I am due to qualify as a social worker in June of this year and have been a car user for these three years (meaning all my placements required me to drive). Over the Christmas holidays, I was diagnosed with Epilepsy and as a result am not allowed to drive for a minimum of 12 months. Finding a job as a newly qualified is going to be hard enough but now I am really panicking as I have lost my car and will have to use public transport (limiting me straight away).
Please can someone give me some advice on what kind of social work jobs will take on newly qualified social workers that don't drive - I was going to look at going into child protection or fostering services but I know from my placements that they will not take anybody on that does not drive, especially in the current financial climate as employers cannot afford to pay expenses for taxi's and the like.
Many thanks
Hi
I don't drive through choice... the LA I work for doesn't insist on essential car use as an equalities issue (and I suspect, to save cash!)
But if your locality LA does, what about working in a hospital? Most of the work is in the building...
I disagree that a worker will not be accepted if they do not drive, there is a sw and an sw assistant on my safeguarding team who do to drive, they seem to manage ok, though I don't think I'd fancy using public transport myself and it does limit the amount of vists/meetings etc one can do in a day.
Also I guess it depends where u are based, in a city you are better placed than a more rural location to use public transport.
One final point, as you are being prevented from driving due to a medical condition I don't think it would be acceptable for a LA to turn you down for work assuming you meet all the other criteria, as surely this would be seen as discrimination. I could be wrong though sure someone else can advise more on the legal side.
There's been lots of posts on this matter in the past. Choose carefully where you work, if you can, as rural employers may need you to drive but in a city you can manage without. I manage just fine on my bike (in fact it's often quicker then those that use a car), I have a colleague who uses a scooter and many who use public transport.
Agree with Yummy in that they can't discriminate if you have a health condition and should be able to support you with this.
I have heard anecdotally that it's pretty common for social workers to use public transport in London and presumably other big cities. It's often a more efficient and sometimes cheaper way of getting around.
Hi Beckiboo,
Firstly congratulations on becoming a newly qualified social worker!!
I have had epilepsy sine childhood, although I have had my driving licence again for a year now, but I was told about a government scheme called Access to Work by the DEA at the jobcentre. It can apparently help your employer with the provision of transport to enable you to do your job, but there is more information about it on the directgov website. Might be worth checking out.
Likewise as has been said, if you can be flexible as to where you look for work, you may have more luck in a big city such as London where there are good public transport links and driving is not as necessary.
Good luck, I wish you all the best.
Employers are not allowed to not employ you if you do not drive if you can not meet that requirement due to disability. They are obliged to make reasonable adjustments to allow you to do your job. Adjustments have to meet service needs as well as the needs of the disabled person but they must be considered.
http://www.equalityhumanrights.com/advice-and-guidance/guidance-for-employers/the-duty-to-make-reasonable-adjustments-for-disabled-people/
People with disabilities can get support from Access to Work, which despite the condem cuts is still going http://www.direct.gov.uk/en/DisabledPeople/Employmentsupport/WorkSchemesAndProgrammes/DG_4000347
They can pay for taxis to and from work and for journeys for work purposes. You have to pay a set amount towards the taxi fare if you would normally have to pay for the bus or train, which you wouldn't as you are entitled to a free travel pass http://www.direct.gov.uk/en/TravelAndTransport/Publictransport/BusAndCoachTravel/DG_10036264
I got help under this scheme as I have epilepsy and it worked well.