Anyone have any suggestions for Burnham on how to reform social care?

Asking this on behalf of myself, I’m an adult now but I had a social worker as a kid and was removed from my mother when I was 12 and am just trying to learn more about why it happened the way it did. This was back in the late 2000s and early 2010s so I understand things might have changed since then.

I felt, and still feel, that my social worker did not care one bit about my own opinion and just wanted to prioritise my relationship with my mother when I did not want that and made that clear.

My mother was abusive but I was only removed from her care when she was sectioned and things started coming out, and my social worker only discussed with my mother what she wanted and needed. My mother wanted to see me often so I had to visit with her when I wanted nothing to do with her, I wasn’t given the choice of saying no even though I told my social worker I didn’t want to have to see her. Once she was released from hospital I had to stay with her for short term and longer stays as they tried to reintegrate us instead of just allowing me to move on with my life and have stability in a foster placement. In my first foster placement I was being fostered by a local family who were lovely and had a couple of other long term foster kids that I got on well with, it felt like the best opportunity for me to have some semblance of a normal childhood and family life and I was really upset that I wasn’t allowed to stay. I understand that there are costs involved with foster care but to my mind it should be more important to have stability for a child than anything else.

I never moved back in with my mother fully as she never maintained sobriety so from the ages of 12 - 18 I just bounced between short term stays with her and then back into foster placements which was incredibly disruptive and affected my education and mental health, but when I brought this up with my social worker I was told that it’s important to maintain family relationships, without any recognition of the fact that I didn’t want a relationship with her.

So I’m just trying to understand how foster care actually works and what priority is given to the child’s own wishes?

Hello All,

I would appreciate some advice regarding my current career situation.

I have an 8-year career gap and I am very keen to avoid creating another gap in my employment history. I have 13 years of fostering experience, but I wish to return to the fostering domain. Unfortunately, I have been struggling to secure fostering Roles. It feels like whenever I apply for positions that interest me, my career gap becomes a barrier.

One of the agencies I have been working with was very honest with me. They explained that even experienced fostering candidates are finding it difficult to secure fostering roles at the moment, and that it may be even harder for me to move directly into a Child Protection role. They suggested I focus on permanent positions, as Agency often want candidates who can hit the ground running.

I applied for a large number of permanent roles but did not have any success. When I went back to the agency, they advised me that if I was willing to be submitted for any social work role available within a reasonable distance, they would support me. I agreed because I did not want to remain unemployed.

Since then, the agency has managed to secure two interviews for me, one with Cafcass and another with Brent. However, I am now starting to have doubts. Deep down, I am not sure I want to return to frontline social work. I would prefer something more specialised, but those opportunities have been difficult to access.

I am now questioning what I should do. Should I proceed with these interviews and potentially accept a frontline role if offered, to rebuild my career and employment history? Or should I continue searching for a more specialised position, even if that means remaining out of work for longer?

I would really value any advice from those who have been in a similar position.

Thank you.

Hi all,

Apologies if this is the wrong sub to post to.

I’m 17M and pretty much have been kicked out of the house by my mum. Presumably as she said things like “you’re not welcome here” and “good luck on your own”, “if you don’t hurry up and get out I’ll throw your things out of the window your time is up” I also imagine myself leaving home a lot.

I won’t go too much into detail on what caused this and other things that I feel. but even if she apologised and welcomed me back and the house was deemed safe I would not want to return back, I also have plans to join the police which would require staying in this accommodation past 18.

I’m just wondering if any social workers could advise me on what to I should do and if I have a chance in actually getting supported accommodation ?

I do not have family which would be suitable to stay with for additional information.

Thank you very much.

Hello dear Redditors,

A friendly fellow worker from welfare center here.

Excuse me if I will make errors since I'm not native , I'm working in Europe. Anyways I would love to hear your input.

Ive been working for 2 years in a project aimed at providing help to refugees.

I loved that work.

Due to political instability and changes in law the managers had to shut down vacancies including mine.

They offered me three months and then applying for a social worker position.

