Skills needed to start a rewarding career in social care

If you’re looking for a career where you can make a real difference to people’s lives, then social care may by the right path for you. Those working in social care often report excellent levels of personal achievement and job fulfilment.

There are a great deal of opportunities in social work and social work agency jobs, with a huge demand for workers in the area. If you’re interested in pursuing a career in the area, there are some basic skills you should possess to make sure that this is the right job for you.

One of the most important skills you will need to work in social care is compassion. It’s important you can empathise with those you care for, understanding their needs and being there for them when they need some help. The ability to relate to people of all ages and backgrounds is essential, as you will work with a very varied range of people, and compassion can help you to build the trust you need. The National Careers Service gives some excellent advice on the other, interpersonal skills you may need.

Excellent communication skills, both verbal and written, are essential in many areas for a job in social care. In order to build healthy and effective relationships with the people you care for, you will need to know how to communicate well with them. As a social worker you will often need to utilise your written communication skills as a part of the everyday job, so good basic written English is needed.

As a social worker or working in social work agency jobs, you will need to have patience. Sometimes, the difficulties service users are facing are quite large and you need to have patience and understanding for what they are going through. When faced with difficult situations, it’s important you can remain level-headed and patient throughout. These skills will really help you to develop within social care.

The ability to assess situations is key to being a social worker. Sometimes you will need to analyse the situation in front of you and work out the best course of action to take. While this skill will continue to develop while you are in the role, it’s important you have a basic understanding of the importance of this.

These skills are essential to helping you thrive in a social care role. Social care can be extremely rewarding, with 96% of workers surveyed stating they feel their work makes a difference.

This is a partnered post.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *