Frontline Leadership Development Programme

"I would say that social work is a challenging career because you come into a family’s life at a point where they require support and that isn’t always met positively. It’s about helping them to understand that you’re there to learn from them and how to support them; although you’re there to help get them through a challenging time, they know themselves better than most. It’s about empowering families and letting them know that change is possible, you’re just there to guide them through the change.

Being a social worker has given me the chance to make a real difference, and work with children in the capacity I always wanted to. It can be hard being on the ‘frontline’, but it’s so worth it."

"Being a social worker gives you a completely new perspective on your life and the people around you. It pushes you to be your most compassionate and best self around others. It makes you challenge yourself, to the extent that it’s the most difficult thing I’ve ever done, but I wouldn’t change a second of it. You have to be alert, analytical and switched on to understand children, parents, the networks that develop around people and to guide them to bring about change. As social workers, we don’t change families, families change themselves – we’re just a part of that."

"When I joined the Frontline programme I didn’t really know what to expect, partly because you don’t really learn what the day to day is actually like unless you know someone who is a social worker. I was excited by the prospect of working directly with children and families, but also nervous about doing a job that has traditionally had such stigma surrounding it.

If I was speaking to someone who was thinking of applying, I would say go for it! It is a brilliant learning experience. You learn so much, not just about working with people but also about yourself. Doing the Frontline programme has given me a passion I didn’t know I had and has opened up a world of opportunities."

"This programme has taught me much about myself and has allowed me to develop my own style of being a social worker, bringing in my own personality. For example, I always try to acknowledge the perceived intrusion that the role brings and my own discomfort with this – I think this helps put families at ease and does much for the development of positive relationships. I care a lot about the families I work with and sometimes carry their difficulties with me beyond work and into my personal life. Fortunately, there is huge support and supervision for this and I always feel I can talk about this with others so I don’t feel like I’m carrying my worries about people alone."

"A really rewarding moment that stood out to me happened about a month before qualifying. The day was rife with challenges – a young person was engaging in activities that were harmful, there were disgruntled parents and a number of professionals to give important information to. It was a day of meetings and reports and paperwork and phonecalls. It was the day I noticed that my practice has improved and that as long as I keep trying, and encouraging the children and families I work with, to keep trying, then change can happen. Even if it’s a small change. The moment wasn’t rewarding because I felt I had made a huge difference to someone’s life, or because a significant event happened that made the job feel all worthwhile. It was rewarding because I could see how having positive relationships with the families I work with makes all the difference in their lives. I realised it’s not only what you do, it’s how you do it."

"Prior to starting the Frontline programme, I enjoyed a stimulating career as a teacher for 35 years, spending the last 13 as principal of an inner-London college. All teachers carry affection for their students, but I’d always had a special regard for those who had developed the resilience to overcome difficulty and disadvantage. Often they had managed this with some professional intervention, in the home and community, and I’d been intrigued and impressed by the social workers that I’d come across in that time. The Frontline programme presented me with the opportunity to work with these young people at the other end of the school day, in their home and family. The accelerated design of the programme, taking us into “front line” work almost from the very start of the course also really appealed to me as a career changer.."