Start a new career in child and family social work

The Step Up To Social Work programme in North East Lincolnshire Council opened on Friday 17 February for recruitment for aspiring social workers to apply for a place on the intensive but highly rewarding training programme. 

Step Up To Social Work is 14-month, full-time training programme for talented graduates and career changers to become the next generation of child and family social workers supporting vulnerable children, young people and families. It is designed for people who want to become a social worker but do not have a degree in social work. Successful applicants train through a combination of academic study and hands on social work experience in a local authority.

Applicants eligible for the programme, which includes financial support alongside training, will be individuals with experience of working with vulnerable children, young people, families or adults, and who can demonstrate emotional resilience and potential for success.

Step Up To Social Work aims to attract applicants from a diverse range of backgrounds and aims to have a workforce that represents the society that we serve.

 Minister for Children, Families and Wellbeing, Claire Coutinho said: 

“I’ve been truly inspired by the social workers that I’ve met. The passion and support they provide for children and families is a real testament to the profession and it is what makes it such a rewarding career. To attract more great social workers we’re helping councils, including North East Lincolnshire Council, with recruitment and retention, along with better support for social workers with new early career development.” 

Isabelle Trowler, Chief Social Worker for Children and Families, said: 

“It is excellent to see the quality of the hundreds of graduates who qualify as social workers through the Step Up programme, and encouraged to see them start out on a long-term career in social work. Our profession is highly challenging, but highly rewarding, and Step Up is developing a highly skilled workforce ready to make a genuine positive impact on people’s lives.”

Councillor Margaret Cracknell, Portfolio Holder for Children and Education at North East Lincolnshire Council, said:

“I’m really pleased to be supporting the Step Up programme once again. It has proven a really valuable asset in supporting children and families.

“It’s vital that there are as many accessible routes into social work for those who don’t necessarily have a degree or haven’t studied the area before. There are lots of people out there who would make wonderful social workers that could make a real positive difference to families in our area.”

The Step Up programme is backed by a £25m investment by the Department for Education to support 700 individuals to enter the social work profession in local authorities across England in 2024. This funding will support individuals with training costs and a bursary of £19,833 over the duration of the programme to support them whilst in training.

This will be the eighth cohort of Step Up since 2010, the programme has successfully supported over 2,300 social workers to enter the profession across England.