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Regulated Professional Roles

These roles require individuals to be registered with a regulated body to practice. They require relevant qualifications which might include an undergraduate degree or diploma.

Occupational therapists work with people with physical, mental or social disabilities to help them do everyday activities.

As an occupational therapist, you would spend time with individuals to find out what they usually do in their day-to-day life and any challenges they face. You’ll then help them find ways to overcome these challenges.

Role overview:

  • Helping people to adjust to their disability.
  • Providing specialist equipment to help with mobility.
  • Supporting people to adapt their home or vehicle to make them more accessible.
  • Helping people to cope with memory or sensory loss.
  • Teaching someone who’s recovering from a stroke how to do things themselves.
  • Advising housing departments on mobility issues.

Salary expectation:
The national average salary for an Occupational therapist is around £37,270 (between £31,000 and £44,000) in United Kingdom according to Glassdoor updated on April 2024. Salary estimates are based on salaries submitted anonymously to Glassdoor by Occupational therapist employees.

Skills and Experience:
Everyone working in social care needs English, number, digital and employability skills including teamwork and problem solving skills. What core skills do I need to work in social care outlines some of the skills you need and has short activities to help you think about transferable skills from your previous experiences.

There are also some specific skills needed to work in this role. These include:

  • Planning and organisational skills.
  • Communication skills.
  • The ability to form good working relationships

Qualifications:
You could start working as an occupational therapy support worker who works with an occupational therapist to give people practical support. You don’t necessarily need any qualifications to do this role. What’s really important is that you have the right values and behaviours to work in social care.

Your employer might ask that you have qualifications in English and number skills. It might also be helpful to have a social care qualification such as a Level two or three Diploma in Health and Social Care.

Employers could support you through an in-service course to become an occupational therapist.

Getting qualified:
To practice as an occupational therapist, you’ll need a degree in occupational therapy that’s been approved by the Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC), and be registered with the HCPC.

Each University has different entry requirements for their degrees but you’re likely to need three A-Levels or equivalent level 3 qualifications, and five supporting GCSE’s including English, maths and science.

It might also be useful to have experience working in a social care or health role on your university application. You could gain this experience through a work placement, from your personal life, through volunteering or as part of a traineeship or apprenticeship.

If you already have an undergraduate degree, you could do a postgraduate diploma or masters in occupational therapy.

Opportunities:
When you start in your role your employer should put you through an induction. This might include training necessary for your role such as health and safety, moving and handling and first aid. You might also receive specific training such as autism awareness, communication skills or working with people with dementia.

There may be opportunities to progress into senior occupational therapy roles and supervise others or work in different services with different people. If you already have an undergraduate degree, you could do a postgraduate diploma or masters in occupational therapy to develop your knowledge.

Counsellors provide emotional support to help people overcome challenges for example bereavement, living with a long-term condition or drug or alcohol addiction.

Counsellors can work in a care organisation, health service, community centre, youth service or have your own counselling business.

Role overview:

  • Giving people the opportunity to talk through their feelings
  • Listening to people and asking questions to encourage. them to reflect on their experiences.
  • Encouraging people to cope with their challenges and make positive changes in their lives

Salary expectations:
The national average salary for a Counsellor is £28,890 (between £23,000 and £36,000) in United Kingdom according to Glassdoor, updated in April 2024. Salary estimates are based on salaries submitted anonymously to Glassdoor by Counsellor employees.

Skills and Experience:
The specific skills needed to work in this role include

  • Excellent listening skills.
  • The ability to put people at ease.
  • The ability to cope in emotional situations.

You don’t need to have a degree to become a counsellor as there are qualifications in counselling at different levels. The British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy (BACP) recommend a three-stage training route:

  1. Introduction to counselling: basic counselling skills course usually lasting 12 weeks and is available at further education colleges.
  2. Certificate in counselling: provides theoretical understanding of counselling at a higher level usually lasting a year part time and available at further education colleges.
  3. Diploma level qualifications in counselling: usually one to two years part time with a minimum 100 hours’ work placement. There are lots of different courses and qualifications and you can find a list of BACP accredited courses here.

A degree in a related subject such as nursing, psychology, social work, or education might also be useful.

You may need some previous experience of working in social care, health or in a counselling role. You could gain this experience through a work placement, from your personal life, through volunteering or as part of a traineeship or apprenticeship.

What’s also important is that you have the right values and behaviours to work in social care.

How do I get started:
If you’ve completed an accredited counselling course that meets BACP requirements, you’re eligible to become a BACP member. This is desirable for employers as it shows you adhere to high standards of ethical practice.

