r/Socialworkuk • u/ShiannaX4 • 11d ago

ASYE

Hey Everyone,

Slowly losing my mind with search for an ASYE. I graduated September 3rd 2025 (did the graduation ceremony 2026 as had to re-take an assessment) with my social work degree. I have registered to Social Work England yesterday and have a reference number.

I live in Brighton and Hove and unfortunately don’t drive so commute is smaller for me.

I am actively searching for an ASYE role but can’t seem to find one at all. I don’t think statutory is for me really as I did it on my last placement (Children Team) and I struggled with the high turn over rate and not a lot of relationship-building work which when I think of social work that’s what I want to do.

All job roles posted at the minute are wanting experience (three years) and I only have my placement experience. When I search with key words like NQSW or ASYE nothing comes up 😭

I have started sending emails to charities and independent fostering agency’s near me enquiring about ASYE and waiting to hear back and I’ve also emailed my university tutor for advice.

I am working at Greggs at the minute just to live but have sent off some applications to children’s residential home in hove (lioncaregroup), outreach worker roles, BHT Sussex and AMAZE. Just so I can do something in the social sector in the meantime!

I just don’t want the three years studying to be for nothing if all I get are support roles can I realistically do those full time with the small amount of money I would earn?

I want to help people but I guess I’m just struggling at the minute. Is an ASYE a really big deal, what if I don’t get one in time as I know there is a finding time limit !

Just some advice from people who are going through the same things or have been. I know social work is a very broad role but I can’t seem to find anything that I would like to do.

P.S. my first plan before all of this worry was to travel around SEA for the year but everyone is telling me that’s the wrong plan which is why I’m asking for advice and doing all of these things

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u/peony_beony 11d ago

If you don’t want a statutory role, where do you want to work? I think you need to narrow down what it is you do want to do, you sound very undecided and not particularly keen for a SW role on this and your last post. Your applications will need to be really clear and passionate to stand out. You can use your placement as experience and do voluntary work in the sector you want perhaps? You don’t need to do ASYE, especially if you don’t want statutory.

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u/ShiannaX4 11d ago

Yeah that’s true I just don’t want to decide something now that could close doors for future me !

I am interested in relationship-building, humanitarian working. I like the idea of children’s but open to adults. I just feel very stifled in a set course at the moment. I think international humanitarian working sounds great or refugee and asylum seeking children or adults. I just don’t know how to get there from just graduating, there wasn’t a lot of guidance. Can my social work degree go and do this sort of thing and if so where would I even start 😭

Can I be a social worker in a voluntary sector like this and how do I get them to higher me

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u/ganbatte 11d ago edited 11d ago

I am interested in relationship-building, humanitarian working. I like the idea of children’s but open to adults. I just feel very stifled in a set course at the moment. I think international humanitarian working sounds great or refugee and asylum seeking children or adults. I just don’t know how to get there from just graduating

The easiest way to get those kinds of roles is to do a year or two in, say, child protection to build skills. From there, you apply for roles when they come up. E.g., UASC social csre teams. But they can be quite competitive as they are specialists. You say youre interested in relationship building and, well, child protection is one of the best places to learn that since its such a crazy environment where building fast relationships is paramount.

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u/ShiannaX4 11d ago

Yeah just looking for a local authority that has roles available near me

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u/ContributionSad8981 11d ago

Go onto gov jobs like civil service , mental health ch etc

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u/ContributionSad8981 11d ago

Mental health charity , mind , cafcass , children’s home , mother and baby unit , women rufuge , adult social worker , hospital discharge and you need to email the companies directly . You can also apply for a role as a social work assistant

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u/ShiannaX4 11d ago

Okay and do they all do ASYE ?

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u/ContributionSad8981 11d ago

No but if you can’t find a role as asye stat you can just do these roles for a while and then you won’t need to do asye anymore . They are also making asye now for 2 years length

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u/ShiannaX4 11d ago

What do you mean I don’t have to do an ASYE anymore I thought it was needed and people turn you away if you don’t ?

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u/ContributionSad8981 11d ago

You only need asye if you are doing a la stat job after the first two years of qualifying but if you are just looking for work after degree you can do any other of the jobs and then go back into la stat and you won’t need asye

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u/ShiannaX4 11d ago

Really ? I was told that they would make you do an ASYE do they take experience into account then?

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u/ContributionSad8981 11d ago

I think there are loopholes to it because I’ve done a lot of research and there are actually certain boroughs that don’t require an ASYE, like Southwork for example. So I’d probably recommend writing down all the boroughs in your area and then checking other social work job listings because they’ll usually have an email or someone you can contact to ask directly.

But I do think there are ways around it because there was a man in my child protection team while I’m doing my ASYE, and I overheard my manager when they were hiring him. They were questioning why he didn’t have an ASYE, but it sounded like he’d worked in a non-statutory setting, maybe a charity, for a few years, so he didn’t end up doing it again.

So I think if the work is still relevant to social work or working with people, there might be ways to bypass it because I’m not sure they can always make you do the ASYE. Like if it’s a few years after graduating and you’ve got several years of relevant experience, I’m not really sure how it works.

I know a lot of boroughs encourage it, but I do think sometimes it’s also linked to funding because they get money for ASYE programmes.

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u/ShiannaX4 11d ago

That makes sense

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u/ShiannaX4 11d ago

Ooh I’ll have a look

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u/ContributionSad8981 11d ago

I work in cp and it’s awful I want to leave but you have to try absolutely everything I have looked up so many jobs and so many companies you have to really try

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u/Normal-Bid8828 10d ago

What you have described is not really statutory social work the majority of which is risk assessment, report writing and adhering to legal frameworks. The VCSE sector will work better for you however you could do with getting statutory experience first I’d say as a basis oh and you definitely need to drive

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u/ShiannaX4 9d ago

I did my last placement in statutory children’s so did get a little bit but yeah I could do. I’m just struggling overall to be honest for looking at that ASYE role. I’ve asked my university tutor for some help and guidance so hopefully that comes through. I am looking at support roles now just to get back into that sort of thing as I’m working at Greggs which is making me so bored 😴.

Driving seems to be needed just waiting to earn some extra money and start some driving lessons with my mum I think once I get started I could get it done quickly.

I think I am putting too much pressure on myself at the moment to follow that perfect role and pathway of a social worker and these last few days it’s been hard on my mental health so will be just taking it slow and having a step back.