Still a social worker, just a different way

If somebody had told me when I was starting my undergraduate studies at university that I would return to that same university and become a member of academic staff I would have laughed. 

I wanted nothing more than to qualify and go into my chosen area of practice – mental health. I completed my undergraduate degree in psychology, progressed onto my master’s in social work, and then went to work in my dream field thinking it was my final destination.

So what changed? 

The answer, I think, is not that much. Mental health social work is where my heart and soul will always be. It’s where my values are, where my drive to make change will always be, and where my passion lies. What inspired me to make the change to teaching was the opportunity to share that knowledge and interest with others while preparing them for practice. 

Stepping back from working directly in mental health does not limit the impact that I can have on the lives of those with mental health difficulties at all. It widens the impact that I can have, by supporting the learning of others who may work with those with mental health difficulties in the future. 

In a society where we are encouraging people to talk more openly about their mental wellbeing, having the workforce to be the listening ears and help is crucial.

Working in frontline mental health social work since qualification taught me a wide range of skills – from having those difficult conversations with people and their families, through to working with those conditionally discharged under the Ministry of Justice, court work and analytical assessment writing, as well as management skills. 

Reflecting on my time in the field there were extreme highs (attending the wedding of somebody once socially isolated and depressed and now happy and well supported), and extreme lows (such as standing at the funeral of somebody I had worked with for many years and comforting their family). I have the thank you cards and the memories, good and bad. 

Was it easy? No. Would I turn back the clock and not have chosen this field? No. I worked with fabulous colleagues across multiple disciplines and made a difference. Every day.

I know wholeheartedly that I can take my experiences, skills and knowledge and hopefully inspire the next generation. Social work is a tough job, but the voices of those you stand beside at their hardest times make it worthwhile.

I am three weeks into my new role and some have asked if I would ever go back onto the frontline. At this point I would reply no. Since being a student myself, I have wanted to work closely with those entering the profession and make sure they were supported to learn, develop and progress with the scaffolding around them that allowed that. 

The reality of my job as I progressed into management was that I simply didn’t have enough time to focus on that as much as I wanted. For me, my contribution to the profession therefore had to take a sideways step and find a different angle.

In a society where councils struggle financially, services are cut, and social workers fight harder to get funding for those in need, it is more important than ever that they have support to develop skills needed to manage this. Ethically we all know what the people we work with need, but ours is a job of two polar forces. 

We know what good support would look like, but we also know that good enough support is cheaper. 

We know that we empower people by helping them find voluntary organisations which can meet need, but we see those services disappearing under the financial pressures of today’s financial climate. 

We know people benefit from being close to family when unwell, but we place people hundreds of miles away from everything and everyone they know because we don’t have services nearby. 

We do our best with what we have. As professionals, our ethics and values sit at the core of what we do and yet they are challenged daily through some of the decisions we have to make.

I feel proud to be part of the team that qualified me, and help others commence their journeys into social work as a profession. I have gone full circle but I will continue to promote change and contribute to our profession, one class at a time.

Lucy Wilkin is a newly appointed practice educator and a lecturer in social work at the University of Worcester