Careers: Assistant social worker

What are assistant social workers?

Assistant social workers are hands-on in their support of qualified social workers and generally report to the team manager or senior social worker. They are also known as social work assistants, community support workers, social services assistants, social care assistants, or children’s services caseworkers. Assistants work alongside social workers but have less responsibility and do not always have formal qualifications.

Duties can include work with looked-after children and those on the child protection register, contributing to social work assessments, providing practical support for families and care leavers, maintaining case notes and other records, writing reports and giving evidence in court.
A Unison survey of social work support staff last year found the most common activities undertaken were assessments and home visits, reviews, and developing care and support plans. More than a third worked on developing child or adult protection plans.

What qualifications are needed for the job?

No specific qualifications are needed, although a 2010 report for the Children’s Workforce Development Council (CWDC) found 42 per cent of assistants had a degree. The Unison survey found more than two-thirds of social work support staff have a social care or allied qualification – of these, 78 per cent had a qualification in health and social care, 13 per cent an early years and childcare qualification and 13 per cent a counselling qualification.

Nushra Mansuri, professional officer for England at the British Association of Social Workers, says "unqualified" posts are increasingly being taken by newly qualified social workers, who can’t find positions as social workers because of cuts. "That is causing real competition out there," she says. Not only does this trend shut the door on a potential route into social work for unqualified people, it also leads to a blurring of boundaries between qualified and unqualified roles, says Mansuri. "Newly qualified social workers in assistant roles have to be very clear about their boundaries, they are not being paid to be social workers," she says.

What training and professional development is available?

Employers must provide induction training for newly appointed social work assistants to meet the CWDC’s common induction standards. They are also likely to offer ongoing training including in-house short courses and work-based qualifications such as Health and Social Care Diploma levels 2 to 4.

There is a traditional career pathway from social work assistant into qualified social work, by studying for social work qualifications part-time while working. However, not all assistant social workers want to move on. According to Unison, 44 per cent would like to qualify as a social worker, while 41 per cent would not. A recent report from the National Joint Council for Local Government Services found that more work needs to be done on developing career pathways for social work assistants.

What are the challenges of the role?

The Unison survey found that social work assistants and support workers were "seriously struggling to cope with the pressures being piled on them". Seventy per cent of the support staff surveyed said the number of cases they handled had increased and 79 per cent said the complexity of the cases had risen in the past year. Two-thirds of respondents said they were regularly given work that they did not feel qualified or experienced enough to do.

What are the benefits of the role?

As well as being a stepping stone into social work, the role offers opportunities to work directly with children and families, making a positive difference to people’s lives. Workers also cite the variety of the job and working in a team as among the benefits.

What are the salary and hours like?

The average annual median basic pay of local authority social work assistants in local authorities in 2009 was £20,512, compared to £29,000 for social workers, according to a CWDC report. The Unison survey found 42 per cent of respondents earned under £21,000 while nearly half earned between £21,000 and £25,000. Part-time and sessional work is common, but a full-time job would be around 37 hours a week, whether fixed hours or a shift pattern including unsocial hours.