Katy's story
Social worker role
Katy qualified in 2015 with a master's degree in social work and is now an experienced level 3 social worker. Katy is employed by Leicestershire County Council and is currently working on a project within the accommodation review team.
Katy's role is to support individuals with complex learning disabilities to find alternate accommodation due to closure of services. To achieve this Katy must work closely with professionals in housing services, health organisations, and with social care services. The role is diverse and requires Katy to travel across the county to meet with the people who she supports. Katy needs to understand the needs of each individual and how they can be met. An important part of her role is encouraging people to be as independent as possible and to be actively involved in their communities.
On her current project, Katy supports up to 20 people at a time.
I stand up for vulnerable people and advocate for them with the aim to provide them with good quality care that meets their individual needs.
A day in the life of a social worker
A week in Katy's role is very diverse. Each week is different but generally is a mixture of office-based work and visits to meet people who require social care support. Katy usually manages her workload by working on tasks relating to 5 different people each day. However, when there are emergencies, such as a person being admitted to hospital or where concerns are raised about the safety of an individual, Katy must react quickly to give that person the support that they need.
A significant part of a social worker's role is to gather information, write accurate reports and complete assessments and applications. This is vital because this type of information is used as evidence when important decisions are made about the care that people receive. For example, Katy is currently in the process of completing an application to give community-based care workers permission to make decisions on behalf of a person that they support.
To complete her duties successfully, Katy must build strong relationships with the people she supports as well as her colleagues across the health and social care sector. These colleagues include health professionals, mental health services, social care providers, housing organisations, advocacy services, the police and the voluntary sector.
2016- present |
Qualified social worker – Leicestershire County Council |
2015- 2016 |
Work placement in adult mental health team - Notthingham City Council |
2013-2015 |
MA Social Work |
2013 |
BA(Hons) Sociology |
2010 |
Left college with A-levels in English language, English Literature and Sociology |
I chose social work as it's a career with a clear progression route... I started off working with a specialism in mental health and now I have found a real passion for working with individuals with learning disabilities and autism. A social work qualification also can be used to work in either adult or children's services so, dependent on your passion and placement experience, you have multiple options available.
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