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Social work in adult services
Services to adults can be divided into those that involve providing direct care to the user and those which involve planning, organising and co-ordinating a range of services - known as 'care management'.  This kind of work includes assessment of need, report-writing, budgeting, use of IT, as well as people skills.

Care management
Under the National Health Service (NHS) and Community Care Act 1990, local authorities are responsible for preparing joint plans with their local health authorities about how they will provide services within the community.  The services to individual users are co-ordinated by a care manager, usually a qualified professional, who is responsible for assessing need and developing packages of care to meet the requirements of individual users.

 
Care management is organised differently in different authorities. Care managers can be based in local authority social services departments or in GP practices, hospitals, or multi-disciplinary community teams. Their specific roles will vary but their tasks are likely to include:

• assessing the needs of users or co-ordinating assessments undertaken by
  other professionals e.g. district nurse, GP, occupational therapist;
• organising intensive support for patients discharged from hospital;
• working in partnership with service users and carers to decide
  on the most appropriate services to provide;
• negotiating and dealing with service providers;
• monitoring the quality and cost-effectiveness of services;
• ensuring that services are provided in a way which will meet
  the needs of users from a range of ethnic backgrounds;
• keeping records and managing financial information using
  computer packages.

Sometimes care management is organised in separate departments for different groups of users so that it is possible to specialise in care management for people with mental health problems, older people, people with physical disabilities, people with learning difficulties, people with sensory impairments or people with HIV or AIDS.

While there are many rewards, this work can also be stressful especially when limited resources mean that you cannot always provide users with all the services they need. There is likely to be a considerable amount of paperwork and bureaucracy. Working within restricted budgets often means making difficult decisions and time management skills are essential when dealing with very heavy workloads and competing priorities.

Essential qualifications: DipSW, NVQ in care, nursing or occupational therapy qualification.
Desirable qualifications: post-qualifying training
Career opportunities: service manager, care manager
Potential employers: local authorities, voluntary agencies, local hospitals.
Salary range: £14,000 - £24,000

Social work in health care settings
If you think you would enjoy working as part of a multi-professional team and you have a commitment to providing the highest standards of care to people who are at their most vulnerable, then working as a social worker in a health care setting might offer you the career you are looking for.

Health care settings are places managed by any branch of the health service: hospitals; GP practices; clinics; accident and emergency units and psychiatric hospitals.  They also include specialised units run by voluntary agencies such as hospices; clinics for the treatment of substance abuse and centres to meet the needs of particular client groups such as people with learning difficulties or those affected by HIV or AIDS.

In the GP surgery, a social worker is able to deal with patients who have visited their GP because they are worried about social problems or are feeling depressed.  In a hospital setting, social workers provide support to patients who do not have relatives to care for them, they organise intensive care in the community on discharge, so that people can recuperate in their own homes rather than staying in hospital and they provide bereavement counselling to relatives of patients who have died.

Essential qualifications: DipSW.
Desirable qualifications: post-qualifying training - Approved Social Worker (ASW), Mental Health Officer (MHO) training. 
Career opportunities:  service manager, care manager
Potential employers: NHS, local authorities, voluntary agencies.
Salary range: £14,000 - £25,000

Mental health social work
There are a number of ways in which social workers can specialise in work with people with mental health problems.

Approved social workers (ASW) / Mental health officers (MHO)
Social workers who have had two years experience since qualifying can undertake further training to become approved social workers or mental health officers. This entitles them to operate under the Mental Health Act 1983 and, working with doctors and psychiatrists, approve compulsory admission to hospital for patients who are a danger to themselves or to others. The role of the ASW or MHO is to try to ensure that people with mental health problems can be supported and treated in the community or that if they need treatment in a hospital, they would go there on a voluntary basis. Compulsory admission is a last resort. ASWs and MHOs are valuable resources and often have to be willing to go on a rota system to be called out on evenings and weekends.

Forensic social work
Forensic social workers are usually based in hospitals which provide psychiatric services or in prisons or special hospitals such as Rampton or Broadmoor. Forensic social workers support other professionals such as psychologists, psychiatrists, probation officers, nurses and prison officers in the assessment, treatment and support of people with mental health problems who commit serious offences. Forensic social work requires the ability to cope with challenging behaviour and to use authority appropriately within a statutory framework.

