Example Social Work Personal Statement
Since 2007 I have been employed as a Senior Care Assistant at a RAF Benevolent Fund care home, and it has been my work here that inspired me to pursue a degree in Social Work. I have met a number of social workers and gained a unique insight into their daily work: it is fascinating to me that each individual interaction with patients allows the social worker to build an understanding of how best to improve their quality of life. This experience has ignited in me a real desire to work towards making a career of my love for helping others, and I have begun to gain the qualifications to make this a reality through a greater knowledge of the theoretical and practical nuances of social work.
I am originally from Latvia, but since gaining UK citizenship 6 years ago I have worked in positions of responsibility which demand attention to detail, tenacity and perfectionism. I was promoted to Cleaning Manager in a superstore and orchestrated the cleaning team, budget and resources, as well as conducting monthly meetings with staff. Adhering to weekly independent cleaning audits imbued me with the ability to plan ahead and work under pressure, as well as approach conflict resolution effectively: I found a great sense of pride in continually accomplishing targets and upholding standards, and in my subsequent role as a Health Care Assistant from 2009, these skills were equally useful. I began this role initially alongside my main job, and managed my heavy workload effectively, but found a sense of pride in my work serving others in a healthcare environment captured my interest greatly and began a full-time role. I was promoted to a Senior Care Assistant after one year and have enjoyed my time with the RAF Benevolent Care Fund extremely fulfilling. This charitable organisation upholds the health and wellbeing of airforce veterans and thus I come into daily contact with the elderly and disabled: a methodical, sensitive and flexible approach is essential. In administrating and planning client care and medication, I have learned a great deal about the specialised requirements of this demographic, and my team management skills have been essential in training and supervising staff and working as part of a multidisciplinary team. I have also begun to avidly follow the British Association of Social Workers and General Social Care Council websites : a recent interactive quiz on the GSCC site explored professional boundaries dilemmas to test knowledge of current codes of practice: considering moral and ethical dilemmas in hypothetical situations has developed my analytical skills and I am looking forward to grappling with these issues in more detail on my degree. I have completed NVQ Level 3s in Health & Social Work and Leadership and Management in Health & Social Work since 2010.
I have gained additional certificates for courses including Conflict & Stress Management (April 2010), Data Protection (January 2011) and Care Planning (2011), and have trained on courses for the Mental Capacity Act, Equality and Diversity, and Dementia Awareness among others in the past year. In gaining comprehensive skills related to the care sector I have a broad perspective on the needs of different patients, and additionally my multilingualism has been useful in fulfilling my duties: I am fluent in Russian, Latvian and English and find that a flexible set of communication skills is a unique asset in ensuring that the work of the social care sector is delivered as effectively as possible.
Throughout my work experience, I have learned to see the individual before their health or mental condition: empathy is perhaps the most important skill of all and it is the goal of the social work profession to ensure that, despite individual circumstances, each person is given the same opportunity for wellbeing- through completing my degree, I hope to contribute to this objective and continue to assist the most vulnerable members of society to live with dignity, health and happiness.
This sample Social Work personal statement can be used for inspiration to write your personal statement to make you stand out from the crowd.