Careers with Social Impact

Examples of roles in this sector include:

• Adult Guidance Worker
• Advice worker
• Community Development Worker
• Community Education Officer
• Counsellor
• Equality, Diversity & Inclusion Officer
• Family Support Worker
• Play Therapist
• Probation officer
• Social worker
• Youth worker

Further information about graduate jobs in social care along with an overview of the social care sector can be found on the Prospects website.

Given the wide range of roles in social care, the entry requirements vary considerably, and further qualifications may be necessary for some roles (eg. counsellor, play therapist and social worker), whilst for other jobs building up relevant experience is more important than further study (eg. advice worker, community development worker, community education officer). Further information about entry points across the sector can be found under graduate jobs in social care on the Prospects website.

Social work

To enter the field of Social Work the qualifications you have need to be accredited by the Health and Care Professions Council, HCPC  – you can search for approved courses on the HCPC website.

For all courses relevant experience is vital (see ’Getting Experience’ below).

Bursaries are available to train as a social worker and these are administered by the NHS Business Services Authority. If you have any queries about bursaries or student funding – for instance, if you wish to know whether you will be entitled to a bursary, or how to apply for one – then you should visit their website or call them on 0300 330 1342.

A small number of these courses are for those currently in employment and training to be a social worker. Bursaries are not available for these courses.

Graduate Schemes

• Think Ahead is a fast track two year programme for graduates to become mental health social workers. Participants will focus on adult mental health, will qualify as social workers in their first year, and finish the programme after two years with a master’s degree in social work. 
• Frontline launched a training route several years ago for graduates wishing to become children’s social workers. Keep an eye on their website – where you can sign up for updates – for application details and deadlines. The two year programme includes 12 months intensive on-the-job training and education, followed by a second year working as a newly qualified social worker. Participants will be paid during the programme and will complete a Masters over the two years.
• Step Up to Social Work is a 14-month tailored training programme designed for graduates or career changers which enables trainees to work towards a qualification (Postgraduate Diploma in Social Work) to practise as a social worker whilst gaining intensive hands-on experience. Trainees will have their course fees paid for and bursaries are available as well.
• Skills for Care are no longer running their Graduate Management programme but there is a lot of useful information on their website about working in social care, including a ThinkCareCareers section.

Skills needed

Relevant experience is usually necessary (see below), however, the fundamental skills needed for most roles include:

• patience and the ability to remain calm in a crisis
• resilience
• flexibility to adapt to new roles, tasks and situations
• initiative
• strong observation, analytical and listening skills
• the capacity to absorb legal/procedural information
• the ability to negotiate/mediate/interpret on behalf of clients

Getting experience

If you haven’t previously worked in a social care-related role, volunteering is an excellent way to explore the world of social work and social care, and to demonstrate your ability and enthusiasm when you’d like to take it further.

There are plenty of volunteering opportunities available at Oxford:

• The Oxford Hub is the focal point for students interested in social and charitable causes in Oxford. They give students advice on volunteering opportunities based on their areas of interest and they run several programmes. You might also wish to sign up for their newsletter so you get regular updates on volunteering opportunities.

There are also opportunities to volunteer directly with charities, such as:

• Turning Point – you can also receive email alerts for their current job vacancies via their website
• Mencap
• NSPCC
• Barnardos
• British Red Cross
• Toynbee Hall

In addition general volunteering can often be a way to develop relevant skills:

• Volunteering Matters, offers a range of voluntary opportunities.
• Do-it, or Vinspired have  details of volunteering opportunities in your area; see also National Council for Voluntary Organisations (NCVO). 
• TimeBank, is a national charity inspiring and connecting people to volunteer in their communities, and enabling charitable organisations and businesses to develop innovative and effective volunteer recruitment programmes. On their website you can ask a question about volunteering, read inspiring stories or register to do voluntary work.
• Oxfordshire Community and Voluntary Action.

It is worth checking the vacancies on our website by logging in to CareerConnect and searching by the job function ‘Health and Social Care’. Also come to our  OX and Start-Ups Fair as local organisations which offer part-time and full-time care work often attend.

For more on work experience for a career in social work see the TARGETjobs webpage.

If you do arrange work experience, there is often confusion about whether you should be paid to do an internship or work experience. It will depend on your arrangement with the employer and also the status of the employer. To find out if you are entitled to be paid when undertaking work experience or an internship, visit the Government’s webpages on the National Minimum Wage.

Sector Summaries

To explore an overview of entry points, possible roles, and insights from Oxford alumni, you can download our Guides to:

• Education (PDF)
• Energy, Sustainability and Environment (PDF)
• Health and Social Care (PDF)
• International Policy and Development (PDF)
• National Policy and Government (PDF)
• Other Careers (PDF)

Books

• Becoming a Social Worker – Global Narratives, Viviene E. Cree
• Starting Social Work – Reflections of a Newly Qualified Social Worker, Rebecca Joy Novell
• Counselling as a Career, Robert Ross
• Getting into Counselling, Jeff Riley

Journals

The following journals may be of interest:

• Society Guardian
• Community Care

General vacancies and sector information

• Prospects
• TARGETjobs
• Jobs.ac.uk
• Guardian: Jobs
• Guardian: Society
• LinkedIn – join groups such as Health and Social Care Jobs
• LinkedIn Jobs

Sector vacancies

• British Association of Social Workers (BASW) Jobs
• Community Care – Social care information and work site
• Charity Job – Charity sector job site with subsections for social care
• Jobs in Charities – UK charity job site
• Third Sector: Jobs –  from Third Sector magazine
• Frontline
• Think Ahead
• Step Up to Social Work
• Skills for Care 
• Care.com – includes vacancies in special care need, elderly care and more

Regulators, associations and institutions

• British Association of Social Workers
• The Health and Social Care Professions Council – HCPC, is the regulator of the social work profession in England
• The Care Quality Commission – is the independent regulator of health and social care in England
• Schools, Colleges and Children’s Services
• British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy
• National Youth Agency (NYA) – advice about careers in youth work

Recruiters are keen to have a diverse workforce, and many will have policies and processes that are proactive in recruiting students and graduates from diverse backgrounds. An increasing number of recruiters are offering traineeships, internships and insight events that are aimed at specific groups and many are being recognised for their approach to being inclusive employers.

Try the following to discover more about the policies and attitudes of the recruiters that you are interested in:

• Read their equality, diversity and inclusion policy
• Search their website to see if they have any specific staff networks
• Look for external accreditation such as whether they are a Disability Confident employer, a Stonewall Diversity Champion or part of the Mindful Employer charter promoting mental health at work
• Check to see if they are partnering with organisations such as Rare Recruitment, SEO London, MyPlus Students' Club, EmployAbility or one of the many other organisations that are working for specific communities
• Explore what they do to celebrate diversity on their Facebook and Twitter pages

The UK Equality Act 2010 has a number of protected characteristics to prevent discrimination due to your age, disability, gender reassignment, race, religion or beliefs, sex or sexual orientation. For further information on the Equality Act 2010 and to find out where and how you are protected, and what to do if you feel you have been discriminated against, visit the Equality and Human Rights Commission’s webpage on the Equality Act and the Government’s webpages on discrimination.