Brian – I became a social worker because…
By Brian Mitchell, social work lecturer and Trustee for the Social Work Awards.
Why social work?
The song ‘do anything you wanna do’ has been with me all my life, or it feels that way. It also seems to me like it has been directing me and it definitely had a major influence on my becoming a social worker.
As a teenager, the words reverberated and were like a clarion call. Come with us and ‘be you’ was the central message. Don’t let ‘them’ tell you anything, make your own mind up. Barrie Masters (Eddie) sang in full roar and his words hit me like a sledgehammer.
Eddie had all the charm, charisma and cheek of ‘the artful dodger’ as played by Jack Wild in the 1968 film version of Oliver Twist. On first seeing Eddie and the Hot Rods on ‘Top of the Pops’ I loved them and him with all of my heart.
Eddie had that ‘cheeky chappy’ persona about him. He epitomized independence and had a real working-class swagger that exuded confidence.
Long before the Gallaghers, Eddie rode in with a fistful of arrogance and a stage presence to hang it all on. More than that though, he had that tune. It felt like it was written for me, just for me. It suggested rebellion was close to hand and I could be one of the main instigators. Well, either that or I could control my life and that I had choices.
From that moment rock and roll and what I understood to be social work were inextricably linked and intertwined. I had fallen in love with music and here I was about to give my heart away all over again to social work.
When considering why this profession?
I would argue there is an inherent bias toward the arts within social work as much of what we see, observe and hear is the basis for what comes next.
Art and music seem to offer a unique way to both engage and give us an insight into the lives of some people. It is what makes the work exciting and gives it an inherent value. It also feels like a profession one can love.
Tell us your social work story at stories@socialworkawards.com telling us your name, job, contact details and social care number (just so we know you’re a social worker, we will keep it private).