Annual Salary
£20,000 to £28,000
Average UK salary in 2023 was £34,963
(source Office for National Statistics)
Swap to Medical or Therapy or go back to all job sectors
Swap to Medical or Therapy or go back to all job sectors
Social work assistants give advice and help people with their physical, emotional and social needs.
Average UK salary in 2023 was £34,963
(source Office for National Statistics)
You could work: evenings / weekends / bank holidays; on shifts
There will be
4% more Social work assistant jobs in 2027.
As a social work assistant you could:
You could work in the community, at a children's care home, at a client's home, in an office, in an NHS or private hospital or at an adult care home.
Your working environment may be emotionally demanding.
You can get into this job through:
You can do a college course in health and social care which may help when you look for work.
You could do an apprenticeship in care or youth work to get experience of working with vulnerable adults, children or young people, like:
You could then do a social worker degree apprenticeship once you have experience.
You'll usually need:
You could get experience by volunteering which might help when you apply for a course or job.
You can find volunteering opportunities listed on Do It.
You could apply directly if you have experience in a care role such as a care worker or healthcare assistant. It would help if you have experience working in a:
You'll usually need a GCSE in English for this route.
You'll need to:
Experience of caring for someone in your own family or community can help you get into a social work assistant role.
You can find out more about a career in adult social care from Think Care Careers.
With experience you could work towards qualifying as a social worker. You could do this yourself or you might be able to get support and funding from your employer.
You could also move into a related career such as a family support worker or counsellor.
Explore roles in child and family social work to find more information on management and specialist roles.
You'll need: