Social Workers

Social workers make a difference to individuals and families by helping them live their lives more successfully. As a social worker, you'll work with people to find solutions to their problems. This may be helping to protect vulnerable people from harm or abuse or supporting people to live independently. You'll work with clients, their families and others around them and with different client groups including:

• the elderly
• children with disabilities
• teenagers with mental health problems
• young offenders
• adults with learning disabilities, mental health problems or physical disabilities
• people with alcohol, drug or other substance misuse problems
• refugees and asylum seekers
• families at risk of breaking down
• children who need to live apart from their families
• foster carers and adopters
• children who are at risk of abuse or neglect
• carers

You may specialise in a particular client group. Their work can involve:

• visiting clients wherever they are (which could be at home or in, for example, a care home, hospital, hostel or prison)
• assessing clients’ needs
• organising support
• making referrals to other services and agencies
• keeping detailed records
• attending meetings

An important part of the work is building a professional relationship with the client so that you and the social worker and client can work together to make changes.