Social worker - overview

What does a social worker do?

As a social worker, you'll support children and adults going through challenging situations. Your clients could include people with mental health issues, homeless people, children in care or people in the criminal justice system.

The working environment could be in an office, hospital, care home, school or other community setting. You might work with many other employees, or be the only qualified social worker in a small organisation.

It can be an emotionally difficult role where you have to make tough decisions. You must also keep to relevant legal procedures. Despite that, it can be very rewarding work as you often get to improve the outcomes of people’s lives.

What will your days involve?

Your daily tasks depend on whether you work with families, adults or children, but could involve:

• Providing information, advice and counselling
• Safeguarding clients and taking appropriate steps to protect them when needed
• Helping clients develop and practise independent living skills
• Holding assessments and meetings with clients to review their situations
• Creating support plans for clients
• Discussing cases with supervisors
• Keeping records and writing reports
• Working with communities, health professionals and relevant agencies

FAQs

How much can you earn as a social worker?

The average salary for a social worker in the UK is £35,880.

Does a social worker role involve travel in the UK or overseas?

You may need to travel to different sites as a social worker. E.g., you could work some days from a clinic and then spend other days visiting the homes of clients.

Can you work from home as a social worker?

There are unlikely to be many work from home opportunities as a social worker.