Social work interviews test your knowledge of safeguarding legislation, ethical decision-making, and how you handle the emotional weight of the role. These scenarios reflect real practice dilemmas.
Interview preparation guide
The quiz above is a quick way to check your knowledge. Before the interview, prepare a specific example for each of these themes: Safeguarding, Legislation, Ethical Practice, Multi-Agency Working. Practise saying your answer aloud, then refine the detail, evidence and outcome rather than memorising a script.
Question 1 · Legislation
Section 17 is the "child in need" duty to provide services promoting welfare. Section 47 is the child protection investigation power, triggered by reasonable cause to suspect significant harm. Confusing them is a common interview mistake.
Question 2 · Safeguarding
The six Care Act 2014 principles are Empowerment, Prevention, Proportionality, Protection, Partnership, and Accountability. These guide all adult safeguarding work, and interviewers expect you to know them and explain how each applies.
Question 3 · Safeguarding
Never promise confidentiality when there is a safeguarding concern. Explain honestly but gently that you must share with people who can help. Listen without leading questions, record their exact words, and follow local procedures. Investigating is not your role.
Question 4 · Legislation
The five principles are: presumption of capacity, support to decide, right to make unwise decisions, best interests, and least restrictive option. Interviewers test whether you can apply these to complex scenarios, not just recite them.
Question 5 · Ethical Practice
A person cannot be treated as lacking capacity merely because they make an unwise decision. Respect their autonomy, but do not walk away — maintain the relationship, keep offering support, and hold a live risk assessment.
Use the quiz to identify the theme you need to improve, then rehearse it as a spoken answer and get feedback on your structure, pace and specificity.