When you start in your role, your employer should put you through an induction. This might include training necessary for your role such as health and safety and first aid. You might also receive specific training such as autism awareness, communication skills or working with people with dementia.

When in your role you could do a vocational qualification or a continuing professional development qualification such as courses on new therapeutic approaches. You could also work towards becoming an accredited counsellor.

There may be opportunities to progress into senior counselling roles, supervisory roles, or a management/ training role. You might also choose to specialise in areas such as bereavement, family therapy or substance abuse.

Social workers offer counselling and advocacy to individuals and families and intervene when vulnerable people need safeguarding.

As a social worker, you could support lots of people including older people, those with learning disabilities, physical disabilities, and mental health conditions such as people with depression, anxiety, schizophrenia and personality disorders.  

You’ll usually provide support for a certain period to help them adjust to changes in their lives such as illness, age related problems, disability or bereavement.

All roles that involve supporting or working with vulnerable individuals will require a Disclosure and Barring Service  (DBS_ check. Find out more about information about DBS checks involve here.

Role overview:

  • Finding out what type of care and support the person needs.
  • Doing assessments to make sure people continue to get the right care.
  • Offering information and counselling.
  • Intervening when people need support or safeguarding.
  • Keeping records and writing reports.

You’ll usually work as part of a team but have responsibility for a case load of different people. You’ll also need to work closely with other organisations such as the police, health services, schools, and probation services.

Salary expectation:
The average salary for Social Worker is £40,330, between £30,000 and £48,000, per year in the United Kingdom according to Glassdoor, updated on April 2024. Salary estimates are based on salaries submitted anonymously to Glassdoor by Social Worker employees in United Kingdom.

Skills and experience:

  • Problem solving skills to advise people on the best support for them.
  • Digital skills to keep records and find information online.
  • The ability to stay calm under pressure.
  • Team working skills to work with other social care and health professionals such as social workers and housing officers.

You’ll need a degree in social work that’s been approved by Social Work England, and be registered with Social Work England. It’s also really important that you have the right values and behaviours to work in social care.

Having experience working in a social care or health role on your university application will be useful. You could gain this experience through a work placement, from your personal life, through volunteering or as part of a traineeship or apprenticeship.

If you already have an undergraduate degree in a different subject you could do a two year postgraduate diploma or masters in social work, or you could apply for a fast track training route such as Step Up to Social Work.

Opportunities:
During your first year in work your employer may offer an Assessed and Supported Year in Employment. This includes extra support such as regular supervision, a training and development plan and extra time to do more learning and development. You’ll need to pass your ASYE in the first 12 months of starting work so you can get your ‘fitness to practice’ certificate.

Once completed your employer should outline a training pathway to help you progress in your career. Each employer will have a different pathway, but you might get the opportunity to get a Master’s Degree in Advanced Professional Practice.

Lots of social workers join the British Association of Social Workers to keep up to date with news and do continuing professional development courses to improve their skills and knowledge. 

There may be opportunities to progress into senior social work roles and supervise others or work in different services with different people. If you already have an undergraduate degree, you could do a postgraduate diploma or masters in social work to develop your knowledge.

You might progress into specialist social work roles such as a senior mental health practitioner or safeguarding and reviewing specialists. This means you would specialise in one area of work. You could also become a practice education and train students from a local university. 

Complementary Therapists provide complementary therapies such as reflexology, massage and aromatherapy to people who may be experiencing emotional distress, pain or psychological issues.

Complementary therapists could work in a care home, health centre, hospice or in someone’s home.

Role overview:

  • Building trusting relationships with people who need care and support.
  • Carrying out assessments to identify the treatments that people would most benefit from
    delivering therapies.
  • Evaluating the therapies and the impact they’ve had.

Skills, experience and qualifications:
The specific skills needed to work in this role include:

  • Good listening skills.
  • The ability to put people at ease.
  • The ability to cope with emotional situations. 

Each therapy will have its own entry requirements which are set by that therapy Lead Body. You can find a list of these here.

Employers might also expect you to be registered with The General Regulatory Council for Complementary Therapies or The Complementary and Natural Healthcare Council.

It might also be useful to have some experience working or volunteering in a social care and health setting. 

Opportunities:
 Your employer should put you through an induction. This might include training necessary for your role such as health and safety, first aid and moving and handling. You might also receive specific training such as autism awareness, communication skills or working with people with dementia.

There may be opportunities to progress into senior therapist roles and supervise others or a management role and be responsible for a therapy service in a hospital or other setting.

You might also choose to go into other roles such as a rehabilitation worker, social worker or occupational therapist.