We are hearing a lot these days about the needs of newly qualified social workers during their first year in their first job. But what I want to know is what little gems of information you received when you first started out. Please share those pieces of advice you were given on your first job with me - whether they were helpful, made you laugh or made you cry!

trust your own judgement, small but true

What if your judgment is flawed?

that's the point willis, your judgement will always be flawed, that is the best way any social care worker can view any situation - with honesty and awarenes of their limitations. this is far more realistic and preferable to people who have all the answers who end up falling flat on their face...

Here are a few of our favourites that have been sent in:

1. Baffle them with bullshit (submitted by Jane Naik, senior practitioner)
2. Ignore history at your peril' (submitted by Jo, social worker)
3. Don't compromise your values (submitted by Julia Black)
4. When visiting someone in their home, always park your car in the direction in which you want to leave (submitted by Irene Cochrane, Homeless Trust)
5. Make work your God (submitted by Gabrielle Pendlebury, courtesy of Bertrand Russell)
6. See the child! (submitted by Debbie, children’s social worker)
7. Values should be at the heart of what you do, regardless of care and control (submitted by Lee, social worker)
8. Service users and their families are like dogs; they can smell fear (submitted by Jane Naik, senior practitioner)
9. Make a careful assessment of when to accept a cup of tea on a home visit (submitted by Kristen Rumsey, social worker, whose colleague drank hers only to find a pubic hair at the bottom of the cup)
10. The therapeutic value of one addict helping another is without parallel (submitted by a drug worker)

They usually get promoted...

Re. no.9.

How did she know it was a pubic hair, or am I missing something?

Maybe it was her own ?

A bit like number 9 - I recall one colleague talking about 'dry' and 'wet' houses - ones where you can drink the tea or use the loo versus the ones where you would rather do neither.

I always recommend befriending / showing an interest in the pets of the household - if people have pets they tend to judge you by how their pets (especially dogs of course) respond to you.

I once visited a house which had never been hoovered and the dust was so thick on the floor I left footprints as I walked around

Sounds like my place Tony. I recall visiting a house as a student and being warned not to have the tea.The lady we were visiting was about 50 and had quite extreme scgizophrenia and her old mother ( about 90yrs old) insisted I have a cuppa. I couldnt refuse because she walked with a stick (which she used to hit her daughter and visiting staff with) and shed gone to the touble of making it. The cup was covered in runs of tea down the outside and made me feel a bit queasy but I felt i had to at lest drink some.Meanwhile as i was struggling with this dilemma my senior colleage and the old mum were chatting about stuff and I just happened to glance over at the daughter who at that moment in time was hallucinating quiet openly and burst into laughter at something. As she did  her false teeth came flying out of her mouth and into her mug of tea.She quite calmy fished them out and licked them and popped them back into her mouth.No one else noticed this and my face was a picture. I couldnt wait to get out of there. After that I listened to the advice of senior colleagues LOL

I was told as a student that if management say don't go to a house on your own take a colleague then do as you are told. A previous student at the same palcement ignored it and ended up being assaulted.

 Agreed - it's never worth trying to be a hero

Sad but true. We in the social care field do not get the support or sympathy from the public or press as say nurses do.We rarely get acknowledgement when we do a good job, which is most of the time, and we always get slated when things go wrong. There are no medals to be won. You can end up injured, dead or disciplined so please do'nt be a hero.

Keep an old coat on the boot of your car, it can be handy for visits to service users who do not like to hoover very often.

 Everyone has diferent standards and I would rather not impose mine by being preoccupied by worrying where i am sitting. It really helps me be more relaxed in one or two service user homes.