Social Worker Shortages

littlestar1981

Sorry this is a rant more than anything. I wanted to be a social worker when I left college but at the time you had to be 21 to start the course and I was only 17 when I passed my A levels, so I went to uni doing something I didnt want, dropped out and ended up in full time well paid employment, where I have stayed since (I have done a DipHE in the meantime)

I keep looking back to social work but you have to go to uni full time for 3yr, which I cant afford to do, or work in that area and get onto the 4yr part time course. The thing is I have been searching for months for a job that could get me in that position and nothing, I have searched for social work assistant and trainee social worker and the positions just dont appear to exist! (I'm in North Manchester and been prepared to travel up to 50 miles)

Then I read something like the article http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/7866827.stm and get so frustrated because I so want to do that type of job and just seem to hit barrier after barrier. Why cant they take on trainees on lower pay and let them do the course while working? I'd even pay for the course myself!

Sorry this was a rant I'm just at rock bottom with my job and I know what I want to work as and all the barriers are frustrating.

alwaysonthego_2

If you have a undergraduate degree can you not do the part time MA social work which is a 2 year course.

tessie_bear

they offer the ma at warwick and i think u can get a bursary

twinklyspecialkag

.....and you can do it part time. You can do the BA part time over the 4 years aswell. You'll need experience in social care, try volunteering if you dont have it already.

littlestar1981

Thanks for replies, I am currently doing some voluntary work.... supporting young people leaving care, and currently looking into victim support and samaritans. Alwaysonthego i havent got a degree, got a DipHE but think I could make that a degree via the OU relatively easily.

The only thing though, and maybe I'm putting up my own barriers here but am being realistic, is how could I sustain some kind of paid employment? For example the PT course at Salford has 200 days placement in years 2 and 3?

littlestar1981

eeerily, and I promise it wasn't there yesterday, there is a social worker trainee role being advertised which is based 4 miles from my doorstep...

tessie_bear

are u going to go for that then ??

littlestar1981

yes, even though the salary range is £11,961 - £15,247 and I currently earn 21k... has to be worth it in the long run?

flutterbyuk25

Keep up with the voluntary work, it really pays off as it builds experience and you get loads of useful contacts and then you find out about training courses and jobs.

I now work in youth work field (started this week!) and it took a just over a year of slogging away at voluntary work (ontop of 37hour/wk full time shift work job!) and building contacts to get there.

Have you contacted the local authorities in your are to see if they have any voluntary work? I am working voluntarily for a youth offending team and they have put me on 6 courses such as child protection and drug awareness - all free. The next local authority will accept me onto their youth work qualifcation couse, which has 3 levels, if I work 10+ hours/month with young people. This costs around £150 for each level and is nationally recognised.

You can do distance learning courses through uni's/OU but you would still need to be working with vulnerable groups to gain credits.

Good luck with the job you have found.

x

sockospice

littlestar1981 wrote: »

Thanks for replies, I am currently doing some voluntary work.... supporting young people leaving care, and currently looking into victim support and samaritans. Alwaysonthego i havent got a degree, got a DipHE but think I could make that a degree via the OU relatively easily.

The only thing though, and maybe I'm putting up my own barriers here but am being realistic, is how could I sustain some kind of paid employment? For example the PT course at Salford has 200 days placement in years 2 and 3?

I finished the MA at Salford last year and that included 100 day placements (one each year) and still managed to work part time - weekends, which did mean for 4 months each year I worked 7 days a week but it was worth it in the end. It's hard work, but there are bursarys and tuition fee grants available (on the BA as well I believe). In the local authority I work in (not too far from you OP it's quite competitive to get seconded onto the degree course. Your voluntary experience sounds ideal though, and despite all the press social work really is a rewarding (and frustrating) job.

littlestar1981

Fab, thanks, have contacted OU re finishing degree first. Am going to apply for a trainee social worker post I have seen despite the pay drop looking painful. Just trying to fill in the skills/knowledge/experiences bit in line with the person spec. If anyone has any advice on it I'd be grateful...one i'm stuck on is 'awareness of the different forms of communication and values that underpin social work within todays society'