Keeping up to date with social work
Meaghan Roland responds to a social work graduate in the north of England who is out of work but needs to keep up to date on developments in the sector Q: I came to the UK from Zimbabwe in 1999 as an international student. I did my social work degree at Kingston University, London, but have not worked as a social worker due to work permit problems. I now live in the north of England and have been working as support worker in social care. In the past year I have been looking for a social work job after sorting out my papers but I have no experience. I want to renew my registration next year but how can I do that if I'm not practising? A: It must feel as though you're trapped in something of a vicious circle, but the good news is that there's lots you can do to make yourself ready for work. Make sur
26 August 2010
How to engage staff in decision-making
When times are hard some organisations have been known to say "turkeys don't vote for Christmas" and ignore the views of staff when making changes. The wiser route to is to recognise that people at the frontline are in a very good position to say how things can be made to work better. Employee engagement is now seen as a way of achieving the goal of doing more with less by tapping into the knowledge and creativity of frontline staff and managers. Here are 10 factors that require thought before proper staff engagement can occur. 10 steps to engage staff Senior managers don't have all the answers. They need to recognise that a willingness to listen does not show a lack of resolve. The ability to take on board criticism without appearing defensive and the willingness to explain
24 August 2010
Career Clinic: will laptops lead to being on call 24 hours a day?
Q: I am a social worker in a local authority children's services department that has taken on a new IT case management system. We will all be given laptop PCs so that we can access the system. I am worried that this will prove difficult to use and that the new focus on remote working will lead to an expectation that work will be completed outside office hours. Can you advise what I can do to keep my IT skills up to date and make sure that the introduction of laptops doesn't mean I'm working 24/7? A: Anxiety about having to learn your way around a new system is completely understandable, and you're right to focus on making sure IT skills are up to scratch, writes Andrew Smith. Many local authorities perform in-house IT training, and you should certainly ask your line manager to organise some extra training sessions - just half an hour should help you immensely. Normal practice is for the IT supplier to provide in-house training during the trial stages before it g
19 July 2010
Career Clinic: Colleagues say manager is treating me differently 'because I am black'
Q: Twice in three years I have been disciplined for poor record-keeping. My recording was praised by my previous manager but workloads have been rising steadily and, although their quality remains good, they are occasionally behind. Colleagues are shocked because they know that other people are much worse at record-keeping than me. One white colleague thinks the manager is treating me differently because I am black. What should I do?
08 July 2010
Career Clinic 27 May 2010: elder abuse
Q: I am a social worker in an older people's team in southern England and am concerned about one of my clients, a 90-year-old woman living at home supported by her son and daughter-in-law. The carers are verbally abusive towards me and it's difficult to see the woman alone. I've long suspected that they are keeping her isolated and possibly taking her money but I haven't been able to talk to her alone for a proper assessment. What should I do?
21 May 2010
Career clinic: developing skills in a changing sector
Q: I am a social worker in a learning disability team in local authority adults' services where the council has started a voluntary redundancy programme. Experienced social workers are leaving and being replaced by unqualified staff. I agree with the principles behind personalisation, but I'm worried that my skills are being devalued in this "brave new world". What can I do to ensure I and my social work skills have a future in my current role?
30 April 2010
Career Clinic: 'I want to quit my MSc course in social work'
Q: I started my MSc in social work in September but I want to leave. I haven't enjoyed it at all and have been struggling with dyslexia. I scraped a 50% in my last essay which I am so disheartened about as I really put my all into it. I have come to realise that maybe I'm just not cut out for academia. But I would like to leave with some sort of qualification. Also, what will happen with the bursary and tuition fees - will I have to pay these back?
01 April 2010
Career clinic: getting a criminal conviction while on a social work degree course
Q: I'm on a social work degree and I am registered with the General Social Care Council. I was caught using my mother's concessionary Oyster card on London Underground. I only used it one day and it was a week before my bursary was due to come. Transport for London is taking me to court despite several apologies and a willingness to settle out of court. The charge is travelling on the Tube without intending to pay the fare. I'm planning to plead guilty. Do I need to tell anyone about it? If so, could I get thrown off my course?
