Mental health social worker to mental health support worker
A mental health social worker already meets 74% of what the mental health support worker role asks for. The move turns on 17 required skills not yet in the profile.
44.2/ 100
1 How much of what a mental health support worker is expected to do is already part of a mental health social worker’s work. Directional: the figure for the reverse move differs, because moving into a speciality is not the same problem as moving out of one. 2 Every skill the mental health support worker role is recorded as needing, required and optional together. What these numbers mean.
Why this move works
A mental health support worker role treats 48 of its required skills as things a mental health social worker already does. You would walk in with these on day one.
- accept own accountability
- adhere to organisational guidelines
- adolescent psychological development
- advocate for social service users
- apply decision making within social work
- apply holistic approach within social services
What stands in the way is 17 required skills the profile does not yet cover. Table 3 groups them; Table 4 says which to take first.
Table 2 · What you already bring
Of the 51 skills that carry over, these are the ones fewest other occupations ask for. A mental health support worker role needs them, and most people applying for one will not have them already. This is the part of a mental health social worker background worth leading with.
- already held conduct forensic evaluations communication, collaboration and creativity
- already held carry out psychiatric assessment of child information skills
- already held diagnose psychiatric symptoms information skills
- already held clinical social work health and welfare
- already held adolescent psychological development social sciences, journalism and information
- already held promote service users' rights communication, collaboration and creativity
All 51 carried skills, including the 48 the mental health support worker role treats as required.
Table 3 · What you may need to learn
The 17 missing skills fall into 4 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, numbered in the order worth working in. Areas carrying the most required skills come first, and inside each one the required skills sit above the optional ones. Nothing here is a verdict on you: it is a list of what this particular job asks for that your current one does not.
- still to learn assist individuals with disabilities in community activities required
- still to learn assist social service users in formulating complaints required
- still to learn encourage social service users to preserve their independence in their daily activities required
- still to learn refer service users to community resources required
- still to learn support service users in developing skills required
- still to learn support service users to use technological aids required
- still to learn support social service users with specific communication needs required
- still to learn assist social service users with physical disabilities required
- still to learn comply with legislation in social services required
- still to learn maintain privacy of service users required
- still to learn support harmed social service users required
- still to learn support social service users' positiveness required
- still to learn maintain the trust of service users required
- still to learn support social service users in skills management required
- still to learn monitor service users' health required
- still to learn undertake risk assessment of social service users required
- still to learn customer service required
Table 4 · Where to start
The 3 entries a mental health support worker role is least likely to hire without. The ordering is computed from the skill data, not from what pays.
- 01 assist individuals with disabilities in community activities practise this
- 02 assist social service users in formulating complaints practise this
- 03 customer service study this
Each entry opens a course search for that skill. Career Overlap earns nothing from these links.
Appendix · The rest of the record
All 51 skills that carry over
- already held accept own accountability skill
- already held adhere to organisational guidelines skill
- already held adolescent psychological development knowledge
- already held advocate for social service users skill
- already held apply decision making within social work skill
- already held apply holistic approach within social services skill
- already held apply organisational techniques skill
- already held apply person-centred care skill
- already held apply problem solving in social service skill
- already held apply quality standards in social services skill
- already held apply socially just working principles skill
- already held assess social service users' situation skill
- already held assess the development of youth skill
- already held build helping relationship with social service users skill
- already held communicate professionally with colleagues in other fields skill
- already held communicate with social service users skill
- already held company policies knowledge
- already held conduct interview in social service skill
- already held contribute to protecting individuals from harm skill
- already held deliver social services in diverse cultural communities skill
- already held demonstrate leadership in social service cases skill
- already held diagnose psychiatric symptoms skill
- already held follow health and safety precautions in social care practices skill
- already held involve service users and carers in care planning skill
- already held legal requirements in the social sector knowledge
- already held listen actively skill
- already held maintain records of work with service users skill
- already held manage social crisis skill
- already held manage stress in the work place skill
- already held meet standards of practice in social services skill
- already held prepare youths for adulthood skill
- already held prevent social problems skill
- already held promote inclusion skill
- already held promote service users' rights skill
- already held promote social change skill
- already held promote the safeguarding of young people skill
- already held protect vulnerable social service users skill
- already held provide social counselling skill
- already held relate empathetically skill
- already held report on social development skill
- already held review social service plan skill
- already held social justice knowledge
- already held social sciences knowledge
- already held support the positiveness of youths skill
- already held tolerate stress skill
- already held undertake continuous professional development in social work skill
- already held work in a multicultural environment in health care skill
- already held work within communities skill
- already held carry out psychiatric assessment of child skill
- already held clinical social work knowledge
- already held conduct forensic evaluations skill
0 supplementary skills, helpful but not required
30 held skills the mental health support worker role does not ask for
- not needed by the target role address problems critically skill
- not needed by the target role advise on mental health skill
- not needed by the target role apply anti-oppressive practices skill
- not needed by the target role apply case management skill
- not needed by the target role apply crisis intervention skill
- not needed by the target role consider social impact of actions on service users skill
- not needed by the target role cooperate at inter-professional level skill
- not needed by the target role develop professional identity in social work skill
- not needed by the target role develop professional network skill
- not needed by the target role diagnosis of mental health issues knowledge
- not needed by the target role empower social service users skill
- not needed by the target role evaluate older adults' ability to take care of themselves skill
- not needed by the target role have computer literacy skill
- not needed by the target role identify mental health issues skill
- not needed by the target role make legislation transparent for users of social services skill
- not needed by the target role manage ethical issues within social services skill
- not needed by the target role negotiate with social service stakeholders skill
- not needed by the target role negotiate with social service users skill
- not needed by the target role older adults' needs knowledge
- not needed by the target role organise social work packages skill
- not needed by the target role plan social service process skill
- not needed by the target role promote mental health skill
- not needed by the target role provide support to social services users skill
- not needed by the target role refer social service users skill
- not needed by the target role social work theory knowledge
- not needed by the target role support social service users to manage their financial affairs skill
- not needed by the target role support traumatised children skill
- not needed by the target role use clinical assessment techniques skill
- not needed by the target role work with healthcare users' social network skill
- not needed by the target role work with patterns of psychological behaviour skill
1 gaps that are knowledge rather than practice
Knowledge gaps usually close through study. Practical skill gaps usually need something you can point at.
- still to learn customer service required
Other moves recorded from mental health social worker
Common questions about this move
Can a mental health social worker become a mental health support worker?
Yes, and it is a moderate move. A mental health social worker already covers 74% of what a mental health support worker is expected to do: 51 skills carry over, 48 of which the mental health support worker role treats as required.
What skills does a mental health social worker need to become a mental health support worker?
17 required skills are missing, plus 0 optional ones. They fall into 4 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, led by assisting and caring. The single most important is assist individuals with disabilities in community activities.
How hard is the move from mental health social worker to mental health support worker?
Its learning distance is 44.2 out of 100, which is the moderate band. That accounts for both how much is missing and how specialised those skills are.
How this record was compiled
Both occupations are taken from ESCO, which lists the skills and knowledge each occupation is expected to have and marks every one required or optional. Nothing here is a prediction about hiring, and nothing here knows that a particular employer wants a particular certificate. Treat Table 3 as a starting point for your own research rather than a syllabus. The full method states what these figures can and cannot tell you.