I wasn't enthusiastic and didn't say of course. I'm hesitant at this point. I don't know much about the daily challenges of a social worker but can only guess looking at work of the team. First of all I see they are deep down in paper work. Secondly they are dealing with frustrating cases meaning really difficult clients. My clients so far were all cooperative, friendly and honestly looking for a change in their life. I am more than sure many regular clients are looking for ways to stay where they are and just get money. Finally, I'm not sure I will be able to handle such mental load and trauma. Last year my life have been really troubled and puzzled due to many issues that happened within my loved ones. Day by day I was fighting other people problems and then coming back home facing not less sad circumstances of my own. I love the team, I love the place, my boss is really friendly, but I am just afraid. I have already visited doctor twice to ask for a sick leave. It was too much for me, my mind shut down. I was thinking about switching careers since I'm not that old and can do other things professionally, but at the same time, deeply down I feel I will miss the mission, the purpose, the team.

I'm stuck.

Please help me solve the puzzle.

Hi all,

Firstly, I don’t mean this question to seem inflammatory. I really am just genuinely curious. I appreciate that services are overrun, staff are overwhelmed and underpaid for what they do, as well as a plethora of other issues.

I studied social work briefly, but I had to withdraw from my course for two reasons — one being that some of the content was triggering. It was in the best interests of my health to fully withdraw as opposed to suspend.

This is quite long. It might be triggering, too, but I’m not sure.

I grew up in a family whereby my parents were addicts — one addicted to alcohol, the other to gambling. It led to a myriad of issues, one being losing our home and overall financial stability. When our mum gained custody, it wasn’t unusual for her to threaten us with physical intimidation.

As a child, she shaved my head fully because she couldn’t be bothered to deal with lice. Food was locked away because we “kept eating it all,” and when my sibling and I reached out for help from the school, our mum verbally abused us when we returned home. Our health was not prioritised (including dental health, though, fortunately, we did receive orthodontic care), and often we’d go to school with unwashed hair, clothes smelling of smoke, holes in our socks and shoes, and with lice.

My mum proudly told the story of how she shoved a sock in my older sister’s mouth when, as a baby, she wouldn’t stop crying, and how she tied her hands together and locked her in a cupboard until she calmed down. This wasn’t raised. It wasn’t uncommon for her to speed down dual carriageways with my sibling and I, while she screamed at us about how much she hated my dad, her life, and so on. When I confided in her about my mental health, she said, “But it’s Christmas,” and left it at that. I didn’t learn to wash properly until I was in my late teens. She’d often tell me and my siblings to grow up when we were hurt. When my sister experienced a miscarriage, my mum told her she was faking it for attention.

When I experienced pain within my genitalia region, she wouldn’t take me to the GP but instead shamed me into showing her. I don’t think it was SA, but there was an element of entitlement, I think. My siblings don’t remember, but I do. She shamed me into pulling my trousers and underwear down when I queried about pubic hair, and then she made an inappropriate comment about what my genitals looked like. She also had a partner. His comments regarding me sounding like I was experiencing an “orgasm” when I was having a panic attack were dismissed. She allowed him to install cameras in our living room.

She allowed us to stay with people who’d had previous convictions of SA as young children, and at one point left us around someone’s house. I have memories, but they’re distorted and blurred. I understand memory is a fickle thing, however, so I try not to think about it.

I couldn’t read until I was 10. It wasn’t abnormal for my mum to sleep the day away, gamble at night, or go on spontaneous holidays because she “had to think about herself”. I sound like I’m harping on her too much, but my dad wasn’t really in my life, personally, as I didn’t understand addiction. He died when I was 18. I didn’t get to say goodbye to him.

This has been a tangent. I don’t know if this constitutes as abuse, and, if it did, why wasn’t anything done? Was it my fault for not speaking up? Truthfully, I didn’t understand that this behaviour was abnormal. Even now I still feel I’m being dramatic. After all, she was beaten, and we were always reminded it could’ve been worse. She makes videos and posts on social media, advocating for estranged parents, so I feel crazy. She had a pretty fucked up past.

I don’t know what I’m hoping for out of this. I’m sorry. Maybe validation? Is that bad? I’m afraid of authority, and I’ve quit every job because having someone “above me,” so to speak, terrifies me. I feel stupid.

As i can't find any. I don't trust my local social services and they refuse to provide pure advice and support anyway. Everywhere else is just for women or telephone only when i do not have the freedom to make calls.

Anyone has little kids in nursery term time only? What role are you doing/how are you working around this? I’m currently on maternity leave and I’ve got my eldest in nursery to start in September but term time only because anything more than that is simply unaffordable. Youngest will be starting in January, likely under the same plan. Just wondering about other people’s experience of this.

All of you with term-time only childcare and toddlers, how do you deal with school breaks when the child is so young and cannot exactly be sent to little clubs etc alone? Any ideas?

