I'm a NQSW on the NQSW scheme and I'm currently employed by a respected borough with a really good reputation. However, I'm finding things really tough and I'm overwhelmed. i'm not sleeping and feel anxious all the time. The team is a mess and is part of a bigger management issue which isn't going to change any time soon. As soon as people arrive they leave. Managers and seniors are so overworked that the support we are supposed to be receiving isn't being offered, despite asking for help and support (we've been accused of being 'needy'). I'm lacking direction and support and i'm not sure i can handle a whole year.
I'm also questioning whether I want to be in a stat children and families team at all. I'm thinking of leaving however I'm really worried that I will be limiting my chances of work in the future. All social work jobs seem to be geared towards stat. Voluntary jobs are few and far between and realistically how much of a chance would I stand against other more experienced social workers with only 6months worth of stat experience under my belt? I've had really good placements plus lots of relevant work exp gained prior to my social work course however I'm really worried that I leave I will be ruining things for my career and future employment.
What do other people think? Would employers consider a social worker with only limited s/w experience? Should I hang on in there? Are there any other NQSW who are finding things tough? Feel a bit along at the moment so any advice/suggestions would be a big help.
Hi PJ20 I'm not a NQSW as I am still a student so I cannot comment on what the best decision will be, but I would ask if you have already completed 6 months in post and are aware of the problems faced within your team, I would have though had you stuck it out for another 6 months thus being in post for a year is still valuable experiance.
I do however hear your health concerns, as your health is also paramount, good luck in what you decide to do.
RAG1
Hi PJ20
Sorry you are going through this. I am just finishing my NQSW year, will have been in post 12 months shortly and yes it has been tough and it still is. I toyed with the idea of going to another authority, but, then had the realisation that frontline services in all authorities are challenging and decided to stay with the devil I know. I feel that I lurch from one crisis to the next. If you do want to try a move though I had only 8 months experience under my belt and did find another position with another authority, but, as I said, rightly or wrongly decided to remain where I am. The first year is hard, there is no doubt about it, but, I am not convinced it gets any easier. Everyone seems to be marking time and clocking up the experience which will then give them the ticket to apply for roles within voluntary or within adoption and fostering. I find that sad, as we need to retain the front line workers, this is a big problem. I love the work I do, but, there are just not enough hours in the day to do it properly.
I do not think that you will be ruining your career if you leave as long as you can give a plausible reason why you wish to find work within another team. I said that it was because I wanted to gain different experiences to develop myself and this was accepted. What kind of team are you in? Different teams have different demands. Many people say that it is a good thing to move around anyway and develop new skills. Moving around can be seen as a positive thing, where you are being proactive in developing your practice.
WHatever you decide to do, don't feel trapped, you aren't. If it isn't right for you, you can try somewhere else. It does not sound like you have very much support. I don't like the accusation that you are 'needy' because you seek direction and support. As a NQSW you should be having regular supervision and guidance. Are your team part of an NQSW pilot? If so, the co-ordinators of these are a good place to share your concerns.
Email me if you want to chat more. It can help to talk about it.
I am sorry you're having such a tough time. I think the first year in any new role or career is difficult enough without the necessary support, but this is a role whre even the most experienced Social Workers need a good level of support - without being considered "needy".
Unfortunately, I missed the NQSW scheme as I went straight into agency work when I qualified in between travelling etc- then when I came to getting a permanent job I was told I was over-experiecned for the scheme, despite never having worked in a stat child protection team. Consequently, I decided not to go LA as I felt that I would be un-supported; I've heard many managers complain of the "hassle" of having NQSW's as they are unable to allocate a full caseload, so I figured if NQSW's are unsupported, then I certainly would be. I was looking for jobs when a seemingly brilliant opportunity came along - to work in the private sector, across 2 Family Assessment Centres that the company I work for own; where I'd be working had previously had a Social Work and Child Protection Expert completing assessments, however due to his retirement the plan had been to pull in a team of Social Workers who would be trained and mentored by him and then eventually he would tail off, reduce his caseload - which would be shared between the 3 new Social Workers - and he would retire. It sounded like a fantatstic opportunity to work alongside a highly renowned Social Worker, one who had influenced Social Care policies, had advised the university where I obtained my degree, was an expert to the high court in Child Protection Cases, I could go on.
