Why we must protect pathways into social work careers

Learners studying Level 3 Health and Social Care qualifications go on to a wide range of destinations, in both employment and higher education.

Many start work as healthcare assistants in community, primary care and acute health environments, or as care workers in domiciliary, supported living, and adult residential settings. Others progress into higher education (HE), often studying bachelor’s degrees in health fields such as adult nursing or midwifery.

However, one HE pathway outside the traditional health route that is becoming increasingly popular with learners is social work.

An alternative route into social work

Because ‘social worker’ is a protected title, practitioners must hold a degree (BA) or master’s degree in social work. This means that a Level 3 route with substantial UCAS points is essential for learners to progress into this pathway.

With 16-19 funding being withdrawn from large Level 3 diplomas in health and social care from August 2026, students were expected to move onto the Health T Level. Whilst this qualification offers excellent preparation for a clinical career, it does not fully support entry into non-clinical roles and degrees.

That is why we’re launching the NCFE CACHE Level 3 Technical Occupational Entry in Social Care (Diploma) in September 2026. Equivalent to 3 A Levels, it is designed for 16–19 learners and is built around employer-led occupational standards, shaped by what the care sector needs. Carrying a significant number of UCAS points, it provides access to social work degrees, while also preparing learners for direct entry into the health and social care workforce.

The urgent need for skilled social workers

The demand for social workers significantly increased from 2017 to 2022, with the number of UK online job adverts for social workers increasing by 59%, from 210,270 to 334,130. The Government forecasts a further 18.6% increase by 2035 to meet workforce demand.

Interestingly, employer skills surveys show that social worker vacancies are particularly hard to fill. With a skill-shortage vacancy (SSV) rate of 78% – far higher than any other role in the care sector – these roles are difficult to recruit for due to a lack of skills, qualifications, or experience among applicants.

There is clear demand for the skills needed to succeed in social work and an increased demand for workers in these roles, something we also highlighted in our Sector Spotlight report back in 2023.

Imposter syndrome within social work

Early career social workers often experience ‘imposter syndrome’, a psychological pattern where we can doubt our accomplishments and fear being seen as a "fraud.” This is common in roles that involve high levels of responsibility and emotional engagement.

My Social Work News has explored this in detail, highlighting that students “don’t necessarily have a big data bank of knowledge and experience to draw on,” leaving themselves feeling “out of their depth.” They also found that young practitioners worry their lack of experience affects how confident others feel in their capability.

This highlights that building up the skillset to be an effective practitioner takes times. The longer students can practise those skills, the more comfortable early career social workers will feel.

What are these skills?

Social Work England’s professional standards highlight the key skills needed for success as a social worker, including communication, empathy, ethical practice, and valuing the individual. If early career social workers feel under-prepared in these areas, then practising them in further education (FE) can only be a benefit.

Our new technical qualification focuses on developing and strengthening the essential skills for social work, with units covering:

• communication
• values, behaviours and ethical principles
• advocacy
• safeguarding
• mental health and wellbeing
• person-centred approaches
• psychology
• sociology of health and illness.

With demand for social workers continuing to rise, giving learners the time to practise and hone those skills is crucial.

Looking to the future

As existing pathways close, we believe it is vital to secure the FE route into social work degrees for future learners. Only by maintaining this access can we strengthen the pipeline of skilled, compassionate social workers the country depends on.