How to become a social worker

‘Social worker’ is a protected title, so the routes to qualifying as a social work professional are regulated by Social Work England.

Young boy with apply for social care role text

It is important to ensure you enrol on an ‘approved’ course. There are many different routes into the world of Social Work – here are some of the different routes:

School leaver

You will need to have gained 5 GCSE’s, and MUST have English & Maths at grade 4 or above. From here, you have 2 options available, you can complete A Levels or go to a college of your choice to complete a 12 months access to Social Work qualification. You will need to have a minimum of 240 UCAS points to move on to University to complete a Social Work Degree.

To gain a placement at University, you will also need to have some Social Care work Experience; this can be achieved via Paid work, Voluntary work, and placement or lived experiences.

Already hold a degree? (In any subject)

If you already have a Degree, you are able to go straight to University to complete a Master’s Degree in Social Work. You would still be required to have Social Care Experience of some description and evidence this to the University of your Choice.

Social Work Trainee

This route is suited to post graduate applicants wishing to develop a career working with children and young people by undertaking further training in order to become a social worker. You would be recruited to work in a Trainee Social Work role with the expectation that you would commence Social Work training within 12 – 18 months of recruitment.

Step up to Social Work

Step Up to Social Work is an intensive full-time, fully funded, Postgraduate Diploma in Social Work training programme that allows you to become a qualified social worker in just 14 months. It is a Postgraduate Social work degree programme, so you will need either a BA or BSc Honours degree with a minimum 2:1 classification. Your degree doesn’t have to be in a related setting. You also need significant experience of either working or volunteering with vulnerable children and families.

The programme runs once every two years, dependent on government funding.

Social work apprenticeship

The Social Work apprenticeship allows you to earn while you learn and train to become a registered Social Worker in less than 3 years. You study at university alongside 30+ hours of employment so you do need a relevant job role before you apply. The combination of the course and the job has to meet a national ‘apprenticeship standard’ – in this case the Social Worker standard. So you get to study for a recognised qualification, while earning a salary and having no student fees to pay.

The course normally takes 2 and a half years part-time – then you'll complete an endpoint assessment within 6 months.

Talk to us about opportunities in children's social care in Doncaster

There are lots of opportunities to develop and grow your career in Children’s Social Care here in Doncaster.

If you share our commitment to delivering high quality services to achieve better outcomes for children, young people and families we would love to hear from you. Our team are ready to tell you more about working for in our children's social care teams and the great opportunities for you to work here in Doncaster.

For more information or to arrange a chat with our team who will be happy to answer your questions email Proudtocarechildren@doncaster.gov.uk

Or call 01302 735 760 (Monday to Friday, 10am – 4pm).

If you want to make an impact, make a change and be there for a child, apply for one of our roles today!

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