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Would you want you as a Social Worker? I don’t think this is something we ask ourselves very often but it is a critical question to consider. Do you treat people the way you would want to be treated if you needed help?
Think about the last conversation you had with a client. If someone spoke to you that way, how would you react? Would you accept help from that person?
A good Social Work practitioner reflects, questions, analyzes and challenges themselves and everything in their world to make them better practitioners. It is only through learning about ourselves can we better understand the world around us and better help those we serve.
It is my sincere desire that if you are a Social Worker following or reading this blog, the posts will help you reflect and question your own practice. I hope the information and experiences I share are helpful to you in your practice and I want you to be inspired to share good practice, information or updates in Social Work and think critically about social issues.
If you aren’t a Social Worker, I hope this blog helps you to think about the world a bit differently and understand Social Work a bit better. I am sharing my views, my opinions, my experiences but this is in no way a reflection of the entire Social Work population. We all come from varied backgrounds and varied experiences. It is through sharing and reflection that we learn and grow.
Please feel free to share and comment. I look forward to introducing you all to my practice.
American Social Worker in London 
Courtney D
July 20, 2013 at 6:48 pm
I came across your blog while researching job opportunities for American social workers in the UK. I have really enjoyed your posts, the most helpful for me being the comprehensive work on interpersonal skills and supervising. Thank you! I had some additional questions about your work in London but could not find any contact information on your site. Thank you for your time.
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TG Consultancy
July 20, 2013 at 7:45 pm
Hi Courtnery,
Thank you for the comment. I haven’t put anything specific about my work in London as I am working with the Britich Association of Social Workers to compile information for people looking for information about practicing in the UK. If you give me an idea of what you would like to know I am happy to discuss it with you.
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Rose London
November 15, 2013 at 5:13 pm
Excellent blog, and very useful posts! I am an American social worker (in Canada) that was just hired for a social work position in London. Keep up the excellent work. We need more blogs like yours. I can’t wait to begin my new job in my new country!
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Sharon
December 27, 2013 at 8:21 pm
Wow! Your blog is a wealth of information. Thanks so much. I’m having trouble verifying whether an actual “social worker” degree is needed to transition into social work in the UK, or if individual university courses and work experience are used. A couple examples…
I have a bachelor of science in psychology and 6 years in social services (adults with developmental disabilities) that I gained while working in group homes while in college.—I’m 34 and have been an administrative assistant for years since.
My spouse’s degree is in general studies with an emphasis in psychology. He has several years experience in group homes as well working with adolescents and adults…and then the last 8 years have been in case management.
I guess my question is if either of these mean anything without an actual social work degree when it comes to applying to HCPC or a work visa?
Thanks so much for all your info!
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Shannon
March 20, 2014 at 2:05 am
Glad I came across this!…I am an American seeking social service employment in London as well…I’m a trained child & family therapist (BS in Psychology & MA in counseling), at least 10 yrs experience… I was just reading about the shortage of this specialization in the UK…so where should I start? Do you have a direct email addy? Thanks in advance
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Shauna Mac
March 25, 2014 at 1:46 am
Hey, I’m a MSW student in TX. I’ve been reading your blog and others’ responses and I would like to intern and/or work in London. In order to intern, I have to do the leg-work per the field adviser. But this is a dream I’ve had since I’ve started to program. I need some guidance and any help given will be greatly appreciated. Thank you.
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TG Consultancy
March 25, 2014 at 11:23 am
If you are thinking about finishing your degree requirements here, I think your first port of call should be your advisor to find out if they have a reciprocal arrangement with a university here. If they do then this should be easy; if not I am not sure what you could do because the education system here is different and I don’t know what you would do in order to meet your credit requirements. Personally, I would recommend finishing your degree, get at least a years experience in the area of Social Work in which you would like to work (clinical, children and families, etc.) in TX then looking for a job here. In order to get work here I suggest having some post Masters work there. Have a look here https://survivinginsocialwork.wordpress.com/looking-to-come-over-start-here/
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Debra Thompson
March 30, 2014 at 3:36 am
How are you able to earn the requisite CEUs (40 over 2 years) to maintain your licensure? I am talking to a recruiter about relocating to London to work in child protection. I have my LCSW-C. As excited as I am to embrace this opportunity, I am worried about several things including maintaining licensure, earning CEUs, caseloads, true cost of living, and what constitutes a living wage in London. Any information you provide will be greatly appreciated.
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TG Consultancy
March 30, 2014 at 8:00 am
I only have an LMSW and have renewed a few times since being here without any issue. You can take conitnuing ed courses while you’re here – as a matter of fact you have to in order to remain registered with the HCPC and practice Social Work. However, you’d be taking a couple of steps back. There is nothing clinical about chil protection work and it is done from your basic casework model. They are trying to change things but you’re still way over qualified for the work. It has been my experience – and that of others I know – that you are discouraged from using your clinical knowledge and experience as a child protection worker. The caseloads are still high and in some areas barely manageable if at all (I would google child protection Social Work in London and read some of the literature). Cost of living isn’t too bad depending on the area you’d like to live in. You may also want to ask about key worker housing and if you can get into a complex because as a “key worker” you’d pay below market value in rent. Social Workers make a decent living. But make sure you are getting paid in line with your experience. I would say 36K is minimum but I would be asking for at least 38K for 4+ years of Social Work experience. I would look into the cost of rent in the area around the Local authority you’d be working for as well as anything in the surrounding areas. You can google a map of London boroughs. The cost of food is relatively cheap (with Sainsbury’s and Waitrose being the higher end supermarkets, but even there you can make it work). Tesco, ASDA and Morrisons tend to be cheaper than the other to but only in terms of price, quality seems to be standard. I would have a think about if you want to continue in clinical social work. If the answer is yes, I would think twice about child protection work. On the other hand, check to see what your contractual requirement is. When I came over we only had to do 6 months and then we could move on. If that’s the case it might be worth it just to get here. Once you are here you can apply to other places that provide counselling and therapy and as long as they are willing to sponsor you, you can move back into the clinical work. If you’re happy to leave clinical Social Work then I would prepare for a bit of a bumpy ride. If can be hard managing the high caseloads and the way they work while getting used to a framework that is new to you. It’s not impossible. Just be mindful at present they have quite a high turnover – which isn’t unlike the states to be fair. Other than the personal considerations I would think about these things as well https://survivinginsocialwork.wordpress.com/looking-to-come-over-start-here/
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