I had a difficult time at school and wanted to help other children and young people to hopefully provide better outcomes for them. When I was 18 I wasn’t sure what I wanted to do but began working with adults with learning disabilities. I got to know about the role of a Social Worker and saw how they could help make a difference to people’s lives.
I studied Social Work with the intention of becoming and Social Worker in Adult Services, however, my student placements were in Children with disabilities and Fostering teams and I thoroughly enjoyed them. I realized that I had the skills needed to work with children and families and that I was good at forming relationships which helped children and families to make positive changes to their lives.
I live locally and Bedford is the only place I’ve worked. I started working for Bedford Borough Council when I was 18 years old and have no plans to change!
I started as a Student in the Children with Disabilities Team before completing my final place in the Fostering Team. When I received my Social Work degree I applied to Bedford Borough’s ASYE Academy. I moved to Family Support Team 2 shortly before I completed my ASYE.
After a couple of years in the team I became an Experienced Social Worker and shortly after that I was given the opportunity to act up as the team’s Advanced Social Work Practitioner. I applied for the full time role, which I have been doing since October 2022.
A large part of my role involves overseeing the work they do, quality assuring documents such as court documents or family assessments and reviewing the plans for children and their families to make sure they are child focused and achievable. I still get to meet and spend time with families either through chairing meetings or going out on visits with the allocated Social Worker. It’s part of the role that I love and feel privileged to do. I want to continue progressing in my career as a Social Work leader and manager. In future I hope to become a team manager and would love to progress further within the Local Authority if I get the opportunity to do so.
The most rewarding part of my new role is my team’s progress benefits the children and families they work with. Being a part of their journey through Social Work and being able to support them to progress their skills and ultimately seeing the benefits for the children and families we support is very rewarding.
As a Social Worker, the most rewarding part is seeing parents make changes and their journey to bettering themselves. Being able to play a part in helping families to change is one of the most privileged and rewarding imaginable.
Some weeks there are more bad than good, but when your hard work pays off and you see the benefits it has, it trumps all over difficult days and reminds you why you do the job. My top piece of advice would be to be realistic about what you and the families you work with can achieve. Take time to reflect on all of the good practice, and learn from mistakes.
My advice for anyone considering a role in social work is to embrace the journey, and make sure to look after yourself so you can go on and help others.
