What Does a Social Worker Do (and How Do I Become One)?

A skilled social worker works with people, groups, and communities to help them learn to live better lives. In this role, you’ll typically work with populations of all ages suffering from poverty, discrimination, or other social injustices. 

Professional social workers aim to create change and encourage the resilience of individuals, families, and communities. Let’s take a closer look at what social workers do, why you should consider a career in social work, and how you can get started.

What is social work?

The International Federation of Social Workers defines social work as “a practice-based profession and an academic discipline that promotes social change and development, social cohesion, and the empowerment and liberation of people.” As a social worker, you can implement important changes in your community. 

Social workers are needed in settings such as:

• Hospitals

• Hospices

• GP Practices

• Social service departments for local authorities

• Children’s homes

• Primary care

• Health service trusts

• Schools

• Private-sector nursing homes

• Independent agencies

• Foster care organisations

• Correctional facilities

Tasks and responsibilities of a social worker

Social work combines many aspects of counselling and psychology while focusing on client case management. Take a look at what types of responsibilities you'll have if you become a social worker in one of these main settings:

• Family and schools: Social workers who work with families in the community may advocate for what’s in the best interest of a child’s upbringing. Social workers in educational settings work with teachers, students, and families to solve problems impacting children, such as bullying and learning challenges.

• Healthcare centres: Social workers in medical and public health settings support critically ill patients and their families by helping them find resources and meet their healthcare needs. They commonly work in GP practices and private-sector hospitals.

• Substance use disorder settings: Social workers in mental health and substance use disorder settings assist patients with therapy and finding financially available rehabilitation. Social workers may also work in the community to participate in outreach and preventative programmes related to substance use disorder.

Learn more about the three main categories of social work:

Social worker skills and knowledge

Depending on where you work, you will need specific skills and knowledge relevant to your working population. Building a strong foundational skill set will empower you to help others in the most effective way possible. 

Set yourself up for success by building the following people skills: 

• Communication skills help you form relationships with people to gather information about their challenges. This includes active listening and setting boundaries.

• Empathy equips you to understand how another person feels about a situation in non-judgmental ways.

• Critical thinking helps you to objectively analyse information about a client’s situation based on observations, interviews, and research.

• Organisational and time management skills are necessary to manage and document complex cases and the many needs of multiple clients.

• Self-care techniques empower you to maintain a healthy work-life balance in an emotionally demanding field.

• Knowledge of sociology and society helps to identify potential problems and implement effective solutions.

As you earn qualifications and progress in your career as a social worker, you’ll build more specialised knowledge targeted toward your day-to-day work: 

• The core social work frameworks create the foundation for understanding ecological systems, social justice, cultural humility, and other practices that define populations. 

• Active and reflective listening skills equip you to engage in meaningful conversation with someone to understand their thoughts and allow for effective problem-solving.

• Interviewing and counselling techniques include a range of approaches used with clients to help them understand how they can make desired changes in their lives. 

• Global assessment of functioning (GAF) is a tool used to assess a client’s functioning ability. 

Why pursue a career in social work?

As a social worker, you can make a real difference in your community by addressing growing problems in mental health, ageing, child abuse and neglect, substance abuse, chronic illness, homelessness, and food insecurity. Social workers are critical in protecting vulnerable populations and increasing individual and familial health, according to the National Health Service (NHS).

How much do social workers make?

According to Glassdoor, the average salary for social workers in the United Kingdom is £38,045 as of August 2024 [1]. However, salary estimates vary, and the National Careers Service estimates the average Social worker salary to be between £27,000 and £50,000[2]. Location, experience, and job responsibilities are likely to affect individual salary.

How to become a social worker

As you pursue a career in social work, there are several avenues to becoming licensed to practice social work. If you live in England, you can complete a program with Social Work England. The ability to register with Social Work England requires completing an approved degree, postgraduate programme, or apprenticeship. 

To enter a degree programme in social work across the UK, you will typically need 2 to 3 A levels, preferably including English and Maths. If you decide to enter a 2-year postgraduate degree in social work, you will need a previous degree to qualify for postgraduate work. Programmes like Frontline, Step up to Social Work, and Think Ahead offer specialised postgraduate programmes for those with different degree backgrounds.

Degree apprenticeships are also approved as a path to enter social work. You will typically need level 3 qualifications, A levels, and 4 or 5 GCSEs in grades 9 to 4 to enter the apprenticeship. It is also possible to enter the field through a social work bursary. 

Get started with Coursera.

If you are passionate about helping others, take the next step towards a career in social work with the Social Work: Practice, Policy, and Research MasterTrack® Certificate from the University of Michigan on Coursera. You can earn a university-issued credential in as little as six months. If you decide to enroll in the University of Michigan Master of Social Work (MSW) programme, your coursework will count toward your degree.