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A day in
the life of
a social worker
Unless you know a social worker personally, or have
had involvement with social services yourself, you
might not know what a social worker does every day.
So, in 2023, four journalists from the Community Care team spent
a day shadowing practitioners at Wandsworth children’s services,
to understand what it’s really like to be a social worker.
This is a snapshot of what a day might look like if you become a children and families social worker: home visits, direct work, family therapy, unit meetings, genograms, small wins, difficult decisions, risk, trauma, public transport. And snacks – never forget the snacks.
9am – Home visit
Her whole demeanour was friendly; if you hadn’t known
she was there
in her capacity as a social worker, you might have assumed Annie was one of
Kelly’s friends
Having never witnessed a home visit in action, I was excited that
my day at Wandsworth started with shadowing a visit to Kelly, a parent
to four children.
It was 9am when Annie, the social worker, and I got on a bus to Kelly’s home. Luckily for us, it was a beautiful sunny day – I did wonder what these bus journeys and walks would be like in the depths of winter. But, as a Londoner, Annie uses public transport for all her visits.
Annie’s reason for visiting was to do a graded care profile for Kelly’s four-year-old boy. He and his siblings had been placed on child in need plans after their school raised some concerns regarding possible neglect.
The graded care profile is a tool, created by the NSPCC, to evaluate the quality of care parents provide for their children. Only trained practitioners can use it – it had just gone 9am and I had already learnt something.
Annie had obtained Kelly’s permission for me to attend the visit. But she was understandably anxious, and had invited her mother to be present too.
Kelly, her mum and Annie sat on the sofa, in front of the TV, which was on. I sat at the far end of the room, as Annie suggested, doing my best to fade into the background and not add to the anxiety.
The conversation started with Annie asking how Kelly was doing and how the children were, as they were at school that day. Her whole demeanour was friendly; if you hadn’t known she was there in her capacity as a social worker, you might have assumed Annie was one of Kelly’s friends.
She went through each question of the graded care profile with Kelly. Annie told me afterwards that she wouldn’t normally go into so much detail but, as Kelly had learning disabilities and was also quite shy, she needed a bit more prompting.
Every word that came out of Annie’s mouth was considered and thoughtful; she clearly really thought about the language she was using. Despite Kelly’s initial anxiety, she soon began to relax.
The visit lasted an hour, and they ended by booking in the next session. Kelly’s assessment was very positive and she scored many ones and twos on the profile (with five being the least safe).
Back at the office after another bus ride, Annie put the results of the graded care profile onto the child’s record, along with her notes and observations. I reflected on the thoroughness of the visit, and how much thought, time and planning went into it. There were several components to the profile, and this visit focused on just one.
10.30am – children's practitioner
For the child to
be happy and safe, a lot of the time
we need to look
at the system that they live in and their environment around them. And so a lot of the time it does come back to strengthening the skills that parents have
Like Annie, Lauren – a children’s practitioner at Wandsworth – was off to do some work using the graded care profile, with Caitlin, a mother she had been working with for several months.
“I like to go into my visits with an intention or with a purpose, but I’m never fixed to the idea,” Lauren told me. “I’m mindful that families are complex and go through different things. And sometimes they’re not in a place where they can focus on that activity… sometimes they just need someone to lend an ear and help them to problem-solve and think through some of the difficulties that they’re having.”
As a children’s practitioner, Lauren’s role is to meet regularly with families who are involved with a social worker. Typically, Lauren will work with a family for around four to six months, but the family she was going to see that morning – Caitlin, her toddler and two older teenagers – had needed support for almost a year.
“Lots of my work has been parenting support for Caitlin,” Lauren said. “So, just helping strengthen some of the skills that she already has.”
For instance, in relation to the toddler’s physical health, Lauren had worked with Caitlin to agree a goal to provide a healthy diet. This was then broken down into really simple steps that Caitlin could do. “So [the toddler’s] given one unfamiliar food to try at each mealtime, and then again he’s offered a healthy snack throughout the day.”
Caitlin found these specific goals really helpful, Lauren said. “She pinned it up on her wall so she could refer back to it.”
Even though Lauren’s role is as a children’s practitioner, she was working with a few families where her sole role related to parenting. “Because, actually for the child to be happy and safe, a lot of the time we need
to look at the system that they live in and their environment around them. And so a lot of the time it does come back to strengthening the skills that parents have.”