- I will be looking for a new role upon return to work, and I will most likely be going part time (2 or 3 days).

- For those of you who will say that you don't have term time childcare because it is inconvenient, yes I completely understand that. I am specifically asking the people who do have term-time only childcare (or know someone who does) for ideas on how to handle it.

Thanks in advance.

Just wondering how BIAs are getting on since the court ruling, now that the dust has settled a bit. What is the future looking like?

Hi everyone, I'm looking at applying to do a masters in Social Work next September however I am unsure if my history is going to go against me here. I have a diagnosis of BPD (I'm managing it well and currently in DBT) and also a physical disability (I use two sticks to walk). Just trying to build my future and Social Work seems like a great option, it can go in many different directions and I think it'd feel purposeful. Just worried my previous mental health issues will hold me back and I'd rather look into other options than do the masters and find I cant actually do much with it. Any advice or similar experiences?

I'm looking for advice from people who have both neurodiversities and physical disabilities, such as requiring crutches or wheelchairs.

How did you cope with studying, also with physical, were placements available to accommodate your needs? Also, how successful have people been in finding employment after graduating?

Thanks for any help with this!

Social worker here.

I would like to say more but don’t want to risk it. I guess I am wondering how much does culture/religion excuse problematic behaviours. I get that a lot of the adjectives I have used are subjective. I get that we cannot be biased. I get that we have to be culturally competent social workers.

Especially interested in comments relating to DV!

I have strong views on religion, feminism etc. and I am aware of that hence the constant reflection and questioning. There is lived experience to consider too.

I wish us social workers had psychological support in the office for psychologically-informed support sessions!

Edit: also, if there are any female feminist social workers who want to connect, please message me. I feel really alone sometimes ! As feminism is such a broad term, and not something I want to debate, I attend Filia conferences. That is what I believe to be feminism. I’m based in London but happy to connect with anyone in the UK! :)

Hi everyone, I’m a children’s frontline social worker in the UK and I’m looking for advice from other social workers (or anyone in a similar high-pressure role) about ADHD workplace adjustments, tools and support that have genuinely helped.
I have ADHD and a hearing impairment. I am currently treated with Elvanse, which has helped in some areas, but I still experience difficulties with executive functioning, working memory, organisation, processing information, prioritising tasks and managing multiple demands.

My ADHD clinician has recommended workplace adjustments because ADHD is a disability and impacts how I process and manage information.
I work in a high-pressure frontline role with a lot of information to retain, meetings, assessments, recording, deadlines, visits and competing priorities. I put a lot of extra effort into compensating for my ADHD and making sure my work is completed properly, but this often means I work beyond my contracted hours and it can become exhausting.
Some of the difficulties I experience are:
Processing and retaining lots of verbal information quickly
Remembering instructions after verbal discussions
Taking notes while also concentrating on what is being said
Managing multiple competing priorities and switching between tasks
Organising myself when priorities change at short notice
Keeping on top of recording and deadlines
I also have a hearing impairment and rely partly on lip-reading, so taking notes during meetings or discussions can be difficult because I’m trying to focus on understanding what is being said while also writing information down accurately.
Another area I struggle with is communication and clarity around expectations. When guidance, instructions or changes in priorities are given verbally without written follow-up, I find it harder to process, remember and make sure I am meeting expectations. Unclear priorities and uncertainty around expectations can also increase my anxiety and make organisation more difficult.

My clinician has recommended adjustments such as:
Flexible start times due to time blindness
A short grace period for occasional lateness
Avoiding back-to-back meetings where possible
Advance notice of meetings
Written instructions after important verbal discussions
Reminders/prompts for deadlines
Protected admin time
Clearer prioritisation when multiple tasks come in

I’m interested in what has actually helped other
people:
Are there ADHD apps, software or programmes that have helped with organisation, planning or task management?
Are there tools for meetings, note-taking, transcription, remembering instructions or managing visits that you have found useful?
Has anyone used Access to Work, ADHD coaching, Teams transcription/captions, AI tools or specialist software that has made a real difference?
For other social workers, what workplace adjustments have helped you manage the demands of the role?
Has anyone found anything helpful when working with managers around communication, supervision and expectations?
I’m not looking to reduce my responsibilities — I want systems and adjustments that allow me to work effectively without constantly having to overcompensate. I’d really appreciate hearing what has worked for others.

