Social work assistant

Social work assistants give advice and help people with their physical, emotional and social needs.

Also known as: Community support worker, home care officer, social services assistant

• Starter salary£20,000 a year
• Experienced£28,000 a year
• Typical hours37 to 40 a week

What you'll do

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.

Skills and knowledge you'll need

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

How to become a social work assistant

You can get into this job through:

• a college course
• an apprenticeship
• applying directly

College

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.

Apprenticeship

You could apply to do an apprenticeship in care or youth work to get experience of working with vulnerable adults, children or young people.

These include:

• Health and Social Care Level 2 Foundation Apprenticeship
• Adult Care Worker Level 2 Intermediate Apprenticeship
• Youth Support Worker Level 3 Advanced Apprenticeship
• Early Intervention Practitioner Level 4 Higher Apprenticeship
• Children, Young People and Families Practitioner Level 4 Higher Apprenticeship

You could then do a social worker degree apprenticeship once you have experience.

Volunteering

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.

Direct application

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.

Foundation apprenticeship

You can apply for a foundation apprenticeship if you're aged 16 to 21.

If you're aged 22 to 24, you can apply if you:

• have an education, health and care (EHC) plan
• are in care or have been in care
• are in prison or have been in prison

Entry requirements

You'll usually need:

• no specific qualifications or experience to apply for a foundation apprenticeship
• some GCSEs, usually including English and maths, or equivalent, for an intermediate apprenticeship
• 5 GCSEs at grades 9 to 4 (A* to C), or equivalent, including English and maths, for an advanced apprenticeship
• 4 or 5 GCSEs at grades 9 to 4 (A* to C) and A levels, or equivalent, for a higher or degree apprenticeship

Restrictions and requirements

You'll need to:

• pass enhanced background checks

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.

Career tips

Experience of caring for someone in your own family or community can help you get into a social work assistant role.

Guides for this industry

• Health & Social Care: pay, interviews and getting started →

Related roles

• Job roleFamily support worker
• Job roleSocial worker
• Job roleCare worker
• Job roleHealthcare assistant
• Job roleCounsellor

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