Careers on the frontline

I interviewed Josh MacAlister, Chief Executive of the social work charity Frontline, based in London and Manchester, to find out more about why students should consider social work as an exciting and rewarding career path.

Interested in his motivations behind launching Frontline, I found out about how Josh’s career in teaching inspired him to make an active change within social care in the UK.

“I taught in secondary schools across Greater Manchester for four years, which gave me a real perspective of the classroom experience. Many of the students I taught were involved with social care, and I found some of the statistics regarding this area shocking; it’s deeply concerning that children in care are over nine times more likely to be excluded from school and only seven percent will progress to study at university.”

it’s deeply concerning that children in care are over nine times more likely to be excluded from school and only seven percent will progress to study at university

Josh explained that it is not only the issues that vulnerable children face which are highly complex; problems facing social work lie within the actual recruitment process itself. “The most pressing issue concerning social work today is the high vacancy rates, as employers are unable to find enough suitably experienced and well qualified social workers.”

Considering this demand, many students find from personal experience that careers advice throughout education presents many typical career fields such as medicine, teaching and law to them, yet the idea of social work is rarely discussed. I asked Josh what he would say to students who may have overlooked a possibility of a career in social work. “It is true that through careers advice, social work is not often considered,” Josh replies.

“However, when we explain on campus what social work involves, the prospect of the job gets people excited. This is particularly because the career offers such a wide variety of active tasks. Social workers are actually knocking on doors and socialising on a personal level, as well as meeting with professionals and even being cross-examined in court. Overall, it is truly an exciting prospect with social purpose.”

Social workers are actually knocking on doors and socialising on a personal level, as well as meeting with professionals and even being cross-examined in court.

In its training process, Frontline aims to develop skilled social workers who can show keen leadership skills in order to bring about effective change. Therefore, a particular emphasis is placed on hands-on experience. “Over two hundred days of ‘on the job’ training means that trainees gain more practical skills through exposure in comparison to other routes,” Josh told me.

“Furthermore, the model of training is unique as the participant will work in a group alongside three other peers and be supervised by a Consultant Social Worker, who is both skilled and experienced to give support and advice. As part of a dedicated team, participants will be dealing with real cases. This work with both families and children in need will be observed by their Consultant Social Worker, who will then be able to give advice in order to aid progress.”

As well as graduate positions, Frontline offers internships for penultimate year students, which offer a role in the head office for three weeks during the summer. Inquiring what these internships entailed, Josh explained to me that a Frontline internship is of a highly active and engaging nature. “Students are given a lot of responsibility, particularly as they are given their own projects to manage. For instance, last year two students interviewed members of the House of Lords for the Frontline website, and have also interviewed other politicians and notable figures in the field of social work. As well as this, students will be paid for their time working for us. This internship is really hands-on, and is therefore a fantastic experience to gain great employability skills which would look great on a CV. It’s clear to say that students will definitely not just be making a brew.”

As well as graduate positions, Frontline offers internships for penultimate year students, which offer a role in the head office for three weeks during the summer.

I asked Josh what advice he would give to a student who wishes to apply to this valuable experience, to which he replied that no particular experience in social work itself is required. “As a field, social work encompasses many degree backgrounds, so no particular subject speciality is needed. To strengthen their application, a student should be able to demonstrate their ability to meet the competencies.

“It would be beneficial to think about what they can be doing right now to get involved with voluntary work, both in the Student’s Union as well as in the local community. If interested, you can visit the website to find out more about what we are looking for.”

Without doubt, social work is widely regarded as one of Britain’s most rewarding career choices, yet it is also known to be one of the toughest. Josh emphasised that certain qualities, which are not purely academic, are required for a person to face the most challenging aspects. “The assessment process that Frontline offers focuses on both personal and academic skills; personality is absolutely vital. Primarily, a good social worker must be great at communicating and show analytical skills, for building relationships and even standing in court.

“However, the career is extremely challenging on an emotional level. Therefore, a social worker must be able to show qualities such as resilience and empathy, in order to form personal and trusting relationships. The families that are dealt with are often on the very edge of society. Our social workers must therefore be able to work against a real sense of hopelessness, in order to bring about positive and effective change.”