Sample Social Care Personal Statement
Employment within the field of social care offers many opportunities to witness the positive impact that your work can have on others. For someone who is as passionate about social mobility and empowerment as I am, working within the field would offer unparalleled job satisfaction through a unique combination of intellectual challenge and practical problem solving with a continued focus on compassion and communication. I have worked hard, both in academia and employment, to gain the relevant skills, knowledge and experience to ensure that I have the ability to become a dedicated, talented student in the field and, beyond university, a valuable future employee.
Having made my decision to study social care, I made a highly successful return to education that has laid an excellent foundation for future study. Beginning with a BTEC first national diploma in Health and Social Care, for which I gained a distinction, and progressing to an Access to Higher Education diploma in the same subject, I have encountered the main aspects of the field within an academic context and gained a solid overview of these subjects. Alongside the knowledge that I have gained, I have also proven my ability to undertake the practical aspects of study, such as time management, group work and written and verbal presentation. My strong performance during my BTEC course was recognised by a Most Improved Student Award, demonstrating how my dedication to the subject had inspired hard work and consistency throughout.
I have also worked to gain employment experience in the field, both as an opportunity to apply my theoretical knowledge in a practical context and to gain a better idea of what working within the field actually constitutes. Since March 2010 I have worked as a carer at Moorlands Nursing Home, undertaking all aspects of social and personal care for the patients. Alongside the practical aspects of this role, supporting the residents and their families through a difficult period of their lives has also improved my ability to communicate as well as negotiating the institutional aspects of social care. In order to improve my knowledge of these aspects of the field I have also arranged to shadow a social worker for three days in the near future. Before pursuing a career in social care I held management positions in both the sales and hospitality industries. Both of these positions required people skills and an aptitude for communication, alongside administrative and planning skills that have proven useful when transferred to social care.
I enjoy spending time with my young family and am a committed father to my four-month old son. Becoming a father has sharpened my interest in social equality and my desire to work within a field that allows me to play a part in making a better world for him in the future. My passion for social justice and empowerment also means that I make an effort to follow related stories in the news media and this, combined with the substantial reading I have undertaken throughout my academic courses, ensures that I have a strong grasp of the core issues effecting social policy. I am also a keen Scuba diver and have been rated as a Master Diver. This has allowed me to take part in many courses teaching people how to dive, which has enhanced my communication skills and my ability to stay calm, and inspire calm in others, in high-pressure situations.
I have proven myself to be a dedicated, conscientious and ambitious student since my return to education and have shown that I am capable of gaining knowledge and skill while also balancing the practical demands of study and family life. More importantly, I have demonstrated an overarching passion for social justice and the empowerment of others through the enactment of social policy. This passion has inspired me throughout study and employment and will continue to inspire me to achieve at undergraduate level and to reach my ultimate goal of a career as a mental health social worker.
This sample Social Care personal statement can be used for inspiration to help you write your own unique personal statement.