Social work recruitment campaign enters second phase

The Be the Difference TV advertising campaign aims to show the realities of the job and how social workers use their skills and training to support and help vulnerable young people and adults.

A bouncing ball by a block of flats at twilight is featured in one of the commercials.

The voice over, by the actress Imelda Staunton, describes how the bouncing ball is used as a tool by a social worker to help young people address problems. She describes how playing with the ball and talking to a social worker helped one young child to open up about abuse by a relative.

"It is not just a bouncing ball, it is one of the most important tools we use," says the voiceover.

This latest phase follows last week's launch of the Help Give Them A Voice stage of the recruitment campaign, which featured celebrities playing the role of a child or adult in need.

The campaign is part of the government's social work reform agenda to attract more recruits into social work, including former social workers.

CWDC chairman Sir Paul Ennals said: "This recruitment campaign aims to attract high quality candidates from wide-ranging backgrounds to think about a career in social work."