The report, Pathways to Social Work - Surveying the motivations and challenges in becoming a social worker, was undertaken by UCD School of Social Policy, Social Work, and Social Justice and examines pathways into the social work profession. Unlike most research on this subject, which examine why students choose social work as a profession, this study looks at the barriers to students becoming social workers.
The report details findings from engagement with students from social work courses, UCD social care and social policy programmes. Specifically, it explores participants perspectives on social work education, their motivations and challenges in joining the profession, and what can be done to attract more candidates. Following from these findings and drawing upon important research that has recently been conducted in this area, the report calls for a national strategy for the profession of social work. One of the key findings is that such a strategy should, seek to develop a national awareness campaign regarding the role and value of social work, across its diverse settings.
The findings help inform issues associated with the provision of social work education in Ireland, and how these are related to workforce planning and retention of social workers within the workforce.