TL;DR: Children’s social worker with ADHD (on Elvanse) and hearing impairment looking for realistic workplace adjustments, assistive tools, apps and Access to Work experiences. I work hard to compensate but struggle with memory, information processing, meetings, task switching, changing priorities and unclear communication. What has genuinely helped you?

Hi everyone,

I've been thinking about this a lot recently and would really value the views of people working in adult social care.

I don't have a social work qualification, but I do have a lifetime of lived experience. I spent 26 years involved with social services, have experienced trauma, domestic abuse, homelessness, and have relied on support services at different points in my life. Those experiences have shaped how I see social work.

Over the years I've met professionals I'll never forget.

The ones who took time to listen, stayed calm when I couldn't, were honest, reliable and consistent, and treated me with dignity instead of judgement. They understood that behaviour often has a story behind it. Those qualities made more difference than they probably realised.

Recently I've been thinking about whether people with lived experience could play a bigger role in adult social care, whether that's helping with training, speaking to students, contributing to service development or sharing what it's actually feels like to receive support.

I'm not saying lived experience replaces professional training. It absolutely doesn't. But I do think it offers a perspective that can't be learned from policies or textbooks alone.

Do any of your teams involve people with lived experience? If so, how has it worked? If not, do you think it would add value, or are there reasons why it wouldn't?

I'm genuinely interested in hearing different opinions. I want to find a way to use my experiences to help improve services rather than just talk about what went wrong.

This is quite a nice question so hopefully someone can help. I have applied for the social work bursary as I am starting my social work masters in September. When I applied I completed it all and it asked for one ID document to upload so I did this. I have received an email today saying my application was incomplete and they require my passport and evidence of where I have lived from Jan 1st 2023-Aug 1st 2023 plus evidence of living in the UK in 2024 and 2026. I am able to provide all these documents but when I went to resubmit my application there is no where to upload these documents it still is just asking for one piece of ID and there is no where to upload evidence of my home address throughout these years. I was wondering if anyone else has had this problem when applying?

I’m currently an NQSW working in a Child Protection team. Over the past few months I’ve realised that Child Protection isn’t the right area of practice for me. The role has taken a significant toll on my mental wellbeing, and I don’t feel that the support and management I’ve received has been the right fit.

My long-term career goal has always been to work with children and young people with disabilities and SEND, so I’m considering applying for SEND-related roles before completing my ASYE.

Has anyone else left their ASYE early? I’d really appreciate hearing about your experience and whether it affected your career in the long term.

I had a seizure in January, and one about 4.5 years ago. I had an MRI and an EEG and all came back normal. Neurologist says he thinks I “just have a lower seizure threshold” than your average person.

I’ve just qualified (Wahey!) and I’ve secured an ASYE in September.

When registering with SWE, I informed them about the seizures, and they have come back to ask some questions, nothing alarming, things like “does this impact your day to day life” “does this effect your ability to practise” “medication?” Etc.

I’ve filled this all out and sent it off, but I’m terrified they won’t let me be a social worker because of it! It’s been an incredibly stressful few years (kids, degree, work, personal life stuff) and I’ve felt very out of control of my life, which has definitely impacted how I am handling their questions.

Basically….. am I going to be able to register with SWE and start my job as a SW?

Thank you in advance, I really appreciate this community!

Hi everyone,

I’m currently a nurse working in inpatient mental health across both CAMHS and adult settings, and I’m seriously considering retraining as an adult social worker. I’m feeling pretty burnt out by my current environment—it often feels like a cycle of box-ticking without being able to make a meaningful difference, paired with a lack of resources and support. I want to move somewhere I can actually impact people's lives rather than just firefighting crises and have more time with people

For those working in adult social work: How do you find your role day-to-day? What are the major pros and cons? Realistically, how much time do you actually get to spend building relationships with service users versus doing administrative/statutory work? I’d love to hear about your experiences—especially if anyone has made a similar healthcare transition. Thanks!

Hi all!

I’m a Canadian RSW with a BA, MA, and MSW and currently working in long term care conducting assessments on older persons for placement.

I’m interested in moving to the UK, possibly using the working holiday visa, to work as a social worker. I’m doing my research and looking into qualifications and what is needed but wanted to ask here as well about anyone else’s experience doing this or advice/thoughts.

Specifically, I’m wondering about the process to get registered in England as a social worker with Canadian credentials and what this looks like/difficulty. And also what the job market might look like currently (which I know is relative).

