From the Front Line is a series where social workers share their experiences on topical or ongoing issues within the profession. To express an interest in taking part or tell us what you'd like to see covered next, email us at anastasia.koutsounia@markallengroup.com
Progress within social work is often presented as a linear path.
You start on the front line, move into a senior role, become a supervisor and eventually manage a team - or even an entire service.
But what about the practitioners who don't feel the pull towards management?
For the latest instalment of From the Front Line, Community Care spoke to four social workers who have deliberately stepped away from the management ladder. They reflected on their career progression, the advice they would give to others considering a similar path, and where practitioners can look for opportunities that fall outside the profession’s traditional progression model.
Gary Kainth, lecturer, Glasgow Caledonian University, qualified in 2008
Early in my career, a senior practitioner told me the only way to survive social work was to keep moving, gaining different perspectives and experiences. I took that to heart.
I chose the route of subject specialism and, within a couple of years of qualifying, I moved into a dedicated early years team, working with children from pre-birth to the age of five.
Over time, I developed an expertise in attachment, the impact of maltreatment and neglect, and early intervention with families.
From practice to research
After several years, a part-time role became available in the local authority’s internal evaluation unit.
I came into social work from a science-based background, with degrees in maths and psychology, and a longstanding interest in research. So this allowed me to draw on skills I had prior to becoming a practitioner.
I then took on a part-time role as a social work consultant on a randomised control trial examining mental health interventions for infants.
That role required detailed knowledge of the early years legal system. We interviewed judges, lawyers, social workers, psychologists, guardians, family support workers and decision makers to explore how much time was spent with the child and understand their journey through the system.
Only a social worker could have the expertise for such a job. We understand the system better than anybody else and are highly qualified, highly knowledgeable professionals. We should spend more time celebrating that.
Entering academia
I remained a part-time researcher and part-time practitioner until recently, when I joined the university as a lecturer.
You undeniably lose experience of face-to-face practice when you enter academia, but research allows you the time to deepen your expertise.
When I first made the switch, I kept feeling like I wasn’t busy enough. I had been conditioned to think that if I wasn’t stressed and chasing my tail, I wasn’t doing enough.
For those interested in research, my advice is to find an academic whose writing you admire and email them. I don’t accept the idea that people aren’t “clever enough” for research. Expertise comes from experience.
You also don't have to have been a researcher to work in the field. Lived experience is increasingly valued, particularly in qualitative work. You have to build relationships with vulnerable people with lived experience, and who better than a social worker to do that?
'Think skills, not job titles'
There is a breadth of work available if we think beyond job titles. I know a colleague who switched from mental health to student support, providing pastoral care to students.
For anyone feeling stuck, I’d advise breaking the role of ‘social worker’ down into your core skills and exploring where else those apply. Job titles are becoming more and more meaningless; it's more about the skills you're honing.
Social workers are among the most diversely trained of professionals. What other profession has you writing a report one moment, then taking a call from a headteacher worried about a child the next, instantly switching mindset and drawing on everything you know about that child to manage the crisis?
That simply doesn't happen anywhere else.
Bethany Erickson Rodrigues, independent senior social worker and trainer, qualified in 2003
I went independent five years ago. People suddenly could work from home and I had some financial resources saved, so I decided to take the step.
As an independent social worker, the work comes in waves. You have to be flexible. On the side, I also deliver safeguarding children training for children’s homes, as well as therapeutic support, training in the PACE (playfulness, acceptance, curiosity and empathy) approach and delegated authority work for foster carers.
The work varies a lot. For instance, I’ve had a private supervised contact assignment that I’ve been doing since September. I’ve been supervising contact every few weeks between a father and his children, and the case is going to court this month.
The flexible schedule of independent social work
I never wanted to go into management, because the role makes you lose yourself. You’re forced to become more businesslike and cutthroat. Your work is suddenly less family-focused and more budget-focused.
There's also a lot more pressure and you lose your direct work skills - you become disconnected.
I think a lot of people go independent for the flexibility - particularly around family responsibilities - but also because they want to reconnect with the roots of social work. You have more time to read and more time to thrive, and you grow in confidence.
When you don’t represent a local authority, you can be more candid with families, and they appreciate that. Your communication skills grow exponentially.
'Advocate for yourself'
Financially, though, some of the pay is honestly awful.
