Social Workers: Schools and Careers

About Social Workers

Social Workers

Social workers help people cope with and solve issues in their daily lives, including personal and family problems. They also help with serious domestic conflicts. Many social workers specialize in a specific environment or help a specific portion of the population. Those that have the appropriate state mandated license are sometimes called licensed clinical social workers.

Some common job titles are family services social worker, school social worker, child welfare social worker, child protective services social worker, youth services specialist, medical social worker, clinical social worker, and social work case manager.

Some social workers provide assistance to clients that are dealing with a life-threatening disease or that have a disability. Social workers also help people that are dealing with substance abuse, teenage pregnancy, unemployment or inadequate housing.

Some social workers are involved in pushing for improved services, whereas others participate in planning or policy development. Some social workers identify social problems and offer legislative and other types of solutions. Social workers also perform research. Some in the profession are known as social work administrators.

Family and school social workers provide social services and a variety of assistance with the goal of improving the functioning of families. They evaluate peoples' needs and provide help in order to improve their lives. Family and school social workers often coordinate the appropriate services for children or their families. Some family and school social workers have a specialty such as domestic violence, homelessness, foster care or child protective services.

In school settings, social workers serve as a connection between students' families and schools. They deal with teachers, parents, guardians and other school representatives with the objective of ensuring students reach their academic and personal potential.

Medical and public health social workers, provide psychosocial support to individuals, families and vulnerable populations in order to help them cope with acute, chronic or terminal illnesses including cancer and Alzheimer's disease. They offer advice to family caregivers and they also provide counseling to patients. Some social workers specialize in providing services to senior citizens and their families. These social workers are also called gerontological social workers.

Mental health and substance abuse social workers evaluate and treat people with mental illness or substance abuse problems. They provide services such as crisis intervention, social rehabilitation, individual and group therapy, outreach and they also provide skills for everyday living.

Social Workers Responsibilities

• Interview clients and evaluate their situation, problems and capabilities to determine the appropriate services
• Refer clients to community resources
• Provide counseling to families and individuals on various issues
• Help single parents find daycare for their children
• Prepare reports and maintain case history records
• Arrange for adoptions
• Create and review service plans with clients and evaluate the quality and quantity of provided services
• Find foster homes for abused or abandoned children

Social workers spend some of their time in an office or a residential facility. Social workers also meet with their clients in their homes and meet with service providers. Social workers often have large caseloads. They typically work 40 hours per week but sometimes they work during the evenings and on weekends in order to accommodate their clients' schedules or to attend community meetings or deal with emergencies.

Social work can be satisfying but also challenging at times. Social workers also need to be able to handle responsibility. They should be emotionally mature, objective and sensitive to people and their problems.

Employment Outlook

The Bureau of Labor Statistics forecasts a 16 percent growth for employment of social workers between 2008 and 2018 which is faster than the average for all occupations. The growing senior population is a major element for growth in the profession. The demand for social workers with gerontology backgrounds should increase. In addition, the median annual earnings for child, family and school social workers in 2008 was $39,530. The salary varies by the specialty.

Social Workers Education, Certification, and Licensing

social worker jobs usually require, at a minimum, a bachelor's degree in social work. Degrees in psychology, sociology and related fields may be sufficient for some entry-level social worker positions, especially in small community agencies. However, some social worker jobs require an advanced degree.

Social worker jobs in school and health settings usually require a master's degree in social work. A master's degree is also typically necessary for clinical work. Advanced degrees are usually required for administrative, supervisory and staff training positions.

Bachelor's degree programs prepare students for direct service jobs, including caseworker, group home worker and residential counselor. Accredited programs usually require a minimum of 400 hours of supervised field experience.

Master's degree programs prepare graduates for employment in selected fields of concentration. The master's degree programs usually last for two years. The programs include a minimum of 900 hours of field experience or internship. The master's degree program may take part-time students four years to finish.

Every state has licensing, certification or registration requirements regarding social work practice and using professional titles.

Resources for Social Workers

• National Association of Social Workers
• Association of Social Work Boards

Major Employers of Social Workers

The top employers are individual and family services agencies, state governments, local governments and schools.

Schools for Social Workers are listed in the column to the left.

The Top Cities tab shows employment statistics for Social Workers by major metro area.

The Top Industries tab shows which industries have the most jobs for Social Workers, along with salary data by industry.

The Find Schools tab lets you search for schools by field of study, degree level, and location.