Katie is a Practice Educator with Hull City Council, a role focusing on practice development and mentoring early career social work professionals. We found out what drew her to this specialism, as well as learning more about her decision to swap agency social work for a permanent role in Hull.

As a learning and development specialist, Katie’s current role often sees her supporting newly qualified and student social workers as they begin to take on their first families. She has found that the enthusiasm of people at the very beginning of their career can be infectious:

“I love talking about social work with them, it keeps me passionate about being a social worker. I love how many great ideas they have, the energy they’ve got for the role, and the research they bring to me. It’s really nice to be the one giving them all the practical, day to day advice and hearing their experiences.”

Katie’s job is about more than passing on experience; practice educators play a key role in building up confidence, resilience and the ability to reflect on and learn from unfamiliar situations. This can be the more challenging side of her role, as the jump from learning about theory to frontline practice can take some getting used to for new social workers:

“You’re also there to support them and stand with them. I remember my practice educators, the people that I learned from, and I now get to be the one making sure that learners are nurtured and supported. Social work can be a tough job, and sometimes learners can feel a little bit lost or need that little bit of additional hand holding”.

At a more strategic level, Katie recognises that the wider landscape of inequality today’s social workers have to negotiate presents a challenge for the sector as a whole:

“I think there are some massive challenges for our families today, people are struggling a lot more. That makes the job of a social worker even more important and even more challenging at times. One reason that I came back to Hull City Council is because I saw some serious and sustainable responses to the difficulties that families are experiencing.”

Although she didn’t originally plan to become a social worker, Katie’s personal values and desire to make a difference meant the field was an ideal fit.

“I've always had a very strong sense of justice, even as a child. Maybe my family would say I was a bit precocious, I always had to stick my nose in things, and stand up for anyone I felt was being bullied. Initially I did a completely different degree. I did a geography degree - I wanted to help the environment, save the world that way! But I realised that I have always been a social worker at heart. I kind of fell into it, but I'm so glad I did”.

Katie’s career started off in Hull before a reshuffle prompted her to try out working on the agency side of the profession:

“I did my final placement in an assessment team at Hull City Council and that's where I stayed. They found a job for me there, and I had a fantastic few years. Then we were remodelled following an inspection. As with all remodels, it can feel a little unsettling. Your team is your safe space when you’re just starting out, and we lost a few of our permanent workers. I wanted a bit more autonomy over where I was working, and what I was doing. I felt agency offered me that.”

Agency work offered a chance to work in a variety of settings:

“I got to try different types of social work. I've worked in lots of parts of children’s services from assessment, to locality, to looked after children. I supported children and families through the whole service. I'm glad I had this experience because the diversity kept me fresh. I know what different parts of the service are doing. I know what initial assessments and effective plans need to look like, and I know what to think about when considering children's permanency plans and their identity needs. I feel like it enriched my professional development.”

When Katie returned to her home city, she found a local authority that was making real progress:

“I came back to Hull as an agency worker, and that's when I saw a real change. I saw investment in the staff and I was impressed. All the local authorities I had been working for were experiencing the exact same problems, the exact same issues. In Hull I saw some really authentic and effective efforts to rectify things for social workers, children and families. When the team transitioned from agency to permanent staff, I decided to stay on as an agency staff member to support that transition”.

The decision to return to a permanent role was down to a few factors. Consistency and strong colleague relationships have always been important for Katie, but had proven to be a weak point of agency working.

“I'm an extrovert. I need to be around people, but I did find agency to be quite an isolating experience sometimes. Additionally, agency work conflicted with my professional values, it can be really disheartening when you've put your all in somewhere, you're enjoying working with families and you're asked to leave because your contract ends. Ultimately you start to feel uncomfortable because as a social worker, it’s not how we should be working with families, is it? They should have consistency, and they should know who their social worker is”.

Agency pay is a hot topic in the sector at the moment. While she acknowledged that pay is always a factor in any career decision, Katie feels it should not be the only area of focus when weighing up the pros and cons:

"I think a lot of people see agency workers as motivated financially. Don't get me wrong, you absolutely want to be paid for the hours you work and the hard work you do. But I think that's such a reductive argument to say it’s the only reason. People who become social workers are intelligent people, you know? If they were financially motivated, they wouldn't be setting off into the world of social work, would they? That's not your motivation when you become a social worker."

The other major benefits Katie has seen since making the switch back have been the opportunities for advancement, and the sense of belonging in Hull as a practitioner who has found her ideal niche in the profession:

“I wouldn't have been able to become a practice educator if I was still with the agency. So, it stifled that opportunity to progress up, or diversify into something a little bit different. I'm really proud that now I work somewhere where I feel safe, that we can keep social workers safe, and help them develop. The training, the opportunities, having that team around me like a family. All of that, I wouldn't have had as an agency worker.”