AT THE same time as campaigning to boost the number of foster carers, Durham is also pressing its case as one of the best places in the country to pursue a career as a social worker.

The county council is promoting careers in children’s social work by offering recruitment opportunities through its Social Work Academy.

Practice lead Shelley Gill believes the academy helps set Durham apart as an exemplar – and she has a wealth of experience to justify that judgement.

Shelley qualified as a social worker in 2001 and worked predominantly with youth offending partners around reducing risky behaviours and child sexual exploitation. She went on to work in a range of statutory social work roles in Coventry, Warwickshire and County Durham, including assessment, substance misuse and leaving care. She has also worked as a team manager in substance misuse and safeguarding teams.

As practice lead in Durham’s Social Work Academy, Shelley’s job now is to offer additional support to social workers in the first year after they complete a degree or other social work qualification.

Newly-qualified social workers get a permanent contract to work in a team. While that comes with a team manager and the support of colleagues, Durham County Council also offers the Social Work Academy programme.

“In years gone by, and still in some authorities, newly-qualified social workers don’t get that added level of support,” explains Shelley. “I’m lucky to have this role in training and development which gives me time to focus on the employee and give them reflective supervision. That’s what makes Durham stand out.”

As well as expert one-to-one guidance, the academy offers monthly group sessions, a part of the training Shelley believes is invaluable.

“At this stage, our newly-qualified social workers are working with real children, often in complex situations, but this gives them the chance to talk to colleagues about what they’re going through. Everyone’s learning journey is different, so their individual needs are taken into account,” she says.

Guest speakers also come into the academy every month, so the trainees gain wide-ranging insight.

Nationally, the academy is overseen by the independent charity Skills For Care, which acts on behalf of the Government to make sure newly-qualified social workers are being provided with the right support and their case loads are being protected.

The rule in Durham is that new social workers have no more than 12 cases within the first six months, rising to 18 in the last six months if satisfactory progress is being made.

“You can’t pour from an empty cup so there’s a lot of emphasis on our social workers looking after themselves. You have to look after yourself if you’re going to look after others, so there’s a constant focus on how practitioners are coping,” explains Shelley.

“It’s a very rewarding and fulfilling career, but stressful, so we have to build up confidence and skills.”

There are different routes into social work careers these days, including the traditional university route, The Open University and fast track post graduate schemes. Durham County Council is also planning to offer apprenticeships.

“We’re seeing lots of high-quality graduates coming through but, nationally, lots of experienced social workers are leaving the profession because of burn-out. That’s why in Durham we aim to build a solid foundation to reduce the risk of burn-out.”

Durham’s pay rates are very competitive but there are also lots of developmental opportunities, with courses designed to help social workers take the next step.

Earlier this year, Durham also introduced a retention bonus – meaning social workers in ‘hard to fill’ posts receive a bonus for every year they stay.

“We need to build on skills and reward people, or we lose them,” says Shelley.

Lisa Earle, born in Darlington and now living in Sacriston, is one of those to have experienced the benefits of the Social Work Academy.

Lisa, a mum of two, didn’t begin her degree in social work at New College Durham until she was 29, but initially struggled to find a suitable role because she lacked experience with a statutory body.

Despite being over-qualified, she took a job as a family support worker at a Durham County Council children’s centre. That progressed to a role as a social work assistant with the authority’s looked-after children team before she finally reached her target and got a job as a social worker with her existing team a year ago.

Lisa’s training has been supported through the Social Work Academy, with the monthly group supervisions backed up by one-to-one supervision with Shelley. Her pride in having just qualified as a social worker is clear.

“It’s been a really positive route into the profession,” she says. “I joined an experienced team and, on top of that, the sessions with the Social Work Academy were invaluable.

“Social work is really challenging so it made me more prepared for what was to come. One of the things that really came through strongly was the importance of looking after yourself. Because it’s such a demanding job, it’s not easy to switch off when you get home. Knowing how to look after yourself is massively important.

“Being with peers who are going through the same training is really helpful and you start building up a network of friends you can turn to for advice.”

Lisa has one young person on her case load who wants to become a social worker because of her own experience as a cared-for child.

“Children who’ve been through the care system can make fantastic social workers because they’ve gained so much experience already. Life experience is so important in this job,” says Lisa.

“You have your moments, it can be stressful, but the rewarding moments far outweigh the tough times.”

In Durham, it’s clear the rewards are particularly satisfying.