Sammie – I became a social worker because…
By Sammie Corcoran, Social Care Officer, student and Trustee for the Social Work Awards.
When people ask me why I got into social work, I feel spoiled for choice because there are so many reasons. That is one of the massive positives to this line of work – the possibilities are endless, and outcomes differ from person to person. There is so much to be achieved, overcome, and celebrated!
When I really think about it though, I realise that many of the reasons have developed over time, as I have learned more, experienced more, grown in confidence, and met so many more fantastic young people and their families.
My family experience
The truth is, he is the heart of everything I do and has shaped the person I am today. My brother is 19, has autism, learning difficulties and complex health needs.
Growing up I saw first-hand how difficult that can be for the individual and for the family/carers supporting them. Often, it feels as if there is always something to worry about, always something to plan for and always some sort of ‘battle’ to prepare for. Sometimes, you just need someone to talk to that understands what you are going through and who is equipped to help you understand things a little more and help you through the process.
As a family, from the very beginning of our journey to the current day, we haven’t always had all the information. We haven’t always had someone to talk to and on hand to help us. We have often felt lost, which leaves you wondering in hindsight if you made the right decisions for the future.
Transition
From a very young age, I knew I wanted to work with young adults with learning disabilities, and I knew I wanted to work within the field of transition. I could see there were gaps in that area and that people were struggling. I didn’t want people to feel lost any more. I didn’t want people to fear their social worker ringing as they associated them with bad news. I wanted to be that light in the dark that I felt we often needed. I wanted to be there to help and guide individuals, their families and carers to prepare for the next steps and talk about what the future looked like for them and how we were going to get there together.
I wanted to offer more than just the paperwork side of it, I wanted to celebrate individuals’ successes with them and console them in their time of need. I wanted to know the whole person and what made them tick to enable us to navigate the road ahead together.
I fully understand the transition from children’s services to adult services, and how all the additional changes that coincide with that are stressful for everyone involved. I do, however, feel that if the time and effort is put in leading up to this, then great things can be achieved by all.
With collaborative working, effective communication, honesty and consistency, our young people can break barrier after barrier, and being there to see that journey and the progress made is something I don’t think I’ll ever be able to put into words. It’s certainly not something I will ever tire of seeing! Those are the moments that give you butterflies in your stomach and remind you how lucky you are to truly love what you do so much.
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).