1 What are social work and social care?
What do you think about when you hear the terms social care and social work? You may have experience of one or both, either through work or in your personal life. You, or someone you know, may have had experience of receiving services or working in social care/work. However, social care and social work are not always understood in society, because they are not used by everyone. In contrast, most people will have knowledge about health care, usually because they have attended a doctor, dentist or hospital appointment.
There are many reasons why someone might receive support from social care services. For example, social care practitioners/professionals often help people who are experiencing difficulties due to life circumstances such as mental or physical ill health, disability, poverty, family breakdown, addictions, homelessness, abuse and neglect.
Social care practitioners/professionals also often work with other professions (such as nurses, teachers, occupational therapists, psychologists) and other organisations to provide a network of services to people in need of support.
Social care practitioners/professionals provide services to people across the life course, for example helping new parents to look after their children, assisting people with disabilities to access social activities, providing respite to carers, or supporting older people with meals or personal/intimate care. The type of support will vary depending on what the individual, family or community needs, the role that the worker does, and the type of services provided. This will be explored in more detail in the next sections.
Both social care and social work encompass a very wide variety of roles in diverse contexts, and there are some similarities alongside important differences between them.
We know that social work jobs (like social care jobs) encompass a wide set of responsibilities and different roles according to the needs of the people they work with. Social workers assess people’s circumstances and arrange packages of care, often implementing and co-coordinating a care plan. Social care workers may be part of this plan, by providing personal care or support to service users, but they are not responsible for making decisions about the type or level of care that is needed. In addition, social workers have statutory (legal) powers and are able to undertake activities such as application for detention of people in psychiatric care, or applying to the courts for orders to protect children or adults. Social workers also undertake child protection or adult safeguarding investigations while social care workers do not, although they may be involved.
In the following activity, you will consider these similarities and differences by exploring service provision. You will see that social care professionals provide services within a range of roles, to people with different needs and in a variety of settings.
Activity _unit2.2.1 Activity 1 The diverse roles in social care and social work
The following short case study illustrates the diversity found within the social care profession, in the context of a family with a daughter who has cerebral palsy. Read through the case study a couple of times, then try to identify the people who support Anabelle, where they work and what they do, noting your responses in the table below. You should be able to find up to seven people/groups of people in total.
Case study _unit2.2.1 Case study: Caring for Anabelle
My daughter is 14 years old, and she has cerebral palsy. She has her own social worker who is based in the local authority ‘Children with Disabilities’ Team. The social worker coordinates all of Anabelle’s assessments and reviews and ensures that everyone knows of any changing needs. She keeps in touch with staff at Anabelle’s school and with the specialist medical team based at the hospital. Anabelle’s social worker also supports us as carers. She assesses our needs so that we can support our daughter, and helps us claim any benefits we are entitled to, such as the carer’s allowance.
We have social care workers who come into our home twice a week to assist with personal care and to provide some respite for me in my role as informal carer. Anabelle also has transport to and from school, and a carer will accompany her every day.
We have a regular appointment with Anabelle’s physiotherapist and a speech therapist, and see them at the clinic. Anabelle also has a holiday club, which is run by a local charity, and there she is cared for by the social care professionals working on the project, who are fabulous. It gives us a break, and she loves the activities they provide.
| Role/job title | What they do | Where they work |
|---|---|---|
Comment
You may have identified the following people involved in Anabelle’s care.
| Role/job title | What they do | Where they work |
| Social worker | Assessments and reviews of Anabelle’s needs, carer’s assessments, liaison with other services, financial assessments and assistance with claiming benefits | At the local authority office |
| Respite care worker | Looks after Anabelle in her home twice a week to give her parents a break | In the home |
| Supervisor of transport | Supervises Anabelle when travelling to and from school | Transport to and from school |
| Holiday care worker | Provides care and supervises play during the holidays | At the holiday play project |
| Speech therapist | Helps Anabelle’s speech development | At the clinic |
| Physiotherapist | Helps Anabelle develop her physical mobility and independence | At the clinic |
| Medical team | Assesses, monitors and meets Anabelle’s medical needs | At the hospital |
Could you identify all of them, and were you surprised by how many people there were? You may have thought of other services that all children would have access to, such as Anabelle’s teachers and her GP, who would also be part of the network of support. You may also have noticed that, while Anabelle only has one social worker, she has many social care workers supporting her care, and that their roles and locations of work vary.
This case study is based on services provided to a child with a disability, but social care professionals also support adults, and you will learn more about adult social care as you work through this session. You may have experience yourself as a care provider or as someone who has received care services. The next section will explore in a little more detail your own personal experiences and understanding of care roles.