NSPCC Cymru Celebrates Social Work Week highlighting the vital work of their Children’s Service Practitioners

As part of Social Work Week, we are celebrating the work of professionals at NSPCC Cymru who work closely with children to keep them safe from harm and neglect.

Staff and volunteers come from a wide range of experience and have often worked in challenging and demanding roles before joining the organisation.

Once such area is social work and the skills and knowledge of this discipline are key to the work of our Children’s Services Practitioners (CSPs).

While people often shy away from talking about child abuse, the reality is that half a million children experience abuse every year. We need to talk about it, and the CSP team at NSPCC Cymru is here to help prevent it happening. We are here to support children and their families when it has happened, to reduce stigma and shame and help promote recovery.

Sophie Dowle is a Children’s Services Practitioner (CSP) based in Cardiff and explains what brought her to NSPCC Cymru a year ago and the vital work her team does.

Sophie said, “I qualified as a social worker in 2018 and worked in Child Protection and Counter Exploitation teams in a local authority children’s services department prior to joining the NSPCC.

“At NSPCC Cymru we work on a range of direct initiatives including a therapeutic service for children and their families and carers following sexual abuse.

“We deliver a service called Pregnancy in Mind which helps expectant parents with or at risk of mild to moderate anxiety or depression, and we are about to deliver a perinatal service that supports vulnerable parents, developing their confidence in parenting and meeting the needs of their baby.”

There are some differences between the kinds of social work support our Children’s Services Practitioners provide and the traditional roles associated with local authority social workers.

Sophie continues, “Local Authority social workers tend to deal with safeguarding risks in the here and now with overall responsibility for the plan of care and support a child needs.

“We do not deliver statutory services and crisis intervention. Our direct services practitioners offer support to prevent the harm in the first place, or support recovery once a child is safe.

“By working with other agencies and partners to help care and support children, we are afforded the time and a reduced case load to work intensively and creatively with young people and their families.

“It was the opportunity to develop my therapeutic skills, and hearing about the Letting the Future In service, which delivers therapeutic work following sexual abuse, that motivated me to join NSPCC Cymru.”

The skills needed for this demanding role include general child-centred social work skills, empathy, good communication, listening and analytical skills as well as creativity and decision-making skills.  Sophie says she appreciates the support and training the organisation provides.

She added, “I love the time and creativity I am given to work with children and their families. The work is very rewarding. I have worked with so many wonderful young people and have learnt things from them all. It is a privilege to be a part of their journey.

“In Social Work Week it’s important to spread the message about the vital role social work plays in safeguarding and supporting people and an opportunity to promote the work our Children’s Services Practitioners do at NSPCC Cymru to keep children and young people safe.”

NSPCC Cymru’s Direct Services team manager, Jess Hiscock said; “We value the diverse experiences and knowledge our practitioners bring to the role. Sophie and her practitioner colleagues’ passion and commitment to ensuring babies, children, young people and their families are supported and safe contributes to so many improved outcomes for those with whom we work.”

To find out more about Social Care Week visit Social Work Week 2025 | Social Care Wales

For more about the NSPCC’s services visit NSPCC | The UK children’s charity | NSPCC