CWDC campaign boosts interest in child social work

Two national campaigns aimed at recruiting social workers for children and families have contributed to a 40% increase in social work degree applications.

The parallel campaigns, ‘Be the Difference’ and ‘Help Give Them a Voice’, were launched just six months ago but have already resulted in over 54,000 people registering their interest in becoming a social worker.

Around 60% of the potential new recruits are people who are looking to change from their current career and retrain in order to become a social worker for children and families. Many already have a degree in a different subject but have decided to return to university. This means that social work is now one of the top ten subject choices for all UCAS degree applications.

The ‘Be the Difference’ campaign, launched in September 2009, shows how social workers apply their training, skills and expertise everyday in order to make major breakthroughs with children and families. It is part of CWDC's wider workforce reform programme, which is being implemented over a three year period and is designed to improve the way social workers are recruited, trained and supported.

Following this boost in interest, a recent poll by the Children’s Workforce Development Council (CWDC) has also revealed that public perceptions of social work are starting to improve. Around 80% of respondents said they felt that social workers deserved greater respect and support for the work they do while nearly a third of people believe that social work is undergoing positive changes.

Keith Brumfitt, Director of Strategy at CWDC, said: “The image of social work has undeniably taken a knock but these results are a welcome sign that public understanding and respect for the profession is beginning to improve, although we realise there is still work to do. Recruitment and retention challenges faced by the sector are intrinsically linked to the reputation of social work; as such it is vital that we continue to demonstrate the vital role good social workers play in society.”

We can offer a range of training courses aimed at those who work with children and families. Operations Director, Perry Leeks, says: “Previous studies and surveys have shown that training is an important factor in the retention of good workers and that, when applying for a new position, people often look at the training opportunities and support that a post will provide.

“It is great that so much progress has been made with the public perception of social work and interest in a career in social work has obviously also increased considerably. New recruits now need to be trained in the relevant areas so they can offer valuable support to people.

“We can provide all of the mandatory social care training courses, as well as specialist courses such as Autism & Asperger Syndrome Awareness, Epilepsy Awareness and Equality and Diversity training, which could all prove invaluable to someone beginning a new career as a child social worker. Just give us a call or e-mail to find out more.”