It seems important, in the wake of World Social Work Day (21^st March), to acknowledge and celebrate the huge range of skills that social workers enact on a daily basis. Here’s what I noticed during my observations recently… 

·         Ability to touch type – quickly (the work can still be done without touch typing, but it’ll take much longer, and so each writing task will be more likely to be interrupted and so take longer still);

·         Be able to use google efficiently – lots of contact numbers and addresses to look up;

·         Be able to focus and write complex documents, amidst direct and indirect interruptions and background noise;

·         Be able to prioritise, re-prioritise and work to deadlines;

·         Be able to speak and write for different audiences – managers, panels and judges want to know what’s happened, but so do clients and families;

·         Be able to drive to any number of locations, and have access to a car and satnav – probably on a personal phone or device, unless given a smartphone as a work phone;

·         Be able to use a personal phone whilst with clients, unless given a smartphone as a work phone – in case there’s a need to check any details on the internet whilst out of the office;

·         Be resilient – in the knowledge that a lot of the time social care’s presence and intervention may not be wanted; and to advocate for the client whilst being mindful to reduce the risk to the client or others, which may conflict with the wishes of the client themselves, or wishes of the clients’ family and friends;

·         Be able to understand forms which others may not understand, and help to fill people them in;

·         Have an incredible memory for people, places and details, particularly on occasions where it’s not possible or appropriate to make notes;

·         Be flexible – to read up quickly on cases and respond to duty tasks; to respond to any number of cases, from any number of professional or public individuals; to shift calendar appointments at a moment’s notice; to stay longer than anticipated with any or every client;

·         Be emotionally available, in order to understand clients’ situations; whilst also remaining sufficiently emotionally detached, in order to do what needs to be done;

·         Be comfortable around any pets;

·         Be able to record ‘everything’, as considered relevant to the situation;

·         Be able to work on different machines, at different desks, in different offices.

What have I missed…?