Graduates shine spotlight on rewarding social work careers
Two recent Social Work graduates from the University of Chichester have shared their stories to mark World Social Work Week (17-21 March).
Ursula McMillan and Ano Mutemachimwe both graduated in 2024 and are pursuing careers in different areas of social work.
Ursula completed the BA (Hons) Social Work in June 2024. She started a role as a support worker in mid-September before beginning her Assessed and Supported Year in Employment (AYSE) in child protection in October. She explains: “I would not have been able to apply for a social work role without having the social work qualification. All social workers need to have formal academic training so they can be registered with Social Work England.”
Mature student Ano chose to study for an MA in Social Work, a two-year programme which welcomes those changing careers. Since graduating Ano has begun a role in Children’s Services, working for the Assessment and Intervention team. The role involves working in partnership with children, young people and their families to achieve the best possible outcomes for them. This involves undertaking assessments of the needs of individual children to determine what services to provide and what action to take.
As part of the MA Social Work course, students benefit from two work placements (70 days in Year 1 and 100 days in Year 2). Ano said: “During placements I got to gain hands-on experience, learn from and interact with more experienced colleagues and develop my own skills and capabilities. This proved pivotal in my readiness and confidence as a newly-qualified social worker.
“I had such a positive experience at the University of Chichester – the two years literally flew by! That’s how much I enjoyed the course. I especially liked being part of a small and diverse cohort. I learnt from both my academic tutors but also from my peers on the programme with their varied work and life experiences.”
Social Work England is hosting a range of free online events this week for people interested in or currently working in Social Work. For more details visit https://www.socialworkengland.org.uk/social-work-week/about-social-work-week
To find out more about degrees in Social Work and watch a video where students and lecturers talk about the courses, visit chi.ac.uk/social-work .
