Social worker
At the heart of the community, you'll connect with different people while helping make their lives happier and healthier.
About the job
What it's like
Love to help people make positive changes to their life? As a social worker, you'll give advice and support to vulnerable adults and children to help them improve their situation.
You could support a wide range of clients, such as:
children and their families
older people
people who need extra help
young people in care and those finding their way
people who need a safe place to live
families who care for others
Social workers specialise in working either with children and families, or with adults. You'll work closely with other agencies and professionals such as health workers, youth workers, teachers, police officers and the prison service.
Your tasks might include:
assessing each client, building relationships with them and offering information, counselling and advocacy
protecting adults and/or children from harm and responding to requests for help
agreeing what support someone needs (and make decisions for them if needed, for example in child protection cases)
acting as a key worker, organising other staff involved in giving support
organising support plans and writing reports
giving evidence at court hearings, when required
Explore more information about this job
Here are some useful links to learn more about this career:
Scottish Social Services Council – the regulatory body for people working in Scottish social services
Careers in Care – social work in Scotland
Disclosure Scotland – more information about the Protecting Vulnerable Groups Scheme
Social Work Scotland – the professional leadership body for the social work and social care professions
Like the sound of this career?
Browse courses in Scotland related to 'Social worker'
Select qualification level(s)
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Top skills
Skills are things you're good at. Whether you know what yours are or not, everyone has them!
It's useful to learn which ones are important in a job so you know the areas you need to brush up on. It can also help you work out if you're suited to a career.
Meta skills
Here are some of the meta skills you'll need to do this job.
- social conscience
- supporting
- cooperating
- verbal communication
- listening
- understanding
- recalling
- coaching
- ethical
- resilience
Your skills are important
Our unique skillsets are what make us stand out from the crowd. Learn about each skill in depth and discover what employers look for in your applications and interviews.
Getting in
Explore each section to find more information about getting into this career.
Colleges and universities will list subjects you'll need for entry to a course. Some useful subjects include:
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Care
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Childcare and Development
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Modern Studies
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People and Society
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Skills for Work: Health and Social Care
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Sociology
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Foundation Apprenticeship: Social Services and Healthcare
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Foundation Apprenticeship: Social Services Children and Young People
You can get a head start in this career by doing a Foundation Apprenticeship in S5 and S6.
You'll get an SCQF level 6 qualification which is the same level as a Higher. You'll also learn new skills and gain valuable experience in a work environment.
Discover what's on offer at your school on Apprenticeships.scot.
There are a few ways to become a social worker.
University
A degree may be helpful for getting into this job. You could study Social Work.
Find degree courses on the My World of Work course search.
College
Getting qualifications at college, such as an HNC or HND, could help you secure a job or progress to more advanced study. Useful subjects include:
Early Education and Childcare
Childhood Practice
Social Services
Find courses on the My World of Work course search.
Apprenticeship
Modern Apprenticeships (MAs) mean you learn on the job. You get paid and work towards a qualification at the same time. You might want to consider an MA in areas such as:
Discover MAs on Apprenticeships.scot.
Work
You can become a social worker by doing an entry-level support worker role and gaining qualifications and experience while you work. You can use the My World of Work job search to look for job vacancies.
At some stage, you'll have to complete a qualification that's approved by the Scottish Social Services Council.
Getting work experience in a relevant role can help you build the skills and experience you’ll need to become a social worker. Search for opportunities on Volunteer Scotland.
You'll need a Protecting Vulnerable Groups (PVG) certificate from Disclosure Scotland.
Social workers, social work students and many groups of social service workers are required by law to register with the Scottish Social Services Council (SSSC) if they're not registered with another regulatory body.
Find the right course for you
Browse courses in Scotland related to 'Social worker'
