Newly-Qualified Social Workers : A Practice Guide to the Assessed and Supported Year in Employment

The first year of practice can be a particularly daunting and challenging time for newly-qualified social workers (NQSWs). This fully revised and updated book directly addresses the crucial transition period between finishing off the social work degree and managing the first years of practice.  It offers down to earth, practical guidance on applying for your first post and managing your work load in the first few years. From useful sections on the Assessed and Supported Year in Employment (ASYE), supervision, dealing with conflict, court skills, report writing, and team work to what professionalism actually looks like in practice, this book will throw a life belt to not only NQSWs entering the workplace but for students on qualifying programmes who wish to develop their skills beyond graduation.  

Prof. Dr. Jonathan Parker of the Health Sciences University, UK, is Professor Emeritus at Bournemouth University, Professor Emeritus at the University of Stavanger, Norway, Visiting Professor at Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, Universiti Sains Malaysia, Doctoral programme team member at Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, Milan. He was one of the founders and director of the Family Assessment and Support Unit, a placement agency attached to the University of Hull and Head of the Department of Social Work.  He was Chair of the Association of Teachers in Social Work Education until 2005, Vice Chair of the UK higher education representative body, the Joint University Council for Social Work Education from 2005- 2010, and is a Fellow of the Academy of Social Sciences. He has published widely (over 200 scholarly papers and chapters and 43 books): on disadvantage, marginalisation and violence, Southeast Asia, social work and welfare education internationally. He is author of the best-selling book Social Work Practice (Sage, 2025) and series editor for the highly successful Transforming Social Work Practice series (Sage).

Keith holds professional qualifications in nursing, social work and teaching; and academic qualifications in nursing, social work and management. He has worked in the education and training field for over 30 years, working for three universities and three local authority social work departments. Currently he is the Director of the National Centre for Post-Qualifying Social Work and Professional Practice at Bournemouth University and the Director of the Centre for Leadership Impact and Management at Bournemouth. In 2005 he was awarded the Linda Ammon Memorial Award, sponsored by the then Department for Education and Skills, a prize awarded to the individual making the greatest contribution to training and education in the UK. His main academic interest lies in the fusion of academia and professional practice to help improve professional thinking and practice.

Di Galpin is a qualified social worker, having worked for 14 years in Mental Health,disability and older peoples services.  She is currently a Lecturer in Social Work at Plymouth University.