[whathousework?]

Tell me about your profession, please! What's a typical day like for you? Did you have much trouble getting work once you had finished your degree? Have you specialized? (in particular, any mental health social workers on EB?) What do you love and what don't you love about your profession? Is the AASW helpful? What advice do you have for new social workers? What were your course placement like? Did you obtain laid work out of them? Did you work in the field before you graduated?

Please share all you know! I'm likely to be starting a MSW professional qualifying next year and need all the info I can get.

TIA.

[caitiri]

I have BSW i graduated the year before they changed most of the courses to Masters.

To my knowledge most of my class found work either straight fter graduating or before.

Mental health is undergoing a bit of change atm with the introduction of the college I would contact the AASW directly and fire off your questions. There is also an interest group in melb for mental health social workers very good for networking.

Placements can be difficult there is alot of people and sometimes not enough placements . Often people get offered work from them. Sometimes you have to make do with disastrous ones. You can still learn alot from the crappy ones you just have to look at them as character building.

I was ppregnant during my degree and went straight to having a family, so cant answer the rest of your questions I currently volunteer in order to keep up my skills

[whathousework?]

Exactly the sort of info I was after. Thanks!

Anyone else?

[whathousework?]

Bump

[kiwi-girl]

What's a typical day like for you?
I don't think there is a typical day as it depends as to what is going on in my cases etc and what crises have popped up, or other situations that need to be dealt with in a limited time frame. Tasks that I do generally (over the course of a week) would be home visits to children and their carers, supervising accesses of children with birth families, care team meetings with families and professionals to complete and plan for tasks to achieve particular goals, assessment interviews of applicants who want to be carers, duty phone calls from the general public, and lots of admin work (case notes, reports, etc!). Also do training from time to time for new carers.

Did you have much trouble getting work once you had finished your degree?
No - I graduated in NZ (with a Masters) and have worked there and in Australia. I found work pretty easy to get on both sides of the Tasman.

Have you specialized?
Yes - I started in Child Protection, and have since worked in child/family related fields. I now work in a very specialized area of child/family social work.

What do you love and what don't you love about your profession?
I love seeing the positive differences that people can make in their life and that we often have a role in bringing about.
I don't love the stress that can come with the job and the feeling that sometimes you have to fight the 'system' to get what a child needs.

Is the AASW helpful?
I have never dealt with them. I looked into becoming a member, but it wasn't necessary for me to work here as a SW. For me to join AASW they would need to assess my qualification to make sure it is comparable (which it is) but that all costs extra money!

What advice do you have for new social workers?
Try different types of SW jobs/placements, you might hate one SW field but love another. Monitor your stress and work/life balance so you don't burn out. Accept that you will not change the world, and that the world is not your responsibility. People are responsible for their own actions even if they try to blame others/situation/and so on. Don't promise what you can;t deliver, and what you say you will do - make sure you do. Don't let the job consume you - at the end of the day it is still just a job - you, your life and family are more important. Enjoy yourself - it is a great field, you will get to work with awesome people and learn lots. Don;t look down on 'clients' - they are people and deserve the respect you would give anyone, and anyone can end up as a 'client' through change in circumstances. Look after yourself - utilise supervision.

What were your course placement like?
Awesome - I had a few very different placements, that showed me lots.

Did you obtain laid work out of them?
A job offer, but i did not accept it.

Did you work in the field before you graduated?
yes - in both paid and volunteer capacities.

Hope this helps, I hope you enjoy your studies, and good luck!

[charlottesmum04]

Don't promise what you can;t deliver, and what you say you will do - make sure you do.

This!!
I am not a SW but have dealt with quite a few. I am not stupid. I know the limitations of the system but when a SW promises something that i think may not be possible a part of me lets myself believe. When i am let down ( not through the fault of the social worker but because the system has its own faults ) its just crappy. I would much rather they were honest with me and then we can commiserate together about how things should be if they were done in an ideal world

[Mummy Em]

What's a typical day like for you?
That's hard, because it can be so variable. Tasks for me involved developing relationships with young people and carers, advocating for young people and liaising with school and DCP, dealing with crisis that popped up overnight or over the weekend, supporting kids' health and social needs (transport, attending appointments), a bit of play therapy, admin, rostering

Did you have much trouble getting work once you had finished your degree?
No - Although I haven't always worked in specific social work jobs, I have also worked in roles where my social work qualifications were useful but not a requirement.

Have you specialized?
No, but have ended up working mainly with kids in care.

What do you love and what don't you love about your profession?
I love the opportunity to meet and hear about the lives of lots of different people. I hope my involvement has had a positive impact.
The worst part is definately the emotional stress and as a pp said having to fight the system and sometimes the individuals working within it to meet the needs of your clients. I would have given my left arm for an excellent mentor in the field, too.

Is the AASW helpful?
I joined and enjoyed getting the journal (can't for the life of me remember what it is called) but that is all.

What advice do you have for new social workers?

Try different types of SW jobs/placements, you might hate one SW field but love another. Monitor your stress and work/life balance so you don't burn out. Accept that you will not change the world, and that the world is not your responsibility. People are responsible for their own actions even if they try to blame others/situation/and so on. Don't promise what you can;t deliver, and what you say you will do - make sure you do. Don't let the job consume you - at the end of the day it is still just a job - you, your life and family are more important. Enjoy yourself - it is a great field, you will get to work with awesome people and learn lots. Don;t look down on 'clients' - they are people and deserve the respect you would give anyone, and anyone can end up as a 'client' through change in circumstances. Look after yourself - utilise supervision.

I don't think I can top that advice!

What were your course placement like?
First one I was disappointed with, my second one was pretty good. Ask for a placement that you are interested in, and if it is not giving you the experiences you want, ask to be moved. In my case I was interested in casework, not community development or research, and my first placement was a community development/research role that I didn't like. My second one was a hospital social work role, so I got to develop my casework skills.

Did you obtain paid work out of them?
No, not in my case.

Did you work in the field before you graduated?
No.