Today, Monday 18th March marks the start of Social Work Week. World Social Work Day takes place on Tuesday 19 March. You don’t have to be a qualified social worker to celebrate social work week. The week is for social workers currently and previously registered, social work students and educators, the wider social care staff network, employers of social workers and social care staff, people with lived experience of social work and anyone with an interest in social work.
The week is a celebration of all the hard work social workers and the wider social care profession do to try and make a positive difference that will last a lifetime. Social work is a fantastic profession for those who like to support to others.
Social workers are highly trained professionals who are registered with Social Work England. They bring knowledge, skills, and qualities to those they work with:
- Promoting the rights of society’s most vulnerable
- Empowering people to make positive choices in their lives
- Promoting equality and diversity
- Help people to develop community connections
- Protect children and adults with support needs from harm
- Ensuring that people are at the centre of all interventions etc.
Here at the James Paget social workers and social care staff are key professionals in the care and support of patients particularly when it comes to discharge planning. It’s not just in social care where you will find social workers but also in mental health and safeguarding teams. Social workers are a vital part of the holistic care offered and the week aims to raise the visibility of social work within different settings and to get people talking about the profession.
James Beecham, a Senior Social Worker with Suffolk County Council says; “In the nine years that I have worked with the acute and community hospital teams, I have found that building strong connections with the various staff members that cover a standard ward has been highly valuable to then gaining the best outcomes for the patient.”
Alaina Sandford, a Mental Health Social Worker for Norfolk and Suffolk NHS Foundation Trust, said; “Having previously worked in the local authority, I enjoy working for the NHS and being based here at the James Paget. As an experienced social worker, I feel I add value to my health colleagues particularly in terms of assessment skills, knowledge of community services, safeguarding and mental capacity. In my role I feel adults benefit from a joint approach when I assess alongside a nurse colleague. They then receive both the medical and social models of care and we each bring our own set of skills that hopefully ensure the patient gets the right outcome for example a nurse can discuss medication and I can discuss social support. I’m proud to be a social worker and I’m thankful for my colleagues who value what my profession brings. Social work is challenging at times but also a rewarding career to be part of.”
You can join in the conversation on social media by using the hashtags #WSWD2024 and #SocialWorkWeek2024. Find out more about a career in social work here; https://nationalcareers.service.gov.uk/job-profiles/social-worker