Social Worker

Social workers work with individuals and families to help live more successfully.

Working life

As a social worker, you will 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 will engage with clients, their families and others around them. You’ll work 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

Entry requirements

To practise as a social worker, you must be registered with the Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC). To register with the HCPC, you first need to successfully complete an approved degree or postgraduate programme in social work. Courses take three or four years full time. A degree apprenticeship in social work has also been approved.