Social work assistant
Social work assistants give advice and help people with their physical, emotional and social needs.
What you'll do
Day-to-day tasks
As a social work assistant you could:
- advise clients and families about what help is available
- visit clients at home to check how they are
- follow or create a social worker care plan
- keep up to date with changes in the law, write reports and keep records
- go to meetings with other healthcare professionals
Working environment
You could work in the community, at a children's care home, at a client's home, in an office, in an NHS or private hospital or at an adult care home.
Your working environment may be emotionally demanding.
Career path and progression
With experience you could work towards qualifying as a social worker. You could do this yourself or you might be able to get support and funding from your employer.
You could also move into a related career such as a family support worker or counsellor.
Explore roles in child and family social work to find more information on management and specialist roles.
What it takes
Skills and knowledge
You'll need:
- counselling skills including active listening and a non-judgemental approach
- sensitivity and understanding
- patience and the ability to remain calm in stressful situations
- to be flexible and open to change
- the ability to work well with others
- knowledge of psychology
- the ability to accept criticism and work well under pressure
- excellent verbal communication skills
- to be able to carry out basic tasks on a computer or hand-held device
Restrictions and Requirements
You'll need to:
How to become
You can get into this job through:
- a college course
- an apprenticeship
- applying directly
You can do a college course in health and social care which may help when you look for work.
Entry requirements
Entry requirements for these courses vary.
More Information
You could do an apprenticeship in care or youth work to get experience of working with vulnerable adults, children or young people, like:
- Adult Care Worker Level 2 Intermediate Apprenticeship
- Youth Support Worker Level 3 Advanced Apprenticeship
- Children, Young People and Families Practitioner Level 4 Higher Apprenticeship
You could then do a social worker degree apprenticeship once you have experience.
Entry requirements
You'll usually need:
- 5 GCSEs at grades 9 to 4 (A* to C), or equivalent, including English and maths, for an advanced apprenticeship
- some GCSEs, usually including English and maths, or equivalent, for an intermediate apprenticeship
- 4 or 5 GCSEs at grades 9 to 4 (A* to C) and A levels, or equivalent, for a higher or degree apprenticeship
More Information
You could get experience by volunteering which might help when you apply for a course or job.
You can find volunteering opportunities through Do It.
You could apply directly if you have experience in a care role such as a care worker or healthcare assistant. It would help if you have experience working in a:
- hospital
- hospice
- care home
- children's home
You'll usually need a GCSE in English for this route.
Career tips
Experience of caring for someone in your own family or community can help you get into a social work assistant role.
Further information
You can find out more about a career in adult social care from Think Care Careers.
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External links
This page contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.