US social worker: Career development

1. Read the text and find the answers to the following questions:

· What are career opportunities in social work?

· How long does it take to get promoted?

· What does the promotion result in?

· What are the organizations responsible for managing social work?

There are many different specialism options within social work which you can choose to enter after appropriate induction and training. Career development may involve a change of role within a specialism, e.g. from child protection to fostering and adoption. It is also possible to transfer from one specialism to another, e.g. from working with children to working with the elderly.

Social work is a profession where promotion is likely to take you away from hands-on work.
Three to five years after qualification, it is possible to become a senior practitioner, team or care manager. In this role, you would have responsibility for managing other social workers (with a consequence being a reduction in direct service user contact) and an increasing involvement in managerial, financial and political issues.

Managerial skills are mainly acquired on the job and reinforced by a range of courses, for example the Certificate in Managing Health and Social Care (CertMHSC) and/or the Diploma in Health and Social Services Management. With a practice teaching award, you could become involved in the supervision and management of social work students and less experienced staff. The General Social Care Council (GSCC) and the Care Quality Commission (CQC) are responsible for regulating, auditing and reviewing social care providers. They may also offer opportunities for career development.

Another option is to move from one sector to another (statutory, voluntary and independent). You could also consider training and lecturing roles or opportunities for project work and secondments.

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specialism – специализация

option – выбор, альтернатива, опция

hands-on – практический, связанный с жизнью

reinforce – усиливать

statutory – установленный законом

secondment – командирование

1. Look through the text again and find words and constructions you may use in your professional discourse (scientific terms etc.). Translate and memorize them.
2. Find the transcription of the following words and practise pronouncing them: consequence, acquire, supervision, auditing.
3. Decide whether the following statements are true or false according to the text:

· If you get a promotion you retain your usual duties and acquire some new ones.

· You don’t need any additional qualification to take up a managerial position.

· To supervise social work students you need a certificate.

Дата добавления: 2015-07-08