Council leaders unite to raise awareness of social care careers

Council leaders from children and adult social care have joined forces during Social Work Week to highlight the rewarding careers in the sector.

This initiative is part of a national campaign led by Social Work England, taking place from 17 - 21 March, aimed at raising awareness of the wide-ranging opportunities within the social care sector.

Councillor Nick Dorrington, Cabinet Member for Children, Families and Education at Portsmouth City Council, said:

"Social care practitioners support families across the city on a daily basis in a range of different roles. This makes for a dynamic and interesting career that will see you work with some of the more vulnerable people in society to enable change and improve outcomes.

"We need more professionals who can step up and make a difference in Portsmouth. Social Work Week provides an opportunity to showcase the full range of jobs and the significant impact made by those who work within them."

Portsmouth City Council provides a range of opportunities for those wishing to take a step into the profession with extensive training and development pathways.

This includes apprenticeships to upskill existing staff members as well as employment programmes such as the Assessed and Supported Year in Employment (ASYE) programme and the Step Up to Social Work scheme.

Councillor Matthew Winnington, Cabinet Member for Community Wellbeing, Health and Care at Portsmouth City Council, added:

"Through this national awareness campaign, we want to showcase the rewards and challenges of working in this sector.

"Our hopes for the future in Portsmouth are centred on building a robust and resilient social care workforce. By attracting passionate and dedicated individuals to the profession, we can ensure that our community continues to flourish."

As part of the week, Foster Portsmouth, a council service that supports foster families in the city, will be celebrating their community and foster carers.

The service will be encouraging people to start their fostering journey, providing information on the extensive local support networks provided by social workers and the other professionals who make up their ‘team around the child’, the application process and the financial assistance that is available.

Join Portsmouth City Council in children's social care

Social workers who support children, young people and their families provide a restorative approach using Portsmouth’s unique model of family practice.

Liam Mills, an advanced social worker at Portsmouth City Council said:

"We pride ourselves on being creative and relationship focused. I am enjoying my new role as an advanced social worker. It’s incredibly rewarding to be part of the conversation on improving our practice and fostering a culture of learning."

If you are an experienced social worker looking at your next steps, you can search for children social care jobs by clicking here.