For Tom Sander, being able to work within his own community and to get support with career progression are just some of the benefits of working for Bridgend County Borough Council.
Now a social worker, he began his career at Bridgend in 2012, having done a residential placement during his degree and took up an opportunity to stay permanently.
“I’ve had a lot of opportunities provided by the council, they were able to kindly support me through my degree,” he said. “They seconded me from my previous role and supported my development through my initial stages of employment to now as a social worker.”
Bridgend County Borough Council wants to challenge the image of a social worker’s role being heavy workloads and exceptionally long hours.
It offers full support, ongoing training and development opportunities, career progression and flexibility in the role and wants to hear from anyone struggling to maintain a healthy work-life balance and looking for new opportunities.
Bridgend County Borough Council is looking for social workers to join its team
(Image: Getty Images)
It says there are real benefits of living and working in Bridgend and wants to support staff to keep that balance with its ‘We put the care into your career’ campaign.
Tom said he really enjoys spending time with children and people making sure that they’re getting everything they need. “It’s a really varied role,” he said. “No day is really the same.”
“Now I am a social worker the demands of the job a lot more, but when I finish work, I tend to focus on finishing work, turn the laptop, phone off, and then focus on time with with myself really so whether that’s spending time with my son, go to the gym or jump on my bike and just explore.”
“The workload peaks and troughs, we work closely with colleagues and social care teams and that works really well. If the workload starts to feel unmanageable, there is support and supervision there. It is busy and hard work, but the help and support there for a good work life balance.”
He said for those who are considering relocation, there are plenty of things to do within Bridgend. “You can head on down to the beach or you can head up into the forestry. they’re all interconnected. For somebody thinking about relocating to Bridgend there is a lot to see, a lot to do.”
You can get support to relocate if you are looking for new opportunities within social work
(Image: Getty Images)
He said being supported is crucial. “I feel they support me as much as I support them. They have let me grow and progress. A career pathway was really important to me and they committed to funding and giving me time to do my degree.
“There are prospects and opportunities to try new things. I have further development as a person working here. Professional and academic opportunities have helped me in how I work and interact with families.
“It has giving me confidence and more effective communication with families. I have grown as a person generally, I have been nurtured.”
Find out more about the benefits of living and working in Bridgend County Borough on the council’s jobs pages. A list of current social work vacancies can be found on the social work recruitment pages, you can also view the videos from its social work staff on its YouTube channel.
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