AS a social worker, Liz Williams is sometimes called on to make agonising decisions to protect the welfare of youngsters under her supervision in the most extreme cases of neglect or abuse, this can mean removing children from their parents.
Although this sort of direct intervention is rare, the image of social workers breaking up families is one that workers constantly have to battle against to gain the trust of those they are assigned to protect.
Liz, 26, who has worked in Swindon for two and a half years, explained: "It is true that social workers as a group tend to have a poor image, and it is something that we have to address as a profession.
"Unfortunately many people have this idea that all we do is go into families take away their children. In many ways social workers are seen as bogey men you know, if you don't behave, the social worker will come and take you away.
"I specialise in dealing with children and families and much of my work involves establishing the trust of the families and maintaining communication with them."
She added that most of the valuable work carried out by social workers goes largely unnoticed by the public.
"Obviously one of the most important things is to protect the confidentiality of our clients, but this means that people don't get to hear about our successes.
"It seems that the only time that social workers are in the news is when things go wrong."
Cases assigned to her include families where the parents might suffer from mental health problems or are addicted to drugs, or where children in the family have behavioural problems.
"Often it is the case that the parents are able to cope unless there is a crisis in the family.
"This is where they can need our help. Often we just spend a couple of hours a week talking through some of the issues affecting them. Sometimes that will be all they need to help them cope.
"The most satisfying thing is where you know a family no longer needs your help. It can be a very satisfying job, and occasionally people even thank you for helping them."
She explained that social workers do not work alone and have the support of both their colleagues and other agencies such as the child protection service or drug link.
"Although you do shoulder a lot of responsibility in this job, you never have to make a decision alone. You always work as part of a team."
From an early age, Liz always knew that she wanted to help people in her work.
After following a degree in psychology, she embarked on a two-year diploma in social work before starting in her first post in Swindon.
She explained: "I will not deny that it can be very stressful sometimes, but you are never bored.
"It is more diverse work than I imagined it would be when I started.
"People wanting to become social workers have to be open-minded and aware of cultural differences.
"You have to be able to communicate to a wide range of people, from judges and lawyers to families.
"It is a really satisfying career, being able to make a real difference to people's lives."
For information about a career in social work, contact 0845 601 6121.
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