Sample Social Work Personal Statement
Two factors have been important in the development of my ambition to study for a degree in social work and to make my career in this field. Firstly, my experience in the workplace has involved close contact with vulnerable and needy people and their problems. Secondly, events in my personal life have given me a very acute awareness of the vital importance of protecting and supporting those who cannot help themselves in society. In my early twenties I found myself suddenly and unexpectedly thrust into the role of carer when my husband’s ex-wife died, leaving two small children as our immediate responsibility. It was this experience, as well as my role as carer for my terminally ill grandmother during the last six months of her life in 2009, which really made me think about how fulfilling the role of social worker might be. I believe that I have a natural aptitude for the profession, and feel certain that it is here that I should like to spend the rest of my working life. I am eager to learn more about the complexities of social work, the laws which apply to the professional in the field, and the various specific areas of social work such as dealing with young people, children and families. There is much for me to learn, but I believe that the rewards in terms of human satisfaction could be very great.
I left school without qualifications, but my OU courses have helped to prepare me for a degree course. I have just finished K101, Understanding Health and Social Care, which is a 60 point course and I have also taken Understanding Society, a 10 point course, and have achieved a further 20 points in other OU courses, all of which will bring me near to the total of 120 points needed for a Certificate of Further Education. My earliest contact with social work was during a period of employment as a housing officer. my role gave me an early insight into the plight of deprived people as well as introducing me to the roles of various agencies, such as social workers and key and support workers. After this I took on the responsibility for my step-children, which directed my thoughts very seriously towards the goal I am now pursuing. For a while I worked for my husband, who ran a residential letting business, a job which taught me the importance of professional practice, organisation and steady application. I then returned to public sector work as a housing benefits officer, visiting people in their own homes and organising and running events designed to raise public awareness of the benefits available to those in need.
After a few months I was working from home full-time, which is, I believe, testimony to my powers of self-discipline and motivation. As a contracts administrator I work with many types of vulnerable people, such as drug-users, alcoholics, young offenders and those who are leaving care – people with some of the most acute problems in our society. I liaise from day to day with various agencies and charities, such as Catch 22, social services and the probation service, to ensure that my clients receive all the help they need and that they do not have to cope with homelessness in the future. This has given me a deep respect and admiration for those working in social care and confirmed my own ambitions.
Outside my working life I devote much of my time to my family. I also enjoy yoga and horse riding. I try to keep abreast of developments in social work by reading professional journals and following stories in the media. I am very hard-working and focussed in all that I take on. I work well with others, but also have the confidence in my own judgement to be able to work reliably on my own. My career ambitions are based on real experience and are the product of mature judgement and reflection and I hope you will consider my application.
We hope this Social Work Personal Statement has been a useful example.