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.

Coaching is available for any social worker at any stage in their career. Whether you are new to the profession, looking to develop and gain a promotion or experiencing personal challenges affecting your work, you can find out more about the support offered by a trained coach on our website.
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.
Brilliant safe space to work with an experienced coach as a sounding board for your prevailing issues - makes you feel valued and listened to. Helps you to focus rather than mulling things over in your head without resolution. And it gives you confidence in your abilities to make effective changes.
Watch this short video to tell you more about the support SWPSS can offer.
If you still have questions about using the service, you might find the answer on our website or frequently asked questions.
The SWPSS is available to all registered social workers and social work students across Wales, supported by funding from the Welsh Government.
Get in touch here to access the service in Wales.
You can then choose a coach you think best suits your needs and set up a session at a time that suits you.

SWPSS is currently only available free to BASW members in England.
Not a BASW Member? Join BASW, by your side every step of the way.

Get in touch here to access the service in England - for BASW members only
You can then choose a coach you think best suits your needs and set up a session at a time that suits you.
The SWPSS is available to all registered social workers and social work students across Northern Ireland, supported by funding from the Northern Ireland Department of Health.
Get in touch here to access the service in Northern Ireland
You can then choose a coach you think best suits your needs and set up a session at a time that suits you.

SWPSS is available to all registered social workers and social work students across Scotland, supported by funding from the Scottish Government.

Get in touch here to access the service in Scotland
You can then choose a coach you think best suits your needs and set up a session at a time that suits you.