But, we got there and were expected to pick up the caseload straight away and get on with it. I found it easy to slip into, I must say, and I do learn better when I'm dropped in at the deep end, so to speak. I've been there since October, and I'm still awaiting any mentoring. He's been so busy he literally hasn't had time to support us and we've only just started getting 20mins supervision a month from him. Whilst I've coped OK, the other 2 Social Workers haven't - I think my bakcground in agency (where i was given the worst cases, was undervalued, and had to work in an actual 37hour week because they literally wouldn't let me stay late otherwise they'd have to pay me) helped me cope with little supprot, but the other Social Workers who started with me are cracking up. The pay is rubbish compared to stat, but the wrost thing about it for me, is the unprofssionalism of everything. The support and management staff based at the assessment centres are terrible. Nothing is handled appropriately, and if the management notice anything that support work staff do wrong, instead of raising the issue they just moan about them to every other member of the team. So unprofessional. They don't hanle child protection concerns appropriately simply because they don't know how to, and their attitude to Social Workers is terrible; I think it's jealousy really, but it we ask anythign ever, the answer is "well, you're a social worker, you should know". For me, I feel really disheartened; I'm now well over-experienced for a NQSW scheme (in my area at least - not sure about other Auhtorities), however my experience in the private sector seems to be getting me nowhere because a LA needs Social Workers to have LA experience. I'm stuck betweena rock and a hard place really, because if I stay here, I feel I will end up out of date with any Social Work development, and it will look worse on me in the long run.
My point to all this is, think carefully about what you want to do. Whilst the voluntary sector may look good, in this economy it's likely to become unstable. it's often the case that the majority of funding in the voluntary sector comes from the council- which is likely to be dropped as budgets are cut. and the private sector is not all it's crcacked up to be - my experience is that it looks so good on paper but that's about it. It's easy to think that getting another job will be completely different and things wil be easier and it will solve all your problems, but chances are they'll be just as bad for you maybe with a host of new problems, or maybe with all the same problems. This is a profession that's known for being over-worked, undersupport and over-stretched in terms of managerial support, and it's veyr hard to escape that.
Just think clearly. And talk to someone; as I've mentioned I have such little support from management, but I gain lots of support from talking to the other Social Workers, and LA social workers who I collaborate with. It might pay off. I don't tink yo've messed your career up just yet - there will always be a massive need for Social Workers and there will always be opportunities to change teams and "start again". Especially in your first few years of employment.
I do hope it works out for you.
Thanks guys. It's really helpful to hear about your experiences.
Jenny77, you sound so positive considering things are not as you hoped! I was chatting to someone from my team today and they were telling me the recent interviewees were dreadful and they had years of experience - none of them were employed or even made it to the next stage. With your assessment skills you should deffo be considered for a LA job if that's where you would like to work?
Joanie - it's good to hear you got offered work elsewhere and you're right I guess as long as I can evidence why I'm looking elsewhere then hopefully moving from the team/borough where I am shouldn't be too much of a difficult thing to do.
I've got a meeting this week with one of the scheme facilitators so I'll see what comes out of that. I'm going to be completely honest about how I'm feeling and see what they say. I'm keeping an eye out on local jobs as well just in case. It's good to know I'm not stuck. I'm just going to keep talking to people whilst I work out what it is I want to do!
Thanks everyone : )
This may not come as a surprise, but a new survey by Ofsted has found a quarter of newly qualified children's social workers in England feel their caseloads are too high. Also, someone has offered some advice about this on my blog.
Believe me - you are not alone!
I'm newly qualified and where I work we do not even have a NQSW scheme. We were thrown in at the deep end.
I now find myself at a point where I have been qualified for less than a year and am currently working a caseload of just over 20. Among those are some very complex CP cases. I am struggling to keep up with the paperwork and am terrified of something being forgotten or missed!
I never intended to be working in a CP team but here I am and I'm loving the work but need twice as many hours in the day.
I think you need to be strong enough to say I need support and hang on in there until you find something else that suits you better - I know that's my plan!