r/Socialworkuk

I’m in my ASYE year in Child Protection with an “outstanding” local authority in England and I’ve got my 3-month review next week. I’m really anxious and could use some advice from others who’ve been through ASYE in child protection.

I’m struggling to keep up with the admin side of the job and the lead ASYE has been invited to my review because there are concerns about whether I’m keeping up. I love the work itself, but I’m honestly questioning whether I can make it through the ASYE at the moment.

If I’m honest, I’ve even been considering handing my notice in, which feels awful to admit, because I do enjoy the job. What makes it worse is feeling like I’m not very good at it right now, and that has really knocked my confidence. I don’t want to throw away this opportunity so early on, especially because I worked hard to get here, but part of me is wondering if I’m cut out for it.

I think part of why I’m struggling is that I’m juggling a lot outside work too. I have two children (16 and 9), and I also have a 3-hour daily commute (1.5 hours each way once traffic and school drop-offs are factored in). It may not look far on paper, but it takes a lot out of me and I think it’s contributing to how overwhelmed I feel.

I have ADHD and dyslexia, and organisation/admin is where I really feel it. My team are lovely but very chatty and I genuinely don’t understand how everyone seems to get their work done. On top of that, the team is about to break up because several people have new jobs following a horrific incident in the team, so everything feels unsettled.

I did Frontline last year, so I think people assume I should know loads already, but I often feel like I’m pretending and actually don’t know what I’m doing.

I think I’m looking for advice/reassurance from social workers who’ve been here:

How did you survive ASYE when you felt out of your depth?

Any practical tips for staying organised in Child Protection (case recording, admin, prioritising, deadlines etc)?

Has anyone managed ASYE with ADHD/dyslexia and found systems that helped?

Has anyone balanced ASYE with parenting and long commutes and made it work?

Did anyone seriously consider quitting but stay and end up glad they did?

If you struggled early on, did it get better?

I care about the job and want to do well, I just feel overwhelmed and my self-esteem is on the floor right now. I don’t want to give up on something I care about, but right now I feel stretched in every direction.

Any honest advice would be really appreciated

I’ve posted before but I really need help. I’ve tried my social workers before but there was no indication they even understood that they can’t just talk to my parents they hate social workers and that if they spoke to them my life would be in danger and I would need alternative specialist accommodation immediately. Why do I need to write to explain that fact to them. I don’t think the police would understand that either and in the police my parents manipulated the police anyway.

Advice needed please

I work in fostering management, in an IFA. I’m currently on maternity leave. I have two children under the age of 2. My mat leave ends in September. In order to continue being at home with my children, I’m considering not going back to my permanent job but instead going independent and doing form fs, annual reviews etc.

Has anyone else done/doing the same? How did you get started? Is there anything formal I need to do when setting myself up as an ISW?

Can anyone help me with sort of questions I should prepare for a ​Masters in Social worker at Oxford Brookes University?

I’m not a social worker, but I often hear how difficult the job is and I’m curious what the biggest challenges actually are on a day to day basis. A lot of people outside the profession seem to have a very simplified view of what you do. What’s the one thing about social work that’s much harder than most outsiders realise?