A fostering assessment can be anywhere between £800 and £2,500, but it’s often a set fee for work that can take four or five months. You don't get paid until after it goes to panel. When you add up the hours, you might be earning as little as £5 an hour.
Going independent is a step up, but you have to be able to advocate for yourself and demand the pay you deserve. You need to build your portfolio, your reputation, your skill set and your network.
I’m part of a support group that helps with sharing knowledge and staying connected.
I’d also advise getting insurance. When you work for an organisation, they cover you. But when you’re independent, that responsibility is yours.
'Know your value'
One of the benefits of independent work is that you’re not bogged down by the same level of bureaucracy and paperwork. You can maintain a more objective point of view.
Make sure you have a mentor and be patient. It can take around two years to build a solid roster of work. You might think you have a strong reputation, but organisations have to pay more to use independent workers, and that changes the dynamic.
A common mistake when starting out is saying to yourself: “I’ll do this piece of work for less money just to get something in."
Once you’ve set that precedent, they won't forget it. You also rarely know how much work will actually be involved. Many times, what’s been sold to me as a simple piece of work has turned into anything but.
Someone once said to me: "It's about how you value yourself." Set your price and be willing to have an open dialogue about money.
It's not easy; social workers on the ground are discouraged from talking about money. We don't gain that skill.
Liz Willetts, practice educator and residential review social worker, qualified in 2014
I don't want to go into management. I like working with people, so I'm quite happy just to do my job.
I initially became a practice educator in 2020 because I had to pick a specialism as a step towards getting senior social work pay. I was forced down that route, but I ended up quite liking it.
Obviously, it's about supporting students and helping them discover where their skills are. Certainly, as a student, I came into social work not knowing what all the other teams were, not knowing I had options.
I quite enjoy trying to facilitate that journey and helping them expand their knowledge of social work and the community services supporting practitioners’ work.
I also quite like the challenges and the knowledge you gain through delivering supervision. I'm sure my supervision gets better each time. It offers a different way of looking at things.
'You get to develop your own skills'
It's a good stepping stone, without the pressure I imagine being a manager carries. Having a student has some similarities to managing. You're supervising, you're monitoring, you're allocating work.
In my role, you only get one student every two years, supervise them for six months and then get a year and a half to develop your own skills. The pay's nice too but I think it's more about self-development.
It definitely has changed me for the better. It’s also quite gratifying to see someone you supported qualify and pass their placement.
Limited opportunities
To be honest, it doesn't sound like there are too many options out there for progressing. I was initially looking at hospice work, end of life care or continuing healthcare as specialisms where you can progress.
But I think the opportunities are limited. So even as a practice educator, you feel kind of stuck as to where to go next. I suppose I could pick a different team and learn a different skill. But that's a different kind of progression.
The other obvious option is becoming a lecturer, though I’m not particularly interested in teaching. I don't want to manage people, but I guess with experience, that's normally what comes next.
Gavin Badard-Leung, learning and development trainer for fostering, qualified in 2016
I've never wanted to go into management. Coaching and guiding have always been more in my wheelhouse.
A benefit of this job is that, as we work with parents or foster carers, we make a difference and get to learn at the same time.
It is definitely a step away [from practice]. I'm still a qualified social worker, but I don't hold cases anymore.
While I don’t work directly with children, I help them by shifting the mindset of foster carers to promote therapeutic parenting. I still get the joy of working in fostering and social work - just in a different way.
Moving into learning and development
There are many local authorities and agencies nowadays looking for trainers.
Independent fostering agencies I’ve worked with have occasionally needed people to train new foster carers and that is better done by a social worker who knows what makes a good foster carer.
Usually, organisations will offer a train-the-trainer course, but it is also down to whether you’re confident enough to present. From my experience, very few social workers can do this.
If you are in a local authority offering a training role, the next step will usually be taking the advanced education and training course. It comprises three modules, and, at the end, you’ll be able to deliver training to a wide range of people.
'Find your passion'
Even if there is no direct step into training and development, speak to your manager and propose delivering a session on your interest or speciality. Build up that skill set where you can.
What's nice about our [learning and development] team is that all of us are social workers, and we all have our individual niches of what we like to deliver training on.
So, as someone who's LGBT, I've written the staff and foster carers course on LGBTQ and have also recently completed a course on neurodiversity.
I've also written the foster care induction for our team. So what is the subject you're passionate about?
