Assessment centre tips

Between three and one day(s) before your assessment centre allow around an hour to digest and understand the information we will send you about the exercises. This includes instructions relating to the interview and role play activity and case information for the written activity. Please note that this pack does not contain all the information required to complete the activities and additional details for the written exercise will be provided on the day. You are welcome to make notes if you wish.

It’s important to have fully researched Approach and the role of a children’s social worker. You must have a good understanding of the programme and what being a social worker involves. We’d recommend attending one of our events or watching a recording, checking out our stories page or taking our interactive quiz.

The activity: This is a panel interview with a social worker and a person with care experience. They will ask you questions about your experiences and why you aspire to pursue a career as a social worker.

The purpose: We want to get to know you a bit more. Its a competency-based interview so we will ask you about your past experiences.

• The questions we will ask you in the interview will be linked to the competencies. Make sure you have familiarised yourself with them and have considered and prepared examples of when you have demonstrated these. 
• We recommend not scripting answers. We want the conversation that you have in the interview to feel natural and we will be looking at how well you communicate through the day. If you have scripted answers you may find it difficult to adjust responses to the prompt questions, as well as preventing us from seeing your natural communication style. 
• You may find it useful to try and structure your answers using the STAR method (Situation, Task, Action, Result).

The activity: You will be asked to take on the role of an Approach social worker who has recently joined a new team to support two families. You will need to demonstrate your ability to identify, gather and interpret key information, problem solve  and write clearly and persuasively. 

The purpose: We want to see how you interpret the information provided and gather additional evidence, as well as outlining your rationale in written form.

• Make sure you have taken plenty of time to read and digest the case information we send three days before your assessment centre.
• In this exercise, it is really important to manage your time. You will be asked to consider information that you will need to review and then write a response based on the questions asked of you. You will need to make sure that you give yourself ample time to understand what the text is saying but also ensure that you are able to complete the written task required. You will have 40 minutes in total to complete the exercise and we recommend you start writing your response with a minimum of 30 minutes left.
• Ensure your writing includes your own thinking and doesn’t simply regurgitate information, we want to see your judgements, supported by evidence in the materials we provide. 
• Consider your tone and your writing style also – try to think about how the report would feel for that person to read and avoid judgemental language or assumptions.
• Writing is an important aspect of the social worker role. It is important that you check over your answer at the end to make sure there are no spelling or grammar mistakes and that everything makes sense. 

The activity: Acting as a newly qualified social worker your task is to engage in an 8-minute conversation with  a family member. Following this, there will be a reflection session to evaluate the conversation and consider if there is anything you would do differently.

The purpose: We are looking to see how you interact with others, how you handle challenge and guide the conversation to positive outcomes. Have a look at the list of competencies and think about which ones might be assessed in the role play activity and how you might demonstrate those in a role play setting.

• Make sure you have taken plenty of time to read and digest the case information during the briefing time. Further information for the role play will be shared during the interaction itself. You are welcome to make notes in advance if you wish. However, as new and additional information will be introduced during the activity, we strongly recommend that you do not prepare a scripted response. The exercises are designed to assess how you listen, adapt and respond to new information. 
• When in the role play, consider how you might be able to achieve the objectives set out in the brief whilst being conscious of others’ feelings. Having a conversation with a social worker can be a challenge to many families so it is important to think about handling different emotions and how you might be able to build rapport in this situation. Don’t be too surprised if the family member doesn’t really want to speak to you!
• You will have the opportunity to reflect on your performance with an assessor part way through the exercise. Be honest in this time, think about what you did well and what you could do differently. We want to see how well you are able to adapt your approach after reflecting so it’s good to be able to identify strengths and weaknesses.