From the Front Line is a new series where social workers share their experiences on various topics and running issues within the sector. To express an interest or tell us what you'd like to see covered next, email us at anastasia.koutsounia@markallengroup.com
The social work profession historically branches into a wide range of specialisms and settings, offering diverse career paths.
But making the transition between areas of practice isn't always straightforward.
A 2024 Social Work England survey of 1,375 practitioners found that children’s social workers were more likely than their adults' counterparts to consider switching specialism.
Six per cent of children's social workers were looking at adults' positions and a further 13% were open to roles in both areas, compared to just 2% of adults' practitioners considering children’s roles and 5% considering both.
But when is the right time to make the switch? And are there any transferrable skills that would be suitable for working with adults?
For the latest 'From the Front Line' instalment, Community Care spoke to two social workers who recently moved from children's to adults’ services to discuss what prompted their decisions and the difference they observed in their practice.
Simone Lionel, 15 years qualified
I worked in different teams within children's services for 15 years and I absolutely loved it. I did it before I even qualified as a social worker.
But the time came when I felt I needed a change, so I could grow as a social worker, and I came across an NHS job working with homeless patients. I had previous experience working with homeless families, so I thought there would be transferable skills. I made the switch this year, but it was a shock to the system. There was a lot to learn.
My experience definitely helped. Although I’m predominantly working with adults, we do come across patients with children where I can bring in my knowledge of the Children Act and my experience with families, safeguarding and homelessness processes.
But there’s much to learn because, previously, I wasn't going as deep into the homeless assessment routes as I am now.
‘It’s not just about being homeless’
One of the main things I've brought across is my experience with holistic assessments. I always look at the contributing factors. What else is happening within their life that has resulted in them becoming homeless? This then informs my ability to support them and the team in achieving long-term sustainable outcomes.
Many of our patients have additional needs, whether it be learning disabilities, autism, mental health, substance misuse and so forth. It's not just about being homeless. We can place them in accommodation, but if the underlying needs are not addressed, they will find themselves in difficulties again and lose their tenancy.
It's also about working within a multidisciplinary team. At the hospital, I work with mental health, substance misuse and so on. It's a multidisciplinary approach as opposed to just social workers going in and working with patients.
‘I wasn’t thrown into the deep end’
I spent – and still do - my time reading a lot, both in and out of work. There's a lot that I need to learn about and aside from homelessness.
I wasn't thrown into the deep end. Instead, I was given the time to understand the service. There was a fantastic four-week introduction where I was able to shadow, train and read.
I'm working with a range of professionals across different hospitals. I was able to visit different services and learn what they do and how we can collaborate. So when I started working with patients and managing the team, I knew about the multidisciplinary teams available and how I could make use of them to support my patients.
A collaborative approach
When working with children, you're covered more by the law. If we have a child at risk of harm and the parents aren't engaging with us, there are certain legal actions we can take to safeguard the child.
One thing I'm still trying to wrap my head around is that adults usually have the capacity to make all relevant decisions. They're making an unwise decision, but it's not necessarily a safeguarding concern. It doesn't necessarily mean I have the legal basis to intervene.
I can talk to them, but they can then make this unwise decision - for example, discharge themselves from the hospital while undergoing treatment - without professionals always having a legal remit to get involved.
It’s a more collaborative approach. It kind of takes the burden off me as a worker. Obviously, if an assessment shows that a patient doesn't have capacity to make a decision, we are then able to make a best interests decision on their behalf.
‘Take the leap’
I would say education is key. Make sure you educate yourselves, whether it be through training, reading or making links with professionals already within that setting whom you can learn from.
Also, do research and understand what you’re going into.
Sometimes, you just have to take the risk. It may be out of your comfort zone, but as long as you’re willing to work hard, take the leap.
Practice educator, qualified in 2020
I’ve wanted to work with children since I was 12. But when I joined children’s services, I realised I couldn’t do it.
I worked in children’s for my 100-day placement and then for four to five more months after qualifying.
Everyone was burnt out. I had colleagues with 30-40 families in their caseloads. No one has the time to help you - you learn on the job. My periods completely stopped during those months because I was so stressed.
Maybe it's just me who couldn’t get through it, because there are so many good children’s practitioners. But I just felt like I wasn't supported during that time. It was also during Covid and everything was online.
‘One case is not just one child’
I wish I knew how intense things would get and how different every family is. You could be working with a family of three and then having to see another family of seven.
And one case is not just one child. With a family of seven, their brothers and sisters are involved, sometimes the uncles, aunties and other relatives too, especially if they're living in the same home. It's very hard to find a middle ground when there are so many people. When I moved to the mental health specialist team, I could focus on one person and deal with their needs.
Age also plays a big factor. An adult can make unwise choices, but that doesn't mean they lack capacity to make these decisions. It’s more collaborative, and you can better adopt a strengths-based approach and person-centred practice.
There's also less risk. You'll have the conversation and try your best, but they’re an adult at the end of the day. They can make their own decisions.
Productive supervision
I have found supervision to be a lot more productive now. With children, it was very fast-paced. Supervisors would say: "Okay, let's go to the next family. We haven't got enough time."
Supervision is supposed to be a space to discuss how we're feeling. Instead, we're talking so much about the work that we don’t get that safe space.
I felt so at peace when I switched, even though it's still intense. We were given vicarious trauma training and managers always made the time to talk.
I now have a supervision meeting every four to six weeks. Previously, I only ever had one. Even as a student, I only had it twice because everyone was so stressed.
The heartbreak of children’s work
It’s the worst thing possible to have a child taken away from you, and it’s hard to make parents and children understand a break is needed.
It was so hard to say, “I know you want your mum and dad, but we can't physically do anything because they are unsafe for you”. No matter how much you dumb it down for children, they will always feel it's their fault. There’s so much heartbreak.
And the budgeting is just awful. Sometimes you can't even get the basic necessities for the children. I'd come home crying because I felt so bad.
‘It felt like a breath of fresh air’
My induction period was for a whole month, and they really supported me and exposed me to different types of cases. I was given the time to gain enough confidence to do things myself. It felt like a breath of fresh air.
If you're thinking about it, it shows that maybe your heart's not where it wants to be. So just do it. You can always come back to children and families.
You also get to see the results of your work. With families, you can never know the impact you've had until decades later. And even then, you won't have contact with them, so you’ll never know.
With adults’, sometimes they'll even message me to say thank you. And you need that, especially on days when it’s harder to go into work. It's so nice to feel like my efforts are actually recognised.
Celebrate those who've inspired you
Do you have a colleague, mentor, or social work figure you can't help but gush about?
Our My Brilliant Colleague series invites you to celebrate anyone within social work who has inspired you – whether current or former colleagues, managers, students, lecturers, mentors or prominent past or present sector figures whom you have admired from afar.
Nominate your colleague or social work inspiration by filling in our nominations form with a few paragraphs (100-250 words) explaining how and why the person has inspired you.
*Please note that, despite the need to provide your name and role, you or the nominee can be anonymous in the published entry*
If you have any questions, email our community journalist, Anastasia Koutsounia, at anastasia.koutsounia@markallengroup.com
