Two trainee children’s social workers have spoken about their experience of helping families in Cornwall in a bid to encourage more people to join the team.
Heidi Kirby and Jade Craddock are at different stages of their courses but both agree there is no more rewarding career.
As national Social Work Week gets underway this week (March 20), Cornwall Council is looking to recruit more people who are passionate about improving the lives of our most vulnerable residents.
Heidi, who is in the second year of her Social Work Degree Apprenticeship, has been working in a variety of roles with local authorities for about 20 years, including as a special needs co-ordinator and a family worker.
She said that becoming a social worker was a natural progression and she was accepted onto the course following a ‘thorough and thought-provoking’ interview.
Speaking about her new line of work, she said: “I look forward to meeting new families on my caseload and building a rapport with them. This has to be done with empathy and respect so that we can build trust and support.
“It has been helpful to work jointly with social work colleagues and understand more about the process of assessment, child plans and review. I enjoy the responsibility of recognising safeguarding concerns and contributing to discussion and plans around providing the right support for families.”
She said that all of the cases come with their own set of challenges and rewards.
“One of the families I have worked jointly on is an Eastern European family for whom English was not their first language,” said Heidi. “This raised a lot of issues regarding language barriers, cultural differences and safeguarding.
“I had to work creatively with their daughter in order to help build her relationship with her mother. This meant going out of my comfort zone – working with older teenagers - and using play and craft to overcome a language barrier with a five-year-old girl. I feel that you can really draw on your own experiences as well as qualifications to make a difference.”
Jade, who is in her final year of social work training, said she had been very impressed with the training programme and level of support from both practice educators and university tutors.
She said: “I chose to become a trainee children's social worker because I've always known that I wanted to work with children and young people.
“I am passionate about supporting and empowering children, young people and their families to make positive changes and have a real drive to address and challenge the barriers and inequalities that our children and families face.
“I enjoy working in partnership with a variety of professionals and people from different backgrounds and the career and qualification pathway in Cornwall has highlighted to me the extent of the opportunity following successful completion of my training.”
Jade said she loved the fact that Cornwall is becoming more diverse and she has the option to work in a variety of different teams.
She added: “The highlight of the job for me is building relationships with children, young people and their families and the feeling that you get when you feel you've made a positive impact. I enjoy visiting children and young people in school and doing direct work activities with them to hear their voice and lived experience.”
She added: “I would say to anyone thinking of applying to become a trainee children's social worker to go for it! It is incredibly empowering and rewarding and you have the ability to make positive changes and a real difference to the lives of children, young people and families across Cornwall.”
Heidi agreed: “I would encourage anyone who has a passion for keeping children safe to consider becoming a trainee. There is so much support from the Open University, your practice educators and your course colleagues. The time goes so quickly, it only seems like yesterday that I applied!”
Cllr Barbara Ellenbroek, portfolio holder for children and families at Cornwall Council, said: “Cornwall is unique in many ways. With a seasonal economy and many rural communities, there is a level of deprivation and social-isolation and many people struggle to get by. This makes it an interesting and challenging place to be a social worker, offering plenty of opportunities to work on diverse caseloads and build on your skills and experience.
“In this line of work, you can – and you will – make a huge difference to the lives of thousands of people. If you share our determination to give our most vulnerable children, families and adults a brighter future, come and join us!”
There is a social work traineeship information session taking place at New County Hall, Truro, between 10-11.30am on Thursday, March 23, or via Microsoft Teams for anyone who is interested in becoming a social worker working within Children and Families please contact PSWpracticeeducation@cornwall.gov.uk to register your interest.
Opportunities are also available to train to become a social worker in Adult care and Support. For more information about this, email PEDT@cornwall.gov.uk
For more about becoming a social worker in Cornwall, visit the worklifecornwall website
Press release issued on March 21, 2023.
