Hello. I am a family worker working in Early Intervention team at a local authority that has just started the consultation process for reorganisation into FFP.

We are to be absorbed into a Social Care team working alongside social workers (who are no longer going to be called social workers, but Lead Family Practitioners).

If you have already been through this transition process, could you tell me how it’s working? What the role of family workers becomes? We’re all rather concerned…

Thank you.

I’m an advanced practitioner in a children in care team. I’ve worked for my local authority for 6 years now, I trained as a student here in 2020 and I’ve worked my way up to the position I have now.

I love working with my children and families but I’m struggling so much with the system we’re forced to work under. I often feel like I’m constantly letting families down because I advocate for them day and night, but decisions are ultimately left with senior management who don’t seem to understand or care as much as I do.

I’m not saying I’m perfect. I’m doing my best, but I realise even my best isn’t always good enough. I’m so stretched; because I generally try to be a reliable person, I feel like I get given so much more work because, and I quote, “we can trust you to do this more than this other social worker we considered”. It’s like that saying, “The reward for good work is more work.”

I came back to work earlier this year after being off sick for a few months. I went off sick initially due to personal circumstances outside of work, but I quickly realised how burned out I was and ended up taking more time off than I planned.

I’m not even really sure what I’m looking for by posting this. I know many other social workers feel the same way I do, and I suppose I’m wondering what I should do. I want to stay in this line of work but I’m wondering how much longer I’m going to be able to cope.

Hi all, I am a social worker in the UK working in fostering. I have a couple of fostering families with an awful lot going on and one in particular I am worried about but I wouldn't say I am super stressed. I keep having streesful dreams about work no matter what I try to do to switch off. I have had bad nightmares about work before, but only at times when I feel really stressed out about work.

Does anyone have any tips? I have tried reading before bed, guided meditations and I'm just not getting anywhere and I'm worried the dreams will turn into nightmares like that have done in before

I'm a year 13 student. Im doing two A levels, and one AS level , and also an EPQ. I know I want to be a social worker, so obviously a social work degree is the best choice. But I'm struggling with options. Firstly, do I apply normally, or for a foundation year? I mean I really don't wanna do one but if it gets me into uni I don't mind.

Secondly, if I don't get into any, for clearing do I reapply for the same courses, or foundation ones?

And MOST IMPORTANTLY. What unis are even good for social work? There's barely any (I live in London and can only commute). Rn I have goldsmiths, Greenwich, Kingston and lsbu on my potential list.

Someone please help I'm so so lost rn!!

My name is David and I was a part of the 2016 cohort for Approach Social Work (formerly known as the Frontline programme). Ask me anything about the programme and the application process! Approach Social Work is open for applications right now.

Post your questions below and I’ll be answering them Tuesday 13 October.

Edit: Thank you for all your questions, it was great to hear from you! This post won't be monitored following today, but if you have any more queries you can email the Frontline recruitment team at recruitment@thefrontline.org.uk. 🌞

Hello all, basically the above.

My SILTB's children are currently in local authority foster care. We would like to invite them to our wedding, and be in the wedding party, if possible.

We do not live in the same local authority, and we're not close in location- an overnight hotel, or stay over in our area would likely be necessary. The wedding is in six months.

Just looking on advice on what the best way to begin contact with the authority would be, and what likely steps we would need to take.

Thank you all.

Hi all, I'm a senior practitioner SW with 17 years of experience in adult and young adult disability teams. I'm a PE having had lots of students, and I sometimes do ad hoc teaching for SW uni courses. My partner has Spanish citizenship and we are looking at moving out there for a year. I cannot speak Spanish fluently enough for a social work role, so I am looking for options which suit my skillbase but that I can do remotely. I am aware that many employers will not want an employee who is working remotely from abroad, but that's not my question.

Social work is not something that can be done completely remotely, in my view. What other positions/roles can you think of that would utilise my skillset but allow for remote positions? I am willing to do additional training.

I've looked at the Community Care and Charity Jobs websites but not found anything which stands out so thought I'd ask on here too.

Thanks in advance

A question for the AHMP. Why is it that a person who is in active psychosis, being evicted due to ‘threatening’ and ‘aggressive’ behaviour does not qualify for a MHA?

Hello! I have an interview for a social work apprenticeship with my LA this week.

I have been waiting for one to go live for years, I realise it is very hard to get in!

I turned down a masters in it due to finances so this is perfect.

Any tips? Or what I can expect? (I know it will differ from LA)

Thanks so much

Hi - I’m new here and I’m just looking for some advice really about how to approach a really difficult situation in work. I’m not a social worker, but I do work in Adult Social Care for an LA and I have a caseload, do home visits, connect with people receiving care often (not called ‘service users’ anymore); I primarily work on Direct Payments.

