Social Work Professional Support Service (SWPSS)

This free and confidential service has been designed to give you an opportunity to reflect and talk through the personal and professional challenges you might be facing. 

All our trained coaches are social workers and understand the challenges faced by the social work sector.  They offer free and independent coaching for social workers at any stage of their career. 

The Social Work Professional Support Service (SWPSS) is now offering up to six FREE one-hour sessions.  You can return to use the service again; all we ask is that you have a three month break between each series of six sessions. 

Workplace coaching is quite a new approach to professional development in social work, but it is a powerful tool to help improve performance and support individuals to reach their full potential.

Coaching sessions provide a space for:

• Listening to explore experiences, issues and emotions that have come up during practice.
• Reflection to help explore behaviours and beliefs, career aspirations and personal goals.
• Resourcefulness to think about best practice guidance, career development and partnership working but also tools to support you to maintain your wellbeing, improve your motivation and/or self-confidence.

BASW with Durham University undertook an academic evaluation of the service during early 2025.  Findings indicate that 'social workers often turn to coaching during times of crisis, stress or uncertainty, using it as a ‘circuit breaker’ to interrupt unsustainable working patterns. Notably, 75% of coachees reported being ‘very satisfied’ with the service. A key strength of the SWPSS lies in its distinctive ‘coaching in the context of social work’ model, which fosters shared understanding between coach and coachee. This approach helps coachees feel safe, seen and heard while also supporting them to reconnect with their core values and regain a sense of purpose and professional agency. Coaches also described experiencing renewed motivation, viewing the service as a meaningful way to give back to the profession and stay connected to the realities of frontline practice'.

Since the service began, over 1000 social workers have benefitted from using the service, and we have had some fantastic feedback.  You can visit the website to read about other people's experiences with the SWPSS and their reasons for using the service.

If you still have questions about using the service, you might find the answer on our website or frequently asked questions.