I was working with children and young people in both community and custody settings and wanted to be able to do more. I’ve always been interested in the ‘why’ and felt that the roles I was previously working in didn’t give me the scope to unpick young people’s journeys, or to be instrumental in helping to change other aspects of their lives.
I was lucky enough to be accepted onto the ‘Step Up to Social Work’ programme which allowed me to complete a fast-track course. While studying , I was supported by Bedford Borough Council as my ‘host’. This impressive support came in the form of diverse discussions; books and experiences, after which I decided to continue pursuing the completion of my course. I was also aware of Bedford Borough’s ASYE Academy and felt that this would suit my style of learning as I progressed into my Social Work career.
After completing an undergraduate degree in Criminology with Sheffield Hallam University, I was unsure where I could progress. I gained my first employment at HMPYOI Littlehey as the Induction Worker for the education department with Milton Keynes College. I worked with 18-21 year old young men who had offended- the main role was to encourage them to engage in purposeful activity and create an education plan with them. I later worked with men aged 18+ at Nacro at HMP Bedford, exploring education and training choices as they approach release from custody, alongside resettlement options.
Because I had a keen interest in working as a drug and alcohol worker I chose to retrain, subsequently working as a Substance Misuse Worker at HMP Bedford. This was working for a company called Westminster Drug Project. My responsibilities included completing assessments; care plans, group work sessions and prescriptions for clients experiencing difficulties from a range of substances including illegal drugs, prescription medication, alcohol and synthetic drugs.
In order to gain more experience working with females and young people I took on a role at Northamptonshire Youth Offending Service as the Specialist Substance Misuse worker. Here I was able to explore more holistic interventions such as auricular acupuncture and mindfulness to support the young people who were open to the YOS. This also involved working more closely with Children’s Services and other community agencies. I was later able to build on my skills and multi-agency working with both the Police and Children’s Services.
This generated an interest in the Social Work position, retraining to support children and young people at potentially earlier stages in their lives. I was made aware of the ‘step up to social work’ degree and successfully gained a place on the fast-track course. While on the course with the University of Bedfordshire, I completed a 100 day placement with Bedford Borough Children’s Services in a Family Support Team. Following this I went on to complete a Post Graduate Diploma in Social Work Practice, stayed with Bedford Borough and joining the ASYE Academy. Over the course of a year I was provided with learning opportunities, both shadowing and holding a range of cases. Since I left University I have undertaken a variety of training and development including a Level 2 Counselling course, Level 4 Drug and Alcohol Award to a Masters in Social Work Practice.
Following the Academy I successfully applied for the role as Social Worker in the Assessment Team. Over the course of 18 months I was able to build on my assessment skills and have a greater understanding of gathering information and working with families to achieve best outcomes. I then moved internally to the 16+ Supporting Futures Team (Leaving and After Care Team) working with young people who are looked after to build on their aspirations and goals for the future. Whilst in this team I achieved the ‘experienced’ position where I led on Age Assessments and supported others within the team.
I am now an Advanced Practitioner in Bedfordshire’s Youth Offending Service. I have only recently gained this position; however, my role is within the leadership team where l supervise a team of Specialist Workers, Social Workers and Early Help Workers. As a service we work with children and young people aged between 10-18 who have offended across both Bedford Borough and Central Bedfordshire.
I have only been in my new role since 03.01.23 so I am still in my induction phase. However, my day to day will consist of supporting those that I supervise, holding supervisions and attending meetings where appropriate. I will have key areas to oversee and these will include community safety, out of court disposals and a new project which is called Turnaround. This aims to work with children, young people and their families holistically to explore the reasons for offending and explore early help support to prevent any future re-offending.
In the short term I want to settle into my new role and become established. In the future, I have aspirations to become a Practice Educator where I can formally support Social Work students on their placements.
So far the most challenging part of my role has been understanding the processes and not working with children and young people directly anymore. The most rewarding part will be being part of a system that promotes change, challenges inequality and supports young people to make a positive difference.
My first piece advice for anyone just starting their career in Social Work would be to not listen to everything you read in the newspapers about Social Workers. Second would be that being a Social Worker is by far the hardest job I have had, but it is the most rewarding when you can see the physical and emotional difference you have made to either that child, young person or family through sheer care, effort and dedication.
