Social workers: discover why joining Liquid Personnel could be the best decision of your career
Are you considering making the move to agency social work? Maybe you’re feeling apprehensive about this decision or wondering if leaving a permanent position is the correct choice? It’s safe to say you wouldn’t be on your own in feeling this way. According to the British Association of Social Workers’ (BASW) second annual survey, issued in March, a pool of social work professionals reported a list of disadvantages they believe come with agency work.
And while we were delighted to read that social workers also know about the endless list of reasons to ‘go locum’ – including increased rates of pay, flexibility and greater choice of role, to name a few (!) – we wanted to take a moment to bust those main myths around agency social work that were raised in the report, and to help you make an informed decision that’s best for you.
Is agency work really that flexible?
Yes! The beauty of agency work is if you’re in a role that isn’t a good fit for you, you have the flexibility to change jobs until you discover one that is. That’s why it’s critical to be sure your agency is providing you with the best options. And that’s where we come in.
With Liquid, you can be completely transparent with your consultant about your expectations for workload, contract duration, location, and other aspects that’ll help you shape your career. Permanent positions are also available at Liquid, giving you that additional pathway if it suits you better.
This control can help you achieve a better work-life balance and makes it simpler to take employment breaks as needed. It may seem intimidating at first, but agency social work puts you in charge of your career, which will undoubtedly pay off in the long term.
Will it offer me stability?
With Liquid, flexibility doesn’t come at the cost of stability. Our social work placements normally last over six months at a time, with some even lasting over seven years! Many of those are still going strong today.
When you work on a temporary basis for an agency, you’re typically employed by the agency itself rather than by a specific client. This means that even if a particular job does come to an end, you’ll find yourself back in the safe and expert hands of one of our recruitment consultants. Remember, you’re in demand; the need for professionals just like you consistently outweighs the number of available social workers out there. Also, let’s not forget that Liquid Personnel is the UK’s leading social work agency which means we have the widest range of high-paying, flexible and often exclusive roles, meaning you won’t find them anywhere else.
Additionally, we have extremely strong long-term relationships with over 150 organisations throughout the country, including local authorities, NHS, private sector and more. So you can feel confident that you’ll have a steady stream of work for as long as you stay with us.
As the leading social work recruitment agency in the UK, Liquid has hundreds of jobs in social work available. Browse our vacancies and apply today.
What about training and professional development opportunities?
Your development matters to us. That’s why if you become a temporary social worker with Liquid, you’ll join hundreds of other social work professionals already benefiting from our free CPD and training portal.
Our portal is created in conjunction with the market-leading training provider, Chinara Enterprises, and it is packed full of unique training materials and learning opportunities, with new content added throughout the year. Whether you work in children’s or adults’ services, you’ll find a range of tools to support your professional and career development, including:
- E-learning courses – interactive bitesize courses, ending with an assessment and the opportunity to earn a certificate on completion.
- Personnel development resources – including a range of useful tools and literature which you can use towards your Continuous Professional Development (CPD).
- Case studies – an in-depth and detailed examination of a range of cases and scenarios from throughout children’s and adults’ services.
- Webinars – discounted access to a programme of webinars covering a range of specialist topics and hosted by subject matter experts, often with guest speakers.
Another great benefit of joining Liquid is that you’ll have the opportunity to network with other social workers, whether that be at one of our networking events, CPD workshops or joining us at social work professional exhibitions. This can be helpful in terms of finding new job opportunities, or networking for professional development purposes. Additionally, it can simply be beneficial to meet other like-minded individuals who are in the same field as you.
We’re proud to support our agency workers’ learning and development, guiding them along a brighter, more fulfilling career path.
Will I be pressured to accept roles?
Absolutely not. You’ll have your own consultant assigned to you from the first time you speak to Liquid, and they’ll work closely with you to understand your needs, running bespoke job searches and identifying the best social work job opportunities for you. There’ll be no pressure to accept any role; our goal is to ensure you’re in the perfect job that matches your skill set, lifestyle, and personal choices.
When you join Liquid, you’ll be joining a team of supportive professionals who are all working towards the same goal – helping others.
I’m worried I’ll be less well treated than my permanent peers
Agency social work allows you to hit the ground running while we do the background work, so it’s vital that you find the right agency as well as a great relationship with a consultant who has your best interests at heart.
Here at Liquid, you’ll have unrivalled guidance and support, with a personalised and bespoke service. From the minute you join us, through to starting work and beyond, we will support you every step of the way; with a dedicated social work recruiter and your very own candidate care consultant, you’ll always have us to turn to, at any point of your career journey. Our specialised compliance and payroll teams are also here to ensure you get placed into roles quickly, and that you’re paid accurately and on time too.
You can rest assured that with Liquid Personnel, your personal and professional wellbeing is at the forefront of everything we do.
I’m sold. What happens now?
If you’re looking for new social work job opportunities, Liquid can support you at every stage. Browse our current social work vacancies and get in touch today to find out how Liquid can help you with this exciting new chapter.
Joining an agency as a social worker can be one of the best decisions you make in your career. The benefits that come with joining Liquid Personnel including stability, higher pay rates, and professional development opportunities are just a few of the reasons why so many experienced social workers choose to sign up with us. Additionally, you will have access to resources, support networks and mentorship that can help you grow both professionally and personally. With all these advantages at hand it is easy to see why so many experienced social workers decide to join Liquid Personnel.
Register with Liquid Personnel today and start your career journey with a leading social work and healthcare recruitment agency.
As the UK’s leading social work recruiter, we offer the widest range of qualified temporary and permanent roles throughout children’s and adults’ services.