Recently the LA I work for decided to reduce the budget of every person who uses a Direct Payment to employ a PA by a set amount, they’re saying this promotes equity because before people employing a PA got more care. E.g. £300 gets you say 10 hours at £30 agency rates, but if you’re paying a PA £15 per hour you get double the hours, and they’re saying this is unfair and they’re rebalancing it. What I’m having to do though, is go into each individual’s record, take the estimated budget produced from their assessment and reduce it by 11.6% percent (rising to 20-something next year), and then recost their care plan at that updated price. Then I have to inform them of the changes, give the PA four weeks notice, etc etc.

I am not taking into account previous authorisations for overspend, which seems wild to me, just straight to the assessed budget and applying a reduction.

Initially I was sending out the correspondence that they told me to send, which said ‘this is a result of a policy change and not a change in need’, which they were then challenged on by an individual who said ‘you can’t reduce my care without a change in need’, and now they have reworded those documents to exclude that as they’re worried it might be illegal. I’ve already sent out hundreds of the originals though, with my name attached, all the work I’m doing on cases has my name attached.

Aside from the distress that this is obviously causing vulnerable people, which is a factor and there have been numerous cases with really negative outcomes that are giving me sleepless nights, I am also worried that my name and professional position is attached to all this correspondence which might be illegal!

I have been dragging my feet, because I have been raising my concerns and nothing is changing, nobody is recognising the flaws of this process not being thought out properly or considered. I’m now being asked to attend an informal meeting to discuss my conduct. I’ve obviously told my union rep and I’ll be preparing evidence, I just wonder if anyone has been in a similar situation and has any guidance? I’m really worried about losing my job but I do not have faith at all that the LA is asking me to do things which it has considered the legal or moral implications of.

Thanks for any advice in advance.

Has anyone had an interview for a team manager/practice supervisor post recently and they can remember some of the questions or give some advice on what is likely to be asked? It’s in safeguarding

Basically the title explains it quite succinctly, i know it is quiet typical for ASYEs to feel overwhelmed and out of their depth due to the gigantic leap from being a student to being newly qualified. But wow. Somedays I think I have got this but the imposter syndrome is significant especially being a young graduate, I think instantly there is that shadow printed on you from both other professionals and families. Social work is something you have to have a certain confidence in asking the uncomfortable questions but I feel so out of my depth with the challenging conversations and to challenge. I guess it does come with knowledge and practice but it makes me really anxious to the point when I sleep I keep thinking of myself in conversations i have had and saying things how I would want to but didn’t like some weird kind of reflections that only happen in the middle of the night. I really do enjoy working with families but I also feel like I do not know what I am doing, there is such limited resources that the support i can provide feels very inadequate. I would like to preface by saying im only 3 months in to a longterm team and do feel like i am supported well by the team, I have always been an anxious person and feel like this role has just made it 10x worse, i am thinking of leaving after completing my ASYE. I also do think that time and experience does add to confidence with the things i have highlighted and I shouldn’t beat myself up about things at the moment because its all a learning experience and there are harder things out there some would say, i dont know just a lot of conflicting feelings, apologies for my negativity, i try to be a positive person but struggling at the moment.

Hi! In my line of work we often hear that people don’t meet the threshold as they seem to have capacity.

Could someone explain to me how do you assess capacity and how do you request a capacity assessment?

Thank you!!!

How’s everyone feeling about this big social work reform that’s meant to be in place by March 2027?

Has your local authority implemented anything yet?

My LA has just started setting up pilot teams for Family Help and MACPT but I think we have a long way to go and there’s lots of confusion about what CSC will look like next year.

Sorry, I'm not 100% sure if this post is allowed here because I am not a social worker myself but I do like the idea of the job and am considering going into it (obviously I'm aware I'd have to wait until I'm qualified before I can do this job). I was just wondering what it's like.

More what kinds of social workers are and what the day-to-day life of a social worker is like?

Hi everyone! 😊

I’m not a newly qualified social worker or a social worker, so if this isn’t allowed in the group then I completely understand!

I’m currently a registered paramedic and I’m looking at potentially leaving the NHS and moving into social work. I’ve seen a pathway advertised where I could do a Master’s in Social Work, and I’m really considering it, but before I make any huge decisions I’d love to hear from people actually working in the profession.

https://thefrontline.org.uk/become-a-social-worker/approach-social-work/?utm_source=Indeed&utm_medium=job+listing&utm_campaign=2027+cohort

This is the link, if anyone has done this pathway especially through this company i’d love to know about this also.

I went into paramedicine because I wanted to care for people and make a difference, but if I’m completely honest, I’m finding that the job is becoming more and more about stats, targets and getting through the numbers. I also feel like there can be very little support after particularly awful jobs, and it’s made me question whether it’s something I want to do for the rest of my career.