Essential qualifications: DipSW, Approved Social Worker (ASW), Mental Health Officer (MHO) training.
Desirable qualifications: further post-qualifying training 
Potential employers: NHS, local authorities, voluntary agencies.
Salary range: £18,000 - £30,000

Residential care for adults
A residential (or day care, see below) establishment is a good place to start a career in social work. Residential establishments tend to be small and informal homes or hostels where groups of service users live together with staff. For example, people with learning difficulties or people with mental health problems who previously lived in a hospital will now share an ordinary house within the community. This resource may be run by the local authority housing or social services department or by a voluntary or private agency.

The staff of group homes or hostels will support residents with claiming their benefits, budgeting, personal and social skills. They will also liaise with other professionals such as GPs and psychiatric nurses and encourage residents to take part in recreational and leisure activities.

Now that most older people are supported within their own homes, it is only the most vulnerable and confused service users who come into residential care. The homes may be managed and supervised by trained nurses if most of the residents need medication and some nursing care. Day -to-day physical care such as dressing, toileting, bathing and feeding is provided by care assistants, who increasingly will have studied national vocational qualifications. Staff must be mature, patient and caring. Most homes for older people are now run by the private sector.

Essential qualifications: DipSW, NVQ level 4 in care (for residential staff).
Desirable qualifications: NVQs level 2/3 in care for junior staff and care assistants.
Potential development: higher level NVQs, deputy manager, services manager.
Potential employers: private care homes, local authorities, voluntary agencies.
Salary range: £13,000 - £20,000

Day care
Day care services are provided for a wide range of service users: older people, people with physical disabilities, people with learning difficulties, and people with mental health problems. Day centres provide a caring supportive environment where leisure and recreational activities can be pursued. In some cases people learn or re-learn daily living skills or skills required to return to employment; in other cases counselling or advice on emotional or practical problems are offered.

People who might otherwise be isolated or house bound are able to socialise and make friends. Some people, such as people with Alzheimer's disease or people with severe disabilities are cared for in the day centre to provide respite for their carers who might otherwise be unable to keep the person at home. Day centre workers liaise with a range of other professionals such as doctors, district nurses, occupational therapists and social workers.

While a DipSW is increasingly required for people working in day centres, it is still possible to find a job if you are not qualified and this is a very good way to test out your interest in social work as a career and gain experience.

Essential qualifications: DipSW, NVQ level 4 in care (for senior day care staff).
Desirable qualifications: NVQs level 2/3 in care for junior staff.
Potential development: DipSW, higher level NVQs, deputy manager, services manager.
Potential employers: private care homes, local authorities, voluntary agencies.
Salary range: £13,000 - £20,000

Information on related professions

Youth and community work
Youth and community workers work in youth clubs and other settings, taking on  projects such as those designed to stop young people from offending.  Some youth workers may seek out young people who may be homeless or at risk of drugs or prostitution and help to reunite them with their families or place them in a safer environment. This is especially common in inner city areas.

For further information, contact:

The National Youth Agency
17-23 Albion Street
Leicester LE1 6GD
Tel: 0116 285 3792
Email: info@nya.org.uk

Work with offenders
A new qualification is now available for probation officers. Qualified social workers provide services to young offenders throughout the UK and some probation committees may employ qualified social workers as probation officers. The role of a probation officer or criminal justice social worker includes:

• supervising offenders within the community, ensuring that they comply with court orders that have been issued to them;
• helping them find a job or training where possible;
• helping them to understand and desist from their offending behaviour;
• referring them for support with welfare benefits and family problems. 

For further information about probation training/working with offenders please contact:

Probation Training Unit
Mitre House
223-237 Borough High Street
London SE1 1JD
Tel: 020 7740 8500
Website: www.probation-london.org.uk

Vacancies for people with a disability
PACT (Placing Assessment & Counselling Team) is a division within the employment service offering a job matching service to people with disabilities.  The service is provided at a number of job centres around the country. For more information contact:

PACT
Tel: 020 7713 7922
Fax: 020 7713 7920.