28 August 2024 Approach Social Work

James: A new beginning with Approach Social Work

After six months of working in Kenya, James moved back to the UK to start a new job, and journey, to retrain as a children’s social worker.

On the 15 July, we welcomed the 2024 cohort to Approach Social Work. The first five weeks of the programme, participants engaged in intensive learning and training that would build their foundational knowledge of social work.

James joined Approach Social Work after a decade in the British Army. He shares his thoughts and reflections from his first few weeks on the programme, including a typical day in his new journey.

I spent the first six months of this year working in Kenya and after a relaxing holiday crossing the Namibian desert, I moved back to the UK. This summer is definitely a ‘time for change’, a big change, as I’m beginning a new job, and journey, to retrain as a children’s social worker.

There are several reasons why I wanted to become a social worker. Firstly, social work is a very practical and interactive role where no two days are the same. Secondly, I enjoy working locally and being able to have an impact in my community. As a social worker I wanted to tackle inequality within society and support those who need it most. A career that helps tackle inequality to provide children and families with a fair opportunity for success seems truly worthwhile to me.

On the first day, I had trouble logging into our introductory lectures and ended up missing the first three hours of the programme. Thankfully, Frontline staff quickly assisted me to resolve the issue. Despite that hiccup, settling into the new routine has been relatively easy, though exceptionally busy:  
 
6:30am – Get up and walk the dog
8:00am – Breakfast and coffee
8:30am – Refresh of the days programme, skim over notes for the day’s sessions and make sure computer is working
9:30-12:30pm – Morning lectures, workshops or e-learning sessions
12:30pm – Lunch, dog walk, house admin
1:30-4:30pm – Afternoon lectures, workshops or e-learning sessions, punctuated with quick coffee breaks
4:30pm – Deep breath and then dog walk
5.30pm – Evening reading and coursework (yes – already)
6.30pm – Decorate house and quick dinner
11.00pm – Bed
 
Despite the vast amount of information to take in, the course has proven to be incredibly rewarding. The knowledge and skills we’re gaining make all the hard work worthwhile, and it’s exciting to see how much we’ve already learned in such a short time.

As the days progressed, it feels like everyone on the programme is starting to realise how challenging and demanding it really is. Despite the vast amount of information to take in, the programme has proven to be incredibly rewarding already. In the first week we looked at topics such as relationship-based social work, child and family law and social justice. These are huge topics crammed into six-hour days. With little time to digest what we’ve learned throughout the day we start to prepare for the next sessions. Conscious that these are the foundations that will underpin our careers, the very basics of being a social worker, I remind myself that I learn ‘better by doing’ and I look forward to the practical aspect of training, when I’ll have a chance to implement everything I’ve learned.

Thankfully, the programme is full of like-minded, capable individuals from a wide range of backgrounds and I’ve already started to make friends. This week, I’ve had the opportunity to work in our hub groups, which consist of four to five people, all based in the same local authority and supported by the same consultant social worker. The programme creates a supportive environment through community and affinity groups, which encourage social interaction and help connect those with similar interests and background. I’ve joined an affinity group for people who are also going through significant career changes and it’s reassuring to know I’m not alone.

It’s been a fantastic start to the programme and even though the learning curve is steep, and the workload seems daunting, I’m still incredibly excited to be on this journey. I have met lots of interesting new people and I’m learning more and more about the fundamentals of social work.