Principal Laura-Lee gives an insight into the sources of support and information available for Social Workers, working through Keenan. 

When the Universities announced that the Academic Year was coming to a close early in March 2020 I had a lot of phone calls and emails from worried students and new graduates about their future.   You might think as a Recruitment Agency the anxieties and concerns related only to their career however I listened as many discussed having to move home or out of Halls of Residence.  They had concerns for their service users and not having proper endings with their young people.  They were concerned for their education and when or if they would see each other in class again.  They had financial concerns and stresses and of course concerns over physical health of themselves and their families.  

Over the last few months Keenan Recruitment has been keeping open lines of communication with our candidates signposting them to resources to support them and one amazing resource I have come across has been The Student Social Work Hub @SWbohemians on Twitter.  An online community of Social Work Students from Across the UK who are sharing fantastic Webinars and Blogs about their experiences.  

The weekly Wednesday Webinars are facilitated by Practice Teacher Siobhan Maclean.  Topics covered include Social Work Practice, Social Work Theory and Reflection and Supervision.  These are designed to encourage discussion, share insights and provide virtual support and supervision.   The Q&A and Chat Boxes are lively and really informative and the online community has been extremely active on Social Channels attracting up to 700 participants and thousands of followers.   You can also watch at Siobhan’s You Tube Channel https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vYwsjRUTdZo

There are also additional FREE resources available on https://socialworkconnect.com/login

This inspiring group of students have proved an excellent source of information and support and I would definitely recommend linking in with them.   

Alongside this support, Keenan Recruitment offers a free of charge and confidential well-being package to look after temporary workers financial well-being. Through this package you can avail of professional advice on mortgage applications, debt management, pension plans and budgeting. We respect that when leaving University, you can be left with loans and debt which can seem unmanageable. Keenan are here to help you with that, so you can ease into your new world of employment as seamlessly as possible. 

For more information on this blog or to discuss Social Work opportunities throughout Northern Ireland, please email Laura-Lee at  socialwork@keenanrecruitment.co.uk