writing this blog as a vessel for my reflections and experiences during my social work training, and my thoughts about news items and developments relating to social work. I hoped at the start to be a regular writer, but soon learned that was too ambitious, given the demanding nature of both the training and the job itself. I try to write when I can or when there is something on my mind that really triggers a desire to put my views down on paper (or should that be screen?!)
Any experiences I describe that involve other people, agencies or situations will be fully anonymised, with names and enough details changed to prevent identification- therefore, if you think I am writing about you, your sister, father, great aunt Nellie, the big dog from ‘that house down the road’-you are completely mistaken!
Aside from my career, the rest of my life consists of diverse interests and activities! I am a very ‘crafty’ person, enjoying making greetings cards using papercraft or cross stitch techniques. I’m also an enthusiastic musician, enjoying singing in several groups and choirs, and playing the guitar, keyboard and viola. I am a committed Christian and am very involved in the life of my church. And I’ve just signed up to learn British Sign Language in evening classes, something that’s been an ambition of mine for many years.
I’ve been extremely surprised and encouraged by the number of people who have read my blog since I began writing and am very grateful to the followers I have acquired.
Hello there
Really enjoyed reading your blog. I am married to a social worker so I understand the stressful nature of the job. However, I am told that it does have its moments of reward and joy.
I am doing an MA in Professional Writing and for my dissertation I am writing a screenplay for a drama about social work. The protagonist will be a newly qualified social worker working in child-protection. So your blog is a great source of inspiration. Thanks
Hey,
I’ve just found your blog after spending one of many mornings searching for vacant social work positions on the internet. It’s cheered me up a huge amount, to know that there are other people out there who might have had the knock back at first, but eventually were successful in getting work, it’s given me a bit more energy to keep on looking.
Have a wonderfully Merry Christmas!
Naomi.
Just found your blog and I’m finding it really helpful. Im just about to start my second year on a BA social work degree so need all the help and encouragement I can find and i’ve found it really useful and interesting reading about someone else who has been through the same process that I am now going through 🙂
Just found the blog, looking forward to reading as someone that is looking forward to being released from the benefits trap this year and starting uni in September on my Mental Health Nursing Diploma your blog will make great reading for me! 🙂
Good luck! I hope you enjoy your course as much as I have enjoyed mine!
All the best with your future career.
Inspiring x
Keep up the good work
Hello! I’ve just found your blog, although I haven’t had the time to go through it thoroughly I’ve enjoyed it so far. I would like to encourage you with your degree in social work because I believe you made the right choice, since you seem to be very passionate about it. So good luck with your studies and keep practising that guitar!
Many thanks for your encouragement! I’m glad you’re enjoying the blog. 🙂