Social Services Assistant - Training course

Course Duration

The 3 days of Theory

From 4 to 6 weeks of volunteer work placement within the local borough(s)

Course contents

• families under stress (introduction)
• people with physical or learning disabilities (introduction)
• people with mental health problems
• children at risk
• dignity and privacy
• health care
• communication skills
• risk assessments
• first aid and safety
  

The Work

Social services assistants support qualified social workers in helping, protecting and advising a wide range of people in the community, hospitals and other settings.

As a social services assistant, you could work with a variety of client groups, including:

• families under stress
• older people
• people with physical or learning disabilities
• people with mental health problems
• children at risk

Entry Requirements

You often do not need any formal qualifications to start work as a social services assistant, although employers will usually ask for a good standard of secondary education to GCSE level or equivalent.

Whatever your qualifications, you will increase your chances of finding work if you have some experience of working with people in a caring role. Your experience could be paid or voluntary.

You will also need Criminal Records Bureau (CRB) clearance before you start work (although previous convictions or cautions may not automatically prevent you from working in social care – see the CRB website for details).

When you start your job your employer will provide training, usually a mixture of in-house training courses and learning on the job from experienced staff.

You are also likely to have ongoing training throughout your career, and gain work-based qualifications such as NVQ levels 2, 3 and 4 in Health and Social Care (specialising in working with adults or children and young people).