Social workers: what is your experience of the ASYE?

We want social workers on their ASYE or who have just finished to share their experiences

group meeting
Photo posed by models: Rido/Fotolia

In a recent Community Care survey on social work caseloads, there were many comments from social workers on their assessed and supported year in employment (ASYE) outlining how they were struggling, and that they didn’t feel the commitment of the ASYE was being met.

This method of supporting new social workers into the profession was first introduced six years ago and has been embraced by many services as a way of boosting their recruitment offer to newly qualified social workers.

Two years ago a Community Care investigation found caseloads for social workers on their ASYE could be as high as 38 in children’s services and 101 in adults’.

Adults’ and children’s social workers: let us know your thoughts on your ASYE

We would like to hear your thoughts if you are currently doing your ASYE or have finished one in the past year.

For one week, Community Care is asking adults’ and children’s social workers on their ASYE, or those that have finished in the past year, to take part in a short survey asking for their experience and thoughts.

This short survey will be completely anonymous and take no more than three minutes to complete. The results will be revealed on Community Care.

Take the survey now.

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6 Responses to Social workers: what is your experience of the ASYE?

  1. Sabeel Ali May 3, 2018 at 4:54 pm #

    I am ridiculously sceptical of one part of this article – The average case load for an ASYE working with adults is 101?

    That number is complete and utter nonsense, regardless of what field one is working with wherever in the country, that number is horrendously misleading.

    Surely that is a typo or I am reading it / looking at incorrectly?

  2. Sarah May 3, 2018 at 8:27 pm #

    I have just taken two ASYE’s through their first year in practice in an adult mental health team. What a laborious and repetitive exercise this was! Both they and I felt like they were repeating another year of their degree. I completely agree that the first year should be protected and supported, the days of new.y qualified arriving to a case load of 30 + and expected to get on with it should be left in the dark ages, but this needs looking at. My guys are emplmynthe NHS so have very limited access to LA information etc. I hear the same fro. Colleagues in the private and charity sector. Nursing staff have clear set guidelines, whereas SW seems to be, yet again, more wushu washy!
    Let’s give our professional some credibility and show how good we are and the difference we can make let’s be the change we wish to see in the world.

    • Me me May 13, 2018 at 6:44 am #

      Sarah

      Wha a breath of fresh air full stop I absolutely agree with you I’m currently going through my face why a year in children services and I to have repeatedly said or stated that it feels like I’m going through another year at university. Been told it’s not that much work you can do it alongside your caseload. When you have a caseload of 20 children who were all either I am a sin or child protection plans it’s not realistic to expect and asye to be able to balance two too and to keep their own emotional and mental well-being in check. I started with the cohort of 14 during our only four of us left and it is because of the work that you expect you to do with very little support and the fact that they felt like you don’t go through uni again why put you through university for 3 years and then expected to another year on top of a caseload to me is mind-boggling I cannot wait to finish my sye they don’t listen to you in the forums and they don’t hear your voice you are pretty much invisible you’re there to do a job and manage a caseload within the timescales I just think you need to be looking at I absolutely agree that you should have a protected caseload but surely there’s this much more simpler way effectively rolling that out I don’t think he has been put through properly and I don’t appreciate how to go through and as well yeah as I said having completed 3 years at university what was that for what’s it about I don’t get it I don’t understand the managers and group managers need to understand that there are a lot of opportunities that will be missed whilst asye workers are completing their protected year of bureaucratic number crunching.
      Timescales are hard enough to adhere to without the added pressure of timescales on the ASYE. I I think it should be scratching simplified it’s that simple.

      • Me me May 13, 2018 at 6:46 am #

        Apolgies for typos. I was using Samsung voice ?

  3. Nelly May 12, 2018 at 7:40 am #

    My ASYE gave me a protected caseload but it was basically another year of my degree. I don’t feel that I got much out of it either. My manager wasn’t really into completing it and that was stressful. I work in a local authority and so there’s plenty of chances for learning but they passed me by. Reckon they should scrap most of the process (paperwork mostly) , give NQSW’s a lower case load, let them shadow and attend relevant training. That’s what really helped me.