INTERVIEW Childrens social worker Amy Norris tells Mark Ivory why being based in a hospital is the place for her Briefly describe your role as a social worker I am a principal social worker in a childrens social work team, based in a hospital. This title just means that I deputise for the team manager as well as hold cases. The type of work is mainly pre-birth assessments but I also work with children who are admitted. This could be child protection work when there are unexplained injuries, or it can be in a much more supportive role if children and families need extra help while they are in the hospital. I know that Ive kept a lot of babies safe Why did you take up this particular job? I have worked with looked-after children and in a youth support team and felt that I had gained a lot of insight into how decisions made in a childs early life affected them much later, right into adulthood. I wanted to work at the very beginning a childs life and try to make the best decisions for those babies. And, if Im being very honest, I had hoped that working in a hospital would CV Amy Norris allow me to finish work on time more often than I had been able to in my previous teams. No such luck! What most interests you about the job? I like the length of time I get to work with most families. If we receive a referral early enough in pregnancy, it can give me a good few months to do some meaningful work with the parents before the baby is born. I can be quite creative and do not feel I need to rush in and out of their lives to finish an assessment. I also enjoy court work because I find the intricacies of the law fascinating. And working in a hospital allows me to work alongside other professionals and learn lots of complicated medical terms! Away from the hospital, I have developed a sideline as one of The College of Social Works media spokespeople. What piece of work are you most proud of? I know that Ive kept a lot of babies safe and that is always the most important thing, but I feel really proud of the work I did with one mother who previously had a child removed from her. There were some really difficult moments, and she did not always agree with me, but she I have a love-hate relationship with social work sometimes but I cannot think of anything else I would want to do worked so hard and I was able to feel confident that she could keep her new baby in her care. Im more proud of her really. Name one thing that really annoys you and why The thing that annoys me more than anything else is when I work with other professionals (social workers or others) who do not understand the law. I am often asked by medical staff whether I will allow a child to go home and I have to explain that, if there is no order (or evidence to get an order), I cannot override a parents legal responsibility. I think part of the problem is that social work senior managers do not teach others about the law, and the constraints that we work within. This means that there can be lots of tension within professional networks and it is left up to individual social workers to try to get everyone working together in the childs best interest. This can waste so much time, and be very draining. What motivated you to become a social worker? I used to work in nursing homes during school and college to save up money for university. I loved working with older people and it was eye opening for me. I went to university to study music but then had a change of heart and decided to study religion. It made me so interested in people, their communities, and other societies. I thought I might end up working abroad for the United Nations but felt that I needed practical skills. Once I started the social work masters degree I picked the option to do an essay about childrens law and thats when I realised that I wanted to work in childrens social work. I think I was always going to work in this field in some capacity as I came from a very political, union-supporting and diverse family. There can be lots of tension within professional networks and it is left to individual social workers to get everyone working together in the childs best interest. This can waste so much time, and be very draining If you had your time again, would you still be a social worker? Depends which day youre asking me! I have a love-hate relationship with social work sometimes and I cant say that I always enjoy it but I cannot think of anything else I would want to do. How do you relax after a busy day? I have always been sporty and Im really into salsa and tango dancing at the moment. I also love reading novels and I have a great partner and friends that I see often. Im not sure I ever really relax, and generally keep myself busy. Although I always try to have a sneaky nap at the weekend!