Tracy Hynes recently began working for the council’s early intervention team after qualifying through an apprenticeship run by the academy.
She said it provided continuing support for staff, adding: “It’s not just about the work that we do with families but about ourselves as well, about looking after us and making sure that we’re getting what we need, whether that’s in our own wellbeing or whether that’s in the training and learning and development that we need as well.”
The council’s principal social worker, Stephanie Dixon, oversees the academy.
She admitted social work could be stressful but rewarding.
She said: “It’s a difficult job. You do take on a lot hearing other people’s traumas and you’re supporting people day in, day out.
“But what comes with that is the reward of when you support someone and you see children develop, do well, be able to stay with families, then I don’t think there is anything more rewarding.”
