The NQSW supported year became mandatory in October 2024 and is part of a framework that sets a clear career pathway for social workers and employers from education, qualification through to advanced practice.
Importance of support
Before joining the SSSC, our Director of Workforce, Education and Standards, Laura Lamb, worked as a local authority social worker in child and adolescent mental health services and knows just how important a mandatory supported year is for social workers, as it is for so many other professions.
Speaking about the supported year Laura said:
‘It’s widely recognised that our next generation of social work leaders need consistent nurturing and support during their first year of practice to ensure we have an increasingly confident and competent workforce for individuals, families and carers.
‘We have over 900 NQSWs registered with the SSSC and are delighted to continue to support them in their journey through our dedicated NQSW website, learning resources and events’.
Today we share the experiences of NQSWs, mentors and supervisors who took part in the early implementation of the supported year in our short clips below where they share their words of wisdom to help other NQSWs and those in mentoring and supervisory roles.
Our support
We’ll continue to support the workforce by providing resources for employers and NQSWs, as well as overseeing NQSW continuous professional learning (CPL).
Visit our dedicated NQSW website.
Upcoming SSSC events
Bringing CPL to life for newly qualified social workers (NQSWs)
19 March 2025, 1pm
NQSW Supported Year quarterly forum for NQSWs
17 April 2025, 12pm
NQSW Supported Year quarterly forum for supervisors
23 April 2025, 12pm