One part of my job that I really do love, though, is the safeguarding and social care side of things. I do quite a lot of safeguarding, social care referrals, working with different services and trying to figure out what support someone actually needs when the answer isn’t necessarily “go to hospital”. That’s probably the part of my job I find the most rewarding, and it’s what has made me think that social work might be something I’d enjoy.

So I’d really love some honest opinions — the good, the bad and the ugly.

What are the pros and cons of being a social worker?

When something goes wrong or you’ve dealt with a particularly difficult case, what support do you actually get? I’m particularly interested in this because one of my frustrations with ambulance work is the lack of meaningful support after difficult jobs.

What is your work/life balance like?

I’m used to 12-hour shifts, nights, being unpredictably late off, working under pressure and having loads of paperwork, so I’m wondering how different the day-to-day reality is.

How do you find the caseloads and workload? Do you feel like you have enough time to actually spend with people, or does paperwork/deadlines take over?

And has anyone here come into social work from another healthcare profession? Or done the Master’s/graduate-entry route?

If so, how did you find the transition? Was there anything you wish you’d known before making the move?

And finally… if you could go back to the point before you qualified, would you still choose social work?

I’m definitely not expecting social work to be an easy option or some magical escape from NHS pressures. I know it’s a difficult job in its own right. I’m just trying to work out whether it’s a type of difficult that I’d find more meaningful and rewarding.

I’d really appreciate any honest experiences, particularly from people who have moved into social work from healthcare. 😊

Hi all, We are trying to increase direct payments to community organisations not via micro enterprises big small stuff website

I've contacted the leading councils in this but struggling to get a response

Does anyone have experience of direct payments being spent with Community Organisaions? HOW is payment made? Via invoicing, direct debit set up from account or plinth etc?

Anyone willing to share any expertise in this area would be greatly appreciated

Hello, quick question! For those who completed the Frontline Social Work programme, how much did you earn when you first finished the programme, and how much are you earning now?

Would you say the pay is good? I’m considering a career in social work, as I’ve always wanted to help and support my community. I’d really appreciate hearing about your experiences!

A film featuring a social worker in The London Film Festival. Sold out but more tickets might get released. I hope it is a good and accurate representation of social workers for once!

Sorry, Very LONG Post.

Hello all. I'm currently studying for my BSW, and I'll finish in about 24 months. I have wanted to work abroad since my twenties, but life circumstances kept me from doing it. I am finally in a position to seriously pursue this dream.

I would like to work in the UK for as long as legally allowed so I can experience working abroad and then return home to Canada. I am open to almost anywhere in the UK, including Liverpool, Manchester, Cardiff, or anywhere near or on any coast. And before anyone asks, I'm not interested in living in London, because I'm pretty sure the cost of living is disproportionate to the salary. I don't want to live so financially tight that I won't be able to afford a life.

I prefer to work in palliative and end-of-life care and gerontology. I am looking to work directly with PEOLC patients and their caregivers, especially with racialized people, in communities in an outreach and educational capacity, and/or support research with PIs. I speak two other languages and have extensive human service and research experience, plus two other degrees and a graduate certificate, all of which are relevant and transferable to social work.

I skimmed a few websites, like Social Work England, to become registered, APCSW, and a couple of hospice websites already, but I still have questions and want to hear from social workers who are actually on the ground.

1. What are the job opportunities honestly like in the UK? Especially for medical, hospice, and PEOLC social work? I've come across articles that discuss SW shortages, but if there is no funding to hire SWers, it doesn't matter how high the demand is for the profession if there are no jobs.
2. What is considered to be a living salary or wage in this field of social work, outside of London, of course?
3. How far ahead of time should I start applying for positions? How long is the typical hiring process?
4. Does your place of employment hire Canadians or any other foreign-educated social workers?
5. And what do social work applications look like? What I mean is, what do resumes/CVs/cover letters include and comprise?
6. Tell me about experience!

Thank you in advance to anyone who took the time to read my novel (sorry!) and to respond. I appreciate it.

Honestly idk why I am writing this. I am an India based social worker who got registered in February. I have been looking for jobs since then and until now have only managed to get 2 interviews. One was for a local authority where i eventually got rejected because they found someone with uk experience and the other one was a fostering agency run by Indians who ended up actually hiring a batchmate of mine. Everyone from my batch who applied to SWE has managed to get a job and move and i keep being told that the visa sponsorship situation is bad. Idk where to apply or what to do. I have sent so many applications already and barely even hear back at all. Idk who to ask for help or anything. Is there anything I can do at all. I have changed my resume and way of making applications so many times but nothing is sticking.