Episode 13: Manage Your Role (NOS 3) & Exercise Professional Judgement in Social Work (NOS 4)

Before this week’s topics, we talk about something we’ve been thinking about a lot lately: “toxic positivity”, celebrating other people’s successes rather than tearing each other down, and why supporting the people around us matters.There’s also some silliness, including the arrival of our new “muffs” (microphone muffs 🤣). You can imagine the hilarity!We share our proud moment of the week, reflecting on supporting a mutual friend through a difficult time. We talk about the value of really listening, using our experiences and reflective listening to understand what someone is saying and offer support without trying to fix everything.And we’ve introduced Proud Fridays! Follow us on social media and look out for these posts, you can share something that has gone well for you and we’ll celebrate with you. 🩵💛💚Also, Abigail has officially become the #ResearchQueen. Is this the beginning of a new trend? 🤣We then get stuck into National Occupational Standards (NOS) 3 & 4 for social work:NOS 3 – Manage your role as a professional social workerNOS 4 – Exercise professional judgement in social workThese are part of the National Occupational Standards used in social work education and practice in Wales. NOS 3 focuses on managing the demands of the social work role, including time, energy, expertise, personal wellbeing and safety. NOS 4 focuses on making rigorous, thoughtful and independent professional judgements, including analysing information and considering its implications. (Social Care Wales)We work through the performance criteria and bring them to life with practical examples from social work practice. We discuss things such as:•⁠ ⁠managing workload, competing demands and feeling overwhelmed•⁠ ⁠knowing when and how to ask for support•⁠ ⁠staying safe when working with people•⁠ ⁠using peer and formal supervision effectively•⁠ ⁠reflecting on practice and continuing to develop•⁠ ⁠using evidence to inform professional decisions•⁠ ⁠recognising that professional judgement can involve changing your mind when new information emerges•⁠ ⁠recognising the influence of assumptions and unconscious bias•⁠ ⁠balancing professional knowledge, evidence, risk, rights and the individual circumstances of the person•⁠ ⁠practical strategies that can help you feel safer and more supported in practice; including having a code word when you’re on a visit!We answer questions from an anonymous student social worker and Sarah, a senior social worker, giving different perspectives on developing confidence, managing your role and exercising professional judgement.Throughout the episode, we touch on peer supervision, resilience, unconscious bias, holistic practice, mental capacity, “bloody-mindedness” and Signs of Safety; including how these concepts can influence social work thinking and decision-making.Our conversations about supervision and reflection also link closely with current Social Care Wales guidance, which emphasises supervision as an opportunity to reflect on practice, receive support and feedback, identify learning and development needs, and consider what could be done differently. (Social Care Wales)As always, this is our experience and perspective rather than us claiming to have all the answers!If there’s something you think our experiences might help with, get in touch: sowhatsocialwork@gmail.comReferences & further reading:•⁠ ⁠Social Care Wales – Social Work Degree in Wales: Practice Assessment Guidance (NOS 3 & NOS 4) (Social Care Wales)•⁠ ⁠Social Care Wales – Code of Professional Practice for Social Care Workers (2026) (Social Care Wales)•⁠ ⁠Social Care Wales – Practice Guidance for the Code of Professional Practice (including unconscious bias and anti-discriminatory practice) (Social Care Wales)•⁠ ⁠Social Care Wales – Effective Supervision in Social Care (Social Care Wales)•⁠ ⁠Welsh Government – Mental Capacity Act 2005 guidance and related Welsh legislation/guidance (GOV.WALES)