Your social work career
Be prepared for every stage of your nursing career.
Starting out
How to start a career in social work
Thinking of starting a social work career? Find out more about social work qualifications, professional registration & salary expectations.
We outline the typical social work career path.
Since the title of ‘social worker’ is a protected one, you will need to gain certain qualifications before you can practice.
How can you gain experience during your social work studies?
To set yourself apart from other newly qualified social workers, you will need be proactive in seeking out opportunities. Here’s a few things you might want to think about.
Placements in your social work degree
Placements are a vital part of any social work degree - they allow you to gain real-life insight and experience. They also give you the opportunity to learn from more senior social workers.
What is Step Up to Social Work?
Each year, the Department for Education, at universities and colleges throughout England, runs Step Up to Social Work. It is an intensive,14-month, full-time programme to train social workers.
Think Ahead and become a mental health social worker
Could you make a difference to the lives of people with mental health issues? Think Ahead is a fast-track route to a career as a mental health social worker.
How social workers are regulated
There are four regulators in the UK. Since your registration doesn’t automatically transfer between the regulators, you must be registered with correct one for the region you wish to work in.
Your social work CV writing guide
This guide will help you to prepare that all-important CV. It’ll help you identify the skills and keywords to include and advise you on the best structure.
Personal qualities of a great social worker
What are the personal qualities of a great social worker? It’s easy to simply list a variety of adjectives, but why are they are important and how can you reference them effectively on your CV and in an interview situation?
First job and interviews
Assessed and Supported Year in Employment (ASYE)
Find out more about the Assessed and Supported Year in Employment and why it can help newly qualified social workers.
Successfully prepare for your interview
We share advice for how you can successfully prepare for your next social work interview.
Your social work interview guide (adult services)
How do you make sure you impress the employer on the day? How do you keep your answers concise? What should you ask? Download our guide for some key pointers.
Your social work interview guide (children's services)
What do you need to do ahead of the big day? Our interview guide will tell you everything you need to know.
Highlighting your interpersonal skills during an interview
Social workers have great interpersonal skills. Find out how you can showcase your skills to hiring managers in your next social work job interview.
What's your body language saying?
So, you were able to answer all of the recruiter’s questions and you know that your CV matched the job description. But are you sure that your body was telling the same story?
Assessing your own interview performance
Here's some tips to ensure that you are reflecting on your social work interview constructively.
Finding your first social work role
There’s plenty you can do to take control of your career.
Have you thought about what you should take with you to ensure that your first day goes smoothly?
We’ve created a handy list of pointers to make it easier for you to fit into your new social work team.
Progression insights
How to progress your social work career
We look at what you could expect from your career and how we can help you at every step of the way.
Highlighting MASH experience on your CV
As social services continue to invest in multi-agency working, there are more career opportunities than ever before for specialist MASH social workers.
Maintaining peer learning as a locum social worker
Here’s a few tips to maintain peer learning as a locum...
How mentoring can boost your social work career
Have you considered how you can use mentoring to boost your career?
Types of social work career progression
It’s important to take a holistic perspective when it comes to career progression.
Conducting a social work interview
We share how to assess candidates, decide who should be part of the interview panel and manage interview feedback.
Social work leadership interview questions
If you have applied for a leadership role (or are thinking of applying), then you may be wondering what questions you could be asked during an interview.
Switching between roles or services
How can I switch to a career in social work?
Let’s look at how easy it is to switch to a career in social work.
How to become a social work manager
We’ve brought together some advice from our candidates and employers as to what makes a great social work manager.
Returning to a previous employer
We discuss the positive opportunities and potential pitfalls of returning to a previous employer.
Coping with a demanding social work manager
If your manager is demanding, you may want to employ some of the following coping strategies.
How can you know if the next role is right for you and your career?
Getting back into social work after a break
Social work policy and practice is constantly evolving, so how do you return from a career break?
Re-discover your passion for social work
Here are some of our top tips to help you re-energize yourself and re-discover your passion for social work!
General careers support
How to improve difficult workplace relationships
We discuss how to improve relationships with colleagues when they become difficult.
How to be a good social work colleague
We take a light-hearted look at some common office politics.
In the social work profession, it’s how you deal with your mistakes that matters.
Our tips on maintaining and updating your CPD log with Social Work England.
CPD tips from our social workers
We asked our candidates to share some of their top CPD tips.
Apps to look out for in children's services
It’s important that as social workers, we understand what the most popular apps are used by teenagers and young people.
Apps to look out for in adult services (and also those which could enhance your practice!)
It’s important that as social workers, we understand apps could be used to target vulnerable adults. We also discuss some apps which could improve your practice.
We share some tips to help you feel confident in knowing how to spot a potential phishing scam or cyber breach.
To find your next social work role, upload your CV and browse our social work jobs.
