As awkward as this title might sound, the campaign is for real and is happening right here in the UK.

At the beginning of the month, the government launched a campaign to lure retired social workers back to their jobs due to the lack of qualified social workers and the struggle of local councils to recruit social workers.

A report from the Local Government Association (LGA) called Respect and Protect revealed that 1 in 10 social worker jobs remained empty and 89% of councils had reported difficulties with social workers recruitment.

As councils across the country are having a hard time to recruit and retain social workers in their jobs, the government launched this campaign as a short term measure to try and encourage up to 5,000 retired qualified social workers to go back to social work.

Alan Warner lead officer for communications at the Public Sector People Managers’ Association (PPMA) said:

“Social recruitment and retention problems had been exacerbated by the negative publicity surrounding the death of Baby P, which had caused the public to lose respect for social workers, the public at large need to get behind social workers and support them.”

And added:

“We need to give people respect for what they do. If there is no respect then why would anyone want to do it?”

And concluded:

“There needs to be more information made available to the general public about what social workers do, and perhaps national awards to recognise achievements. There is no overnight fix for this; we just need a more balanced approach.”

Continuing from where we left on our last post, in this post you’ll find detailed information of what qualifications are required to become a social worker in the UK.

To become a social worker you will need to study for an honours degree or a postgraduate degree in social work, the course must be approved by the General Social Care Council (GSCC).

To get on an honours degree you will need at least five GCSEs (A-C) including English and Math and at least two A levels or equivalent such as a BTEC National Diploma or NVQ Level 3 in Health and Social Care.

Some colleges and universities may also grant access to students with a Higher Education qualification or relevant work experience, so it is best to check with them what qualifications are required.

When you apply for a course you’ll also need to pass a Criminal Records Bureau (CRB) background check.

Honours degrees in social work are 3 year full time courses, there are some part-time and distance learning courses but you can only do these courses if you are already working in the social area and have with the support of your employer.

For the full time courses, your time will be divided between classes and supervised work placements that will train you to work with a wide range of service user groups as well as prepare you to offer a comprehensive range of experience to employers when you start work.

In case you already have a degree, you may only do a two-year postgraduate degree in social work instead of three years. After completing your honours degree or postgraduate degree you must register with the GSCC, visit their site for detailed information about how to register.

GSCC is also the commission that approves all full-time, part-time and distance learning courses in the UK, with the exception of the Northern Ireland that has its own Social Care Commission, the NISCC (Northern Ireland Social Care Community).

A social workers job is to protect, help and support people who are facing difficulties in their lives. A qualified social worker help others overcome problems and improve their lives and at the same time be prepared to work with a wide range of social services users, including:

• Children
• Older people
• People with some kind of disability, physical or mental
• Young adults
• Homeless people
• Drug addicts

Social workers tend to specialise in working with single adults or with children and families. In both cases he or she should prepared to:

• Assess and Review a service user’ situation
• Build relationships with service users
• Make decisions when necessary, common in child protection cases.
• Offer information, counselling and advocacy
• Take part in team meetings, supervision and case conferences
• Work together with other professionals, such as Health, Law and other social care professionals
• Keep an accurate record of events.
• Contact and make referrals to other agencies
• Provide evidence of court hearings

It is crucial for the social worker to have excellent communications skills, the ability to relate to people of all ages, social classes and races and gain their trust as well as have a non-judgemental attitude.

These are only a few skills required for someone that is willing to work as social worker, on our next post you will find detailed information about what qualifications and skills are required to be a qualified social worker in the UK.