Lauren’s favourite work is with children and young people – she started off working in nurseries – so after she did her work with Caitlin, she wanted to make sure she dedicated some time to the teenage daughter, Skye, who wasn’t attending school.
“I designed an activity to do with [Skye] about trying to figure out what her goals are,” Lauren said. “I think at the moment she’s feeling quite hopeless, and doesn’t really know where to go next. So my main aim of this activity hopefully is to help her set some goals, and think a little bit more positively about how she can then get there.”
Lauren was also starting to think about and talk to the family about endings – the end of her working partnership with them, “and what that’s going to look like, and helping them to think about their onward journey and … what we’ve already achieved and what also they have to continue on their journey.”
“As much as I dislike ending work because it means that, you know, I’m stepping away and it’s an end of an experience for both me and families, I think it’s sometimes nice when children say ‘Oh, I’m going to miss you’ … I think I see it as playing a small part in a child’s life.”
Lauren continued: “And this family have been known to children’s services for over 20 years. So their involvement and their experience of services has been quite negative. So I think that is a real strength that we’ve been able to, despite the family’s views, build that relationship.”
All names and identifying details have been changed.
Home
introduction
and a word from
our sponsor
a day in the life
of a social worker
advice for new
social workers
people with
lived experience
hear directly from
social workers
what’s next?
further resources
Why you
should ‘Choose Social Work’
Ruth Hardy-Mullings
Head of content,
Community Care
In June 2023, Community Care – the leading news and information brand for social workers – launched our
Choose Social Work campaign. We wanted to show the
reality of social work: of dedicated, hard-working people,
working alongside families and adults, supporting them
to make changes in their lives.
If you’re thinking about becoming a social worker, then this resource pack
will help you understand more about what it might be like. There’s a day
in the life of a children’s social worker, as well as some brilliant advice for anyone thinking about joining the profession – from social workers themselves. Then there are stories from people with experience of social services, that show why social work is so important, as well as the stories
of social workers themselves.
Thank you to Cafcass, for supporting this digital resource.
Once you’ve finished going through this and are wondering where you sign
to become a social worker, there’s a list of routes into social work, as well other helpful resources.
I hope that you Choose Social Work.
Supported by
Staff are well supported to ensure they
can work in
an environment that is conducive
to achieving the best outcomes
for families
and children
Be their voice
At Cafcass, we are united by our purpose - ensuring the unique voices of children and young people are heard in the family court. We put their needs, wishes and feelings first when big decisions are being made about their futures. When you join one of our social work teams, you will help improve the lives of children, families and carers for years to come.
No other organisation does the kind of work we do. And in 2024, we were rated by Ofsted following a full inspection as ‘outstanding’ both overall and across all judgement categories including the quality and effectiveness of our private and public law social work practice.
At Cafcass, we give you the tools to do the very best work possible. Here is how one of our social work colleagues put it:
“Staff are well supported to ensure that they can work in an environment that is conducive to achieving the best outcomes for families and children.”
Be supported
To support over 140,000 children every year, we support each other every day. Everyone plays a vital role so that together, we can do our best work. In return, we support you. We promote a good work-life balance, flexibility, and self-care. From learning and development opportunities to ensuring your health and wellbeing, you will be encouraged to ask for what you need - and know we will do all we can to help you.
Be trusted
When it comes to children and families, we are confident our social workers will do the right thing. It is why we will give you independence over your work and value your judgement. Whether you are visiting one of your families, getting to know a vulnerable child or standing up in court, we have faith in your abilities. That extends to your career development too. You will get the freedom to identify your own needs, ask for training to enhance your skills - and have the flexibility to work in a way that is right for you.
Be empowered
We give children and young people the opportunity to share their unique thoughts, wishes and feelings. We build trust. We help shape futures.
We collaborate across offices, teams and business areas. We knowledge share. We adapt. We mentor. We provide the equipment you need. With
that support behind you, you will feel empowered to inspire children,
families, and each other.
For more information about working for Cafcass as a social worker, please scan
the QR code opposite or click here
editorial
Kirsty Ayakwah
Gemma Balmford
Jessica Chapman
Ruth Hardy-Mullings
Anastasia Koutsounia
Gillian MacFarlane
Mithran Samuel
Joanna Silman
Natalie Valios
Sharmeen Ziauddin
production
Caroline Howlett
Adrian Dobbie
Sarah Duree