Bethan - Senior Practitioner
Name: Bethan
Job Role: Senior Practitioner
Year qualified: 2019
Why I became a social worker:
I had thought about becoming a social worker ever since I completed my first degree, but was never brave enough to do it. After a detour through IT, Education and Hospitality, I eventually came back to the idea of social work and decided I should just go for it, and I am so glad I did! I knew it would be tough and I would need to work hard, but I did not realise just how interesting and rewarding social work with children and families would be. Since qualifying and joining Coventry’s Social Work Academy as a Newly-Qualified Social Worker myself, I have not looked back. It’s one of the best things I have done, and I feel privileged to have been a positive part of so many children’s lives.
Three tips for achieving good social work practice:
- Look after yourself – this work is demanding and stressful, and we do it because we care, but if you don’t take time off to do other things, you will not be able to give your best
- Stay positive – it’s easy to focus on the negatives and all the things you have not managed to get done, but you have to remember the difference you are making and the reason you keep doing what you do
- Stay focused – it’s such a busy job, it can be easy to be blown off course and to focus on the needs of the adults rather than those of the children - so remember to slow down your thinking and keep children at the heart of your practice