A programme to attract top graduates and high flyers considering a career change into social work will be launched by the government on Monday in an effort to improve mental health support services.
The £1.6m initiative aims to attract 80 to 100 recruits into mental health roles at a time when NHS and local councils are facing an increasing demand for mental health services.
It aims to change perceptions of social work, which has not traditionally been seen as a high-status career choice: in 2011/12 less than 10% of the intake to social work master’s degrees came from the highly selective Russell group of universities.
Those taking part will be put into frontline roles almost immediately as part of the two-year programme, Think Ahead, for which candidates will need at least a 2.1 degree.
Frances Turner, a Cambridge graduate who is currently a senior social worker in mental health services, said that she couldn’t have chosen a more fulfilling career than social work.
The 30-year-old, who graduated from Cambridge in 2005 after studying languages and then did a master’s degree, said: “It’s a privilege to spend my days supporting an incredible variety of people in all sorts of ways, instead of sitting behind a desk.”
She added that social work as a profession came with a range of “incredibly positive and unique” qualities that many graduates might not necessarily be aware of when they are choosing a career.
“There is the responsibility of being involved in supporting people at really important points in their lives, often when they are very vulnerable, be it children or adults.”
“The other thing people should be aware of is how much of an intellectual challenge social work is,” Turner said. “There is maybe still a view of social workers as people who go around and drink tea and listen, when it’s actually a profession that involves a lot of thought, whether that’s about the legal framework, whether it’s analysing information about a lot of cases or approaching problems at a more strategic level.”
The programme’s chief executive, Ella Joseph, added: “We’re looking for people with a rare blend of attributes including intelligence, but – as importantly – empathy, compassion, and resilience.”
“If you can demonstrate those qualities, we’ll support you to get a master’s degree while you train and work in a fulfilling, paid role.”
One in four people are now likely to experience a mental health problem during their lives, while a third of families include someone with a mental illness.
Mental health is now also one of the most common reasons for visits to GPs, with growing additional strain not just on mental health services, but on hospitals and other parts of the NHS, due to the problems of physical ill-health that can often arise from mental heath issues.
Speaking ahead of the programme’s launch, the care and support minister, Norman Lamb, said: “I want to build a fairer society with better mental health care for everyone – that’s why we’re investing £1.6m to produce a new wave of expert social workers.
“This is a fantastic opportunity for some of our most talented people to help shape the future of mental health care by supporting individuals, improving community services, and reducing pressure on the NHS.”