Social Worker CV Keywords: Skills & ATS Terms to Include

Social work CVs are checked for registration, specialism (children's or adults') and statutory experience. Show your caseload, the legislation you work under and outcomes for the people you support.

Not sure which of these your CV is missing? Upload it with a social worker job description and get your ATS score and missing keywords free.

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Social Worker hard skills

Core competencies recruiters and ATS filters search for.

AssessmentsCare planningSafeguardingChild protectionCase managementRisk assessmentMulti-agency workingCourt reportsMental Capacity ActCare Act 2014Children Act 1989Direct work with families

Social Worker tools & software

Use the exact product names from the job ad.

MosaicLiquidlogicAzeusCareFirstMicrosoft Office

Social Worker certifications & qualifications

Write the full name and the acronym, with the year.

Social Work England registrationASYEBest Interests Assessor (BIA)Practice Educator (PEPS)AMHP

Social Worker soft skills

Show these through achievements rather than listing them alone.

EmpathyResilienceProfessional judgementCommunicationAdvocacyBoundary setting

Social Worker action verbs

Start each bullet with one of these instead of "Responsible for".

AssessedSafeguardedCoordinatedAdvocatedSupportedManagedRepresentedPreparedReviewedAchieved

Weak vs strong social worker CV bullets

Worked with families.

Held a caseload of 18 children on child protection and child in need plans, stepping down 7 families to early help within a year.

Did assessments.

Completed 60+ Care Act assessments in adult services, all within statutory timescales.

Examples are illustrative. Only use figures you can back up in an interview.

ATS tip for social worker CVs

Include your registration and specialism, and name the relevant legislation — local authority job ads often list it as essential criteria.

How to use these keywords

  1. Start from the job description, not this list. Keywords that appear in the ad matter most — paste it into the job description keyword extractor to pull them out.
  2. Only include skills you genuinely have. You will be asked about them.
  3. Put the most important keywords in both your Skills section and your experience bullets.
  4. Use the employer's exact wording (e.g. "Mosaic", not a synonym).
  5. Keep formatting simple: single column, standard headings, no text inside images.

See exactly which keywords your CV is missing

Paste a real social worker job ad and upload your CV. You get an ATS score, your missing keywords and your top issues in under a minute — free, no sign-up.

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