UK Social Work Teams

Children Leaving Care (or 16+) Team
This post will require the social worker to assist young adults that are 16+ in managing on their own. Most of the young adults are coming from foster homes, residential units or have been in care with the Local Authority. The objective of the social worker is to link them with the community resources. Securing a safe environment, empowering the youth to support himself/herself and providing support and encouragement are elements of this post. The social worker may be assisting with budgeting, searching for accommodations with the young adult, assist with shopping and even helping them register with their local doctor. The social worker will also assist with benefit entitlements and support through education and employment.

Children In Need Team
Close collaboration between professionals and agencies takes place in working with the children and families. Securing the well being of children by protecting them from all forms of harm and ensuring their developmental needs are met are primary aims in this post. The most critical task is to determine if a child is in need and how the child and family might best be helped. You may be working with the educational system and General Practitioners in assessing the child's health.

Children Looked After Team
A young person is "Looked After" by the Local Authority if he or she is in their care by reason of court order or is provided with accommodations for more than 24 hours by agreement with the parents. Assessments of children's needs, working with children and young people, working with their foster parents and other professionals, are primary roles of the social worker in this position. The aim is to make sure all of the child's needs are met in the environment in which he/she lives. The social worker works directly with the families, the educational services, schools and health authority.

Family Support Team
This team aims to improve the function of families, to provide a better upbringing for children and young people and to prevent family breakdown. The main objective is to prevent children and young people from entering the care of the Local Authority. The team offers a whole range of support to families including assessment of needs, practical support, family/group sessions, advice on health matters and referrals to other professionals.

Referral & Assessment Team
A social worker in this role will be responsible for the first contact call made to the social service organization. Initial assessments will be conducted which will evaluate the needs of the family. The initial assessment may be done by another social worker or by the social worker that took the call. Documentation in this team is very important. A core assessment may be conducted if the initial assessment deems it necessary. Most cases are held short term (max 1 month). A lot of initial assessments completed in this team are done following allegations of abuse and neglect.

Older Persons Team
This post may require the social workers to take incoming calls from the older population and direct them to the community resources. It is important that the social worker feels comfortable working directly in the home with clients and conducting assessments to determine what course of action needs to be taken. It is very common that social workers work side by side with mental health professionals, doctors, families, and other social services in the community. Having a strong knowledge base of the aging process and basic issues that families face is important.

Youth Offending
Social workers will work directly with the families of troubled youth. Courtroom experience is required, as well as thorough report writing. All children will be between the ages of 10-17 years. A social worker may be in charge of providing guidance sessions for parents. The social worker may also work closely with the children and attend family functions, provide referrals for community services, work within the schools, and be a guide for the child. While these jobs are in high demand, few vacancies exist at this time.

** Please note that most of UK social work jobs that may be obtained through UK Pro will be child welfare jobs in Children and Families Team. If positions in Older Person/Mental Health teams open up, these jobs will be advertised. Please email UK Pro for more information about job descriptions.