Pathways to Social Work: Surveying the Motivations and Challenges in Becoming a Social Worker

This study examined pathways into the profession of social work. It specifically explored participants perspectives on social work education, their motivations and challenges in joining the profession, and what can be done to attract more candidates. We surveyed 135 potential new entrants into the social work profession and while they may not speak for the wider pool of those who may possibly enter the profession, they do present some insight into the understanding and awareness of social work by these cohorts. Across the entire sample there was a perception of social work as a stressful profession, much maligned in public and media narratives, and one that can potentially lead to burnout. While this sense was strongest among current social work students, there was also a strong awareness of this among both social care and social policy student respondents also. This was blended with strong motivations driven from personal experiences of adversity, a wish to help others, and desire to fight social injustices and uphold human rights. The findings of this study show that there is a wide awareness of social work as a predominantly female profession and a perception that social work, as a profession, does not represent the diversity of the populations it is privileged to serve. The findings also show that social work students, but also those yet to consider a career in social work, are strongly aware of a negative narrative surrounding the profession. One of stress, burnout, and poor resources. For those qualifying in Ireland, approved social work education programmes are the only route to becoming a CORU registered social worker being able to practice in Ireland. These programmes are currently offered by six schools across six different Higher Education Institutes. The findings of this Report present a strong view, across the entire sample, that social work education is expensive, and that this cost may in fact be prohibitive to those deciding whether to enter the profession. This finding also represents a perception that such expenses potentially act as a barrier to increased diversity in the profession. Following from these findings and drawing upon import research that has recently been conducted in this area (particularly McCarten et al., 2022; O’Meara and Kelleher, 2022) this Report calls for a national strategy for the profession of social work. Such a strategy should seek to develop a national awareness campaign regarding the role and value of social work, across its diverse settings. It should also seek to collate the good work being conducted elsewhere, from Department-level, to work within and across the Higher Education Institutes, and work across sectors where social workers operate.