I had never really considered a career in children’s social care before I was already working in that sector. I usually describe my route in to social work as almost ‘falling into it’. My first role in social care was as a temp at the social care contact center for Suffolk Adult and Children’s Services in late 2012. I had just graduated with an undergraduate degree in History and was seeking suitable employment, but there were very few job opportunities at that time. I applied for what was advertised as a role in a call center not initially knowing that the position was actually to do with social care.
After a few months, I found I really enjoyed the role and was then able to secure a permanent position in the contact center. From there, I progressed to a position in the Multi-Agency Safeguarding Hub, which was my first role specifically within Children and Young Peoples Services as an Assessment Coordinator. This role enabled me to work alongside not only social workers, but professionals from the police force, housing, health and education backgrounds as well.
I first applied for one of the internal social work training schemes whilst working in the MASH, but was turned down due to my lack of experience working directly with children and families. I then applied for a Family Support Practitioner role in one of the Ipswich Early Help teams. I was successful in my application, and took on a case-holding role, but was also required to work closely with Social Workers to support the families they were working with too. I really enjoyed this role, and was able to support lots of families in the local area.
From there, I re-applied for an internal social work training scheme and was sponsored by Suffolk County Council to study for an MA in Social Work, which I successfully completed in 2019.
I chose to work in Suffolk because I have always lived here and feel a strong connection to the local area. Having worked in a variety of different roles within Suffolk Children and Young People’s Services, I feel my career up until now has helped me develop a good understanding of both the internal structures and processes of Suffolk CYPS, but also of the services that are available for families in the county. I feel I am therefore able to utilize this knowledge in my daily practice and offer the best possible support to the families I work with.
Whilst studying, my final 100-day placement was in a Child in Care team in Ipswich. The placement went really well, and I was fortunate to be offered a permanent position in the team once I qualified in 2019.I completed my ASYE in the team and have chosen to remain at Suffolk County Council ever since. I am still in the same team now and have just been promoted to Senior Social Worker.
Having worked in the same team for several years now, I have developed some really positive relationships with many of the young people I support. It’s one of the most rewarding aspects of my role. I was able to continue working with many of the children and young people I met during my time as a student in the team and have become the allocated Social Worker for many of the children and young people I already worked with. It’s enabled me to be able to really get to know many of the young people I support, and in turn support them to improve their own understanding of why they are in care.
I feel extremely fortunate to have been able to take on many different learning opportunities in my various roles within Suffolk Children and Young People’s Services. Suffolk County Council funded my initial social work training, which initially enabled me to progress to the role of Social Worker. Since qualifying I have been supported to complete my initial ASYE assessed year and subsequently taken on lots of further training and development opportunities which help to not only support the families I work with, but other members of the team with their cases too. There are regular practitioner workshops offered to social workers in the locality which I try and attend as frequently as possible. Recently, I have completed ABE interview training, PAMS assessment training. Suffolk County Council are currently offering to fund social workers to undertake further post-qualifying modules at the University of East Anglia. I have completed several modules on various subjects and am close to gaining another MA in Advanced Social Work. Suffolk County Council also offer social workers three days’ paid leave specifically to support with continuing professional development, which are proving to be extremely helpful with my additional studies.
As a Child in Care Social Worker, my role generally consists of supporting children and young people to remain in their placements through regular visits and review meetings. A lot of my work is long-term, so it is very much relationship-based. I generally work with children and young people up until they reach the age of sixteen, which is when they transfer to the Suffolk Leaving Care service. Most of the children I work with are the subject of a Care Order or Interim Care Order, however I also work with children and families on Child in Need and Child Protection plans too.
When supporting children in care the role of a social worker is quite unique, in that the Local Authority tend to hold parental responsibility for many of the children and young people I work with. That being said, it is a lot more than just making decisions about people. It’s crucial that the children and young people are a part of this process and are involved in the decision-making process wherever possible. It’s also very important to try and support children and young people to develop an understanding of their journey whilst in care and why they came to be in care through life story work.
I am also responsible for ensuring that the children and young people I work with are able to maintain relationships with their birth families where it is safe to do so. There’s a large focus on reunification within my current team, and we are always looking to support children to return to their birth families wherever possible. This is a particularly rewarding aspect of my role, as it is always very positive to see children happily reunited with parents or other family members and reduces unnecessary social care involvement in people’s lives.
Our team also take on case from within the locality as soon as care proceedings are initiated. This means I undertake quite a lot of court work; which includes detailed parenting assessments, statements and even giving evidence where required. It also means that I work with children that go on to be adopted as well.
My day-to-day role has changed quite a lot since the pandemic. Pre-COVID, I was based in the office five days per week, and would go out for visits and then return to the office afterwards. Since the pandemic however, our team seem to be working much more flexibly. I’m now able to work from home more. We have a lot of social work students, apprentices and newly-qualified Social Workers in the team currently however, so it’s important that the senior members of the team are in the office wherever possible to try and help develop an environment in which these members of the team can learn and develop.
Prior to my successful application to study for my MA in Social Work I was considering studying for an MA in Human Rights, which is a subject I have always been particularly interested in since studying for my undergraduate degree. There is a specific social work team in Suffolk that supports unaccompanied asylum-seeking children which I would potentially like to consider joining at some point in my career.
I also recently interviewed for a Consultant Social Worker position in our team. Whilst I was appointable, another candidate for the role was more suitable than me at that time. This is something I would definitely like to do in the future, with a view to potentially progressing to management.
Inevitably, there is a lot of pressure in this role. The decisions that need to be made about the lives of children and young people in care can have enormous implications; especially around issues like adoption and where children will live. When a young person’s placement breaks down, it quite often results in that young person not having anywhere to live for a period of time. This can be very distressing for young people, and as a team, we are responsible for supporting that young person until a suitable placement can be identified. I am fortunate to work in a very settled team, and have a lot of faith in my colleges and the management oversight we receive, which helps mitigate some of the pressures that we face. I also like to keep busy outside of work, which I find helps to negate some of the pressures of the role.
I find being able to develop long-term relationships with children and families to be really rewarding, and I really enjoy just spending time with the young people I support. The pandemic caused me to rethink how I conduct my visits, and I tended to spend a lot more time outside with children and young people. As a result, many of the children I work with still like to go out with me to local parks to play football or for walks in the community. This has changed my approach to statutory visits, and I have found that it has also helped make the time I spend with young people much more meaningful to them too.
I think the best advice anyone could have given me when I first started working in children’s services would have been to throw yourself at every opportunity that is offered to you. I think learning through experience is the best way to learn. If you are keen to develop and progress, there will be so many different opportunities that present themselves in this career path. The best advice I could give would therefore be to embrace these opportunities whenever you can.
When I’m asked about my role by friends and family, I usually describe it as being quite polar. When things are going well, it’s really good, and when you’re doing some really positive work with children and families, it’s such a good experience for everyone involved. When things are not quite going to plan or you are involved in making some really difficult decisions, inevitably things can be very emotionally draining. I think it’s important to remember to acknowledge the good whenever you get the chance to and celebrate the ‘wins’ where you can too.
I think it’s important to highlight the wide variety of roles within Children and Young People’s Services. It’s such a diverse and interesting career path, and there is an enormous scope for learning, development, and new opportunities. As someone that never really considered a career in social care until I was already working in that field, I thoroughly enjoy my work and would highly recommend it!
