I think it can be quite hard having to

hear the stuff that you hear

or talking to people and finding out their experiences

the challenges to being a social worker

it depends on what area of work you're in

but from my experience it's being able to deliver

what you want to deliver in the time that you have

and the money you have to do it so it's

time contingent and also financially contingent

there's not enough money around to actually

facilitate what you want to do

we're managing different people's needs

so my focus is on the child but I'm also working with

with adults, with other professionals

and it can be very very difficult trying to manage

everybody's needs but still stay focused

on what I need to be doing

we are going to meet service users

who may not want us there

who aren't going to welcome us with open arms

even though we come with good intentions

it is their life and to them we are

seen as invading their privacy

invading their lives so I think

that's the most difficult thing that we are going to meet

I think the main one for me was that

people normally say we're children snatchers

that we go to people's doors and

take their children away with no reason

obviously that is not the profession we are in

I think a massive one also is that we are facing

so many cuts in social care that people are worried

that they're going to come into the profession

and maybe not be able to get work

or be stigmatised for that

you kind of don't know what's coming a lot of the time

so you could think you've got a week

where you've got time to get things done

and then different things come up

meaning you suddenly can't do what you've got planned

so that's one of them

people have a negative perception of social workers

that's incredibly difficult at times

so they expect us to be a certain way

and forget that we're just people

obviously it's challenging in other ways

that are more personal, you could be

dealing with situations that have resonance for you

as an individual that you might find challenging

and you have to be able to leave those feelings

on the shelf, you can't bring those with you

and that on an individual basis is extremely challenging

but I think the main challenges for social workers in general

is working within a very limited budget

on a very limited time scale

in a very regimented career

it's a lot of paperwork, it's a lot of bureaucracy

we are given less and less

each team meeting I attend we're told that

we're having something else taken away from us

but we're still expected to do the same job and I think

you end up putting a lot of your own time into the job

because you want to make sure that you still see

the people that you're actually supporting

but then you still have to scramble to make sure

that you're staying up-to-date in the statutory guidelines

so that the paperwork and the level that you're expected

to do is a challenge but I think you just have to

look after yourself and be as organised as you can

to keep your head above above water really