Social worker skills to include on your CV

By Sophie · Published 30 October 2026

Professional skills

Needs assessment

Describe the assessments you completed, the people involved and how you recorded their needs.

On your CV Completed assessments with adults and their carers to identify care and support needs.

Safeguarding

Explain your role in responding to a safeguarding concern and the action you took.

On your CV Gathered information from family members and professionals after a safeguarding concern was raised.

Risk assessment and planning

Give an example of how you identified a risk and agreed a plan to address it.

On your CV Reviewed risks with a young person and agreed a safety plan with the family and school.

Direct work with people and families

Describe the support you provided and how you involved the person in decisions.

On your CV Met parents at home to discuss family support options and agree next steps.

Multi-agency working

Name the services you worked with and the purpose of your joint work.

On your CV Worked with housing officers and mental health practitioners to coordinate support for adults leaving hospital.

Case recording and report writing

Specify the records or reports you prepared and the decisions they supported.

On your CV Prepared assessment reports and updated case notes following visits and professional meetings.

Professional qualities

Professional curiosity

Show how you followed up information that needed further exploration.

On your CV Followed up differing accounts from a family and school before updating an assessment.

Reflective practice

Describe a practice issue you brought to supervision and what you did afterwards.

On your CV Discussed barriers to a home visit in supervision and agreed a revised contact plan.

Managing challenging conversations

Give an example of a difficult discussion and how you helped the person understand the next steps.

On your CV Explained the reasons for an assessment to a parent and recorded their views on the proposed plan.

Tools and software

Electronic case management systems

Name the system you used and the records or workflows you maintained in it.

On your CV Used Mosaic to update case notes and record assessment activity.

Microsoft 365

Identify the applications you used and the documents or tasks they supported.

On your CV Used Word to prepare reports and Teams to attend multi-agency meetings.

Secure information handling

Describe how you used approved systems to share or store case information.

On your CV Shared assessment documents with partner professionals through an approved secure system.

Qualifications and registration

Social work qualification

Give the full title of your qualifying social work degree and the institution that awarded it.

On your CV BA (Hons) Social Work, awarded by a UK university.

Social Work England registration

State your registration status and include your registration number if you choose.

On your CV Registered with Social Work England.

Post-qualifying training

Name relevant completed training and its provider or date.

On your CV Completed safeguarding adults training through local authority learning and development.

Choose social worker skills for the role

Start with the responsibilities and person specification in the job advert. A children and families post may ask for experience of direct work with children, assessments and family support. An adults role may place more emphasis on care and support needs, work with carers or hospital discharge. Select the skills that reflect both the post and your own experience.

For each requirement, identify a piece of evidence. Think about the people you worked with, the purpose of your involvement and the action you took. If the post involves safeguarding, you might describe gathering information, attending a meeting or contributing to a protection plan. Give a clear account of your own role when the work involved a wider team.

Newly qualified social workers can draw on placement experience. Name the setting and explain the work you carried out under supervision. Training, voluntary work and previous employment can also provide relevant evidence, provided you distinguish them from social work practice.

Where to put your evidence on a CV

Place your Social Work England registration near the top of your CV, where a recruiter can find it. In your qualifications section, include the title of your qualifying degree and the awarding institution. Add relevant training with enough detail for the reader to understand its connection to the role.

Use a short skills section to make your main areas of practice easy to scan. Then show those skills in the employment section, under the posts where you developed them. For each role, give your job title, employer and dates, followed by bullets describing your responsibilities and contributions.

Include the practice setting and the people you supported where that context helps. A bullet about completing assessments is more useful when it explains whether you worked with adults, children or families. Name a case management system only if you have used it, and mention the tasks you carried out on it.

Keep examples accurate and confidential

Check that each statement reflects work you actually did. If you contributed to an assessment or plan, use wording that makes your contribution clear. Include figures only when you can support them and they help explain your responsibilities.

Protect the privacy of people you have worked with. Leave out names, addresses and details that could identify someone. You can still describe the setting, your action and the purpose of the work without giving a case history.

Review your CV against the requirements for the post before sending it. Remove skills you cannot evidence and check that your dates, qualifications and registration details are accurate. CV Ajuste can help tailor your CV and cover letter to an advert using the facts you provide.

Official source on this job: Social worker job profile, National Careers Service