Why social work?
Each year in England alone, over 700,000 children rely on the support of social workers. These children, and their families, face some of the worst life chances. We believe it’s time for change.
Children, young people and their families need support when they are going through difficult times. You’ll work directly with the most disadvantaged in society and empower them to bring about positive change in their lives.
During your training, you’ll develop a range of skills, including relationship-building, conflict resolution and leadership. You will receive high-quality supervision and training from experienced social workers, academics and professional coaches.
For the most disadvantaged, receiving support from a social worker can make a significant difference to the direction their lives take. Join us on the Frontline programme and that difference could be you.
WHAT’S IN IT FOR YOU?
A CAREER THAT MATTERS
Imagine a world where no child’s life chances are limited by their social or family circumstance. On the Frontline programme, that’s the future you will be working towards.
Together we can achieve social change for children who don’t have a safe or stable home.
EARN AS YOU LEARN
You will earn while you study to qualify as a social worker and achieve a fully-funded master’s degree. In year one you will receive a tax-exempt bursary of £18k or £20k in London. This is equivalent to a salary of £21k or £24k.
As a newly qualified social worker in year two, you will earn a salary between £25k and £34k depending on location.
HIGH LEVELS OF SUPPORT
In year one of the programme, you’ll work on real life cases in small groups, led by an experienced social worker. Working as a team, you will help each other to develop and succeed, with additional support from your practice tutor.
During your second year, you’ll receive continued support from your practice tutor and local authority, along with professional coaching to develop your leadership skills.
DEVELOP YOUR SKILLS
Intensive training and support will develop your skills in leadership, conflict resolution, analysis and relationship building, which will help you drive social change inside the social work profession and beyond.
WORK IN PARTNERSHIP WITH A VARIETY OF AGENCIES
You’ll work with and advise a wide range of professionals in health, education, the criminal justice system and beyond to bring about positive change in the lives of disadvantaged children and families.
LEAD CHANGE IN SOCIETY
After you complete the programme you will join the Fellowship, a growing community of over 2,000 social workers.
Fellows continue to develop their skills, share excellent practice, and explore ideas and initiatives that will bring about real and sustainable change for children and families. You will receive ongoing support and training throughout your career.
Participants’ stories
For those of us who have never experienced social work first hand, it can be difficult to imagine what a social worker does. Read our participants’ stories to find out more about the role and learn about the difference you could make on the Frontline programme.
Kasey
Kasey’s experience of working with children and families throughout the pandemic has opened her eyes to new and creative ways of working.
Sally and Jacob
Two Frontline programme participants, Sally and Jacob, worked hard alongside parents-to-be, Lacey and Lee, to ensure that baby Logan would be able to remain safely in the parents’ care once born, but with intensive support from professionals.
Emma
Durham is a fantastic place to live and work. I’ve got a first-hand understanding of how people have grown up and the different challenges of being northern.
Jess
I always thought that I would become a teacher, but as time went by I realised that teaching wasn’t pastoral enough for me.
Application process
IS SOCIAL WORK THE RIGHT CAREER FOR YOU?
SELECTION PROCESS
ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA
OUR POLICIES
Not ready to apply just yet? Register your interest to receive news and updates about the Frontline programme and to be able to attend our career events.
Frontline pilot: independent evaluation
An independent evaluation of the Frontline pilot programme was conducted by Cardiff University and published in March 2016. The evaluation compared the practice skills of Frontline programme participants with those qualifying into social work through other routes. It found that Frontline participants were rated higher than students on mainstream programmes on every one of the ten assessment criteria.
FAQ
Got a question about the Frontline programme?
Career events
We are running a variety of exciting events to help you explore social work and the charity sector, and learn how you can develop skills to have a impactful social change career.
Blogs
Check out Frontline’s latest news and blogs, and see where we’ve been featured in the press.
