A Children’s Social Worker from Rotherham is backing a regional campaign during Social Work Week (20-24 March) and World Social Work Day (21 March) encouraging others to take up the vital role.
Nasreen Arif, along with children’s social workers from across the region, has come forward to share how she has been able to make a positive difference to the lives of local vulnerable children and families.
Nasreen, who works as a children’s social worker at Rotherham Council, has also opened up about some of the challenges, misconceptions and immense rewards that come with the job. As well as hoping to inspire people to consider children’s social work as a career, Nasreen aims to raise awareness about the profession, including some of the more diverse, less well known aspects of the role.
She explains: “From the age of 16 I’d been working for a local charity to support children with additional needs and their families and knew from that point on that I wanted to be a children’s social worker.
“My route into the profession wasn’t straightforward; at school I was bullied and left without any qualifications. But I wasn’t prepared to give up and felt that it was my destiny to become a children’s social worker. After completing a BTech in Health and Social Care, I went on to graduate with a Degree in Social Work. In the nine years since leaving school, I’d gone from having no qualifications, to achieving the highest grade in my year; proof of what you can accomplish if you’re determined enough!
“My day-to-day job varies but is centred around protecting vulnerable children from harm. For example, a school might contact me if they have concerns that a child might be at risk from, say, neglect, domestic violence or sexual exploitation. My job is to assess those potential risks and decide what level of intervention, if any, is needed.
“We often work alongside other agencies, such as local health services, schools or the Police and any intervention on our part is continually reviewed with those agencies, as well as with the families themselves. In Rotherham we also have a specialist Sexual Abuse Risk Assessment panel for where there are concerns about individuals who pose a risk of sexual abuse against a child. Their level of professionalism and breadth of knowledge has really helped me to learn and to grow in my job.
“I spend a lot of time with every child I work with, listening to them and taking on board their views. I always try to find a connection to help build up trust and get them to open up to me, whether it’s through play, music or taking them out for the afternoon. We take a very person-centred approach. What works for one child doesn’t always work for another.
“Children’s social work can be stressful because when you see the effect a situation can have on a child, you feel that too. But the way I see it, the rewards of being able to help keep a child safe from harm, or being able to stop a destructive patten of behaviour in a family, mean that the good days far outweigh the bad. My colleagues are always there to provide that extra little bit of support if ever I need it, which helps me to be the best I can be in my job. My head of service for example, thinks nothing of coming with me on a home visit and getting involved with the children and families I work with.
“While there’s an understanding and recognition of the work we do, I feel there’s also some stigma attached to it. I think it’s important that more people know about the kind of work we do, so that more people can take up the role and help achieve those positive outcomes.
“There are families who, having initially been reluctant to work with me, tell me they’re grateful for my help. Many of the children tell me they’re glad I’m there for them and one child recently told me they would never forget me. Conversations like these make me feel honoured to be a part of a child’s journey and remind me of why I chose to do this as a career. For me the job I do is the best job and I find it extremely rewarding.
“To be a children’s social worker you need to be a caring, compassionate person who wants to make a positive change in young people’s lives. If this is you, then children’s social work could also be the job for you.”
Across Yorkshire and the Humber, children’s social workers are helping to shape and change the lives of thousands of vulnerable children, young people and their families for the better, often under the most desperate of circumstances. Since 2011, Rotherham Council has been working collaboratively with the region’s 14 other local authority children’s services departments as part of the Children’s Social Work Matters (CSWM) programme, which aims to champion the vital role of children’s social workers, raise industry standards and attract, support and retain staff.
Latest Department for Education figures show that in 2022, vacancy rates regionally were at 16.8% against a national average of 20%. The regional agency rate was 15.7% compared with 17.6% nationally and turnover rates in the region were at 15.4%, whilst nationally they were at 17.1%. As part of its latest campaign they are hoping that together, they can encourage more people across the region to take up this vital, yet hugely rewarding role.
Monica Green, Assistant Director at Rotherham Council’s Children Services added: “Few would argue the importance of protecting society’s most vulnerable at a time when they need it most. But attracting, recruiting and retaining CSWs remains one of the biggest challenges; something that is not unique to our region. Nasreen provides an honest, yet valuable insight into what is arguably one of the most rewarding of professions, which we hope will help raise awareness about the role and break down some of the barriers that exist.
“Social Work Week and World Social Work Day provide an opportunity for us to do this, and I would encourage anyone with an interest in helping to make a positive difference to the lives of vulnerable children and families, to become a Children’s Social Worker in Yorkshire and the Humber. Aside from being a great place to live, practitioners in our region also have access to a unique support system through the CSWM programme, which is making a positive difference to their working lives and ultimately, the lives of those they serve to protect.”
To find out about becoming a children’s social worker please visit the Children's Social Work Matters website, which contains a wealth of information about the role of children’s social workers, including case studies, qualifications needed and routes into the profession.
For more information about working in Children's Social Work for Rotherham Council and the latest vacancies, see our Children's Social Work recruitment microsite.