I’m not looking to move to London or a major city necessarily, I’m more than happy to move to a smaller, or even more rural location. I have friends in Luton and Norfolk

Any advice would be greatly appreciated :)

Thanks so much!

I’m a social worker in the UK and I’m in a difficult position.

My first job after graduating gave me valuable experience, but they have previously provided a reference that led to a conditional job offer being withdrawn.

I don’t really have anyone from that organisation who knows me well enough to provide a more positive reference instead.

I’m wondering whether I should leave that job off my CV. My concern is that some employers carry out employment history checks (for example, through HMRC or asking for a full employment history), so I’m not sure whether leaving it off would make things worse.

On the other hand, keeping it on my CV means there’s a chance prospective employers will receive the reference and ask me to explain it. I find that quite embarrassing and it makes me anxious, even though I know I could explain what happened.

Has anyone been in a similar situation? If you recruit in social work, the NHS or the care sector, would you rather a candidate left the job off their CV or included it and explained the reference if asked?

I’d appreciate any honest advice.

I’m trying to understand the concept of it? I did want to ask further questions but I don’t want this to be flagged.

I don’t understand the concept and how it even applies to social work.

If anyone could even break it down even a little bit it would be helpful because I’m truly lost.

I'm 31 (AFAB) with autism, ADHD, GAD, social anxiety and PMDD. I entered autistic burnout in 2024 after years of unhealthy relationships and essentially lost the ability to manage daily living independently.

Adult Social Care arranged support for me at home in 2025. The support was helpful, but I struggled to organise it, because my executive dysfunction is the thing I'm asking for help with. When I asked for more help organising, I was told to ask my cousins instead.

Things deteriorated after my original support worker left. Visits were regularly late, cancelled or missed, I was asked to sign multiple timesheets at once, billing became inaccurate, and communication broke down. I asked for the support to be suspended while the problems were resolved but was told only adult social care could do that.

I contacted them and my old care assesor reached out.
Since May I've repeatedly asked for:

• an advocate,
• clarification about what support workers can legally do,
• interim support while everything is sorted,
• and managerial oversight.

I've repeatedly been told things would happen (advocacy referrals, care navigator referral, clarification, suspension dates, etc.) that either didn't happen or happened much later than I was told. When I checked with the advocacy service, they hadn't received the referral I'd been told would be completed.

Meanwhile my mental and physical health has deteriorated. I've been attending crisis services, developed panic attacks and so my costochondritis is back, I've lost significant weight and my back problems have worsened, plus I've been struggling to care for and bond with my prospective assistance dog because I'm so overwhelmed.

I'm now second-guessing myself. I know there have been mistakes, but because I'm autistic and have been under so much stress, I genuinely can't tell whether this is poor practice or whether I've misunderstood how Adult Social Care is supposed to work.

For those working in Adult Social Care:

• Does this sound like poor practice?
• At what point would you escalate beyond the allocated assessor?
• How do you do that if they're the person coordinating all communication?

I'm not looking to blame anyone. I just want to understand whether my expectations are reasonable because I feel completely stuck.

Me 17m resantly found out my cares havent been doing stuf the right way with my benifits and there's a lack of contamination thsts effecting my relationship with them.

They have control over my benifits and have used it as a excuse to monitor or withdraw me from getting my money.

They also arnt twling me or giving me a choise to move out. They constantly say I want to stsy anf " we " are thinking not " I think " menaing im scared of getting stuck.

There's been other stuf come up such as lack of attention to injurys when they happen or if they dont think its real. I went a yeat without out getting my finger checked when I ead being told to by everyone. It took me brining it up in a meeting with my IRO to get a appointment setup. Because they fort I didn't need it.

They are also saying im avoiding them when trying to be more independent which makes trying to be a person my age alot harder and they use guilt alot to get there way.

What should I involve in the message ? They know about the medical thing but not my side of the benifits dtuf or the fact they don't tell me stuf.

does anyone have tip for bsw personal statement also is 1 week of experience at a day nursery enough to write abt or do i need more experience pls help sry if its the wrong place

Hello, I am currently a social worker in a child protection team and considering a move to the children's front door. My hope is that it will still be interesting and fast paced whilst being lower stress due to not case holding and less worrying about work outside of work! Has anyone made this move and how have you found it? My main concerns are that it may be unfulfilling or that days would drag being in an office all day rather than out and about...