“I am lucky to have been able to have experienced so many different things as a social worker, and there are so many different pathways to take.”

Jacintah McCaffrey’s nearly 25-year career in social work in Northern Ireland began in 2001 with her first role at a children’s residential home. However, every experience has been supported by her drive to ensure continued learning is part of her practice.

No day is the same…

Since then, she has worked in a regional HIV team supporting individuals and their families infected or affected by a diagnosis of HIV, and in safeguarding roles where she supported children and their families, as well as helping to ease the transition for children who becoming looked-after children. She has also worked as a lead social worker for adult safeguarding.

Today, Jacintah is an Assistant Service Manager in Learning Disability Services at the Belfast Health and Social Care Trust where she manages two teams specialising in supporting adults with learning disabilities. Commenting on her work, Jacintah says, “Many of our service users can have complex health needs or dual diagnoses. My days do vary; don’t forget you’re working with real people and your plans can be changed by illness or an unplanned crisis.”

The team she manages is multi-disciplinary and includes dieticians, social workers, physiotherapists, occupational therapists, and more, with between 30 to 35 professionals supporting people in need of their services. The type of work they carry out includes home visits to provide support, needs assessments, providing respite support, and future planning to meet people’s needs as carers age or their needs evolve.

Additionally, Jacintah is also a Practice Teacher where she oversees social work students undertaking Practice Learning Opportunities. “My job requires a lot of coordination,” Jacintah says. “The job is complex, fulfilling and day to day could be very different.” At a regional level, Jacintah works closely with other Health and Social Care Trusts to standardise practice to deliver the best support for the community.

A unique journey into social work…

Jacinta’s pathway into being a qualified social worker in Northern Ireland is unique. Born, raised and educated in Kenya, Jacintah always aspired to being a social worker, but after encouragement from her family to enter a more ‘traditional’ career she became a school teacher first.

“I was taught by religious sisters in school and two of the nuns were social workers. Knowing them helped me to understand the role social workers have in the community. Initially, people back home thought social workers were people who came in to give you what you need and then went away, or people who only got involved when you were ‘in trouble,’ so it made sense that older generations wanted their children to have other professions like doctor, nurse, lawyer or teacher,” Jacintah says.

Jacintah taught in high schools for four years in the Rift Valley, an area of Kenya with a diverse community of people from varied backgrounds and tribes. “At the back of my mind, I always wanted to be a social worker,” Jacintah says. “So, when I got married, I began a career change which took me to Nairobi to pursue an undergraduate social work qualification.”

Jacintah studied at the Catholic University of East Africa, completing a three-year undergraduate degree and training programme including placements in some of the worst slums in Africa. Supporting children living on the street and working in a UN refugee camp, her career in social work bloomed in Nairobi before she and her family made the decision to relocate to Northern Ireland.

Moving from Kenya to Northern Ireland

“Transferring credentials to the UK was not complex,” Jacintah reflects. “I was supported by family members who had worked in the NHS. They were able to connect me with senior social workers who guided me through the process of verifying my qualifications.”

Six months before moving to Northern Ireland, Jacintah initiated the process, which examined what modules she studied at university and determined their quality, assessing whether the training she received was adequate for working locally here. “The Central Council for Education and Training in Social Work (CCETSW), which later merged into the Northern Ireland Social Care Council, liaised with my university to investigate my work in Kenya, and as I reached the end of this process I applied for my first post in the Belfast Trust.” In October 2001, Jacintah began her social work career working in a residential home. “This role gave me a great understanding of baseline, policies and procedures which differed at times from what I was used to at home. The job was very interesting – and quite a learning curve!”

Continuing to grow through training

Jacintah used her new surroundings as an opportunity to continue to further her professional development. “I was so surprised to learn of the level of training available for social workers here– particularly for those who were just joining the profession,” she says.

Engaging with the training teams in the Belfast Trust, Jacintah continues even today to develop and grow her knowledge and understanding to better inform her practice as a social worker. “The training teams soon became my rock in terms of developing my career, considering more appropriate training, and enhancing the skills that I did bring through my experience.”

Jacintah attained the full framework of post-qualifying training available at that time within two years of starting work here, and she claims this propelled her journey in further education and training. “This training helped me to grow my understanding around the systems of social work, my role and the underpinning social work values, and the expectations of the social worker in the workplace as well as from the regulatory body.”

Coming from a background where the practitioner is expected to pay for training, Jacintah was amazed to learn of the free training available to her and the social work profession. “In my previous roles, your organisation did not necessarily have the obligation to provide free training to social workers. I grabbed any opportunity to learn more whilst also balancing my own family needs. In many cases I was working through the night to ensure I progressed my own career, but was just excited by these opportunities to get support and enhance my profession and my practise.”

The training made such an impact on Jacintah that she eventually assumed the role of trainer herself. “For those social workers who are just arriving in this country or who are newly qualified, I just find the support to be absolutely amazing and it is there for anyone who is keen to develop their career,” she says. “The support I received extended beyond training and also included support from the training team, with opportunities to meet with them, and having educational reflective sessions.” Inspired by further education in social work, Jacintah also attended Queen’s University Belfast to secure a Postgraduate Degree in Social Work.

Social work weaves a common thread

Whether working with vulnerable children or adults with learning disabilities, Jacintah has found a common thread in her work as a social worker. “Social work is a career that encompasses the spectrum of human rights and explores how we can empathise and support people who deal with different challenges,” she says.

She has found commonalities working with children in Kenya who have experienced significant trauma through abject poverty, and young people in Northern Ireland who have also experienced difficult childhood experiences. This has continued in her work now with adults, where she has extended her knowledge of how trauma informs the way people respond in childhood and into adulthood.

Encouraging social workers who have qualified in other countries and newcomers to the profession to stick with it, Jacintah says it’s important to focus on finding your speciality area. “Social work has such a wide range of roles. You can be a manager, a lecturer, or a trainer, amongst others things. I am lucky to have been able to have experienced so many different things as a social worker, and there are so many different pathways to take, depending on where you want to go.”

Working with refugees, street children, families living in slums, looked after children, children requiring the support of social work and needing protection, and acting as a trainer before finally progressing to a managerial position, Jacintah’s career reflects the truly diverse opportunities available for social workers and the many pathways qualified social workers can take to build successful, lifelong careers.

“Becoming aware of the values of social work, I have found they align with my own core values and beliefs. As both a teacher and a social worker, my careers have centred around people and working to ensure you are protecting their dignity and promoting their human rights,” Jacintah says.

Feeling inspired?

You can find out more about how to become a social worker, and how to apply for the degree in social work here.

If you are an internationally qualified social worker, Jacintah also talks about her experiences. Find out more here.