A Day in the Life of a Social Worker - Stephanie Webb

Social Work Week is the perfect opportunity to highlight what social workers do and what makes social work such an interesting and fulfilling career. Social workers help to improve the lives of children, families and adults and make a positive impact in our communities.

Social Worker, Stephanie Webb shares a glimpse into her daily routine. Stephanie is based in the Optalis Front Door Team; this team supports adults living in the Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead, who are contacting adult services for the first time.

Stephanie explains: “Before qualifying as a social worker in 2021, I had experience of working as a support worker for people with learning disabilities and as a domiciliary carer, supporting people at home. I chose social work because I like helping people. I wanted to help people consider a different outlook and take control of their own wellbeing. I wanted to be the person helping to organise people’s care and support and help them overcome any challenges they may face in life. I also wanted to progress my career and the social work role allows for that.”

“I have worked for Optalis for a few years now. I moved into the Front Door Team last November. The role involves a variety of work, from meeting people, carrying out assessments and putting in place care packages to sometimes more complex work, including responding to safeguarding concerns. I support around 15 to 20 people at any one time. I like building a rapport with somebody quickly and working with them to get the right plans in place for their situation and preferences.”

No two days are the same, but Stephanie walks through what a typical day would look like:

Morning:

Stephanie arrives at the office around 8.45am. The morning usually starts with checking emails and the duty inbox to see if there has been anything that has come in overnight, which Stephanie can support with. She then checks her allocated cases on the electronic case management system to see if there have been any changes. Stephanie will review her caseload and plan any outstanding tasks.

Next, Stephanie makes some phone calls, arranging visits and updating any of the people she is supporting. She speaks to John to check how things are going, now he has regular support in place. John is happy with his situation so Stephanie passes him over to the long-term team, who will review how things are for John in a year. She also contacts Colin, to arrange a visit following a referral from his neighbours, who are concerned that he is not coping on his own (self-neglecting).

Midday:

As the morning progresses, Stephanie then heads out to meet Sandeep who is living with Alzheimer’s and her family who contacted the service the previous week with concerns about managing her medication, as they have been finding medication hidden in her home. During the visit Stephanie completes a care needs assessment, and then formulates a support plan with Sandeep and her family to manage the needs identified in the assessment

“To help the family understand the dementia journey I referred them to the Dementia Care Advisors for further information and advice. We also agreed to look at putting in place support for Sandeep to help her with her washing and dressing, meals and managing medication because she's not been staying on top of those.”

Stephanie then heads back to the office to write up her notes from the visit. During her visit they talked about companionship for Sandeep, so Stephanie has a conversation with the Social Prescriber, discussing any community groups that might help Sandeep form connections. Stephanie also seeks support to help Sandeep and her family navigate systems to access benefits, through a referral to the Citizens Advice Bureau.

Afternoon:

After a short break for lunch, Stephanie heads out to a local care home to meet Mr Dunn, who has been paying for his own care, but his funds are now running low. During the visit Mr Dunn and his family report that he is very well supported and wish for him to remain in the same home. Stephanie completes a care needs assessment. She explains that she will apply for the funding for the care home and Mr Dunn and family agree to complete the required financial assessments.

As the workday winds down, Stephanie reflects on the role and what she enjoys. 

“Social work is about having good conversations with people, working with people to empower them, and come up with their own plans, as well as linking people up with resources in their community. I've often referred to myself as Nanny McPhee. If you need me but don't want me, I'll stay. But if you want me but no longer need me, I'll go. I really enjoy meeting people, seeing where we can help them, putting a plan in place with them and then see them pick up.”