A Day in the Life of a Social Worker

Social Workers play a hugely important role in supporting our foster parents and helping them to provide the children they look after with the highest standard of care possible. It’s a challenging job with plenty of responsibilities which requires dedication, focus and great communication skills.

We sat down with one of our fantastic senior Supervising Social Workers, Rob, to learn more about the roles and responsibilities of a Social Worker and take a look at what goes on behind the scenes.

Rob is a valued senior member of the team with 20 years of experience in social work, who joined the Fostering People team 5 years ago. He has been helping our foster parents to succeed ever since.

Good morning Rob! Thanks for sitting down with us today.

Could you start off by telling us a little bit about what drew you to becoming a Social Worker?

‘I had previous experience of volunteering to support youth offenders in my local area, and after I graduated from university I worked in an administration job with a local authority. After a short time in admin they asked me if I’d like to be a social work assistant, and they went on to support me to complete a diploma in social work. I became a qualified social worker in my early twenties and have been doing the job since 2004!’

What is the role of a Social Worker/Supervising Social Worker?

‘There are different types of social workers. My role with Fostering People as a Supervising Social Worker is quite different to the previous types of social work I’ve done in the past, where I worked more closely with children and their birth families.

My main role now is to supervise and support foster parents. I see my other main responsibility as being an advocate for the foster parents I work with, and even more so for the children they care for. It’s important to ensure that everyone’s needs are taken care of.’

Can you walk us through a typical day in your life as a senior Supervising Social Worker?

‘On a typical day I’ll often be attending supervision sessions with foster parents. I also attending various kinds of meetings designed to support children’s welfare, such as care team meetings and personal education plan meetings. I’m also involved in helping foster parents to make arrangements around family time.

I also work on annual review reports and sometimes I’ll do initial visits where I’ll go and meet someone who is interested in becoming a foster parent. It can be really rewarding to meet someone on an initial visit and later get to work closely with them as their Supervising Social Worker and watch them develop.’

How do you support families during your work day?

‘All of the foster parents I support know that they can contact me throughout the day and that I’ll get back to them as soon as possible to support them in any way I can. I think it’s comforting to know that there’s someone there for them at all times. I also reach out weekly to make sure they’re getting on well, or daily if extra support is needed. I also help to facilitate training opportunities for foster parents and am involved in setting up monthly support groups where they can meet other foster parents.’

How do you start building a relationship when you first meet a new foster parent and their foster children?

‘If it’s a new foster parent who’s been going through the panel process, I’ll attend their panel meeting to introduce myself and get to know them. I’ll always read a foster parent’s ‘Form F’ assessment, which gives me an in depth understanding of their background and what drew them to fostering. I make sure I’m always open with foster parents when we meet, and I’ll spend time getting to know their family members and their foster children.’

How does this relationship develop over time?

‘One of the great things about working with Fostering People is that relationships with social workers are long-lasting. Some children might have four or five social workers in the space of a year, so we get to become a constant in their lives. Often we’re able to get to know the child really well and provide some stability. I’ve been supporting some of the families I work with since I became part of the Fostering People team, and it’s very rewarding to see them succeed.’

How does safeguarding play a role in your work?

‘Safeguarding is really, really important. All of the foster parents I work with receive through safeguarding training and know to contact me if there are any concerns or issues. I work across multiple agencies to ensure that everyone involved in a child’s wellbeing has all the information they need if there is a monitoring or notifiable event. Safeguarding runs through every part of what we do as Supervising Social Workers and as a fostering agency as a whole.’

What is the most challenging part of your role?

‘The most difficult times I’ve faced are when a placement is under stress and there is a risk of a break down in the placement. This can be a really challenging time for everyone involved, particularly the child and their foster parents. We work as a team with everyone involved in the child’s care to make sure everyone is supported and we can achieve the best outcomes.’

What are your favourite things about your role?

‘Because I get to work closely with families and children for long periods, I get to see the progression that they make over time which is incredibly rewarding. I also get to work as part of a really good, supportive team who are all dedicated to helping children. I have a good work-life balance and am able to work from home. The flexibility is great.’

What would you say is the most important part of your role?

‘Supporting foster parents so that they’re able to look after children to the highest standards and do the best that they can for the children in their care. Working with and advocating for children is also really important, and working as part of a care team which supports and safeguards children so that they can achieve amazing outcomes.’

Do you think there are any common misconceptions about a social worker’s role?

‘I think some people have the misconception that social workers are interfering or are busy-bodies. I think that the foster parents we work with appreciate the service and the role that they get with a dedicated Supervising Social Worker whose role is to support them, as many foster parents have felt unsupported in the past or are used to social workers frequently changing.’

What would you say to someone who’s thinking about fostering for the first time?

‘I would definitely encourage people to become foster parents, it’s so worthwhile. When I visit our fostering families, it’s a genuine home for the children, a genuine family.

The foster parents we work with at Fostering People get involved in fostering because they really want to help and make a long-lasting, positive change for young people. I’d encourage anyone who feels that way to think about fostering.’

Why should potential foster parents choose Fostering People?

‘I think the biggest strength of Fostering People is the regular support and supervision we provide. We respond to any issues our families have in a timely manner, and there are so many opportunities for further training.

We really pride ourselves on carefully matching children with the right foster parents, meaning that placements are positive and long-lasting. There’s a lot more stability and a lot more support when choosing Fostering People.’

We’d like to say a huge thank you to Rob for sharing his experiences with us and would like to extend that thank you in appreciation of the hard work which all of our Supervising Social Workers do in providing crucial support to looked after children and their foster parents.

Could you foster? Call us today on 0800 077 8159 to find out more about fostering, or fill in our quick and easy enquiry form and a member of our friendly and professional team will get in touch.