19 March 2010
From the Phillipines to Wales: Asuncion Oabel-Sael
To mark World Social Work Day last Tuesday (16 March), we asked social workers who trained overseas to tell us why they decided to practise in the UK. Asuncion Oabel-Sael describes her journey from the Philippines to South Wales
15 March 2010
How best to plan personal and professional development
The Social Work Task Force has found that take up of continuing professional development has been inconsistent. Helen Donnellan and Gordon Jack explain how social workers can take responsibility for their own professional development
10 March 2010
Paul Marriot of Hays Social Care shares top tips for CVs and job interviews
When applying for your next role, it is important that your CV highlights your experience relevant to the job. Although there is no "one-size-fits-all" solution to writing a CV, following some simple guidelines will improve your chances of standing out and securing an interview.
25 February 2010
Career clinic: council cuts and duty of care to children
Q: I am a senior manager in a children's services authority and I am faced with councillors seeking cuts which I am concerned risk myself and my staff breaching their duty of care to vulnerable children. What should I do? A: Your councillors are legally bound to ensure staff can meet their statutory duties and their duty of care to service users. Moreover, directors must ensure that the lead member for children's services is told if there are not "sufficient human and other resources available to discharge the authority's statutory children's services functions and maintain service standards in the future", according to the government's statutory guidance on the roles and responsibilities of children's services directors in England. In addition, Working Together to Safeguard Children lays down specific expectations on what must be done to ensure children are safeguarded and their welfare promoted through assessment, advice, support and inter
04 February 2010
How learning disabled man proved career catalyst for Action for Advocacy chief
A learning disabled man struggling to resettle proved the career catalyst for Rick Henderson, of Action for Advocacy
29 January 2010
Career clinic: post-graduate social work degree
Q: "I am a support worker for people with learning disabilities and have NVQ levels 2 and 3 in health and social care. I am in my early thirties, live in London and have an engineering degree. I want to become a social worker in adult services without necessarily going back to do a social work-related first degree. Can you advise me on this?"
21 January 2010
Making best use of supervision
Proper supervision is crucial to effective practice in social work. Here, social worker and consultant Mary Mustoe puts forward...
15 January 2010
I have been threatened with a GSCC hearing, but my workload is massive
Question: I am in a children and families team that has been struggling with a recent increase in referrals for family support and child protection. We've all had a problem in keeping contact sheets after home visits but my manager, who has been negative towards me for a while, has singled me out for criticism for poor record-keeping in supervision sessions and meetings. They're now threatening to refer me to the General Social Care Council for breaching the code of practice. I'm worried about my future.
08 January 2010
Carer clinic: Will anyone sponsor me to study social work?
Question: I am looking for an unqualified social work position where, hopefully, I can be sponsored to study social work while working. I have experience of voluntary work with children in care and spent time in care myself as a young person. What options are available to me?
16 December 2009
'How do I motivate my team given they face a pay cut?'
Q: I manage an older people's services team in a local authority which has just undergone a single status pay review to streamline pay and conditions over the next three years. The upshot is that most people are being forced to take a pay cut, and feel insulted by senior management. Although they may sign the contract, they will probably start looking for other jobs. How can I motivate my team when I agree with everything they are saying?
26 November 2009
Career Clinic: I have multiple convictions – should I forget about becoming a social worker?
Q: I am hoping to do an MA in social work but was convicted for benefit fraud last year for claiming benefits while a student. I received a four-month suspended sentence and 150 hours in community service. I also lost my job working with disabled children at the local authority, not because of my conviction but because of a dispute when I told my employer about the conviction. I also have convictions for shoplifting and theft from a vehicle in 1993 (when I was 17) and a conviction for burglary from 1998. I know it would seem to an observer that I am a habitual criminal but, in all honesty, I will never commit an offence again. Can anyone tell me if my record would bar me from starting a course and, if so, for how long?
20 November 2009
Career clinic: my team is on anti-depressants
Q: I manage a team of social workers and have recently discovered that some are taking anti-depressants. My dilemma is how to handle the situation because a colleague from another team told me. Should I talk to my staff and risk losing the confidence of my colleague? And how can I support my team when I know the reason they are depressed is partly to do with high workloads caused by a shortage of skilled staff?
06 November 2009
