The Step Up To Social Work programme in Herefordshire Children’s Services opens for recruitment today (17 February 2025) for aspiring social workers to apply for a place on the intensive but highly rewarding training programme.
Step Up To Social Work is a 14-month, full-time training programme for talented graduates and career changers to become the next generation of child and family social workers supporting vulnerable children, young people and families.
The scheme is designed for graduates who want to become a social worker but do not have a degree in social work. Successful applicants train through a combination of academic study and hands on social work experience in a local authority.
Applicants eligible for the programme, which includes financial support alongside training, will be individuals with experience of working with vulnerable children, young people, families or adults, and who can demonstrate emotional resilience and potential for success.
Step Up To Social Work aims to attract applicants from a diverse range of backgrounds and aims to have a workforce that represents the society that we serve.
Step Up is backed by the Department for Education to support 700 individuals to enter the social work profession in local authorities across England in 2026.
The programme is open for applications from 17 February to 25 March 2025 (subject to regional demand), followed by regional assessment centres for candidates successful at the initial application stage.
Successful applicants can expect to start the programme in January 2026 and complete their training in March 2027. Funding is available to support students with training costs with a bursary of £21,995 available over the duration of the programme.
On successful completion, trainees will qualify with a Postgraduate Diploma in Social Work enabling them to apply to register with Social Work England and to practice as a qualified children’s social worker.
To find out more about the scheme visit the Step Up To Social Work website.
Isabelle Trowler, Chief Social Worker for Children and Families, added:
“It is excellent to see the quality of the hundreds of graduates who qualify as social workers through the Step Up programme, and encouraged to see them start out on a long-term career in social work. Our profession is highly challenging, but highly rewarding, and Step Up is developing a highly skilled workforce ready to make a genuine positive impact on people’s lives.”