 Hi, my name is Peter and I am currently doing my ASYE with West Sussex Local Authority as a children's social worker. I enjoy being able to help make a positive difference to the lives of children and families. I enjoy being able to empower others to feel they can make changes to their lives, to help them to develop the confidence to recognise when something is not quite right and take control of their decision making. I enjoy the direct work with children and feel I am encouraged to be creative, to engage with and build on the relationships with children and young people to help them to feel safe. I love how the role challenges my thinking and motivates me to become a better social worker every day. I love the training opportunities and offer which support my all round learning and by working with a wide variety of people I can learn so much from others as well as sharing my knowledge and experiences too. It's a privilege to work closely with children and families. It's a vital role within our society that allows me to work in partnership with others, finding and creating the tools people need to make the long lasting changes in their lives. Social work to me is about making a difference, however big or small. It's about improving outcomes for children and young people and helping parents and carers to feel confident to provide the right care and support to their children. It has been a learning journey and the last six months have flown past. I feel that by being open to the variety of opportunities I have built up some valuable knowledge and although the role can be a little bit nerve-wracking at times by being encouraged to maintain self-belief I feel I've achieved a lot in a short space of time. It has been important to rely on the support on offer from colleagues and understanding that it's okay to not know the answer straight away. Supervision with my Lyme manager has been such a helpful way to reflect on my personal development and what I want to achieve in my career. I haven't felt pressured to take on too much too early and feel that everything is done at the right time. I will complete my ASYE in the next six months and remain working for West Sussex as a children's social worker in the family safeguarding team. I will continue to access all the training on offer and build on my experiences to help me grow and develop and I aim to become a practice educator and team manager in the future.