Social Work and Social Care workers play a vital role in our society supporting vulnerable members of the community who are marginalised, disadvantaged, or have special needs. In this sector you will work with individuals, families, and groups at all stages of their lives. This could include children in care, young people in detention, ethnic groups, people with physical or intellectual disabilities and older people living at home or in residential care. You may work with people who are in hospital or prison, have addiction problems, are homeless or are facing challenging circumstances that require your help.
As a Social Worker you are trained to assess people’s needs helping them utilise their own strengths and coping strategies whilst offering them advice and practical support. Working as part of a multidisciplinary team your role is to support your clients and help them deal with practical issues to maintain their independence. This could include advocating on their behalf and helping them to access the most appropriate community services to meet their needs. This could include housing, residential care, education, healthcare, or assistance with complicated legal or welfare affairs. You would be required to keep accurate records, take part in case conferences and on occasions you may need to attend a court hearing.
Other areas of Social Work where you could be involved are child protection issues, setting up family supports or assessing applicants for adoption or to be a foster parent. Specialisms include working as a medical or psychiatric social worker in a hospital.
Social Care workers work closely with Social Workers supporting their clients. They spend a lot of time working directly with their clients providing practical, emotional, and physical help if required. For example, the Social Worker would be responsible for arranging a placement in a children’s home whilst the Social Care worker would assist them with everyday tasks to meet the needs of the child. This could involve assisting them with their schoolwork, helping them get ready for school and encouraging them to take part in extracurricular activities.
As a Social Worker or Social Care worker you should believe in social justice, be patient, calm, empathetic and non-judgemental. Good communication and interpersonal skills are essential. You should be adaptable and capable of working under pressure, have a genuine interest in helping others and the ability to build rapport and trust. Supporting someone in their life’s journey, empowering them to overcome challenges, acquire new skills and work towards a better future can be very rewarding and satisfying.
Social Work is also a valuable qualification to work in research, social sciences, youth and community work, human resources, and marketing. You might enjoy carrying out cutting edge academic research in a university or being involved in social work policy.
To practise as a Social Worker, you must be registered with CORU, which is responsible for regulating health and social care professions in Ireland. CORU is working toward the regulation of the Social Care profession, and it is expected that from 2025 the register for Social Care workers will be open.
TUSLA is the state agency responsible for improving wellbeing and outcomes for children. They work to help create and maintain strong, healthy family units which can provide the foundation in which children can fully develop themselves and flourish. More information on a career in Social Work and Social Care with TUSLA is available here
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