Social Work Assistant

Typical Salary

£12,500 To £25,000

Typical Hours

37 to 40 a week

evenings / weekends / bank holidays on shifts

How To Become a Social Work Assistant

You can get into this job through:

a college course
an apprenticeship
applying directly

College / University

You can do a Level 2 or 3 Diploma in Health and Social Care, which may help when you look for work.

2 or more GCSEs at grades 9 to 3 (A* to D), or equivalent, for a level 2 course

4 or 5 GCSEs at grades 9 to 4 (A* to C), or equivalent, for a level 3 course

Apprenticeship

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

Level 2 Adult care worker
Level 3 Youth support worker
Level 4 Children, young people and families practitioner

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

Routes into this Career

Routes into this Career are not listed for this job.

You could apply directly after getting experience in a care role, like a care worker or a healthcare assistant in a:

hospital
hospice
care home
children's home

You'll usually need a GCSE in English for this route.

Other Routes

Other Routes are not listed for this job.

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

Day To Day Tasks

In your day-to-day tasks you may:

contact clients and follow up enquiries
advise clients and their families about help that's available
visit people at home to check how they are
follow a social worker’s care plan, and sometimes create your own
keep records and write reports
keep up to date with the law
go to meetings with your department and other agencies
liaise with other health and care 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 & Progression

With experience you could work towards qualifying as a social worker. You could do this yourself, or with support and funding from your employer.

You could also move into related careers like family support work or counselling.

Volunteering Opportunities

You could get experience by volunteering, which will give you an advantage with course and job applications.

Tips & Information

Career tips

Experience of caring within your own family or community can help you get into this job.

Further information

You can find out more about careers in adult social care from Think Care Careers.

Restrictions & Requirements

You'll need to:

pass enhanced background checks